Screw mount IIIc on telescope???

[elmar3]

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anyone out in Leica Land have any information on adapting an old Leica to photographic duty on a telescope???

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[zeitz]

A telescope is a lens. If you have a Visoflex and can remove the eyepiece from the telescope, the task is a lot easier. Meade, Celestron, Bushnell, etc all sell camera adapters to mount to their telescopes. The Celestron and Bushnell threads seem to be the same. A T-mount is used at the camera end.

 

Another option is a telescope like a Questar which has reflex reviewing that is removed from the light path after focusing.

[elmar3]

A telescope is a lens. If you have a Visoflex and can remove the eyepiece from the telescope, the task is a lot easier. Meade, Celestron, Bushnell, etc all sell camera adapters to mount to their telescopes. The Celestron and Bushnell threads seem to be the same. A T-mount is used at the camera end.

 

Another option is a telescope like a Questar which has reflex reviewing that is removed from the light path after focusing.

 

No Visoflex so that option is out. I use a Meade EFX 105 so the focusing mirror can be moved out of the way so that the camera receives the image. What point does the focal plane of the camera need to be to receive the focused image from the telescope? (I have several SLR's but all are too heavy to attach to the telescope and the Leica screw mounts are the perfect weight and size).

[Ulrik]

I guess a Micro-Four-Thirds-Camera would be much better suited for this task (small, lightweight, live-view). I do use one in connection with a Leica spotting scope (example video:

).

 

Ulrik

[MAX]

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-sammler-historica/33769-rommels-scherenfernrohr.html#post515712

[zeitz]

If you are serious about continued use of the Meade telescope, you should buy a Visoflex II. They are not very expensive and are easy to find. If a Visoflex I IFLEX is not too thick to insert between the telescope and body, it might be the best choice since it has two different focusing screens. The clear screen may be a better option for focusing. Unfortunately IFLEX is rarer and thus more expensive. There are Visoflex II with interchangeable focusing screens. They are also rarer and thus more expensive. And often the clear screen is missing and only the ground glass is with it, thus offering no advantage over a regular Visoflex II.

 

With an M Leica, you can open the rear flap and place a ground glass, such as a Nikon F focusing screen, at the focal plane and then adjust the connecting tube between the telescope and camera to get the right position. With a screw mount option you don't have that option. Perhaps you can borrow a Leica M or a Visoflex to measure the extension needed. Remember an M body is 1mm thinner than an LTM body.

 

Otherwise you are left with trying to carefully measure the distance with a ground glass placed behind the telescope. Move it until you get sharp focus on the screen at the same time you are getting sharp focus through the telescopes reflex finder. Measure the distance. Then subtract 28.8mm, which is the thickness of the camera body. The room will have to be darkened with the only light going through the telescope.

[zeitz]

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One other thought. Since rangefinders really aren't designed for high magnification photography without reflex housing, why not buy a simple used SLR, such as a Pentax Spotmatic? They are nearly free on e-bay, averaging about $20. It is by far the cheapest approach to take pictures with your Meade. Use the self-timer to eliminate any mirror slap.

[shorich761]

With an M Leica, you can open the rear flap and place a ground glass, such as a Nikon F focusing screen, at the focal plane and then adjust the connecting tube between the telescope and camera to get the right position. With a screw mount option you don't have that option. Perhaps you can borrow a Leica M or a Visoflex to measure the extension needed. Remember an M body is 1mm thinner than an LTM body.