Re: [Leica] finder for 200mm Telyt (SFTOO)

["A.H.SCHMIDT" <horsts@primus.com.au>]

crispinv@uclink4.berkeley.edu wrote:

> Ok, so i know nothing about  telephoto lenses for my leica IIIa-- the
> ones that are so long that they cant be rangefinder coupled because the
> rangefinder base isnt long enough to be accurate enough, and which, even
>
> if they were, still cover too wide a range to do macros.  The vague
> story i heard, and never really paid attention too, is that ya needed to
>
> stick some huge visoflex unit on the front that made your camera into a
> clunky SLR in order to focus correctly with lenses longer than 135
> (except for the Komura 200mm, which isn't sitting arround on dealers
> shelves anymore).  But I've been finding the 135mm lens a bit too short
> for some aplications.  So, browsing around web sites for one of
> these visoflex units in screwmount (which, looking about were
> made but now are all dissapeared) i come upon the (gotta love early
> Leica acronyms) SFTOO, which claims to be a direct finder for the 200mm
> Telyt (which was the lens i was thining of getting my hands on).  So: Is
>
> is a viewfinder, just for framing the picture, or is it a focusing
> device, whereby adjusting it until one's subject is in focus, and then
> transfering these settings to the lens, the correct focus setting can be
>
> determined?  Bascialy, I want to use a 200mm lens on my IIIa without
> sticking a huge extra bit on (like the visoflex system), while not
> having
> to totaly rely on scale focusing (a bad bad idea).  It doesnt hafta be
> perfect, just better than what i can do in my head.  Does the leitz
> direct finder fit the bill?
>
> Thanks,
> Crispin

  Crispin,  The finder you talk about is used on the  Visoflex 1 and on the
non focussing
intermediate tube which enables the Telyt to be mounted direct on to the
camera without using the v Visoflex 1.   The tube (and the Viso1) has a
special shoe to slide the finder in. The finder will not fit directly on to
the camera. This tube is still available (secondhand) with a price of around
US$60.  A better way is to use the Viso2. This is a smaller unit, and the
Telyt fits on to it via a small adapter (to bring it up  to the same length
as the Viso1). The Viso 2 is not clumsy at all and has a very bright mirror.
It is a real pleasure to look through the finder with a Telyt 2000 mounted.

If you want more accurate part numbers for those items, let me know. I just
don't have them with me right now.

Regards, Horst Schmidt