[Leica] Users or those familiar with Hektor 12.5cm

[marcsmall at comcast.net (Marc James Small)]

At 06:28 AM 1/26/2007, Vick Ko wrote:
 >Are there users or those familiar with Hektor 12.5cm?
 >
 >Does the lens perform well?  I've searched the web a bit, and read of a 
 >good
 >reputation for sharpness.
 >
 >Is it only for Visoflex usage?   Bit of a pain, but workable.
 >
 >What about its coatings.  Was coating damage or degradation a concern with
 >this lens?  Did it have a reputation for internal coating degradation?
 >
 >Anyone want to part with theirs?

Vick

This is a slide-projector lens converted to Viso 
use.  It is quite a wonderful lens but it is not 
as sharp as other Leitz lenses of the era.  That 
is why it earned such a reputation as a portrait 
lens.  It can be mounted to the PLOOT/Visoflex I 
directly or, with the OUBIO adapter, to the 
Visoflex II/IIa/III.  It can be used on a Leica 
SL or R with the requisite 14127 or 14167 
adapter.  It comes as a very handy package, as 
the lens hood can be reversed and the front and 
rear cap serve to leave you with a neat lens easy 
of transport.  And it is a tough lens in this 
closed-up, tortoise-in-hull-defillade 
condition:  mine has passed the famous Marc James 
Small "bounce test" and I'm no wimp:  I only 
conduct this on concrete.  (I bounced this in the 
course of shooting a CD cover and the musician 
for whom I was doing the shoot was a retired ITT 
optical engineer.  He looked over the lens 
cautiously and carefully and simply said that the 
Germans DO build tough lenses, as the lens only 
showed a minor ding on the front lens cover.  The 
picture he chose for the CD cover was one shot 
with a 2.8/90 Elmarit, but his second choice was 
one shot with the Hektor AFTER the bounce.)

Most that I have seen show some body wear from 
heavy use but I have never seen one with anything 
other than absolutely clear glass.

Mine is decidedly not for sale.  It is not a lens 
I use regularly but it is a lens which is irreplaceable for some 
circumstances.

Marc


msmall@aya.yale.edu
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