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Aires Coral 4.5cm f1.5
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2017 3:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Crazy Leica Fox wrote:
kymarto wrote:
#2 and #3 are interesting. I bought an old Aires Viscount because I wanted to try the 4.5cm 1.9. It came with both wide and tele front conversion lenses. The wide is nothing special, but the tele is wild. Check it out. The lens doesn't fit on the 1.5, only the 1.9


Did you take those pictures with the 4.5cm 1.9 by mounting it on your NEX? From what I've read, unlike the Aires 35 V, the Viscount was not an interchangeable lens camera. Did you have any difficulty removing the 4.5cm 1.9 lens from the Viscount?

I've also been reading up on the tele and wide conversion lenses for the Viscount, and there appear to be several versions. There's an 80mm tele, a 90mm, and one that lists both 80mm and 90mm on it for converting different focal lengths. Which version created that crazy bokeh for you?

Thank you for exploring these cameras and lenses, and taking such wonderful pictures!


The crazy bokeh was with the 80mm converter. Yes, I mounted it on my NEX. It is a bit of a chore to take the lens off the Viscount, but nothing like trying to get the lens off an Aires 35 III, which is what I tried first. Basically most of these rangefinder cameras have the lens mounted on a plate which is affixed to the front of the body with four screws. You have to remove the fake or real leather or plastic covering the body to get at that plate. But with rangefinder coupled cameras, there is always some sort of connecting between the lens and the rangefinder, which usually makes it less than a clean job to remove the lens. In addition there is some sort of shutter triggering mechanism from the top shutter release.

I don't remember exactly what I did to get the lens off the Viscount, but on the III it was a nightmare, because there are a couple of very stubborn rods that run up through that plate and attach somewhere inside the lens, and which don't allow the lens to unscrew from the plate. That lens is defying me still. The Viscount was much easier, and I ended up with a clean lens with a flat back plate, onto which I could glue an M42 adapter so as to screw it onto a focusing helicoid that mated with the NEX.

There are two things to be aware of if you get to that point. First, unless you want to get crazy disassembling the entire lens and disabling the shutter, you will have to leave it set to 'B' and find a way to jam the pin so that it stays open. Second, you need a very thin helicoid for focusing, because the flange distance is really small. It is some work, to be sure, and I am not very patient (or skilled) with machining stuff. Many of my "creations" are mounted less than beautifully, but at least they are secure.

There is also a 1.9 (and a 1.Cool that came with the Aires V, so they are interchangeable like the 1.5, but I'm not positive they would mount the converters for a start, and second I haven't seen one cheap enough to interest me. I don't use the 1.9 often, since I am a more radical guy and thye 1.5 fits that better, but with the converter it can indeed be fun.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 3:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

kymarto wrote:
The crazy bokeh was with the 80mm converter. Yes, I mounted it on my NEX. It is a bit of a chore to take the lens off the Viscount, but nothing like trying to get the lens off an Aires 35 III, which is what I tried first. Basically most of these rangefinder cameras have the lens mounted on a plate which is affixed to the front of the body with four screws. You have to remove the fake or real leather or plastic covering the body to get at that plate. But with rangefinder coupled cameras, there is always some sort of connecting between the lens and the rangefinder, which usually makes it less than a clean job to remove the lens. In addition there is some sort of shutter triggering mechanism from the top shutter release.

I don't remember exactly what I did to get the lens off the Viscount, but on the III it was a nightmare, because there are a couple of very stubborn rods that run up through that plate and attach somewhere inside the lens, and which don't allow the lens to unscrew from the plate. That lens is defying me still. The Viscount was much easier, and I ended up with a clean lens with a flat back plate, onto which I could glue an M42 adapter so as to screw it onto a focusing helicoid that mated with the NEX.

There are two things to be aware of if you get to that point. First, unless you want to get crazy disassembling the entire lens and disabling the shutter, you will have to leave it set to 'B' and find a way to jam the pin so that it stays open. Second, you need a very thin helicoid for focusing, because the flange distance is really small. It is some work, to be sure, and I am not very patient (or skilled) with machining stuff. Many of my "creations" are mounted less than beautifully, but at least they are secure.

There is also a 1.9 (and a 1.Cool that came with the Aires V, so they are interchangeable like the 1.5, but I'm not positive they would mount the converters for a start, and second I haven't seen one cheap enough to interest me. I don't use the 1.9 often, since I am a more radical guy and thye 1.5 fits that better, but with the converter it can indeed be fun.


An incredibly useful description and guide! Thank you!

In my searches, I've also come across some listings of Aires 35 III cameras that included a tele conversion lens, so I assume these wide and tele converters were just for the fixed lens Aires rangefinders. If you wanted a teleconverter for a 35 V 4.5cm, they probably told you to go buy the 10cm!