macro photography

[bruce_erickson1]

<p>What is your experience doing macro photography with an M? Do you recommend against it? </p>

[frederick_muller]

<p>I've done a fair bit of macro photography with rangefinders and SLRs. Although there are various close-up and macro accessories and lenses available for the M system and other rangefinders, it is simply more convenient to use an SLR and a dedicated Macro.</p>

<p>It's worthwhile to consider how close you want to get. If you just want to "close focus", in the region under 3 feet, you can get away with lenses like the DR Summicron and goggles. If you want to get down to 1:1 or 1:2, I wouold go for an SLR and a Macro.</p>

[dhbebb]

<p>The main disadvantage of macro with a Leica M2 to M4 is lack of built-in metering. If you can handle manual metering, there's quite a lot to be said for a Visoflex. not least the really clever way you can factor in a variable delay between raising the mirror and firing the shutter just by turning a screw collar. The magnifying 90 degree finder is also handy, as is the 65mm Elmar lens, and if you have a 90mm Elmar or 135mm Hektor or earlier 90mm Summicron, you can unscrew the lens head and use it with the Visoflex via an adapter. You have to stop down by hand. of course, but using a Visoflex, while fractionally slower than an SLR, is not the pain some people say it is.</p>

[SCL]

<p>I've been using a Visoflex for about 12-13 years, with both a chimney finder and an eye-level finder. It is an ingenious way of using an M camera for both macro work as well as long telephoto work. As mentioned above, metering can be an issue, but there are exposure compensation tables published by Leica which work just fine. Having said that, I do prefer to take the (90mm & 135mm) removable lens heads (sold my 65mm), and use them via adapters on my SLR/DSLR cameras. Some give me metering, some don't, but the clumsiness of the setup of the Visoflex is avoided. If you neither have nor intend to get a SLR/DSLR then the Visoflex is clearly the answer for you.</p>

<p> </p>

[john_boyle3]

<p>I've been using my M2 with the Visoflex III, Bellows II and 65mm Elmar (black Wetzlar version) for over 30 years with excellent results. This combination will focus from infinity to beyond 1:1. Various adapters fit other lens heads to the Bellows. It should be noted that the way to focus in the region of 1:1 is to change the lens to subject distance rather than the lens to film plane distance. This can be easily done with the bellows II. A separate focussing rail is required for use in this region if using an SLR with macro lens.</p>

<p>I use a Gossen Lunasix 3 and have a small table taped to the inside of the meter case with the diaphragm corrections as the bellows is extended. (Note: these are NOT exposure corrections! As the lens is extended the relative aperture decreases since f stop = focal length / aperture.) The exposure is whatever the meter reads. Several years ago the small format Leica Fotografie had tables of the inlet/outlet pupil ratios of several Leitz lenses. I used these to calculate the diaphragm corrections for my 65mm Elmar and the table produced is very accurate. If anyone is interested I can post it here or send an email. This table uses the mm scale on the bellows and thus cannot be used with the focussing mount 16464.</p>

<p>The Visoflex on an M body can produce excellent results. The late Dr. Lewis Clark produced a magnificant book in 1973 entitled "Wild Flowers of British Columbia". There is a photo on the jacket showing him with a Leica M with Visoflex and Bellows. If you're lucky enough to have (or find) a copy of this book you can see just what can be accomplished with this set-up. </p>

[lex_bosman1]

<p>I was given a Visoflex III half a year ago, with Bellows II and Elmar 65 mm. This has opened up a whole new field for me, since I had never really done any macro. The lens head of my 90 mm Elmarit works great with the Bellows as well and this afternoon I took some shots using a Telyt 4/200 mm on the Visoflex with MOOSP and OUFRO to get closer. You have to take some time to get the set-up in order but then it is really great. I use a Lunasix meter and so far this works very well. Actually I like the handheld meter with the Visoflex much better than the metering of the M6, since that requires some fuss with the mirror. I usually have a MDa on the Visoflex.<br>

Lex</p>

[frank uhlig]

<p>What is the price of the Visoflex M attachments? What is the price of a Nikon F100 (used) or an F1 and a 100-200 mm macro lens?</p>

<p>That is the real question here, I think.</p>

[bjscharp]

I have a SOOKY-M, and while it won't give you `real' macro, it makes flower shots and such possible, something you otherwise can't do with an `M'....

[lex_bosman1]

<p>The Visoflex material is not that expensive, check the items on the famous auction site. I can use the lens head of my older Elmarit 90 mm on the Belows II, and I use a Elmar 65 mm as well. With an adapter one can use several regular 50 mm lenses, I haven't tried that yet. I never really compared the prices in detal with other macro equipment, since I already have Leica M gear. It may not be as sophisticated as modern (digital) equipment but it is a lot of fun to use it.</p>