k-hawinkler Posted September 10, 2012 Share #1 Posted September 10, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have always appreciated the Televit knob turning focusing mechanism of the Telyts 400 & 560 mm f/5.6 with its incredible precision. The back and forth sliding focusing mechanism of the Telyts 400 & 560 mm f/6.8 never gave me the precision I was used to with f/5.6 lenses. I use these heavy-weights typically on a tripod anyway. In this context Robert_M suggested to look into the leica M and Leica R adapters to NEX which also incorporate a helicoid. BRILLIANT!!! Maybe one can even incorporate a Bellows II into the system? Well, I did. From left to right: Sony NEX-7 + E-M Adapter + Leitz Bellows II + 16596 Ring + OUFRO/16469 Ring + Telyt-V 560 mm f/6.8 on tripod. Focusing seems to be working from about 4 Yards - several hundred Yards. Good enough for taking pictures of hummingbirds. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! The 400 mm focal length seems ideal to capture the birds interaction with each other at close range, whereas the 560 mm focal length seems better suited for portrait like snapshots. More here: 2012-09-09 Hummers Galore - winklers' Photos http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/nature-wildlife/254579-hummingbirds-galore-nex-7-telyt-1-a.html http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/nature-wildlife/254577-hummingbirds-galore-nex-7-telyt-1-a.html 19 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! The 400 mm focal length seems ideal to capture the birds interaction with each other at close range, whereas the 560 mm focal length seems better suited for portrait like snapshots. More here: 2012-09-09 Hummers Galore - winklers' Photos http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/nature-wildlife/254579-hummingbirds-galore-nex-7-telyt-1-a.html http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/nature-wildlife/254577-hummingbirds-galore-nex-7-telyt-1-a.html ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/187612-telyt-400-560-mm-f68-focusing/?do=findComment&comment=2109273'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 10, 2012 Posted September 10, 2012 Hi k-hawinkler, Take a look here Telyt 400 & 560 mm f/6.8 Focusing. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted September 10, 2012 Share #2 Posted September 10, 2012 Works well. I'm not surprised you do not use it handheld! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 10, 2012 Share #3 Posted September 10, 2012 Great solution, and fine pics !!! the bellows plays the role of the Televit focusing unit... ... me too don't like a lot the "trombone" of 6,8 Telyts... Two questions : 1) You say that works to several hundreds yards... : you mean it does not focus to infinity ? 2) How is the focusing through the NEX' EVF ? Clearly you did succeded in focusing right, but I'm curios to know fi the focus-aid system is effective also with this special configuration, or you have preferred to work straight on the EVF image (or the LCD) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted September 10, 2012 Share #4 Posted September 10, 2012 Focusing seems to be working from about 4 Yards - several hundred Yards. If you unscrew the optical cell from the front you'll find a spacer ring which can be removed to allow focussing closer to infinity if desired. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert_M Posted September 10, 2012 Share #5 Posted September 10, 2012 Your idea to put the bellows in there is great! It appears that you can get a nice fine focus movement. Clearly you have the focus spot on in these shots. That is a nice setup. I think I must go get a hummingbird feeder for my yard now..... RM Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 10, 2012 Share #6 Posted September 10, 2012 I have some nice BATS flying over my garden (VERY good for mosquitos...) but, ay, their movement is impossible to freeze... and they fly just 1 hour at sunset... even 20.000 ISO wouldn't be sufficient Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert_M Posted September 10, 2012 Share #7 Posted September 10, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have some nice BATS flying over my garden (VERY good for mosquitos...) but, ay, their movement is impossible to freeze... and they fly just 1 hour at sunset... even 20.000 ISO wouldn't be sufficient What you need is a camera with a sensor well into the infrared. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 10, 2012 Share #8 Posted September 10, 2012 What you need is a camera with a sensor well into the infrared. To say... my M8 !!! It has always been praised for IR... but I suspect other issues could arise... