Leica Telyt 400mm f/5

[fWord]

This is an old Leica screwmount lens that was developed for the Visoflex system, allowing it to be used on Leica M cameras with a Visoflex housing. It is a hefty lens weighing approximately 2.3kg, has a minimum focusing distance of 8 meters (!) and uses unusual and expensive 85mm screw-in filters. It can be adapted for use on a Canon camera by means of a M39 Visoflex-EOS adapter, which looks like an extension tube. It is readily available off Ebay from stores such as Fotodiox.

Built like a tank, it features a built in hood like Canon's 300/4L and 400/5.6L lenses, but unlike those, the hood of the Leica does not feature a lock that holds it in extension. Nevertheless this has never posed a problem for me. The hood does a nice job of reducing flare.

Prior to sending the lens in for cleaning, there was heavy growth of fungus on one of the elements but I still took some photos with it anyway. At last update from the technician, the fungus apparently cleaned off well leaving the glass pristine but some of the coating was lost. I'm still waiting for the lens to return so I can try it without the fungus, but first, a few images from a fungused lens:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/liquidkiwi/APAD/326V2404.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/liquidkiwi/326V2398.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/liquidkiwi/326V2355.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/liquidkiwi/326V2369.jpg

Although aged, and suffering from the fungus, the lens surprises with its high resolution results. Somewhat challenging to handhold and focus for active subjects, it still remains a viable optic for wildlife work for those who are able to cope with the manual focus.

[Perry Ge]

Have you managed to de-fungus it yet? Would love to see some pictures post-fungus.

[fWord]

Have you managed to de-fungus it yet? Would love to see some pictures post-fungus.

Hey, thanks for writing in. Thought this thread died long ago and I was even wondering if I started it in the first place! :lol: I got the lens back about a week ago and all the fungus has been cleared. That coincided with terrible weather on all my offdays so I have not been able to put the lens to good use. I'd need to wait for reasonable light if I want to venture using this lens handheld like I did for the previous set of pictures.

[palaima]

Very nice shots, if you have the time, post some pictures, i'd really like to see what leica can do :)

[Froggeh]

samesame - it seems like a much lighter alternative to the 100-400 f5.6 (lets face it, it only gets used @ f5.6) and brighter too.

[ImRaptor]

samesame - it seems like a much lighter alternative to the 100-400 f5.6 (lets face it, it only gets used @ f5.6) and brighter too.

Lighter?
At 2.3Kg its approaching double the weight of a 100-400.

Looking forward to see what you get out of the newly fungus free lens and some pictures of the lens itself.

[jjc3201]

yeah i would like to see some shots of the actual lens too

[fWord]

Sorry to disappoint you guys but I haven't had much of a chance to use this lens of late. Heck, I haven't had the chance to take any proper photos either! But perhaps a sample (post CLA) may be warranted at this time:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/liquidkiwi/APAD/326V3873.jpg

This is a crop of an image that was resized down to 50% of it's original size. It demonstrates sharpness, bokeh and also the presence of some CA. The subject was far off center going into the bottom left of the image. The setup was handheld, shot at 1/250s and ISO 800, wide open.

Under such conditions I concede that camera shake, subject movement and high ISO noise alone would have been enough to erode the performance of any lens, but having said that I was very impressed with how the lens fared. In a way it demonstrates excellent performance that extends a good deal off axis (which is beneficial unless you always have your subject dead center), however the presence of CA is also an annoyance.

But 'wow', and this is from a 1960s lens used under less than ideal conditions, and with very poor technique of yours truly, if I might add. :D

Impromptu shot of the lens on a 1Ds. No chance as of yet to take a good photo from a tripod mounted setup:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/liquidkiwi/APAD/LeicaTelyt400.jpg

[dshankar]

Wowzers thats long for an f/5 isn't it?!

[fWord]

Wowzers thats long for an f/5 isn't it?!

