visoflex-novice in macroland

[wlaidlaw]

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I think something must have got lost in translation from the Leica Shop. After all no lens, which fits,focuses to infinity and works directly on an M body, will give infinity focus on a Visoflex. The only lenses which will do this are Visoflex lenses e.g. the 200 and 280 Telyt and lenses, where you can demount the lens head and use a shorter focusing body, e.g. the 135 Tele-Elmar head on the 16464 mount. I have not found any regular M lens so far that does not work as a macro lens, other than the WATE, where I think the point of furthest focus is behind the front element and the 35 ASPH Summilux, where the back of the lens body fouls the mirror. I suspect 50mm is the widest regular M lens that can used practically for Macro.

 

Wilson

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[k-hawinkler]

I think something must have got lost in translation from the Leica Shop. After all no lens, which fits,focuses to infinity and works directly on an M body, will give infinity focus on a Visoflex. The only lenses which will do this are Visoflex lenses e.g. the 200 and 280 Telyt and lenses, where you can demount the lens head and use a shorter focusing body, e.g. the 135 Tele-Elmar head on the 16464 mount. I have not found any regular M lens so far that does not work as a macro lens, other than the WATE, where I think the point of furthest focus is behind the front element and the 35 ASPH Summilux, where the back of the lens body fouls the mirror. I suspect 50mm is the widest regular M lens that can used practically for Macro.

 

Wilson

 

 

50 mm and 35 mm are listed on some old Leitz charts in connection with a Visoflex II or III and adapter ring OUFRO/16469.

 

K-H.

[Peter H]

Direct attachment. One side of the Viso direct to the body, the other bayonet's directly to the lens. You can then focus using the lens focus ring (distance scales don't mean anything though.

 

With Viso 2, the shutter release arm does not engage correctly with the shutter release on the M9 body, so you simply flick it forward out of the way, drop the mirror with the little chrome lever, focus, lift the mirror with the arm, and then shoot. With moving objects it's not quite a "decisive moment" process, but for the work I want to do it's fine.

 

BTW - Malcolm Taylor advises that the arms specially made for the Viso 2 to go on the M5 do the job for the M8/M9... He think he can set me up with one. My "simple" rig looks like this:

 

Thanks Chris, that's very helpful.

 

Now I jusr have to decide whether to get a Viso 2, which seems to be easy enough to find, or wait for a 3, which I'm told are not that often around.

 

Do you think there's a great difference between the 2 and the 3?

[k-hawinkler]

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Visoflex

[Doc Henry]

Henry - they're talking nonsense. Both the modern Apo-summicron 90 and Apo Telyt work perfectly on Viso 2 and I see no reason why they shouldn't work on Viso 3. Obviously, they won't focus to infinity, but for macro, that's not an issue.

Do older and wiser heads have any comment?

re focus, all I did was to adjust the eyepiece to suit me (a reason why I like the chimney finder) and then focus on the ground glass screen. It's easy and very very accurate in my experience.

Best

 

Chris thank you for this useful clarification

I will buy the Viso III for use with AS 90mm and AT 135mm

but I will keep macroElmar

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/nature-wildlife/196975-visit-vauclair-abbey-med-plants.html

Best

Henry

[Robert_M]

Henry,

 

I think you mentioned you also have been using Leica R lenses. There is an adapter (Leica #22228) which takes the Leica R lens and gives you a Leica M mount. There is also a Novoflex adapter LEM/LER which does the same thing. And, there are several Asian versions also. The lens+adapter is the right length for direct mount on the M camera but, of course, there is no rangefinder coupling. OK for infinity shots.

 

However, you can also now mount that combination on the Visoflex directly. Now you have expanded your macro possibilities to several other lenses. Don't know if that helps your needs.

 

I also suspect that the reply from Leicashop is just a misunderstanding. Indeed, only the older lenses had removable heads for use with the visoflex+focus adapter, AND could focus to infinity. As others have already said, all the current M lenses can be mounted on the visoflex for macro work (but they just won't focus to infinity).

 

Good luck with your quest.

 

RM

[chris_tribble]

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Chris thank you for this useful clarification

I will buy the Viso III for use with AS 90mm and AT 135mm

but I will keep macroElmar

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/nature-wildlife/196975-visit-vauclair-abbey-med-plants.html

Best

Henry

 

Henry - the Macro-Elmar is certainly going to be more portable and convenient to use in some circumstances than the Viso + AS 90, but I think you'll really enjoy playing with the Viso (do get a vertical finder if you can). I also strongly recommend getting a Bellows II with the correct ring for the bayonet lens (I have 16596G). See the difference below

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[jaapv]

Just a tip: Hama has a ring LED light that is cheap and effective - and it can be mounted on a flash bracket to work with with the Bellows. No time for play right now - I'll post an image on the VISO in a few days.

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[chris_tribble]

Malcolm Taylor mentioned this - it possible looks like a neater solution as it comes with appropriate stepping rings so it's more stable to mount (also cheaper than the Hama!)

