Leitz 800mm f6.3 Telyt-S ... arrived today

[dkCambridgeshire]

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Congratulations for your investment, this tripod seems to be a state of the art

You are, for sure, not making things half the way

 

The risk of camera shake needs addressing, and minimising as much as possible - hence the use of a wooden tripod without a centre column. Wood is more resistant to vibration than carbon fibre and aluminium. With an 800mm lens, any vibration is magnified eg by a factor of 4x compared to a 200mm lens and 16x compared to a 50mm lens. When a 2x convertor is added these figures are doubled ie a vibration susceptibility 32x greater than that of a 50mm lens. A Manfrotto 359 long lens support will also be used with the Zone VI tripod to further control any vibration.

 

Best wishes

 

dunk

[dkCambridgeshire]

Just ordered these two back issues of Leica Fotografie magazine which have articles about the 800mm Telyt-S ... the 1970 edition covers the prototype:

 

LEICA PHOTOGRAPHY MAGAZINE Vol.26 No.1 1973 27pp.

 

Lens Leica Fotografie Magazine 5 1970

 

Best wishes

 

dunk

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[jpattison]

And the picture in the latter shows it mounted on a single Linhof Heavy Duty Twin Shank Pro tripod. I used to have one for a 10x8 years ago...

 

John

Edited February 5, 2012 by jpattison

[Guest]

Congratulations to this very rare and impressive lens and to your determination to make it work again.

Just wondering whether one of the secrets of the longevity of your particular lens might be that it has not been taken apart and screwed together again many times.

Wouldn't a customized long bike trailer, that could hold a long aluminium or plastic case, which also would need to be made to measure, also serve the purpose to get to the wild life park?

All I can say is, that it looks phenomenal and probably takes great wild life pictures, too.

 

Best,

Simon

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello dunk,

 

As an experiment you might try:

 

Find a stationary target which is lit so you can make an exposure measured in full seconds.

 

Set up & focus, etc.

 

Put a board which is a very dull & very black black in front of the lens w/ hood. Do not touch the hood/lens w/ the board or anything else.

 

Open & lock the shutter.

 

Let all the vibrations settle down. Maybe a minute or so.

 

Move the board vertically or horizontally away from the front of the lens. This begins the exposure.

 

Put the board back in front of the lens ending the exposure. Unlock & close the shutter.

 

This may give you an idea of the potential abilities of this lens.

 

btw: I would guess this lens is optimised @ or near the largest opening @ middle to longer distances.You will find out.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Simon,

 

Some people have theorized 1 reason many Barnacks are in operating condition is: Not only are they better built than other cameras but they were constructed in a manner that makes it difficult for someone who does not know what they are doing to get access to the various mechanisms.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[luigi bertolotti]

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Congratulations to this very rare and impressive lens and to your determination to make it work again.

Just wondering whether one of the secrets of the longevity of your particular lens might be that it has not been taken apart and screwed together again many times.

Wouldn't a customized long bike trailer, that could hold a long aluminium or plastic case, which also would need to be made to measure, also serve the purpose to get to the wild life park?

All I can say is, that it looks phenomenal and probably takes great wild life pictures, too.

 

Best,

Simon

 

Well, the problem of dismounting / reassemblying this lens imho is surely an hassle in using... ... but the mechanism is so well engineered and made that I doubt that the lens can suffer even from hundreds of such operations (*)... the coupling is based not on delicate screw-matings but to BIG bayonets with locking collars which are very generously dimensioned.. add also that is an operation that one simply cannot made too quickly and careless, given the weight of the involved components.

 

(*) Supposed one uses this item HUNDREDS of times...

[dkCambridgeshire]

Congratulations to this very rare and impressive lens and to your determination to make it work again.

Just wondering whether one of the secrets of the longevity of your particular lens might be that it has not been taken apart and screwed together again many times.