Indeed it's a large lens. That's with the hood fully extended as well so you can see how intimidating it looks. The 1Ds camera attached to it acts as a scale. It's a very heavy lens and I'm guessing that the all-metal build adds to the weight, not to mention the huge glass elements. It's been said that the imaging circle of some of these Leica lenses, including the Telyt 400/5 and the 280/4.8 covers medium format film.

[foxbat]

Wowzers thats long for an f/5 isn't it?!
It's a very, very early telephoto design going back as far as the 1930's I think. Performance will be poor by modern standards I'm afraid. The 2 element 'telescope' f/5.6 and f/6.8 lenses performed much better but were literally as long as their focal lengths.

[palaima]

oh yeah i expected more from leica but i must say that for a 1960 lens this is impressive!

[fWord]

A few recent ones from a special shoot for a friend and her dog:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/liquidkiwi/APAD/326V4624.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/liquidkiwi/APAD/326V4622.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/liquidkiwi/APAD/326V4605.jpg

I was looking for more intimate and thoughtful photos and the lens was really useful for this. They were all shot wide open and the photo of the dog was taken at MFD. A stunning performance I should say, as if these don't look pleasing enough (even in a vintage sort of way), I don't know what else would.

[fWord]

Wow, it's unbelievable...nearly two years since I photographed anything with this lens and posted to this thread. This beast spent an extended amount of time in cold storage, however I found it invaluable on a recent trip to South Gippsland in Victoria (Australia) and the Prom country. And I have to admit, while not optically perfect and being heavy as a boat, this lens can still deliver the goods with the right subject...as any lens probably will.

1. Rainbow over paddocks

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/liquidkiwi/326V5453.jpg

2. Sand on Norman Beach

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/liquidkiwi/326V5566.jpg

3. Sunset over pasture

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/liquidkiwi/326V5609.jpg

4. Sunrise

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/liquidkiwi/326V5622.jpg

[KenjiS]

Neat lens mate :)

Sorry to hear about your 1Ds...

[luciddreamer]

If anyone is interested in going this Leica route the Leica R 400 & 560 f6.8 lenses are much lighter and can be found at reasonable prices on the bay. All it takes is a cheap, or not so cheap R to EOS adapter. They are excellent lenses with the 400mm being a tad sharper and better color rendition.

[fWord]

Neat lens mate :)

Sorry to hear about your 1Ds...

Thanks for reading.

Yes, it's very unfortunate the 1Ds broke down and was then labeled beyond repair because of the lack of availability of parts.

However there is a recent twist: I changed the button cell battery inside the battery compartment and the issue seems to have gone away...for now that is. I don't believe the issue is quite so simple, but then again, you just never know.

[fWord]

If anyone is interested in going this Leica route the Leica R 400 & 560 f6.8 lenses are much lighter and can be found at reasonable prices on the bay. All it takes is a cheap, or not so cheap R to EOS adapter. They are excellent lenses with the 400mm being a tad sharper and better color rendition.

The thing I'd like to try is the 400/6.8 with a shoulder brace/ stock. Bet it'd get some strange looks from people nearby! :lol: Center performance is apparently excellent with these telescope lenses, with performance dropping quickly once off-center or off-axis, as Erwin Puts has alluded to in his book. However they are very light and should probably handle better than the lens discussed in this thread.

[luciddreamer]

The thing I'd like to try is the 400/6.8 with a shoulder brace/ stock. Bet it'd get some strange looks from people nearby! :lol: Center performance is apparently excellent with these telescope lenses, with performance dropping quickly once off-center or off-axis, as Erwin Puts has alluded to in his book. However they are very light and should probably handle better than the lens discussed in this thread.


I have the Novoflex 400 f5.6 set up like that. I like it but tons of color aberration in low light conditions. Works great in the sun though. I've seriously thought about making an adapter to put my Leica 560 f6.8 lens on the front of it. It could be done with a lathe and some aluminum stock. Getting the distance right would be the hardest part.