Leicaflex SL 2 User manual

The LEICAFLEX@SL 2 is a modern
 single-lens-reflexcamera with selective
 light metering through the lens.
 The large, bright LEICAFLEXviewfinder
 gives you all the necessary information.
 At the same time it functions as the
 control and composing centre for focusing,
 spot exposure measurement,assessment
 of the pictorial effect, and perspective.
 Both the shutter speed set on the dial and
 the lens stop can be read at the same time.
 All controls are arranged conveniently so
 that you will soon carry out the tew
 operations almost in your sleep.
 But please spend a little time on reading-these       instructions:you will have even
 more fun when you take photographs
 with your new LEICAFLEXSL 2.

Gontents

 Brief descriptionfor the reader             Accessories for the LEICAFLEXSL 2
 in a hurry                           4   lnterchangeablelenses             28
Insertingand changingthe lens        6   Follow-focus lenses                30
Holding the camera correcily          7   LEICA lenses on the LETCAFLEX   gO
The composingand control centre          I   Focusing Bellows-R               91
Focusing                           1 0  Motor for the LEICAFLEXSL 2 MOT   31
Exposure meter                     1 2  Ring combinationfor the
Setting film speed and -type         1 3  close-up range                  32
Use of filters                       1 6  ELPRO close-up attachments        32
Testing and changing the battery      1 7  Cases                          34
Rapid transport lever, shutter speed         Enlargers                      34
dial, releasebutton                  1 8   Projectors                      35
The LEICAFLEXlenses               1 9   LEITZ Warranty                  36
Automatic diaphragm                1 9   After-sales service                36
Depth-of-fieldbutton                20   LEITZ I nformation Service          37
Depth-of-fieldscale                 20   :'LEICA FOTOGRAFIE"journal       38
Lens hoods                       21   Available accessories             39
Series filters                       22
Self-timer                         22
Flash synchronization,flash table      23
Insertingthe film                   24
Taking out the film                 26
Tips for the care and maintenanceof
the LEICAFLEXand its lenses       26

Digitally signed by Mike Butkus
                                       DN: cn=Mike Butkus, o=Butkus camera
                                          manuals, ou=butkus.org,Mike Butkus  email=mike@butkus.org, c=US
                                             Date: 2024.07.08 23:18:37 -04'00'


  Brief Descriptionfor the Reader in a Hurry   6 Depth-of-fieldbutton(p. 20)
   1 Automaticfilm counter(p.24)            7 Bayonetlock for the lens (p. 6)
   2 Shutterspeeddial (p. 18)               8 Button for switchingon the viewfinder
   3 Releasebutton with thread for cable         illuminationin poor lightingconditions
     release(p. 18)                                (p. 15)
   4 RapidtransportIeverfor shutterwind     9 Accessory shoe with central contact
    and film transport(p. 18), at the same       (p. 23)
     time on/off switchof the exposure      10 Red dot mark for lens change (p. 6)
    meter(p. 12)                       11 Diaphragm pre-settingring (p. 19)
  5 Self-timer(delayed-actionmechanism)  12 Depth-of-fieldscale (p. 20)
      (p. 22)                            13 Distancesetting ring (p. 10)
  4

1 4 Contactbushesfor flash units (p. 23)   21 Coverof the batteryfor viewfinder
1 5 Button for testing the exposuremeter      illumination(p. 15)
   battery (p. 17)                       22 Eyeletsfor the carrying strap (p. 7)
1 6 Locking button for DIN/ASA setting of   23 ASA scale (p. 13)
   the exposuremeter (p. 13)             24 Cover for the exposure meter battery
1 7 Clamp for pullingout the rewind crank      (p. 17)
   to open the camera back (p. 25)       25 Viewfindereyelens,accepts mount for
1 8 Swing-outrewindcrank (p. 25)              correctionlenses(p. 8)
1 9 Disc with film-typesymbols(p. 13)       26 t/oin tripod bush
20 DIN scale(p. 13)                    27 Push-buttonfor rewind release(p. 25)

Insertingthe lens                         Taking out the lens
For insertion of the lens in the bayonet  lrrespectiveof the distanceand diaphragm
ring on the camera body the red dot (10)  settingsthe LEICAFLEXlensesare changed
on the lens mount must face the bayonet  as follows:
lock (7) marked in red. After a slight turn   Grip the lens on the fixed ring (12), de-
to the right the lens clicks into position.    press the bayonet lock (7), turn the lens to
Change lensesin the shadow of your body.  the left and take it out.

