NOVOFLEX NOTE 5

I finally found a Novoflex XUR: The "180 mm 1 : 4,5 Xenar, for 6 x 6" as this code is defined in Dieter Gabler's first edition of his "Vollendete Spiegelreflex-Fotografie mit Novoflex" (1973:130).  Here it is mounted on the basic BAL-S bellows:

It came with the LEIXURRING Adapter for all 35 mm bellows units with Leica thread mount (LTM / M39):

Filter thread is standard 49mm unlike the 150mm LEIXIAN discussed earlier in this blog series, which has the 40,5 mm (= Zeiss Contax Sonnar) thread. Both lens heads are beautifully chrome-finished with nicely engraved numbers and (I assume) single lens coating.

Here are two pictures taken with the XUR + LEIXURRING combination on the BAL-S mounted on a Canon 60D (APS-C) digital SLR camera: 

I have yet to try this lens on a full-frame digital camera or with the appropriate M39 adapter on my 6 x 6 Rolleiflex SL66. The lens needs quite a bit of extension to be used at infinity, so the BAL-S had to racked out quite a bit before infinity is reached.  The conical NOVOFLEX LEIAN extension tube designed for the LEINO-200 lens head (both called "Noflexar 200" in combination) should should be useful here. 

Robot Note 1

Here are the very first results from my Robot IIa (Star 50?) with Schneider Kreuznach Xenon 1.9/40mm. Negative format is 24x24mm.  Ruined the rest of this 36 exposure roll of Fujicolor 400 because I had no manual and figured out the film rewinding by trial and error (mostly error for this roll). Everything is different on a Robot. Rotary Shutter, spring-wound shutter release  and film advance. No exposure meter or rangefinder. Guestimated focussing using hyperfocal distance - yet fully exchangeable lenses (30-150mm).

This is what a Robot negative strip look like:

 Here are some higher resolution scans from this strip with minor tweaking in PS Elements:

Cold Frame

 

Sneakers                                                                        

 Sage

Here is an image from my second test roll: Fujifilm 100. For some reason this roll showed a lot more flare and low contrast:

Pollinator Garden at the "Vermont Garden Park" in Burlington, Vermont.

ZEISS NOTE 1


Zeiss Ikon Ikonta 24 x 36 from the 1949 Photo-Porst Nürnberg Catalog. Note the word Neukonstruktion  (new design) with exclamation mark.  Upscale version in Compur R shutter was only available with Schneider Xenar 2,8/4,5 cm not yet with a Zeiss Tessar. 

Leica Note 3

Leica Man

Anyone know this fellow?  The picture is from the book by Theo M. Scherer "The Leica and the Leicaflex" (English Edition 1970). Page 67.  The picture legend says: "American globetrotter visits the Leitz works. Photograph by J. Behnke. Example of grotesque distortion. 21mm Auper-Angulon, f8; 1/125 sec; Ilford FP3."

Leica Note 2

Comparison 2.8/35mm Summaron & Zeiss ZM 2.8/35mm C-Biogon

This is a brief comparison of the 30+ year old 2.8/35mm Leitz Summaron (shown below on the Leica M3) with the current Zeiss ZM C-Biogon 2.8/35 shown on the original Leica M6.

Both lenses were actually used on the M6 loaded with Sensia 100 used on a tripod in my backyard at F 8 and 1/125 sec. shutter speed.

Here is a crop from both images:
Summaron 35mm at F 8 & 1/125 sec












C-Biogon 35mm at F 8 & 1/125 sec

The Zeiss Biogon in sharper and shows better contrast than the Leitz Summaron.

Here is the current Spec Sheet for Agfa Rodinal 

NOVOFLEX NOTE 4 Novoflex Literature

Friedrich-W. Voigt, Novoflex Pocket Book. Focal Press London, 1963 English edition of 1961 German Edition. Covers Model I, Model S, Model II Bellows, bellows 66, tripod rack [later CASTEL], Noflexar lens heads 3.5/105 and 4.5/135 in chrome; extension tube set, follow focus extension bellows, follow focus (FF) 240, 400 and MF 5.6/500, special bellows [later BAL-U], chest pod, telescopic [nesting] tele-lenses 400 & 640, slide copying device, microscope adapter, microscope bellows, panoramic head, with interchangeable graduated ring.








Friedrich-W. Voigt, Novoflex Pocket Book. 1970 German Edition. Heering Verlag, Munich. As above, but adds monorail bellows, Automatic bellows model A, Noflexar lens heads 3.5/105 and 4.5/135 in black, level insert for CASTEL, 5.6/280 lens head for FF grip, macro wide-angle Noflexar 3.5/35mm, Paffrath & Kemper ring flash. Nesting lenses and FF extension bellows have been removed.










