rob_h5

The max sync speed with studio strobes will depend mainly on your camera. Depending on which camera model you have and if is focal plane shutter (FPS) usually about 1/125s or medium format central leaf shutter (CS) up to 1/1000s or if you are lucky and have the Leica S camera (switchable with both FPS / CS). On FPS cameras you could *tweak* with Pocketwizard Hypersync feature but the most you could squeeze out is somewhere 1/250~1/500 again this depends mainly on your camera and a very slow studio strobe flash duration. The new Generation X Bowens XMS monolights will sync at 1/8000s with HSS/TTL but only with the new Canon, Nikon and Sony camera shoe mount Bowens XMTR triggers. That said, unfortunately the max power you will ever get as of today with the new Bowens XMS monolights is 1000 w/s. If you want more power you have to go with pack & head studio lights. Bowens Explorer at 1500 w/s, Bowens Creo at 2400 w/s or the older Bowens Quad / Duo at 4800 w/s. The vintage Bowens pack and heads lights are excellent and will last a lifetime so it depends if you need more flash duration or power. If you want both power and flash duration/ high sync HSS then your best bet is something like a pack and head Profoto Pro-10 studio strobe. For me anything more than 1/5000 flash duration is more than plenty! :D As of 2018 Bowens has liquidated / downsized and now is no longer making pack and head studio strobes so you have to find old stock or used studio lights, all the new monolights are distributed through Manfrotto now, Bowens is mostly online mail order today and their lights can be found at BH Photo and a very few other scarce brick and mortar stores.

<blockquote> <p>And to quote Ansel Adams, "There's nothing worse than a sharp photo of a fuzzy concept."</p> </blockquote> <p>Happy New Years 2017 everyone.</p> <p>I am with Beth, there are a million more things more essential to photography than "sharpness", like composition, color, subject...ect. I think it is an age old debate. Also to counter the question especially with portraits most people do NOT want sharpness, but soft portrait lenses/filters. In fact vintage soft lenses are used to take the edge off "harsh digital". That said if you stop down almost any lens to the "sweet spot" and that can be different for every lens you will be good!<br> My favorite is the Leica R 90mm f2.</p> <div></div>

<p>Here is my Leica R6 and 90/2.</p><div></div>

<p>Anyone have any Leica Bokeh to share? It can be any Leica or Leica mount lens so R mount, M mount, S mount...ect. 3rd party lenses with a Leica mount are OK too like Angenieux R or M.</p><div></div>

<p>After going to the Leica store again and with the help of two Leica reps we finally figured out what this adapter does. It is indeed a E55-55mm / Series 7 retaining ring, a very rare if not unique adapter that can hold two filters...a E55mm AND a Series 7 filter. It has BOTH a female and male 55mm thread with a Series 7 retaining ring! <strong>No Leica rep at the store has EVER seen this Leica adapter #14225 before as it is extremely RARE!</strong><br /> <br /> <em><strong>After it was confirmed it was fitted *PERFECTLY* on the Leica Telephoto 90mm f/2.0 APO Summicron M Aspherical Manual Focus Lens,</strong></em> a $4K lens, we then placed a E55 Leica filter ON TOP OF THE ADAPTER which worked also perfectly. On top of that it was also confirmed that it could also hold ONE Series 7 filter. Neither of the Leica reps have ever heard of a Series 7 filter (even though Leica still makes them for $200) <strong>which highlights my point of this thread of just how unpopular Series 7 filters are</strong>...<strong>even Leica's flagship store HAS NOT EVEN HEARD OF Series 7 filters and does not stock any of their own Leica Series 7 filters!<br /></strong></p> <p> </p>

<p>More Mystery solved with the Leica Series 7 filter Retaining Ring #14225. As I mentioned this <strong>Leica made Series VII ring will NOT WORK on Leica lenses with Series VII / 7 Leica lenses.</strong><br /> <br /> <strong>That said I went to the Leica store today and we tried this #14225 adapter on a Leica 24mm f/1.4 Summilux-M Aspherical Manual Focus Lens that has Series VII threads.</strong> The adapter did NOT WORK on the Series 7 threads of the Leica 24/1.4 ultrawide lens, a $7K lens and one of the best for the Leica M Rangefinder cameras. The Leica dealer had no idea what this adapter this lens was for.</p> <p> </p><div></div>

EDIT: Leica does makes a commercially available Series VII to E72 / E82 metric size adapter for the Leica 24mm f1.4 Summilux M rangefinder lens for about $100 USD ( more expensive than the Duclos adapter) however there are several problems with the design of this adapter which is why the Duclos Series VII -77mm adapter is recommended. First if you are using if for the 24/1.4 Summilux you will lose your dedicated wide angle Leica lens hood! Second if the sun is behind you the hollowed out part of the adapter will create lens flare. Third a 77mm filter thread is a nice size in between 72mm and 82mm metric filter sizes and a *PERFECT FIT* for the professional Angenieux 77mm metal Len hood which works best on tele Leica lenses.

