Leica 400mm f6.8 Telyt on Sony A900

[fotoism]

I have both the Telyt 400/560_5.6 set (Televit rapid focus) and the Telyt 400/560_6.8 set (slider focus). They both are capable of capturing beautiful images but, to be very honest, not easy. To start with they are both manual focus, and they are quite big (long lens vs telephoto lens).
For me a sturdy tripod is a must. Trying to focus manually is not easy, and trying to focus and at the same time keep the lens steady is even more difficult.
I have been toying with the idea of selling the Telyt 400_6.8 and Telyt 400_5.6 to finance other Leica glass. Both have the R-mount. Anyone interested in either one is welcome to PM me.

 

[docmaas]

I found the lens difficult to focus as well. Primarily it was because my arms are barely long enough to reach the button on the barrel to release the slide. In order to have the dexterity to move the slide in smaller increments you need a longer reach. I'm 5'8".

Ultimately I put a rail on the bottom but I've now put it back to its original form and it is for sale on ebay.

In the meantime I have a 70-400 Sony and a 300 F4 minolta on the way. Will choose between these two.

The soft edges of the 400 telyt are actually an advantage I think for wildlife as they help to make the center stand out. Douglas Herr has taken many many photos with this lens on both film and his DMR and he has some really excellent images.

Mike

 

[fotoism]

The Televit rapid focus system is a bit easier to focus comparing to the slider focus system, IMO, especially for fine tuning. A trigger button in front allows quick push-pull action to bring the lens roughly into focus and then the fine focus knob on the right side of the pistol grip can quickly made the final adjustment. However, the Televit is bulkier and heavier.

 

[dhsimmonds]

It isn't necessary to spend "an arm and a leg" on good lenses to capture A900 wildlife shots. There are many 3rd party lenses that do a more than satisfactory job on the A900 body; many with A mounts and AF if required, providing full metering etc without using aperture stopdown.

I have a sneaking regard for some (not all!) Tamron lenses....their 90mm macro is a classic and I know that I shall have to have one one day! As I also like "shooting" wildlife, I have for the last 6/7 months been using the Tamron 200-500 lens with A mount. I really enjoy using this lens, it is not too conspicuous considering it's size and it's not too heavy either. I also love the results it gives me, excellent colour and contrast and shaaaarp!

Take a look at this sample, "shot" well into the English New Forest in early April, ISO 400, at 460mm, 1/1000 sec at F7.1. The maximum aperture of this lens at that focal length is F6.3, so you get an idea of how this lens performs near to wide open and near to maximum zoom.