Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/11/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Last spring I purchased a 560mm f/6.8 Telyt on the PIGRIFF-C focussing grip and at the same time I bought (separately) a Novoflex 400mm f/5.6 T-Noflexar (3-element) lens head to fit the PIGRIFF-C. The 400mm lens head was supposed to be a 'fun' lens and was very inexpensive. A few weeks passed before I could test the T-Noflexar, and once I tried making photos with it I found out why it was so inexpensive: the image quality was TERRIBLE. I couldn't even discern a plane of focus. Oh well, it was inexpensive and supposed to be fun, so I just put it back in its bag and forgot about it for a while. But... it kept nagging at me. My previous experience with two samples of the T-Noflexar was quite good, there had to be something wrong with this lens and I couldn't image it left the factory working that badly, which suggested that someone took the lens apart and mucked it up somehow. A few days ago I started disassembly and once I had a good view of the rear of the optical unit my suspicions seemed to be confirmed: the retaining ring holding the rear element in place has some scratches on it. I removed the rear element and flipped it around, re-assembled and the difference through the viewfinder was startling. The lens now has a very clear, sharp plane of focus and stuff pops in and out of focus just like it ought to. I took it into the field today and found a willing subject, a Cattle Egret. The lighting was variable fog and the egret wanted me to make backlit photos (I was shooting from the shadow side). The image detail is't APO but still quite good, contrast is a bit on the low side which meant that stretching the histogram to get a rich deep black and bright white might in some circumstances result in a loss of tonal gradation. Its color balance is clearly cooler than that of the 560mm f/6.8 or 280mm f/4 APO but can be corrected most of the time. Files made with the 280mm f/4 are much easier to work with, hold shadow and highlight detail better and the color quality is richer with fuller gradation, but for the price I paid for the T-Noflexar, about 1/20 the current market value of the 280 APO, I can't complain. Sample: http://wildlightphoto.com/temp/egret.jpg a detail crop: http://wildlightphoto.com/temp/egret_crop.jpg Doug Herr Birdman of Sacramento http://www.wildlightphoto.com