Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/11/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 04:48 PM 11/16/96 +0100, Rainer wrote: >I have seen the above lens in an advertisement. I have never heard >before about it. Does anybody know anything? It must be for screw >mount. Is it for the Visoflex? Wow! What can I say? This is one epic lens, a phenomenally accurate and sharp optic of great ability. It is heavy, clumsy, and cumbersome, but will do all that it is supposed to do -- from working as a close-focus lens for magnificent blowups to serving as a conventional telephoto. The mount is adaptable: the lens (I can tell more if you send me the serial number) uses one of several Kilfitt adaptation systems and can be fitted to Visoflex, R, or virtually any miniature-format (35mm) camera system, though many of these adapters are now quite hard to find. It can be fitted to MF cameras as well, though only the very last of these lenses will fill the entire 6cm by 6cm frame, the earlier ones going up only to 645. Heinz Kilfitt founded the Kilfitt factory in Liechtenstein and later moved it to Munich; he produced the first multi-focus 35mm lens for Frank Back when that American designer was unable to get anyone else to build it, and thus came the Zoomar, first popularized on the Voigtlander Bessamatic and Exakta cameras of the early '60's. When Heinz Kilfitt retired in '68, he sold the factory to Back, who then ran it under the Zoomar name for many years. Its headquarters were on Long Island and the factory remained in Munich. It ceased civilian production in '88 and relocated to the Rochester, NY, area where it now restricts itself to scientific and military work. The 4/300 Pan-Tele-Kilar was produced from 1968 until the factory ceased production. It is a lens well worth owning! (And I'll be happy to sell you some adapters, too!) Marc msmall@roanoke.infi.net FAX: +540/343-7315 Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!