yes, ditto my topcon 35mm SLR, with great lenses but a hard to maintain
leaf shutter in body ;-( However, a very large number of 35mm rangefinders
from the 1950s and 1960s had fixed lenses and leaf shutters, provided
flash synch at any speed, but without danger of getting dirt or damaging
shutter during lens changes (as just one fixed lens was used).

a number of leaf shutter oriented MF SLRs feature an adapter which can be
machined to take other non-leaf shutter lenses. In effect, this
combination is a MF SLR body with a leaf shutter mounting into which you
can adapt other lenses. A similar setup is used with microscopes and
telescopes. I have described how to adapt an existing low cost leaf
shutter lens by removing the glass etc., largely because the kowa shutter
adapter is rare and costly and busted lenses are lots cheaper ;-) (see
http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/kowafaq.html).

the trend seems to be the other way in many cases. For example, the 4x5"
and miniview graphic cameras usually used leaf shutters in the lenses, but
then added models with focal plane shutters in the camera body which could
be used instead of the leaf shutters with barrel lenses (i.e., lenses
which do not come with leaf shutters for view camera use etc.).

the hasselblad 200/x series provide focal plane shutters in the camera
body, but allow you to use leaf shutters in the lenses as well.

=====

Personally, I have wondered why nobody has created a MF RF with leaf
shutter and convertible lenses, as with the old contaflex and kodak retina
examples, see http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-...?msg_id=003HSZ

I would think that with modern glasses and precision mounts, such a system
could provide very good performance, while minimizing cost and weight.
Instead of paying for 3 lenses, complete with three shutters and three
lens mounts, you had one lens and three lens front elements. Swap these
out, and you get a wide angle, normal, or telephoto lens effects.

The cost for a three lens kit would be minimal over a similar 3 lens kit
model which required three separate lenses, complete with three machined
mounts and integral leaf shutters in each lens, yes? ;-)

but I think the mfgers would rather sell us two additional lenses at full
markup than provide us with a few extra front lens elements as part of the
kit, yes? ;-)

grins bobm
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* Robert Monaghan POB 752182 Southern Methodist Univ. Dallas Tx 75275 *
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