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share #9 Posted September 10, 2012 Hi Luigi, Great solution, and fine pics !!! the bellows plays the role of the Televit focusing unit... ... me too don't like a lot the "trombone" of 6,8 Telyts... Two questions :1) You say that works to several hundreds yards... : you mean it does not focus to infinity ? Thanks. Correct, as configured, it does not focus to infinity. By removing the spacer ring, Doug points out, one gains about 8 mm. Unfortunately, I needed to add the OUFRO/16469 Ring so that I could attach the Telyt-V 560 mm f/6.8 to the 16596 Ring inside the Bellows II. That cost about 10 mm. Of course, one could focus much closer than 4 yards by adding the 14182 extension tube or a foot of Rings between the Bellows II and the E-M adapter. Great2) How is the focusing through the NEX' EVF ? Clearly you did succeded in focusing right, but I'm curios to know fi the focus-aid system is effective also with this special configuration, or you have preferred to work straight on the EVF image (or the LCD) Focusing is very precise and a pleasure to work with. So, first I extend the Bellows halfway so that I have room to fine adjust in both directions. Then I use the slider of the 6.8 Telyt to get approximate focus quickly by looking at the LCD. This can be done before the next hummer shows up by focusing on the text of the feeder. Once a bird is in view and sort of has settled down, I position the focus frame where I want it, on the LCD again. Then I switch to 11.7x magnification and look through the EVF, which gives an incredibly clear and detailed view. Although the birds' bodies constantly move and shake I can see very fine feather details very clearly through the EVF. So I put the focus typically on the head/eyes of the hummer. The EVF has a diopter adjustment which works perfectly fine for my dominant left eye (that isn't afflicted with astigmatism as my right eye). I then very quickly fine focus by turning the knob on the Bellows II and remotely wirelessly trigger the shutter. By touching the on camera shutter button one can also get bursts of 10 fps for still images. For video clips one has to touch the on camera video shutter button as well. For most of my shots I have used the lens wide open and ISO=800 as I try to get better than 1/1000 s exposure time. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share #10 Posted September 10, 2012 If you unscrew the optical cell from the front you'll find a spacer ring which can be removed to allow focussing closer to infinity if desired. Hi Doug, Many thanks. You sure know that lens inside out. So, I unscrewed the lens glass and measured the spacer ring to be about 8 mm. That's useful information to have. Thanks again. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share #11 Posted September 10, 2012 Your idea to put the bellows in there is great! It appears that you can get a nice fine focus movement. Clearly you have the focus spot on in these shots. That is a nice setup. I think I must go get a hummingbird feeder for my yard now..... RM Hi RM, Thanks. Getting a hummingbird feeder is a great idea. These hummers are never dull. BTW, are you far enough south for the hummers to stay around all year? I know they stay in CA but AZ is probably to cold in the winter. So, I tried out exactly your idea by attaching an R - M adapter and the HAWK's Factory M - E adapter with helicoid to the Telyt-R 400 mm f/6.8. This is what it looks like: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! I proceeded similar to the other rig with the Bellows II. The helicoid lever on the HAWK's Factory adapter moves between 4 and 8 o'clock. So, I initially set the lever to 6 o'clock, facing straight down. Then focus with the slider of the Telyt-R 400 mm f/6.8. It turns out that the HAWK's Factory adapter has just enough of a helicoid so that I can focus accurately and can make the focus go fuzzy on either side, 4 or 8 o'clock. As one can still focus to infinity, this seems to be the way to go as a practical and less heavy solution. Here is a picture, taken with the just described system, of a hummer right after it had stopped raining and it shook out the rain. Thanks again for figuring out an easy practical solution to the problem at hand. Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! I proceeded similar to the other rig with the Bellows II. The helicoid lever on the HAWK's Factory adapter moves between 4 and 8 o'clock. So, I initially set the lever to 6 o'clock, facing straight down. Then focus with the slider of the Telyt-R 400 mm f/6.8. It turns out that the HAWK's Factory adapter has just enough of a helicoid so that I can focus accurately and can make the focus go fuzzy on either side, 4 or 8 o'clock. As one can still focus to infinity, this seems to be the way to go as a practical and less heavy solution. Here is a picture, taken with the just described system, of a hummer right after it had stopped raining and it shook out the rain. Thanks again for figuring out an easy practical solution to the problem at hand. ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/187612-telyt-400-560-mm-f68-focusing/?do=findComment&comment=2110047'>More sharing options...
