[Leica] Advice on 280mm Telyt

[telyt at earthlink.net (Doug Herr)]

On Mar 22, 2007, at 6:10 PM, Leonard Taupier wrote:

> I'd like to get a medium telephoto for my birding excursions. I'm  
> currently using a 560mm f6.8 Telyt and 200mm f4 Telyt(viso mount)  
> on a Canon 20D. I've been looking at something in the 280mm range.  
> I'd love to have a 280/f4 R Telyt but they cost a bit more then a  
> new M8.
>
> I see the 280/f4.8 lenses with Viso mount at a reasonable price.  
> Does anyone have any experience or information if this is a  
> reasonably good lens? I'd like to stick with Leica as I could also  
> use it on my M8 and M film cameras or if R mount on the Canon or my  
> R8.

The primary advantage of the 280 f/4.8 for Visoflex is its Visoflex  
mount, making it adaptable to a wide variety of cameras.  It will  
even cover 6x6 and has been adapted to 645 and even 6x7 cameras.

Bearing in mind my needs in a 250-to-300mm lens may differ from  
yours, I've found after trying 8 lenses in this range that handling  
properties are as big a deal to me as optical quality is.  The  
optical properties of the late 280 f/4.8 are admirable: good detail  
rendition, zero chromatic aberation, very smooth bokeh.  Compared  
with a 280 APO it falls short in color saturation and one should also  
not expect the mind-boggling image detail of the APO.  Of the two  
samples of the 280 f/4.8 I used (both last version) the one with the  
normal helical focussing mount would flare any time sunlight touched  
the front element no matter what the angle was; the second sample, on  
a Televit rapid-focus grip, was virtually immune to flare.  Why the  
difference I don't know.

The handling of the helical-mount lens left a few things to be  
desired: the helical itself required a lot of cranking to reach the  
minimum focus distance, the close-focus limit wasn't all that great,  
and although I was glad to have a rotating tripod mount I had to jury- 
rig an adapter in order to use my shoulder stock w/o binding the  
focus.  All in all a frustrating experience with all but the slowest  
birds.

With the 280 on the Televit, the focus is quick with a delightfully  
close minimum limit.  The Televit itself is rather bulky and takes  
some getting used to but if I were to get another 280 f/4.8 this is  
how I'd use it: with the Televit.  Unfortunately the Televit is  
scarce particularly in the Visoflex mount and the vast majority of  
the time is sold with either the 400mm or 560mm f/5.6 lens head,  
adding to the cost.  The adapter to fit the 280 to the Televit  
likewise is scarce (I have two, one or maybe both are for sale).  One  
disadvantage of this lens either in helical or Televit mount is the  
pre-set diaphragm.  If you expect to use it at or near full aperture,  
no big deal... but there's a reason auto-diaphragms replaced pre-set.

Off on a tangent, I wonder why Leitz didn't make a Visoflex IV with  
auto-diaphragm?  It would need auto-diaphragm visoflex lenses but  
It's not mechanically difficult.  Tom?

Doug Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com