 

Continous LED light for macro photography

[jaapv]

Well, actually it was on sale for 69 Euro..

I like the positioning by the flexible arm, no farting around with step rings and some control of light direction. It seems to be the "in" thing nowadays. Foto Koch set me a mail of a pretty good looking one by Dörr with a hefty discount.

[chris_tribble]

Point taken re direction.

 

Interesting to share experience when they're up and running...

[Doc Henry]

Henry - the Macro-Elmar is certainly going to be more portable and convenient to use in some circumstances than the Viso + AS 90, but I think you'll really enjoy playing with the Viso (do get a vertical finder if you can). I also strongly recommend getting a Bellows II with the correct ring for the bayonet lens (I have 16596G). See the difference below

Imressive picture with and without bellows Chris !

Thanks for your post and for recommendations

Amitiés

Best

Henry

[40mm f/2]

Would such LED macro light have enough power for tele lenses on a VISO. LEDs have (except the latest generation) not very good CRI as there is too little red in their spectrum.

Flash lights have also the advantage of avoiding camera shake and object movement- nothing holds still (except rocks). I find that any movement is much more obvious in the macro range.

I am looking for a simple flash for my VISO which is as light and handy as such LED light. Any suggestion?

[jaapv]

Absolutely not. It is comparable with a flash of guidenumber 4 or 8

[wlaidlaw]

The colour temperature of these LED lights looks a bit on the high side to me. I would prefer lighting around 3800º to 4200ºK rather than the 5500º to 6500ºK of these LED lights.

 

Just ordered an OTVXO from Leica Shop, so that I use flash with the Viso III. I am tempted by a second hand Nikon ring flash (not LED but standard discharge), which will fire off from Leica hot shoe.

 

Wilson

[40mm f/2]

The colour temperature of these LED lights looks a bit on the high side to me. I would prefer lighting around 3800º to 4200ºK rather than the 5500º to 6500ºK of these LED lights.

 

Just ordered an OTVXO from Leica Shop, so that I use flash with the Viso III. I am tempted by a second hand Nikon ring flash (not LED but standard discharge), which will fire off from Leica hot shoe.

 

Wilson

 

Its not only a matter of color temperature (one could correct this by software) but also of the spectral distribution. If there is only very low level of a specific wavelength (red in the case of white LEDs) colors in this range can not be correctly reproduced.

I am using a OTVXO but the ring flashes I have seen have hot shoe connected power supplies which look like to be too big to use with the viewfinder. For me a small manual flash would be sufficient but how to connect it to the hot shoe and still be able to use the viewfinder. I do not want to use a big flash handle! Something which offsets the hot shoe to the left?

[jaapv]

If you use the prism there is only a special order simple cable that will fre a flash that must be bracket mounted. With the vertical finder one can use a bracket mounted or ring flsh but it is always a bit complicated.. Lights are more simple.

[wlaidlaw]

Its not only a matter of color temperature (one could correct this by software) but also of the spectral distribution. If there is only very low level of a specific wavelength (red in the case of white LEDs) colors in this range can not be correctly reproduced.

I am using a OTVXO but the ring flashes I have seen have hot shoe connected power supplies which look like to be too big to use with the viewfinder. For me a small manual flash would be sufficient but how to connect it to the hot shoe and still be able to use the viewfinder. I do not want to use a big flash handle! Something which offsets the hot shoe to the left?

 

I know what you mean. Like trying to take colour photos in the old yellow sodium street lighting, which had only a single narrow band in the spectrum around 600nm.

 

The main purpose I am getting the chimney finder is to use a flash with my Viso III. I know there is supposed to be a very low line connector to use with the prism finder but I have not found it yet. If the worst comes to the worst, I have a Nikon SC 28 cable with a side exit. I would use this to connect to the power pack for the flash and then just have the power pack hanging beside the camera or on any of the various arms and brackets I already have. I might even get limited auto coupling with a Nikon Flash.

 

I think I may go for the Bower flash if I cannot find a used Nikon one.

 

Wilson

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[fotoism]

....I know there is supposed to be a very low line connector to use with the prism finder but I have not found it yet.....

 

Are you talking about this? HotShoePickpUp1+Web.jpg (image)

[wlaidlaw]

Are you talking about this? HotShoePickpUp1+Web.jpg (image)

 

That is the general idea but there was supposed to be something coming out, which was more like just a rectangle of metal, the width to fit in the shoe but about 4 times the length, with the PC cable coming out of the back. The one you illustrate, might I suspect, still be too tall not to foul the normal pentaprism of the Viso III viewer.

 

Anyway I now have an OTVXO on the way and already have a Nikon SC28 off camera flash cable, so issue solved.

 

BTW, on the sides of the flash end of the SC-28, there are two sockets, I assume for triggering additional flashes. Does anyone know what the Nikon code is for the cables for additional flashes. They are not standard PC sockets. Before I go down the ring flash route, I may try just multi flashes, as I have 4 or 5 different flashes I can play with and that's not counting bulb ones.

 

Wilson