| Author |
Message |
    
Jesse
Tinkerer
Username: Jesse
Post Number: 21
Registered: 08-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007 - 03:07 am: | 
|
Hi
I have recently bought a Novaflex 5.6/400mm long focus lens that looks and handles like a snipers rifle! Although it says f5.6 on the barrel and there is a 5.6 setting the maximum I can set it to is f8. f8 seems to be the barrel aperture unless the stops are incorrect. Has anyone had any experience of these? I have had several Novaflex lenses and found them to be excellent. I have never had one like this! Would appreciate any help or opinion. Thanks.. |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 217
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007 - 03:25 pm: |
|
These lenses came in a f5.6/400mm and a f8/600mm, from memory the trigger focus unit was common to both. I had both at the time, and only seem to remember removing the respective lens heads to change focal length - there being no extra adapter to add or remove.
Unless the aperture ring has been assembled incorrectly, I wonder if your lens has been made up from both 400 and 600 bits and not adjusted correctly. I am talking about examples of these lenses that were produced in the 60s, early 70s. Later examples may be mechanically different.
Optically these lenses are excellent, being used by many wildlife photographers in their day. |
Jesse
Tinkerer
Username: Jesse
Post Number: 22
Registered: 08-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 19, 2007 - 03:57 am: |
|
Hello Glen
Thanks very much for your help. It could be that the components are mixed but hard to tell as the 400mm with f5.6 is definately the front lens now. The aperture setting of f8 which is the widest must have been for the 600mm front lens. There are 2 "slot in" magnifyers which go near the back of the lens which have a very definate effect on the focusing clarity. Do you think the lens will work if this assumption is correct? Appreciate your comments so far. Kind regards, Jesse |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 220
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 19, 2007 - 11:04 am: |
|
Jesse,
Try the following link, it is the Novoflex instruction manual from 1972.
http://yandr.50megs.com/novo/novo1/novo1.htm
If you have problems with it come back to me directly.
I am just wondering which model lens you have. I do not recall 'slot-in' magnifiers or filters on mine. The filters on mine screwed into the back of the lens head in question - no slot-in carrier.
However you should note that on good optics, the internal filters - slot or screw - are included in the optical calculations when the lens was formulated. ie you always need a piece of glass in the optical path. Hence the inclusion of just a piece of optical glass in many internal filter sets for specific lenses.
If your lens was formulated this way, you should see a definite change in clarity - for the better - when these items are used. However I am puzzled why these 'magnifiers' are not marked in some way. I suspect that your lens is a much later version, than the ones I used, as there is no mention of any slot-in filters/magnifiers/close-up lenses in the 1972 manual. My lenses were definitely the 1972 type. |
Jesse
Tinkerer
Username: Jesse
Post Number: 23
Registered: 08-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 03:15 am: |
|
Hi again Glen
Thanks again for your help.
I bought the lens with a Nikon F3 and I would say the lens is the same vintage. I will download the manual and I'm most grateful for this. The 2 magnifiers have no identification, which is odd, but they slot in and affect (improve) clarity. However I'm not so sure the focus is sharp and I guess I'll have to try it to find out. Appreciate your help. Regards Jesse |
