Barnack and LTM minimum focus distance

[secondandthirdbreakfast]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Are all Leica Screw Mount lenses on old Barnacks limited to a 1 meter minimum focusing distance simply by design limitation, or are there some exceptions? Excluding the close focus devices made for some older Leica lenses. I apologize if it's a silly question.

[UliWer]

Some early Elmars in 50 and 35mm could be focussed closer than one Meter, but they are rather rare exceptions:

 

[secondandthirdbreakfast]

33 minutes ago, UliWer said:

Some early Elmars in 50 and 35mm could be focussed closer than one Meter, but they are rather rare exceptions:

 

What a fascinating read, I am wildly impressed by everyone’s long memory and knowledge on the subject. Thank you for linking.

[shirubadanieru]

Some ltm lenses go to 0.9m (eg hexanon UC 35mm) & the rangefinder works up to that point too. At least mine (DIII) did

[thomas_schertel]

The super Angulon 21 mm cold be focussed closer, but under 1 m the rangefinder was not coupled.
For closer distances Leitz offered many devices, like nooky; so you can go nearer, beyond 1:1 is no Problem.

yours sincerely
Thomas

[UliWer]

There also have been lenses for Leica M39 screw-mount from other producers, which could be close-focused by a similar device as the new 35mm Apo-Summicron:

The Steinheil 1:2/50mm Quinon is coupled to the rangefinder down to a distance of approx. 1m.  Than you feel a light resistance and can go on focussing it down to 60cm. Though without coupling to the rangefinder the exact distance is difficult to fathom with a screwmount Leica - no problem of course for digital cameras with LiveView:

I have learned that older Nikkor lenses could be closed focussed in a similar way; though it may be difficult to find them with LTM-coupling (the Quinon is a rare bird as well).  

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by UliWer

[spydrxx]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Several Japanese LTM lenses focus closer, but when you get closer than the camera's cam provides for, you have to focus by physically measuring the distance between the object and the film plane mark on the camera body (unless you have an EVF). In both cases, the focusing ring on the lens hesitates at the normal MFD, and a slight push beyond puts you into the close range. The two I have are a 50mm Nikkor H.C. f/2 and a 50mm Tanar H.C. f/3.5.

[secondandthirdbreakfast]

So it may be true then, Skyllaney in co op with Omnar lenses is rehousing Zeiss screw Mount lenses into custom M bodies, I asked if they could do the same refitted for a Barnack M39, they said it would be possible but it would have no rf coupling. I assumed that the 0.7m min focus of the 38mm 2.8 Sonnar I was looking at adapting would still work on a Barnack only without the use of the rf. Can any adapted lens with a closer minimum focusing distance be used, at that distance, with an uncoupled rangefinder?