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Holdingthe camera correctly           When taking pictures in the upright format,
For the steady 3-point support the right   simply turn the LEICAFLEX.The hands
hand grips the camera. The index finger  remain in the same position as for hori-
rests on the release button, the thumb   zontal pictures, ready to wind on the film
against the rapid transport lever. The left  and to focus.
hand supportsthe lens from below.

The composing and control centre         The viewfinderof the LETCAFLEXSL 2 has
The viewfinderof the LETCAFLEXSL 2 is  been adjusted with micro-precision.This
the centre both for pictorial composition  ensures optimum sharpness as well as
and for control of all importantdata: sharp-   exact agreement of viewfinder image and
ness, picture area and perspective, mea-   picture area on the film.
suring field and exposure meter pointer,  A scale below the viewfinderfield indicates
shutterspeedset on the dial and lens stop.   on the  left the shutter speed set on the
Spectaclewearers, too, can normally sur-   dial, and on the right the pre-setlens stop.
vey the viewfinder image without difficulty.
In special cases, correction lenses in a
mount can be pushed onto the eyelens
mount.

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Focusing                              screen surroundsthe central split image.
According to  your predominant photo-  This serves for the focusing of objects
g raphic work you will have chosen be-   lacking crisp outlines.Out-of-focussetting
tween 3 permanently built-in viewfinder   is indicatedby distinctflickering.
screens.                           The surroundingfield consistsof triangular
The image is focused by rotation of the   micro-prisms,producing a  groundglass-
distance setting ring (13) on the lens.    screen effect. This surrounding field  is
                                          therefore used mainly for focusing with
a) Screen with split-imagewedge           longer-focal-lengthlenses and in the close-
This screen is  particularly suitable for   u p range.
quick focusing with wide-angle and stan-
dard lenses. Unless focusing is  critical,
edges and lines of the object are mu-
tually displaced in  the  horizontal split
tmage.
A  ring-shaped quadrangular micro-prism
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b) Screen without split-imagewedge          c) Groundglassscreen
The entire central measuring f ield is oc-  The image can be focused within the
cupied by  a  quadrangular micro-prism  entire viewfinderfield. The central circle
screen.Distinctflickeringindicatesthat the   indicatesthe measuringfield for the ex-
object sighted is not criticallyfocused on   posure meter. This screen is suitable for
this screen.                             close-up and macro-photographyas well
                                       as for extreme telephoto work. In these
                                     cases the working stop  is usually em-
                                       ployed for focusing etc. because a trans-
                                      mission of the automaticdiaphragmis no
                                        longer possible.The LETCAFLEXSL 2 MOT
                                         special version is suppliedwith a ground-
                                         glass screen unless otherwise ordered.



                                                                            1 1

Exposure meter                           viewfinderimage.
The exposure meter of the LEICAFLEX  The exposure meter is switched on and
SL 2 measures through the lens at  full    off with the rapid transport lever (4). In the
aperture. Additional and therefore time-  LEICAFLEX SL 2 the exposure meter is
consumingoperationsare eliminated.20 o/o  switched off when  the  rapid transport
of the light coming from the lens is di-   lever is parked against the camera body
rected to the detector of the exposure   in the resting position. lt  is switched on
meter via a cylindrical deflecting mirror  when the rapid transport lever (4) is swung
arranged behind the hinged mirror. The   into the measuringposition (in the LEICA-
detector is a CdS photo-resistorbuilt into  FLEX SL 2 MOT special model the ex-
the bottom part of the camera and  ar-   posure meter is constantly switched on).
ranged so that no stray light influences  The measuringfield of the exposuremeter
the measurement.The outline of the mea-    is exactly defined in the viewfinder by the
suring range of the exposure meter is in-   large central circle. Thus the target area
dicated by the two semicircularmarkings   for the focal length of  all the lenses is
top and bottom right on the edge of the   outlined clearly and at the same size. The
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part of the subject representativeof the
exposurecan be measuredprecisely.Un-
favourableinfluences such as extremely
bright or dark portions of the subject,
open light sources,and other undesirable
featurescan be eliminatedby the measure-
ment of an undisturbedarea of the object
representativeof the total subject. In most
cases a rule of thumb can be used: mea-
sure the feature you are focusing on.
Generallydo not measure extremes such
as dark shadow portions, bright clouds,
open light sources, or reflectionson the
water.
Our special leaflet "Selective Light Mea-
surement" No. 111-77 contains further
details.