Robert_M Posted September 11, 2012 Share #12 Posted September 11, 2012 Wow, that seems to work great. I always like the simple solution. I do get hummingbirds regularly in the yard and I do not have much for them to feed on. I suspect that a feeder would really bring them in. I do not know if they stay year round. I would guess that it is pretty close. We do get some freezes, but only a few nights per year. I know that some of the Parks near here have those feeders out to attract the birds for us tourists. Of course, one never knows what the local bob-cats will do with the increase in bird life. And, then there are the new family of Cooper's Hawks which seem to have set up residence..... RM 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share #13 Posted September 12, 2012 Hi RM, Thanks. These hummers have very short reaction times and should be very hard to catch. Well, compared to my previous post I added an APO-Extender-R 2x and swapped the 400 with the 560 mm lens head. That results in this configuration: NEX-7 + HAWK's E-M adapter with helicoid + M-R adapter + APO-Extender-R 2x + Telyt 560 mm f/6.8 on tripod The resulting focal length (fl) is now 1120 mm and the APS-C virtual fl is 1680 mm, giving a 33.6 magnification compared to FF 50 mm fl. Of course, the virtual fl is not real but indicates the reduction in field of view. Without the helicoid I find this configuration impossible to focus with any degree of precision. The helicoid indeed makes a huge difference. The focusing with the lens slider needs to be just good enough so that the focusing with the helicoid has enough wiggle room to do the job. Here is one such example with the described configuration. It shows a Robin chick taking a bath. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Here a 100% crop. Frankly, I am amazed this lens configuration can be focused that well. I doesn't look to me that the APO-Extender-R 2x degraded the lens performance in a very significant way. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Here a 100% crop. Frankly, I am amazed this lens configuration can be focused that well. I doesn't look to me that the APO-Extender-R 2x degraded the lens performance in a very significant way. ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/187612-telyt-400-560-mm-f68-focusing/?do=findComment&comment=2110914'>More sharing options...
Garside Posted September 20, 2012 Share #14 Posted September 20, 2012 I have always appreciated the Televit knob turning focusing mechanism of the Telyts 400 & 560 mm f/5.6 with its incredible precision.The back and forth sliding focusing mechanism of the Telyts 400 & 560 mm f/6.8 never gave me the precision I was used to with f/5.6 lenses. I use these heavy-weights typically on a tripod anyway. In this context Robert_M suggested to look into the leica M and Leica R adapters to NEX which also incorporate a helicoid. BRILLIANT!!! Maybe one can even incorporate a Bellows II into the system? Well, I did. From left to right: Sony NEX-7 + E-M Adapter + Leitz Bellows II + 16596 Ring + OUFRO/16469 Ring + Telyt-V 560 mm f/6.8 on tripod. Focusing seems to be working from about 4 Yards - several hundred Yards. Good enough for taking pictures of hummingbirds. [ATTACH]334332[/ATTACH] That looks a really fine idea,I've always found the sliding focus mechanism fiddly at times. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted October 2, 2012 Share #15 Posted October 2, 2012 If you unscrew the optical cell from the front you'll find a spacer ring which can be removed to allow focussing closer to infinity if desired. Doug, How do you unscrew the optical cell on the 400/5.6 Telyt head? The 560/5.6 is easy, as the optical cell projects beyond the hood, when the hood is closed but on my 400 it does not. I need to take off my 400 optical cell to clean the back surface, where it looks as if a small fly has got in and died on the rear element. thanks Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted October 2, 2012 Share #16 Posted October 2, 2012 How do you unscrew the optical cell on the 400/5.6 Telyt head? I have not done this with the 400/5.6, sorry. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted October 2, 2012 Share #17 Posted October 2, 2012 I have not done this with the 400/5.6, sorry. The only solution that occurred to me was to use the windscreen mount for my GPS, which has a lever operated sucker on it. Then I could twist the mount to see if it has enough traction to unscrew the 400 optical cell. As the sucker is soft synthetic rubber, it should not damage the coating. Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted October 2, 2012 Share #18 Posted October 2, 2012 Update - the sucker method worked perfectly and the optical cell unscrewed surprisingly easily. Dead fly and some dust cleaned off the back of the optical cell on the 400/5.6. My one does not seem to have a removable spacer. Wilson 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted October 23, 2012 Share #19 Posted October 23, 2012 I have some nice BATS flying over my garden (VERY good for mosquitos...) but, ay, their movement is impossible to freeze... and they fly just 1 hour at sunset... even 20.000 ISO wouldn't be sufficient Get an MM. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted October 23, 2012 Share #20 Posted October 23, 2012 Get an MM. ......or BB Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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