<p>Duclos Series VII 54.346 pitch thread adapter with the rare Angenieux 77mm UV filter.</p><div></div>

<blockquote> <p>Back in the 70's Spiratone made Series VII to 52mm & 55mm adapter rings</p> </blockquote> <p>Hey Anthony, first thank you on your previous post on Series VII adapter rings. You understand perfectly just how <strong>rare</strong> these 70's vintage ones adapters are. As I already posted, there was also a 70's Tiffen -Made for Leica 54mm (Series VII) -55mm adapter. Ironically, the Leica made Series VII / 54-55mm #14225 does not meet this pitch thread specification. It will not work on all Series VII Leica threads! I have this Leica adapter and I have already posted a pic of this adapter that is not functional.</p> <p><strong>As I already posted, both the Sonia and Duclos adapters are a perfect Series VII 54.346 mm, 36 tpi thread pitch size and are the ONLY known adapters commercially available.</strong></p> <p><em><strong>So at least for Series VII adapters the problem has been finally solved with these two adapters</strong>.</em> I do not know of any adapters (yet) for Series VI or VIII threads.<strong><br /></strong></p> <p>Here is the commercially available Duclos Series VII 54.346 pitch thread to 77mm adapter with the rare Angenieux 77mm UV filters. This also has has a 80mm O.D. to accept cinema matte boxes.</p>

<p>Hey Joe, finally after many years and even decades of Leica photographers searching for a <em><strong>commercially available cheap adapter for a Series 7 to metric adapter</strong> </em>I have finally solved the puzzle. Please refer to my thread I just posted. Basically I have found<strong> two easily available commercially made Series 7 / VII to metric adapters</strong> with one only costing $5. ! No need to hunt around anymore for a needle-in-the-haystack ultra rare Series VII to metric adapters (Tiffen/Spiratone/Leica) made in the 1970's or go to a photography specialist to custom machine a special Series 7 adapter.</p> <p>I do not have a commercial available adapter solution yet for Series 6 / VI or Series 8 / VIII to metric adapters.</p> <p><strong>Leica solution finally found for Leica lenses with Series 7 threads.</strong><br /> http://www.photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00e0Lo</p><div></div>

<blockquote> <p>...the R 90 Summicron is magic at f2.</p> <p> </p> </blockquote> <p>Hey Steve thanks for chiming in. I will totally agree with you on my Leica 90/2 Summicron , it is indeed one of the best portrait lenses ever made.<br /> <strong>The reason Series 7 filters are very easy to find is because they are OBSOLETE and no one wants them!</strong> As I already wrote , I had a full box of them once, every Series 7 / VII filter imaginable... and I could not get rid of those Series 7 filters fast enough. As I wrote before as well this whole thread is for Leica photographers who do not like to use Series 7 filters. No professional cinematographer these days uses Series 7 filters, it is all Series 9, 77mm threads at the bare bones minimum. Same applies really for most professional photographers, larger filter sizes than Series VII the size are used.</p> <p>And Series 7 to any metric size adapters are extremely rare. The reverse however, is easy to find ... going from say 55mm to Series 7 so you can place a drop in Series VII filter on your 55mm threaded lens. But we are talking about a reverse adapter, very rare. Here is what one poster said:</p> <blockquote> <p>Good luck finding one! They are RARE. Very rare. I have a Series 7 MALE to 52mm Female that I bought from Spiratone back in the 70's. They are long gone.<br /> You *MIGHT* find one on ebay. Otherwise, you will have to have them custom made. S.K. Grimes can do it but be prepared to spend $75 or more for EACH ring.</p> </blockquote> <p>Check out this thread:<br /> http://www.photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00dVMP<br /> So as far as the lens hood mention this is very important, until now you were stuck with a mediocre Heliopan 54/Series VII -58mm adapter and the problem with that one is it disables your built in lens hood on the Leica 90/2 Summicron. This five dollar adapter from India works beautifully and it is cheap (non-expensive) ... but not cheaply made! Here is an example of just how flush the Sonia Series VII-58mm adapter is with an <strong>Angenieux UV Ultra Thin 3mm 58mm filter.</strong> The French filter, the India adapter were just made for the Leica 90/2 Summicron!</p> <p> </p><div></div>

<blockquote> <p>Good luck finding one! They are RARE. Very rare. I have a Series 7 MALE to 52mm Female that I bought from Spiratone back in the 70's. They are long gone.<br /> You *MIGHT* find one on ebay. Otherwise, you will have to have them custom made. S.K. Grimes can do it but be prepared to spend $75 or more for EACH ring.</p> </blockquote> <p>Hey Agustin, just like Anthony said these adapters (going from Series thread to Metric threads) are EXTREMELY RARE. Anthony is not kidding. These adapters have been like looking for a needle in a haystack as very few were manufactured.</p> <p>Fortunately for Leica photographers I have just solved that problem (at least for Leica lenses with Series 7 threads!). Please see my thread that I just posted. I found 2 perfect adapters for lenses with a Series VII / 7 thread.<br /> Now you can use ANY normal size metric filters on your Leica Series VII lenses!<br /> http://www.photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00e0Lo</p><div></div>

<p>The rejected Series VII filter adapters : Leica Series VII-55mm , Heliopan 54-58mm (edit above not a B+W adapter) and the scarce too impossible to find Tiffen Series VII-55mm Made For Leica adapter.</p><div></div>

<p>Close up of Leica R and Angenieux UV 58mm Ultra Thin (3mm) with Sonia Series VII-58mm adapter.</p><div></div>

<p>Leica R 90/2 with lens hood retracted. Angenieux UV 58mm Ultra Thin filter (3mm size) on front with Sonia Series VII-58mm adapter.</p><div></div>