Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/06/14

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Where do elmar, summ etc come from
From: "A.H.SCHMIDT" <horst.schmidt@actek.com.au>
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 23:24:56 +1000

Marc James Small wrote:

> Horst
>
> I believe all the M/LTM Telyts ARE long-focus lenses and not telephoto
> optics.  That is, they are as long as their focal length and do not use
> optical compression.  At least, my three (4/200, 4.8/280, and 5/400) are
> long-focus, and the other lenses in this crew I have owned or handled all
> were also long-focus lenses.
>
> I do not know enough about the R lenses to comment on these beyond saying
> that I believe some of these may be telephotos.
>
> Marc

Marc,

The following LTM/M Telyt lenses are definitely telephoto lenses:
The 200mm f4.5,  200mm f4, 280mm f4.8 and the 400mm f5 old and new versions.

The 400 and 560mm f5.6 Telyts are long focus lenses as  are the f6.8's and
the 800mm f6.3.
The long focus lenses have only 2 or 3 elements right in front.

The tele lenses have 4 or 5 elements, with the back element a fair way
towards the back. I have both the 200mm f4.5 and the later 200mm f4. Both are
great lenses to be used with the Visioflex.

By the way, the visioflex is a highly underrated piece of equipment. It has
an extremely bright viewfinder. This makes it very easy to focus, even with
the lens stopped down to f5.6. It leaves most SLR,s for dead.  I focus
quicker with the Visioflex, than with the rang finder. Mainly, because most
modern lenses don't have the focusing lever anymore.
when I use lenses with out this feature, I often have my hand in front of the
range finder window at first.
A pity Leitz/Leica discontinued the focusing lever.

Regards,  Horst Schmidt