Telyt Optical Viewfinder (Circa 1952)
An unusual Leitz optical viewfinder was utilized by sports photographer Lothar Rubelt at the 1952 summer Olympic Games at Helsinki, Finland. The viewfinder is essentially a low power Leitz monocular fitted to the accessory shoe of a Visoflex 1. Parallax is compensated by turning a small wheel at the front of the finder. Field of view for the 20cm and 40cm Telyts is delineated by line drawn markings. Diopter correction is adjusted at the eyepiece.
The Telyt is Zone focused for a specific distance such as the finish line of a race. Shutter speed and aperture are preset for the lighting conditions. Rubelt supported the equipment via a substantial hand grip attached to the 40cm Telyt tripod mount. The total weight of the assembly was approximately eight pounds.
Can you imagine hand holding this weight for prolonged periods? Today’s equipment can be somewhat lighter and typically offers automatic focusing, automatic diaphragm, automatic exposure, and vibration reduction. In 1952 these features did not exist.
