Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/10/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Great artricle! It is heard that VisoflexII's focus screen can be replaced by a modern Minolta's screen focus. Do you know how to do this job? - ----- Original Message ----- From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Sent: Sunday, October 21, 2001 5:16 AM Subject: [Leica] The Visoflex System: An Overview > In the beginning was the PLOOT. In anticipation of the upcoming 1936 > Olympics, the Reichsministerium für Propaganda -- Goebbel's boys, BD! -- > called on Zeiss to produce some cutting-edge long-focus gear to properly > document the anticipated German victories. Zeiss responded with the 2.8/18 > CZJ "Olympia" Sonnar, then a direct-mount, RF-coupled lens. Leitz, without > government backing and without Zeiss' vast financial resources, cobbled > together as an answer a modified epidiascope and two prototype long-focus > lenses perhaps intended for large-format use to produce the PLOOT reflex > housing and the 4.5/20cm or 5/40cm Telyt. While the shorter Telyt was not > on par with the Zeiss Olympia Sonnar, the PLOOT reflex housing made the > outfit quite easy in use, and it was deemed a keeper by the Gnomes of Wetzlar. > > From 1936 to 1939, the combination was offered in the riflestock fitment > first used at Garmisch-Partenkirchen; this was available with the Telyts > or 4.5/13.5cm Hektor in a shortened mount to allow infinity focus. After > the Second World War, the PLOOT was upgraded with a removeable VF which > allowed the use of the LOOGI or PAMOO right-angle finders. Obviously, the > PLOOT only appeared in LTM: there are variations in finish and fitment but > these are now quite rare, so this is not a field for budding collectors hot > on quickly developing a finished collection! > > In 1951, the PLOOT was superseded by the somewhat more thoughtfully > developed Visoflex I; this had the same depth of 62.5mm as did the PLOOT > so the two shared lenses and attachments. The original Visoflex I was in > LTM; an M version appeared in 1954 and, with the LTM version, remained > available to 1962. The standard arrangement for either was to use either a > vertical VF or a 45-degree model. The Bellows I -- originally introduced > for the PLOOT in 1950 -- was continued. There were variations, again, in > the fine-print; the accessory shoe is higher on some units than on others, > and the like. Both the PLOOT and Visoflex I, incidentally, bore serial > numbers, though the Visoflex II and later units did not. > > Both the PLOOT and the Visoflex I normally required a double cable release, > with one cable releasing the shutter and the other raising the reflex > housing's mirror. A consolidated unit with one button, the so-called > "Sports Release" or "Release Coupler" was introduced in 1951 for the LTM > Visoflex I; a similar unit for the M cameras was developed but never > marketed due to the development of the Visoflex II. > > The Visoflex II was a much slimmer and more sophisticated model with a > depth of only 40mm; it was introduced in both LTM and M in 1959 and > remained available until 1962. The Visoflex II no longer required the use > of a double cable but used a swinging arm to both raise the mirror and fire > the camera's shutter release; it also had a delightfully bright 90-degree > VF. In 1962, the Visoflex IIa unit appeared in both LTM and M BM; it was > identical to the Visoflex II in every regard save for having the choice of > a soft or rapid mirror return. (For a brief span in late 1962 and early > 1963, a lustful Leica lover could choose between the Visoflex I, II, or > IIa, in either LTM or M mount.) A slightly smaller and more efficient > bellows, the Bellows II, was introduced in 1961 and remained available > through the life of the II, IIa, and III. > > Finally, in 1963, the pick of the litter came out, the Visoflex III, with > its choice of mirror lock-up, slow and soft mirror return, or rapid and > positive mirror return. The Visoflex III required a slightly different > 90-degree VF and had a locking ring mount to the camera body but, in all > other regards, was identical to the II and IIa, so all adapters and > accessories for these units were interchangeable, just one more example of > the system approach which has always made the Leica RF such a capable tool. > The Visoflex III was only avaiable in M mount; this unit -- and all of > its adapters, Telyts, and the Bellows II -- left production in 1984 due to > their popularity being perceived as cutting into the R camera's sales, > though some pieces remained available into the 1990's. > > There are hundreds of adapters to fit almost any combination of lens to the > Visoflex units. I have been cataloguing these for five years and still > haven't come anywhere close to a definitive listing, in part because many > of these items only appeared in Leitz medical or scientific catalogues. > There are also technical versions of all of the reflex housings, for uses > including microscopy and endoscopy. These are now rather rare and > collectors wail at the small chance of scoring even one of these units. > > There were a long series of lenses made especially for use on the various > Visoflex models, ranging from the 3.5/65 Elmar to the 6.3/800 Telyt-V > produced in minuscule quantities for the 1972 Munich Olympics. The last of > these lenses ceased to be marketed in 1984. > > Finally, the raw genius of the PLOOT was such to inspire imitation, that > sincerest form of flattery. While some of these units were uninspired, > such as the FED reflex housing, the Kilfitt Kilarscope or the Astro > Identoscope, and one line, the Zeiss Ikon Flektoskop/Flektometer, was > positively primitive, the Accura and Müller Novoflex housings, are > extremely well made and are proper competitors to the Wetzlar housings. > > For the historical purist, the PLOOT is the only way to go but, for users, > the Visoflex III and Bellows II were made in goodly quantities and are > generally available at reasonable prices. (For the nosey, I have both of > the major PLOOT versions, both of the Visoflex I, II, and IIa types, and a > III, which is by far the most-used of the lot. I have most of the various > permutations of VF's for these housings, along with a Bellows II. And I > have the 3.5/65 Elmar (first version), the 4.5/20cm Telyt, the 4/200 Telyt > (first version), the 4.8/280 Telyt (first version), and the 5/400 Telyt > (second version).) > > Peter Dechert, that noted scholar of things optical and long-time Leica > user, has been conducting a 'Bring Back Viso!' campaign for the last decade. > > Research continues! There are adapters out there whose numbers and > codewords I've not yet run to earth! > > Marc > > msmall@roanoke.infi.net FAX: +540/343-7315 > Cha robh bàs fir gun ghràs fir! > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html