Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/05/13

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To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: M lens for 645 format
From: Michael Reichmann <michaelr@interlog.com>
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 08:57:26 -0400
Cc: joe@azurite.demon.co.uk

Back about a month ago there was a discussion (one example below) on using
the 135mm f/4.0 Tele-Elmar on a Mamiya 645.  A simple experiment holding the
lens up to the body seemed to show that it would indeed cover the 645 format.

By coincidence a few days later I saw an add in a photo equipment shopper
magazine for a Leica bellows (old trapezoid single rail model) that someone
had converted to Mamiya 645 mount!  I bought it and it's a great little
bellows.  Some good custom machining was in evidence as well to adapt the
mount to M645.  (This bellows is a great choice for custom adaptations
because it has a front standard with a *huge* removable screw mount adaptor
ring.

So, a quick trip to my local Leica dealer produced a standard Leica front
thread adaptor and I was thus able to mount the head of the Tele-Elmar on my
M645 Pro.  Wonderful, except that it won't quite focus on infinity. Grrr.
Closest focus is about 7 or 8 feet.

Image quality appears great.  I did a quick test in my back yard yesterday
shooting at a distance of about 3 feet with it and also my Mamiya 150mm N
lens.  Used T-Max 100 in Rodinal.  Haven't had a chance to print results yet
but with a 6X loup the images are almost identical.  Will I use this combo
in the real world?  Not sure.  I want to shoot some Provia 100 comparisons
with the Mamiya 150 to see what the image quality differences are, if any.
Should be interesting.

Michael


At 02:38 AM 14/04/96 +0100, you wrote:
>In message <199604131229.IAA16647@gold.interlog.com>, Michael Reichmann
><michaelr@interlog.com> writes
>>Another approach would be to use the 164164K Visoflex focusing adaptor for
>>the 135mm f/4.0 Tele-Elmar and adapt it to a Mamiya mount.  I'm sure that a
>>good machinist could do this, but at what cost?
>
>I'd be very interested to know if there is a bellows for the Mamiya 645
>that contracts far enough to permit infinity focusing of a suitable
>Leica M 90/135/200mm lens head affixed to it. *IF* that were possible,
>I'd need a Leica-screw-(whatever size it is for that lens head)-to-
>Mamiya-645-bayonet adaptor. And it would work- maybe, if I was lucky,
>with more than one lens head. Any 645 users know about bellows?
>-- 
>joe b.
>
>