Anyone using Universal 250mm f5 lens hand-held?

I bought one of these lenses on a lark for $200 about a year ago.

This beast is laughably huge, but takes great pics. I was pleasently

surprised that it rangefinder focuses accurately right down to 12

feet with my universal. With my super 23, I would have to

groundglass focus. I guess it's time to get the 23 rangefinder

adjusted.

 

Is there anyone out there who actually uses this lens handheld?

I'm looking for a 250 F-5, the longest I've used for the Universal is the 150, and that

is only a "fair" lens in my book (don't overmuch like Tessars or tessar-like designs).

 

How much of a head-and shoulders can you get with the 250mm?

With 6x7 it gives a nice head and shoulders shot. But I use it tripod mounted, on the rare occasion I do use it.

Yeah, but I've never had much luck getting it to focus consistently below about 15 feet--I can do my own rangefinder adjustment, and can get it accurate from 15 feet to infinity, but adjusting the close focus I can have either 15 feet OR 12 feet accurate, not both. I have this problem on both my Super and my Universal.

 

Handheld is the ONLY way I use it now, because for ground glass use I've got the 250/8, which is sharper (55 lp/mm vs. 45 lp/mm at f11) and less vulnerable to flare.

That's the first I've ever heard the older f/8 version of the lens referred to in any way

as better than the f/5- interesting. I've only heard those with both as saying that the

f/8 is "not as good," that it "doesn't look as nice," and is harder to use (that I believe,

if only for lack of rangefinder coupling).

 

Interesting.

Mine has colored references on the focusing helical and f-stops- to remind me that it doesn't focus closer than 20 feet without stopping down.

 

Takes pretty pictures.

 

I now need a hood.