Re: [Leica]

[Kip Babington <cbabing3@swbell.net>]

Charles -

If by "the area to be photographed is too small for what I need" you mean
that your 135 lens covers too small an area then you need to move farther
back or use a shorter focal length lens.  Moving back is free, if you have
the space.  Otherwise I'll give you some info from a diagram that I have,
showing many of the possible combinations of lenses on the bellows.  (I
assume you're using the Bellows II that bayonets directly into the Viso III,
the one with the rack and pinion drive on the tripod socket as well as on
the bellows front standard.)  According to this chart, your current lens
will focus from infinity to 22 inches, which goes down to a reproduction
ratio of 1:1.4, or approximately 0.7x magnification.  Shorter lenses would
all give more ultimate magnification, but if your intention is to get wider
coverage without moving back from your subject, magnification is not an
issue.

The bellows can take lenses down to 35mm, but only for pretty extreme close
ups.  The next widest lens from your 135 would be your 90.  You could mount
the head of your 90mm Summicron on the bellows with adapter 16598.  The
Summcron will not focus to infinity, though - it will only work in the range
of about 40 inches down to 14 inches with image magnifications from 0.11x to
1.2x.

The adapter that you already have attached to the bellows front standard
should be the 16558.  You use it to mount your 135 Elmar with its adapter
tube 16472 attached, but the 16558 alone will also accept the lens heads of
the 65mm Elmar, 90mm Elmar or Elmarit, and 135 Tele-Elmar.  All of these
would focus to infinity on the bellows.  Of these, the 65 is designed
exclusively for Viso use (there's no rangefinder coupled focusing mount for
it) and is an excellent macro lens, covering from infinity to about 11
inches, to a magnification of 1.4x.  They are not cheap, however - a nice
black one recently failed to sell on ebay for $666, although another chrome
one went for $568 with its focusing mount (for direct use on the Viso.).

If, OTOH, you mean that the area to be photographed is too small to fill the
frame even with your 135 at full extension on the bellows, then you should
look at the shorter lenses.  Your 90 will give more magnification that the
135, and the 65 would do even better.  If you need extreme magnification,
adapter 16596 essentially puts a regular M bayonet mount on the front of the
bellows.  With a 50mm lens attached it will give magnifications from 1.4x to
3.2x, while a 35mm lens will go from 2.1x to 5x.  I don't know what kind of
image quality you would be getting from regular camera lenses at these close
ranges, though.

I hope this isn't too confusing.  The combinations possible with all of  the
pieces in the Leitz system are almost unlimited.  Please feel free to
contact me off list if I need to clarify.

Cheers,
Kip

Charles Cason wrote:

> I have a visoflex III and bellows.  The bellows has an adapter that will
> take the head of my 135mm Elmar.  The area to be photographed is too
> small for what I need sometimes.  What lens and adapter is best for this
> set up?  If you know the adapter number that would help too.  I also
> have a 90mm summicron and can use that head on the bellows if I know
> what adapter.  I am hoping to get some new spring flowers and wild
> flowers coming up this spring here in Wisconsin.  I always appreciate
> any advice.
> Charles