Visoflex III problem with a digital M camera

[roydonian]

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I tried mating my Visoflex III (the real thing, nor the bit of plastic marked with the same name) with a my M-D camera. When I raised the mirror and looked through the camera eyepiece in order to assess the exposure, I hit an interesting problem. The body of the Visoflex prevents light from reaching the small sensor near the top edge of the camera, so the exposure system assumes that I'm trying to photograph the legendary black cat in the coal cellar, so reduces the intensity of the alphanumerics and symbology to such a low level that these cannot be read. I can't think of a way around the problem, so presumably it's time to drag my Weston Master IV out of retirement. (It will need a trip to the repairers first, since its glass window has come loose.)

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[lct]

You may wish to stick a piece of white or silver tape on the Visoflex in front of the sensor. Did work on a 135/2.8 with M240 but i never tried on a Visoflex.

[UliWer]

I don't think, it's the Visoflexes body which intervenes with the lightmetering. It's the mirror. The Visoflex III has different settings to move the mirror, indicated by black, yellow and red spots on a knob at the right sight (seen from behind). With the yellow spot, the mirror opens only when you release the shutter: that's too late for the measurement, which is activated before the shutter is opened. Set on the red spot the mirror will be opened and in front of the Viso's viewfinder, which makes it impossible to focus. So take the black spot: the mirror will open not all of a sudden but with a slow constant movement as you press the release lever and before it hits the camera's shutter release. If you push down the release leaver too fast, the mirror may block half of your picture. So a slow and constant press on the leaver will do the job. Then light measurement will be o.k. I used the Viso III a lot with the M9 and even the M8, light measuring was only a problem when I pressed the Viso's release shutter too fast.

I never used the Viso since I got the M10, as the R-Macro lenses serve me better with Liveview than the Viso. When I tried just now, I found out that there is a new issue with the M10, which the earlier digital bodies didn't have: The bayonet ring of the M10 is protuded. This changes the distance of the Viso's body which normally is no problem. But the lever hit's the camera's shutter release in a different angle and does not activate it. This can be solved by using one of the fancy (and usually useless) buttons for the shutter release. Now the lever activates the shutter release again - and lightmetering works.

[UliWer]

Here is just a quick example: M10+Viso III+Elmar 65mm at f/8, camera on automatic exposure, ISO 800, lamplight, no alterations in postprocessing:

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[a.noctilux]

I think that Roydonian has same "troubles" as myself.

The problem is to see the shutter speed in the M-D's viewfinder when we use the Visoflex III.

The front cell hiden by the Visoflex III plus prism is the cause of very dim LED showing in VF.

 

Roydonian,

Try this, that's not fast but I've experiment the only way to "see" in the M-D's VF the shutter speed or just use for speed setting in manual with Viso's mirror up setting.

Take out the prism from the Visoflex III, then have a look in the M-D's VF, the LED may be more visible.

 

[Susie]

Is the M-D different to the M9?  With the latter, once focussed and stopped down I either raise the mirror with the knob and then look through the viewfinder and set the shutter speed or, and this is the more usual,  have the shutter on auto and raise the mirror using the slow motion setting on the knob and let the camera do the shutter setting itself.

[pedaes]

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On 12/9/2020 at 5:37 PM, roydonian said:

Visoflex III (the real thing, nor the bit of plastic marked

Ironically, the Visoflex (II in my case) works very well WITH the bit of plastic attached  to th camera.All issues covered.

M10 with 65mm Elmar/Visoflex II

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Edited December 16, 2020 by pedaes

[romualdo]

10 hours ago, pedaes said:

Ironically, the Visoflex (II in my case) works very well WITH the bit of plastic attached  to the camera.All issues covered

 

I second that emotion (as Smokey Robinson once said)

I use my visoflexes (II & III) & M240 very effectively with the "plastic" attachment

[luigi bertolotti]

Well, I have used Visoflexes for lot of years... and liked the smart built,  expecially of the III, but must admit that with M240 the EVF, though not at the top of resolution, is the most preferred... 😉

Edited December 17, 2020 by luigi bertolotti

[a.noctilux]

12 hours ago, romualdo said:

I second that emotion (as Smokey Robinson once said)

I use my visoflexes (II & III) & M240 very effectively with the "plastic" attachment

 

20 minutes ago, luigi bertolotti said:

Well, I have used Visoflexes for lot of years... and liked the smart built,  expecially of the III, but must admit that with M240 the EVF, though not at the top of resolution, is the most preferred... 😉

The OP uses the Visoflex III on M-D so the electronic EVF can not be an option on M-D 😉.

[romualdo]

13 hours ago, a.noctilux said:

 

The OP uses the Visoflex III on M-D so the electronic EVF can not be an option on M-D 😉.

Wow!! I didn't realise the M-D wasn't compatible with an EVF