Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/07/16

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Subject: [Leica] Nature shots......Canon 500 F4
From: wildlightphoto at earthlink.net (Doug Herr)
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:09:39 -0400 (EDT)

Yesterday, Frank Filippone showed us:

> http://hawkman.smugmug.com/gallery/1415006_GutQR#453974282_UCNaH
>
> I only wish they were mine.......
>
> Amazing what you can do with other than Leica brands of optics..... 

Considering the Canon lens used to make these photos sells for a little 
under US$6,000 at B&H, you'd hope it would perform well.  So... how does the 
antique (1971) Leitz 560mm f/6.8 Telyt compare?

I have two copies of the 560 Telyt, the first I purchased about 25 years 
ago, the second was given to me in poor condition a few months ago, covered 
with crumbling camo tape, the focus guide rails about to break through their 
retaining ring, and dings on the front glass surface. I removed the camo 
tape & cleaned up the gummy residue and Don Goldberg fixed the focusing 
issues, but there's not much anyone can do about the dings in the glass.

I've posted a few photos the list has already seen, made with the beater 
560, including these:

http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/threskiornithidae/wfib01.html
http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/turdidae/mobl06.html
http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/paridae/moch03.html

All of these are cropped considerably, and out of curiosity I made some 100% 
crops of a couple of them with a bit of USM, as was done with the photos 
Frank pointed us to yesterday (I made no attempt to reduce noise) :

http://wildlightphoto.com/temp/wfib01crop1.jpg
http://wildlightphoto.com/temp/wfib01crop2.jpg
http://wildlightphoto.com/temp/mobl06crop.jpg

For 1% of the cost of the Canon 500mm f/4 I can live with the results :)  
and for this kind of performance I'd even be delighted if I had paid a 
typical selling price for the 560, about 10% of the cost of the Canon.  Here 
are a few 100% crops made with the other 560mm f/6.8 Telyt:

http://wildlightphoto.com/temp/nogo03crop.jpg  <- 1/8 sec exposure
http://wildlightphoto.com/temp/witu19crop.jpg
http://wildlightphoto.com/temp/stja03crop.jpg
http://wildlightphoto.com/temp/sand01crop.jpg

Leica, the bargain brand.

Doug 'telyts "R" us' Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com



Replies: Reply from images at comporium.net (Tina Manley) ([Leica] Nature shots......Canon 500 F4)