Wouldn't a customized long bike trailer, that could hold a long aluminium or plastic case, which also would need to be made to measure, also serve the purpose to get to the wild life park?

All I can say is, that it looks phenomenal and probably takes great wild life pictures, too.

 

Best,

Simon

 

The lens is in such good condition that it has probably seen little use; as Luigi states, it 'bayonets' together - the only 'screw' section is the accessory holder for the front of the lens - onto which bayonets the lens hood - but the hood will also bayonet onto the front of the lens without using the ring. I would not go to the expense of having a custom bike trailer made - the one I have in mind dismantles easily into a flat-pack which will hang on my garage wall - and it is large enough to accommodate the Viper backpack and the tripod. The Viper backpack will accommodate the the combined length of the two rear assembled lens tubes and the actual lens head fits into an adjacent compartment.

 

Best wishes

 

dunk

[dkCambridgeshire]

Hello dunk,

 

As an experiment you might try:

 

Find a stationary target which is lit so you can make an exposure measured in full seconds.

 

Set up & focus, etc.

 

Put a board which is a very dull & very black black in front of the lens w/ hood. Do not touch the hood/lens w/ the board or anything else.

 

Open & lock the shutter.

 

Let all the vibrations settle down. Maybe a minute or so.

 

Move the board vertically or horizontally away from the front of the lens. This begins the exposure.

 

Put the board back in front of the lens ending the exposure. Unlock & close the shutter.

 

This may give you an idea of the potential abilities of this lens.

 

btw: I would guess this lens is optimised @ or near the largest opening @ middle to longer distances.You will find out.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

 

Hi Michael, Your suggestion might be used if camera shake problems are experienced but hopefully the tripod and an accessory *Manfrotto 359 long lens support (which has universal joints) will enable 'skake free' exposures - especially if the delayed action is used. But all this is theoretical and in practice the lens needs to be used without too many precautions when taking opportunist photographs rather than optimally set-up exposures. Hopefully the Zone VI tripod will be sufficient to kill any vibrations but if it isn't then additional support(s) and precautions will be required. The R9/DMR combination has a greater propensity to induce shake because of its lower usable ISO range than eg a Canon DSLR. I will be using both cameras - and will also experiment with 4/3 format via an Olympus E3.

 

The light might be the most important variable i.e. good light = shorter exposures = less shake. The atmosphere is another factor especially at this time of year with frequent mists.

 

The bike trailer will not be used initially - it is planned for use later. I still have to buy it and my ££coffers are low at the moment after the expense of the backpack and tripod and tripod bag.

 

My photographer friends are as excited as me to use the lens and initially we will be travelling by car to Rutland Water and Alexandra Palace to experiment with the lens. At Alexandra Palace it is possible to photograph the Canary Wharf buildings which are 8 miles distant - and I want to try the 2x and 1.4x convertors whilst photographing the HSBC building.

 

Best wishes

 

dunk

 

*The Manfrotto 359 is the long lens support which resembles a mini monopod and is used with a Manfrotto Super Clamp; the Manfrotto 393 is the illustrated gimbal support.

Edited February 6, 2012 by dkpeterborough

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello dunk.

 

My suggestion was not meant as a way for you to routinely take pictures. It was meant as a way to determine a reference point for better understanding the potential capabilities of the lens. Few 800/6.3's were made & very little has been written about the actual performance.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[Guest]

Luigi and you know, while my post was an example of well intentioned guessing .

 

Outdoors however makes me think of humidity in most parts of the world and couldn't it be dusty where it is dry? If I thought I'd need such a wonderful optical instrument made out of two or more long tubes, I'd either not take it apart outside, or if not already part of the system, have bayonet lids CNCed out of massive plastic to close the two open bayonets during transport.

 

Wasn't the picture with München's Frauenkirche towers in the middle ground with all of the City around it and the Alps in the background in the original brochure of this lens?

