Re: [Leica] Visoflex

[Kip Babington <cbabing3@swbell.net>]

I had multiple Nikon SLRs before I got a Visoflex III, focusing mount,
bellows II, shade and 65mm Elmar.  I sold the Viso stuff when I sold most
(but not all) of my Leica stuff (3 kids in private school at once, etc.) and
still have multiple Nikons.  I know I could add a top line Nikon bellows for
relatively little, but I'm saving my money for another Viso III outfit to
put on my M6.  I would not try to use it to replace the 135/2 or 180/2.8
that I use on the Nikons for theater shots, but for macro and bellows work
I'll happily save longer and pay more for the pleasure of using the Leica
equipment.  If you haven't turned the focusing racks on a clean Leica
bellows unit (for example) you may not appreciate what I'm talking about.

Best wishes to all on this list for the coming year.  I hope we can all work
to keep this list at the top of the heap in the fields of civility and
information, even when things stray a bit off topic.

Cheers,
Kip

Mike Johnston wrote:

> Just a brief comment--I wonder if some of the people "discussing" the
> Visoflex have in fact never owned, used, or perhaps even seen one.  <snip>
>
> The Visoflex seems an example of something with limited "hands-off" or
> "mind's eye" appeal. However, I'm not aware of hearing much but quite
> admiring comments from people who actually own and use them. I
> personally try to be careful about making up my mind about things I
> haven't actually tried. Of course I still do rush to judgement,
> sometimes--it's tough not to--but it's worth trying to be careful about
> .
>
> --Mike
>
> P.S. It's very easy to convert an SLR into a rangefinder--I've done it
> many times. It's a two-step process: 1. sell the SLR. 2. use the money
> to buy a rangefinder. It's worked for me every time.