Zeiss on a Visoflex II/III

[kparratt]

The metering facility of the Zeiss Ikon SW is very attractive, as well as the

price, compared with an M7.

 

Partly for wide-angle lenses, hand-held, this SW is high on my shopping list,

but especially as an extra body for practical studio use, mostly in Visoflex

applications, the only consideration is alignment with the Visoflex shutter-

release lever.

 

The shutter release button on the Zeiss is in a similar position to that of

Leica M bodies, but is it the same, or near enough? Does anyone actually have

both? ... to compare them side by side?

 

I've walked around town with the M3 to find a dealer who carries the Zeiss, to

no avail.

 

... thanks, Kevin.

[kparratt]

The Zeiss Ikon SW<div></div>

[christopher_a._junker1]

The Visoflex double cable mirror/shutter release will not fit on the Zeiss. Not to worry. If you have a single cable release attached to the Visoflex mirror leaving one cable relase dangling, you can lock the mirror up with the thumbscrew cable, and trip the Zeiss shutter either by hand or with a separate Zeiss shutter release cable.

[ronald_moravec1]

All visos 1,2,3, have provision to swing the arm 180 deg out of the way and lock the mirror up. On the on, just push the button down to raise the mirror, rotate the collar under it to lock.

 

The only problem I can see is the lens mount may not be positioned as accurately as with leica and you could get crooked horizons. I have no way of knowing and neither does anyone else except they may know if their particular sample works or not. .25 deg of rotation is visable in a pic with straight lines.

[christopher_a._junker1]

My mistake, I was thinking of the VisoflexI which trips the mirror and camera shutter with a double cable release instead of the lever.

[wolf_rainer_schmalfuss]

Hi Kevin,

 

take a look at APHOG.de, there I have posted a SW report with the Distagon 2,8/15mm and the Distagon 4/18mm. The SW is a very nice and solid tool, especially shooting with super-wide-angle lenses. I've enjoyed it very much testing the SW. Unfortunately, its all in German.

 

Best

Rainer

[kparratt]

Hmm. Thanks for the input.

 

Ronald, the possiblity of rotation is one I'll just have to find out, but as the Visoflex applications I have are mostly table-top and in-studio photographing of artwork, this will probably not be an issue, as I frame with generous margins to allow for scanning and/or enlarging crops, but something to watch for.

 

Rainer, APHOG.de is such a good site, both in content and design, it really is worth working with the language. I don't consider it a barrier, just my own limitation, and I am looking forward to studying your article on the weekend and over Easter.

 

I've already decided to buy an SW, together with the Biogon C T* 4,5/21mm which you previously recommended. Just a matter of time and $$ ( = artwork sales )

 

Whether it will fit on the Reprovit IIA is yet to be seen, but I also use one of these portable copy stands. The version shown below is Leitz code BOOWU for screw mounts, but the M sits happily with a screw to M adapter.

 

Christopher, I'll keep in mind your note on the Visoflex I.

 

Grateful for all of the above.

 

Kevin.<div></div>

[Aoresteen]

Kevin,

 

Don't worry! SK Grimes can adapt most anything and making a release arm that will work with the ZI SW is right up their alley.

 

www.skgrimes.com

 

Give them a call.

[wolf_rainer_schmalfuss]

Hi Kevin,

 

your decision on the Biogon 4,5/21mm ZM is an excellent decision! If you maybe have to make some mechanical changes on the Visoflex to fit the SW, contact Wiese-Fototechnik in Hamburg/Germany. He's not so far away from where you live.

 

Cheers, Rainer

[kparratt]

S.K.Grimes ! Interesting, I visited their site a while ago reseaching the Packard shutter. A good suggestion Anthony, but as Rainer hints, I'm on the other side of the pond. Never the less, I just got side-tracked reading all their info on Copal and Copal Press shutters. A very interesting company. Pardon my ignorance, but where is "Woonsocket, RI 02895" I don't recognise the "RI".

 

 

I'm hoping no modification will be required, so that I can easily interchange between Leica and Zeiss. Possibly a small adapter will be all that's needed, because the position of the release buttons on the M and Zeiss are not that different, at least from what I can make out. Of course the position needs to be measured in relation to the lens/Visoflex mount, not just what it looks like on the top plate.

 

When visiting Germany next, I will certainly be visiting Weiss-Fototechnick. I was hoping to do this earlier, but it may be the trip to Photokina. (Will you be there Rainer?)

 

... however, this photo.net at it's best. Thanks fellas.

 

Cheers, Kevin.

[keirst]

Hi Kevin, RI is Rhode Island, the smallest of the United States, south of Massachusetts and

East of Connecticut.

[wolf_rainer_schmalfuss]

Hi Kevin, of course, I will be for sure at the 2008 Photokina. I've not missed any Photokina since the sixties.

 

Cheers

Rainer