 

Which of cause goes to show, that it is mainly used in perfect weather conditions, as in Luigi's alpine view, when there simply is neither dust nor air humidity. But weather changes fast on the way there and back.

 

What I like just as much, is that you put the lens to use .

 

Think I remember having seen such a lens, when I had my M8 updated, in the lobby of the Solms factory indoors, aimed at a bird house outside of the parking lot.

Washington has shown something like that last year also but with a much shorter focal length.

 

Guess I see a lid of superior design to what I would have envisioned (with two holes to rotate it with the fingers) on the your image of the modules yet disassembled in the VIPER rucksack.

 

I bet it is the attraction of your photo-club and you can't wait for spring.

 

Best,

Simon

[luigi bertolotti]

Luigi and you know, while my post was an example of well intentioned guessing ....

 

Outdoors however makes me think of humidity in most parts of the world and couldn't it be dusty where it is dry? If I thought I'd need such a wonderful optical instrument made out of two or more long tubes, I'd either not take it apart outside, or if not already part of the system, have bayonet lids CNCed out of massive plastic to close the two open bayonets during transport. ......

 

Best,

Simon

 

You made a right hipotesis... ... the system does include a pair of plastic bayonet caps (and two other sans bayonet, for the other ends) to close the "tubes"... not so massive, indeed... they could have made them just a little thickier... wouldn't have made anyway a significant difference in the total heavy weight of the item... . They have two round recepctacles for fingers to facilitate rotation... don't remember if are "logoed".. will check tonight...

[luigi bertolotti]

... as above said, the intermediate elements are properly equipped with caps... the big one at right (with "Leitz" marking) has also a code of its own (14012), engraved onto the back face : both the two "non-bayonet coupled" have the old style felt strip in the inner diameter (in my item, the felts are like new... the lens, not surprisingly, hasn't been used a lot... )

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[Mantice]

Wonder how it perform compare to module system 800/5.6:confused:

[luigi bertolotti]

I'd expect the Module Sytem to perform better : it was a much more modern and very refined APO design.... probably, even the APO 400 2,8 with Apo 2x converter can be better, expecially at (relatively) short distances.

[k_g_wolf ✝]

Great (old) thread, and thx for bringing it up again. Mantice!

 

 

Best

GEORG

[k_g_wolf ✝]

Got one of these in 1996 (3rd Hand, DM 8.000) to put it on my LEICAflex.

It was pretty hard to rigg with two tripods and I had to wait for hours for an

animal to appear in the narrow field od view ...

 

Gave it up and sold the beast.

 

Hope Michael is still going strong with it! In the hands of a dedicated photog

it is certainly more than a surveillance item.

 

 

Regards

GEORG

[luigi bertolotti]

Got one of these in 1996 (3rd Hand, DM 8.000) to put it on my LEICAflex.

It was pretty hard to rigg with two tripods and I had to wait for hours for an

animal to appear in the narrow field od view ...

 

Gave it up and sold the beast.

 

Hope Michael is still going strong with it! In the hands of a dedicated photog

it is certainly more than a surveillance item.

 

 

Regards

GEORG

 

Sold ?... in 1997, by chance ? ... Funny if it was the one ended in my hands in 2011... (the previous owner bought it in 1997, I suppose... see the Leitz letter I posted hereby)

[k_g_wolf ✝]

Would be too much of a coincidence, Luigi.

 

Although it could match somehow, timewise. "My" buyer (for 500 less than that what I had spent)

was a gentleman with a considerable LEICA-collection. A few years later he sold it ALL to

B. J., a certain big LEICA-guy in Nürnberg (now also globalized in HK and Salzburg),

very active on the big auction site.

 

Could try to dig for the serielnumber, but it´s quite some time back.

 

 

 

best

GEORG

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[luigi bertolotti]

... hmm... difficult it's my one... I'd say that the well known dealer you qoute does not fit within the history of my item... (unless they had made some "busness to business " with the auctioner (Westlicht) who sold to me...