Elmar 90 Collapsible on a Bessa R3A???

[Dez]

I have a nice old collapsible Elmar 90 f4 lens from around 1960. I am just about to leave on a trip, and at my destination, I will be using a Bessa R3A. Does anyone know if this lens, which collapses very deeply indeed, is safe to use on this camera? I am not in a position to make the appropriate measurements before I leave.

By "use", I of course mean "Collapse into the body without touching the shutter". I know it's just fine uncollapsed.

Thanks,
Dez

 

[Solinar]

Dez - my worry would be the photo cell getting scratched. If you do try to collapse the lens, set the shutter speed to bulb and make an observation from the rear.

 

[Dez]

It turns out to be a non-issue. The bodywork under the shutter aperture has a crescent-shaped shelf that looks like it was specially made to keep the rear part of the collapsible Elmar from touching the shutter. If I try to collapse the lens it still has about 1 cm protruding, but there is no danger of damage. The Elmar 50 and the Summitar likewise won't fully collapse. The LTM Summicron exactly fits- it looks like the camera body was designed for this to be the case.

Cheers,
Dez

 

[pbo]

Just in case, I'd make sure the lens never collapses fully by putting a small piece of tape toward the front of the barrel (paragraph 3 here).

 

[Dez]

Just in case, I'd make sure the lens never collapses fully by putting a small piece of tape toward the front of the barrel.

That's a very good idea for a camera like the Leica CL or M5, where there is the meter semaphore that can be damaged. In the case of my Bessa R3A and R2M, and presumably some other models as well, there is a very definite shelf in the bodywork that looks like it is there specifically to let a 50mm Summicron collapse, but none of the deeper penetrating lenses. I think it would take a hammer to get these lenses, such as the LTM Elmar and Summitar 50's and the Elmar 90 to collapse to the point where they could damage the shutter. Has anyone checked out the M-mount Elmar 2.8 lens? It would seem like a good match to the Bessas.

Cheers,
Dez