Novoflex lenses: experiences ?

[AgX]

For the even less initiated than me: the renown Novoflex lenses are tele-lenses of classic design, but with a barrel equipped with two pistol grips, to handle it like a submachine gun. The rear grip has a four-finger trigger to focus the lens. By this the front barrel is moved in longitudinal direction. By exchanging front barrels different focal lengths can be achieved.

(There also were in the beginning Novoflex long lenses without grips, focussed via a bellows-apparatus, and single pistol grips acting on a bellows-apparatus or acting on a barrel.)


How do did you experience focussing with those trigger-lenses?
Do you still use them?


There also would be the issue of how one comes over in these times in public with such lenses, but this has already been discussed in a thread on the soviet Foto-Sniper, thus we can leave that out here.

 

[AgX]

Were they popular outside Europe at all?

 

[Prof_Pixel]

When I was shooting football on the sidelines of University of Michigan football games in the late '50s/early 60'5, I can remember a newspaper photographer friend of mine using a Novoflex telephoto lens that I think only had one grip.

 

[John Koehrer]

I've seen pictures of the two handed one, but never in real life. Seen some of their close-up devices though.
Novoflex had a bunch of adapters for lenses, bellows etc. At the shop I worked they were considered very good.

 

[AgX]

With a manually twisted helicoid you have direct control in both directions. The only problem could be play in the thread and resulting lag during reversing twist. (I have a similar issue with a Canon R 500mm.)

With such Novoflex lens there would likely be no lag, but there is the issue that any friction or stick-slip must be overcome in one direction by a spring strong enough. Thus in rest you still have to hold the trigger against some spring force. Which may induce fatigue to the fingers.

 

[AgX]

I am puzzled that no one with experiences replied so far.

 

[Dan Fromm]

Well, you asked about Novoflex Follow Focus lenses. Its been quite a while since they were current.

I've had two Novoflex lenses, both bellows lenses for closeup work. The first was a 105/4.5 (or was it an f/4.0er?) bought in 1971. A mistake. The second was a 60/4 (or was it an f/4.5er?) bought as part of a bundle. It failed acceptance testing.

 

[AgX]

Yes, I am inquiring on these tele-lenses, especially the handling of those focusing triggers.


To my understanding the only Novoflex bellows apparatus with Novoflex lenses had a pistol grip too. To be handled as those long-distance lenses.

Thus with failing your acceptance testing of those macro bellows lenses I am not sure whether you refer to inferior image quality or that focusing system.

 

[Dan Fromm]

The 105 I bought was a barrel lens in Nikon F mount with automatic diaphragm. I used it on a Nikon PB-4 bellows with a Nikon E-2 ring, used the E-2 to open the lens' diaphragm for focusing and composing.

The 60 was a barrel lens in, if I recall correctly, M39. I used it with adapters on a PB-4.

I can't comment on Novoflex' focusing system for macro lenses. Both lenses gave poor image quality.

 

[AgX]

A very good description (in German):

http://www.photoinfos.com/Fototechnik/Objektive/Noflexar-Schnellschuss-System.htm

 

[dynachrome]

This has become a broad topic. I have had a 105/4 Noflexar in Topcon mount for many years. I use it with an Exakta to Konica adapter on a Konica Bellows III. In the close-up/macro range it works well and delivers good results. I recently got the same lens in M42 mount with the auto diaphragm pin. Unfortunately the M42 version has no A/M switch so I expect it to be useful only with an M42 auto bellows. My next Novoflex lens (not marked Noflexar) is marked Balflex on one side and Staeble-Katagon on the other end. It's a 60/4.5 with a male 39mm thread on the (back?) Balflex end and what look like a female 39mm thread on the other end. I suspect this was used for slide copying as other lenses in the 60-65mm range were. I haven't used this lens yet. Somewhere I have another 60/4 or 60/4.5 Staeble-Katagon without any Novoflex markings. I have used that lens for macro work with good results so I hope the Novoflex one works well too. My last Novoflex lens is a 35/3.5 Noflexar. This is the interesting lens which has click stops to pull the front section of the lens forward for close-up work. More than ten years ago I wrote a piece about this lens in CameraShopper. It's a very good lens for subjects both near and far. Mine in in M42 mount.

 

[AgX]

Interesting that you used and replied on the shorter lenses.
When thinking of Novoflex lenses typically that fast-action long lenses come to my mind (most not even tele-constructions).
And the link I gave above is about these quick-action lenses only.


Maybe I should read one of these books (that I never came ascross...)
http://cameranotes.blogspot.de/2008_08_01_archive.html

 

[dynachrome]

I guess it's because I have always been more interested in the macro end of things than in the long focus/telephoto end.