Re: [Leica] 400mm on a LTM camera

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>]

Paul Connet showed:
Subject: [Leica] 400mm on a LTM camera


> Roland Smith has recently been asking about viewfinders for use with a
400mm
> lens on a LTM rangefinder. I offered a suggestion that he try a 135mm
> viewfinder with the frame masked off to show a 400mm view.
>
> I decided to try it myself, so cobbled together a Nikor 200mm/f4 with a 7
> element 2x converter on a Nikon/LTM adapter, and mounted it on a FED 3a
> rangefinder with a 135mm Canon viewfinder. The camera already had half a
roll of 200
> speed color print film in it, so I just took it on my daily walk. I was a
little
> surprised at the usability of the combination, and pleased with the
results.
>
> Please remember that the lens and converter do not make the sharpest of
glass
> combinations and that I was handholding a 400mm. The film was 200 speed
and
> the camera limited to 1/500 top speed. Also I did not mask off the
viewfinder
> for a 400mm view, I just centered the subject in the 135mm frame.
>
> http://www.leica-gallery.net/connet/image-60437.html
> > http://www.leica-gallery.net/connet/image-60436.html
> > http://www.leica-gallery.net/connet/image-60435.html
> > Take a look.<<<<<

Hi Paul,
I suppose one could say good on you for giving it try, however my friend I'm
not sure what it proves other than using a rangefinder camera to focus in a
viewfinder, then  centering the subject on a screw mount camera with a 400mm
lens is for sure not worth the effort. And I'm allowing for the lens/adapter
rig you cobbled together also. Another admirable effort. When it works so
simply and "perfectly " with an SLR, Leica of course. ;-)

And as far as hand holding there are people on the list who hand hold and
shoot 400mm or longer and everything is in focus because the subject is
right in the viewfinder where you focus and shoot at the same time without
moving your eye from rangefinder then to auxiliary viewfinder.

Quite frankly you deserve excellent marks for trying this rig with a high
flying Hawk! An interesting experiment to say the least. Which I'm sure
proves the point, that all in all it's much easier to purchase an R camera
adapt or mount your lens of choice, then focus and shoot looking through the
camera ground glass screen viewfinder.

I bet you'll only try this rangefinder long lens rig once, as it proved an
excellent point with long glass and shooting moving subjects. Go SLR! :-)

ted







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