Setting the film speed and -type           The film indicator disc (19) can be set at
                                          the following symbols to denote the type
Gorrect setting of the film speed is essen-                                               of film in the camera:
tial to correct exposure measurement.
The setting ring (20) displaysthe DIN/ASA      =           :  Black-and-white film
                                                                                        : DaYlightcolourfilmvalues.To set the value for the film in the           tt
camera depress the locking button (16)              Artificial-lightcolourfilm                                 A
and simultaneouslyturn the ring until the     NE    Colournegativefilm
desired number faces the corresponding The locking button (16) serves as index
index on the front (DlN) or back (ASA).    mark for the setting.

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Setting the shutter speed                 and the pre-set lens stop (right) are dis-
The pointers of the exposure meter ap-   played on the scale below the viewfinder
pear on the right of the viewfinder field.  image. When the exposure is set correctly
The follow-pointer is coupled with the   the  follow-pointer exactly brackets the
d iaphragm setting ring (11)  of the lens  measuringpointer.
and the shutter speed dial (2) of the ca-
mera. To  set the correct exposure the
d iaphragm setting ring (11)  of the lens  Measurementwith working stop
and/or the shutter speed dial (2) are ad-  Some accessories,such as extreme tele-
justed. lt is thus possibleto select the de-   photo lenses,the ring combinationfor the
sired shutter speed/lensstop combination  close-up range, and the  f ocusing bellows
at will:                           R have no automatic diaphragm.The ex-
The lens stop to vary the depth of field,  posure must be measured at the working
the shutter speed to avoid camera shake   stop. The deflectionof the measuringpoin-
or undesired movement blur. The shutter   ter is influencedby a change in the lens
speed set on the shutter speed dial (left)   stop. The follow-pointeris made to coin-
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cide with the measuringpointer by rotation  This is a Mallory PX 625 or an equivalent
of the shutterspeed dial (2) of the camera.  make. lt is located underneaththe cover
The reading for the lens stop in the view-   (21),which is unscrewedwhen the battery
finder will be opposite A  in thls case.      has to be changed.
                                        With short switching periods of 3 to 4sec
                                         duration the life of the battery is about 10
Measuringin the limiting ranges            hours.Viewfinderilluminationshouldthere-
The high sensitivityof the exposure meter   fore be switched on only when necessary.
of the LEICAFLEXSL 2 permits precise
exposuremeasurementseven in very poor
lighting conditions. To improve visibility
the adjustmentdisplay on the right-hand
margin of the viewfinderimage is illumin-
ated with the push-button(8).
The lamp is supplied with current by a
1.35vmercuric oxide battery.

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Use of filters                               with our lenses measurementand settings
When light is measuredthrough the lens  can be carried out as with ordinary filters.
the energy reduction owing to   f ilters is   With ordinary polarizingfilters without cir-
generally allowed for aUtomatically.But   cular effect the longest exposure is deter-
the variousfilms have differentsensitivities mined by rotation of the filter and set;
in the various spectral regions.Deviations now the desired effect is found and the
from the measured exposure value can   exposure made.
therefore occur with dense and extreme
f ilters.
Thus an orange  f ilter, for  instance, re-
quires an increaseby about 1 stop value,
red filters on average about 2 stop values.
A completely accurate value cannot be
given since the red sensitivity of black-
and-whitefilms varies a great deal.
With circular-polarizingfilters as supplied
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Testing the battery                       Changing the battery
The exposure meter has a 1.35v mercuric  Unscrew the cover (24) on the underside
oxide battery as current source. The Mal-   of the body with a coin. This exposesthe
lory PX625 or equivalentbrands such as   battery, which can now be exchanged.
Varta Pertrix 7002 can be used. These bat-  When insertingthe new battery make sure
teries have an average life of 1-2 years   that the engraveddata are on top.
even when the exposure meter remains
switchedon for prolongedperiods.
The power of the battery can be tested
as follows: hold the cameraas for the hori-
zontal format and look through the view-
finder. Depress the test button (15): the
pointerof the exposuremeter must be de-
flected at least as far as the lower semi-
circular marking of the viewfinderfield.


