Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/12/19

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Novoflex bellows & Leica IId
From: jeremy.kime@bbc.co.uk (Jeremy Kime)
Date: 19 Dec 97 10:03:00 GMT

Noel,
How appropriate a name at Christmas time!

I had this set up once so can remember most things...
There is a part missing, a shutter lever, which when depressed hits the 
button/s to make the mirror flip up before tripping the shutter release. 
from memory I think there are 2 buttons as the camera can be twisted through 
90 degrees without resorting to lopsided tripod arrangements!
Re the focussing of the lenses, it wont matter, the bellows effectively move 
the lens 'lock stock and barrel' so the extra millimetre or two that the 
focussing ring moves the elements is inconsiderable.
Yes, WYSIWYG, as much as any reflex viewing system is. The Russian Zenit 
cameras showed about 75% of the final neg. and a Leicaflex claims to show 
98% (excluding the edge masked by a transparency mount, the reflex housing 
will most likely give you something in between those two options. You'll 
certainly get everything you see in the finder, and a bit more besides.
If your bellows have a focussing rail on them then you're fortunate. One 
aspect of using long lens/bellows extensions is that the reproduction ratio 
changes, ie. 1:20, 1:10, 1:5, 1:2, to 1:1 and beyond, so if you then 'focus' 
with the bellows, you end up changing the size of the object in the frame. A 
focussing rail underneath the bellows allows you to maintain the 
reproduction ratio you choose, eg. 1:1, and focus by moving the whole 
camera, viewer, bellows and lens backwards and forwards towards the subject. 
I hope that wasn't indecipherable...

The best thing to do is just to play with it and see what happens, it's only 
the price of a roll of film!

If you wish to e-mail me privately with your postal address I'll mail you a 
set of instructions after Christmas.

Jem
jeremy.kime@bbc.co.uk

 ----------
From: 'leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us'
To: KIMEJ44; leica user group
Subject: [Leica] Novoflex bellows & Leica IId
Date: 18 December 1997 18:07


I rrecently acquired Novoflex bellows with reflex viewer for my screw
mount Leica. Can anyone advise me on where to set my Elmar 3.5/50 and
Summar 2/50? Do I set it at infinity and focus by moving bellows, or can I
also focus with the lenses? Is the viewer WYSIWYG, am I seeing what my
picture will be? Any advise would be appreciated as I would like to try
some closeup work, and the bellows had no instructions. Also to get the
mirror out of the way there are two small buttons to depress, there seems
to be no way to do this automatically, and when assembled with the camera
it is very close to the lens flange, and is difficult to function. Is
there supposed to be another part here, is use a small plastic strip to
flip the mirror up right now.
Noel