Want to slow down with your photography? There’s a solution. Just use a Visoflex on a thread-mount Leica.
Here’s what I have to do to take just one picture with the Visoflex.
- Remove the 90° viewfinder from the Visoflex. (The Visoflex can not be attached to the camera with the 90° viewfinder in place.)
- Attach the Visoflex to the camera.
- Replace the 90° viewfinder on the Visoflex.
- Attach the 65/3.5 Elmar lens with adaptor 16464 to the Visoflex.
- Wind the knob on the camera to advance the film and cock the shutter.
- Meter or estimate the exposure.
- Swing the release lever on the Visoflex to its forward position. (The high speed shutter dial can not be accessed with the release lever in its operating position.)
- Set the desired shutter speed on the high speed dial on the camera, and if necessary on the low speed dial.
- Return the release lever on the Visoflex to its operating position.
- Turn the aperture preset ring on the lens to the desired aperture setting.
- Turn the aperture control ring on the lens to f/3.5. (Its easier to frame and focus with the lens wide open.)
- Depress the return lever on the Visoflex to lower the reflex mirror to its operating position.
- Frame and focus the image in the viewfinder.
- Turn the aperture control ring until it stops at the setting on the aperture preset ring.
- Press the release lever on the Visoflex to (a) raise the mirror and (b) release the shutter. (Or use a cable release screwed into the side of the Visoflex to do the same thing.)
- That’s it!
I’ve simplified the description a little by not mentioning the front and rear caps on the lens and the front and rear caps on the Visoflex. Lots of pockets are a help when working with the Visoflex.
Mere Film Photography 
Hmm, interresting but this voids Oskar Barnacks intention of a small, postable and pocketable camera completely. Might as well use large format…
Just as slow and still better negatives.
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You’re right. The camera becomes little more than a film back with a shutter. The resulting assembly is both bigger and heavier than my Nikon F.
I tried using a Crown Graphic with a broken rangefinder as a view camera a number of years ago and, even then, my eyes were not up to focusing on the 4×5 ground glass.
For various reasons I am 100% committed to 35mm B&W for my film photography. I enjoy messing around with mechanical devices and an LTM Leica with a Visoflex is about as mechanical as a camera gets. When the whole Visoflex kit including the lens became available for less than the cost of a good macro lens for the Nikon I went for it and it has provided a lot of enjoyment albeit in the slow lane.
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Sure the Visoflex is a great contraption!
As for the eyes, don’t mention that. Sometimes I ask myself if manual focusing is still an option… It’s getting shaky in that department!
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You too? In my case it’s a race between the hand tremors forcing me into a tripod or IS and the eyes forcing me into AF.
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Yep, age sucks! Guess we’ll end up digital…
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Not for a while yet, I hope.
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Hope too, but not certain at all…
Anyways, what counts is the final product, the photo or better still the print. No matter how you achieve it
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I agree. In the end it’s all about the print for me.
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