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The rapid transport lever (4) transports the
film through 1 frame with each full lever
movement,winds the shutter and switches
the film counter (1) to  the next-higher
number. lt engages in a resting position
(exposure meter switched off), in a mea-
suring position,and in a readinessposition.
The shutter speed dial (2) can be set be-
fore or after film transport and engages
with a click oppositethe engravedspeeds.
Intermediatevalues can be set as required
and are fully operative except between 7s
and 1/4,r/36and l/eosec. At the "B" setting
the shutter remains open as long as the
release button is depressed. Electronic  6. The deflecting mirror of the exposure
flash units can be used at the speeds B,     meter returnsto the measuringposition.
1 to o  :  r/roosec (see p. 23).                 7. The lens diaphragmreopens.
The release button (3) has a thread for
cable releases. Pressure on the release
button triggers the following camera func-
tions in sequence:
1. The mirroris swung up.
2. The deflecting mirror for the exposure
  meter  folds  against the  viewfinder
   mrrror.
3. The lens diaphragm closes to the pre-
   set value.
4. The shutter operates.
5. The mirror returns into the optical path.
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The LEICAFLEXlenses                   Automatic diaphragm
All LEICAFLEX-Rlenses are of the same   All LEICAFLEX-Rlenses are fitted with an
external design, i.e. the  rotatable dia-   automaticdiaphragm.This means that the
phragm pre-settingring (11),the fixed ring   viewfinder image is viewed always -   i.e.
with depth-of{ield indication(12), and the   before and after exposure -  at full aper-
distance setting ring (13) are arranged  ture and thus maximum viewfinderbright-
identically.The  left hand thus becomes  ness. lmmediatelybefore the exposure or
very easily accustomed to rapid and re-  when the depth-of-field button (6) is de-
liable operationwith all focal lengths.      pressed the lens diaphragm is closed to
                                           the pre-setvalue.





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Depth-of-fieldbutton                          Depth-of-fieldscale
The LEICAFLEX SL 2 measures the ex-  The depth-of{ieldscale indicatesthe range
posure at full lens aperture. The depth-of-   of the depth of field for the object distance
field button permits the assessmentin the   set on the distancesetting ring.
viewfinder of the depth of field to be ex-     lf,  for  instance, you have focusgd the
pected with the pre-set stop-down. When  50mm SUMMICRON-Rf/2. lens on 5m, the
the button (6) is pressed the lens dia-   sharpness will extend from 3m to about
phragm is closed to the preset value.      20m when the lens is stopPed down to
Please note:                                t111. lf you stop down only to  f/4, how-
During exposure measurementthe button   ever, sharpness will extend from 4m to
(6) must not be pressed.                  about 8m.
                                          Detailed information about depth of field
                                           with all focal lengths is contained in our
                                            Depth-of-fieldTable No. 110-57.


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Lens hoods                       On long-focal-lengthlensesthe lens hood
All LEICAFLEX lenses have their func-    is permanentlyfixed and can be extended
tionally designed lens hood.  lt should   like a telescope.
always be used as a matter of cou rse,
because  it  effectively protects the  lens
against stray light and  f lare as well as
againstraindropsand fingermarks.
On the wide-angle and standard lenses
the lens hood is attached with the white
dot facing white dot and locked by a
clockwiseturn. To unlock it, slightly raise
the lens hood and turn it anti-clockwiseto
remove it. The lens hood of these lenses
also serves as adapter for series filters.


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Series lilters                                  Self-timer"
With lenses of up to 50mm focal length  The self-timer (delayed-actionmechanism)
inclusive the   f ilters are inserted in the   operateswith  all shutter speeds.First the
lens hood.                                shutter is wound with the rapid transport
The lenses with telescoping built-on lens   lever (4).The self-timeris wound by a 180o
hood include a screwed-in adapter ring   turn of the lever (5) and started by means
accommodatingseries filters. To insert the    of the release button (3). Delayed action
filter the adapter ring is unscrewed,the   up to the exposureis about 10 sec. During
f ilter inserted, and the adapter ring re-   this time the lever (5) returns to  its end
placed to secure  it. The  ring can be   position. Shortly before it reachesthis po-
readily released if  it  is gripped only on    sition the shutter is released.
one side and therefore"strainfree".                    lf the lever (5) has been turned only through about
                                               90o for winding, release cannot occur, even  if the
                                                         lever  is turned back manually to  its original po-
                                                               sition.  Remedy: wind  the  self-timer completely
                                                 and release by means of release button (3).
                                                                                                            . The LEICAFLEX SL 2 MOT special version does
                                                         not include a self-timer.
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