Dieter Gabler. Vollendete Spiegelreflex Fotografie mit Novoflex [Perfect SLR Photography with N.]. 1973 1st Edition. Publisher: Novoflex Memmingen. Very thorough assessment of everything N. in 1972/73 with an attempt to shed light on he codes used at that point, but rather wordy and opinionated. Gabler always promoted his favorite SLR system, Minolta. Inclusion of the Rolleiflex SL66 ROLLAN adapter (without FF grip!) for the 240 and KS-500 lens head and the ROLLAN-200 adapter for the N-200 F4 Noflexar. KS-500 is identified as a 5.6/500 mm Tele-Noflexar. Discussion of Super 6 and 16mm filming wit N. lenses. X-Shoe flash holder. 6x6 bellows still mentioned in table but not illustrated. 35mm bellows more or less as above but thorough discussion of no less than 12 different macro lens heads:
4/105 mm manual black Noflexar (LEINO 105)
4/105 mm semi-automatic black Noflexar (LEINO-A 105)
4.5/135mm black N. -Xenar (LEINOX)
4.5/135 black Auto-Noflexar (LEINO-A-135)
4.5/135mm manual chrome Xenar (LEIXEAL)
4.5/135mm semi-automatic Xenar (LEIXEAL-A)
4.5/150 mm chrome Xenar (LEIXIAN) - "also for 6 x 6"
4.5/180 mm Xenar (LEIXUR) consisting of:
180mm lens XUR - "also for 6 x 6"
and reduction ring to M39 (LEIXURRING)
4/200 mm Noflexar & lens hood (LEINO-200) consisting of:
4/200 mm Noflexar head - "also for 6 x 6" (N-200)
and reduction tube N-200 to M39 (LEIAN)
5.5/240 mm Tele Arton (LEITELAR) [not for 6 x 6]
4.5/60mm BALFLEX (for slide copying)
4/105 mm Bellows Noflexar automatic lens heads (with different camera system mounts)

Dieter Gabler. Vollendete Spiegelreflex Fotografie mit Novoflex [Perfect SLR Photography with N.]. 1978 2nd revised Edition. Publisher: Novoflex Memmingen. B-System B-400/3 triplet (T) Noflexar 5.6/400 appears. 9/640 mm (N-640) is replaced by 8/600 (B-600) lens head. KS-500 Medium Format lens head is now identified correctly as a 6.3/500mm Tele-Noflexar. Bellows lens heads are reduced to 60mm BALFLEX, 4/105 mm LEINO-105, 4/200 mm LEINO-200 and the dedicated 4/60mm and 4/105 mm Auto Bellows Noflexars. MACRO -STAND copying device is discussed and Multiblitz Color Slide Duplicator.








Dieter Gabler. Vollendete Spiegelreflex Fotografie mit Novoflex [Perfect SLR Photography with N.]. 1980 3rd revised Edition. Publisher: Novoflex Memmingen.This edition introduces the C-System double FF grip with 5.6/400 Noflexar, 5.6/400 T-Noflexar and 8/600 mm lens heads and Extender [2 x converter] TEX. Newly designed PISTOCK-C shoulder pod. B-FF System is still discussed. Medium Format lens heads 5.6/240 mm and 5.6/500 have been eliminated. Macro lens heads reduced to 4/60 and 4/105 mm manual and auto versions. Discussion of KAISER repro unit (baseboard, column, lights) and Gossen cold light unit. 35mm Universal bellows hood PROSON.







Harald Zeyss. Makro Fotografie und die superschnellen Tele - Das neue Novoflex Buch [Macro photography and the superfast telephoto lenses - The new N.-Book] No date, but probably 1989. Publisher: vfv Verlag.Discussion of C-System FF lenses. Introduction of the short-lived Novoflex-Tamron 2.8/300 mm and 3.8-5.4/60-300 mm. New 6x6 C System Medium Format FF grip for Hasselblad 2000 FC (HAPIGRIFF-C), Rolleiflex SL66 (ROLPIGRIFF-C), Mamiya 645 (MAMPIGRIFF 645-C) and Pentax 645 (TAXPIGRIFF 645-C) to be used with the standard 400 mm lens heads only. Adapters to use these MF grips on 35 mm cameras (HARING, MAMRING) and BALROL 66 35mm bellows adapter for ROLPIGRIFF-C. Car window clamp and ball head. Discussion of Metz tele flash attachment and professional flash 60 CT-4. Introduction of Canon EOS AF and Minolta AF bellows. New heavy duty macro rail, new large repro (copy) stand (MACRO-S), double flash holder system (Macroblitz-Set).

Richard Hünecke. Das Novoflex System Makro and Tele [The N. System Macro and Tele]. Publisher: Laterna Magica 1994. Introduction of the improved PIGRIFF -D system with the aperture now fixed in the FF grip instead of being in a removable tubus. Pigriff-D versions for Hassy, Mamiya 645, Pentax 645 and Rolleiflex SL66. Universal bellows BALUNI for 35mm and 6x6. Three different size macro rails: CASTEL-Mini, CASTEL-K and CASTEL-PRO. Macroblitz Set III. N. Macrolight II. UNISET and STASET flash holders.








This for starters. Contact me, if you know of any other Novoflex-Books.

NOVOFLEX NOTE 3
This is the early Novoflex LEIXIAN (150mm 1:4.5 Xenar) bellows lens made by Schneider Kreuznach. I have used it on a SL66 with the custom made M39 (LTM) adapter shown in the first photo and also on the BAL-S.



































Below are some lens test images from this lens kindly provided by D. Kenney:

Xenar 4.5/150mm at F 4.5:















Xenar 4.5/150mm at F 8:

The entire set of chrome Schneider lenses was available for Novoflex bellows in March of 1963.