Using Leica M lenses on the Panasonic G1 - some pictures

[howard_cummer]

I received a RayQual Leica M to Micro 4/3rds adapter from Japan two days ago.
Ray Tai and Chris Topher and I met at the China Tee Club in Hong Kong today and mated my L > M4/3rds adapter with Chris's black G1. We used my 15 Heliar, the 24 Elmarit, the 35 Summilux Asph, The Tri-Elmar, the 50mm Summilux Asph, the 90 Summicron APO, my old 135 Elmar (from 1964) and Chris's 50mm Zeiss f1.5.

Pictures taken with some of these lenses can be found at:

Using M lenses on the Micro 4/3rds

Using M lenses on the Micro 4/3rds

The EVF is better than I remember it at Photokina. Under fluorescent lights
there is strobing in the viewfinder but with daylight or other lighting the EVF works quite well. A Leica rangefinder viewfinder it isn't but still it is usable.

You have to set the G1 to fire the shutter without a lens on the camera and that takes some digging through the instruction book to find the menus within menus.
What is very appealing is that in manual focus you touch the left arrow of the control wheel on the back and that brings up a 10X magnification box. You can move the box over the area you want to enlarge and then push the set button in the center of the control wheel to enlarge that section.

You have to be quite fast to fix focus because the magnification shuts off in about 3 seconds. It is easiest to use with wide angle lenses because the magnified camera shake is not so great. For telephotos like the 90 Cron and the 135 Elmar - the shaking of the hand held camera is so magnified that it is hard to fix focus before the magnification
turns off. Chris believes a firmware upgrade has already been announced to allow the user to extend the timing of the magnification.

I didn't get to take the camera out for any street shooting so I can't comment on its use there and I didn't have time (nor inclination) to work through all the camera's features and menus.

Still, as you can see from the pictures it performs pretty well - although we did notice that white balance when set to auto fluctuated quite a bit from shot to shot.

A feature which appeals to me for street shooting is the moveable view screen on the back but I will have to test it another day.

Bottom line: Would I buy one? Could be, but I wasn't so blown away that I ran next door to get one today. Still, I might when the new prices fall a bit more.

Comments and questions welcome.
Cheers
Howard

[sean_reid]

Thanks for those comments Howard. I'm experimenting right now with the G1 and various LTM lenses.

Cheers,

Sean

[terrycioni]

Hi Howard,

Good thing you are not in Vancouver - we are setting record cold and snow records. I have had the G1 for about a month now - they are actually going for reasonable prices here in Vancouver.

I am would love to have an adapter for Leica M to Micro 4/3. Mr. Gandy has one coming and so does Leo's with a Novoflex version, as well I have read Jim Milch is coming with an M adapter - he already is delivering an LTM version. Are you planning on getting a G1?

I am enjoy the camera very much for it's size and output. I had lunch with Tom and Tuulikki on Saturday and I think I can say safely even Tom was impressed with the G1.

Have a great holiday season...

Kind regards. Terry.

[TEBnewyork]

Originally Posted by howard_cummer

You have to be quite fast to fix focus because the magnification shuts off in about 3 seconds. It is easiest to use with wide angle lenses because the magnified camera shake is not so great. For telephotos like the 90 Cron and the 135 Elmar - the shaking of the hand held camera is so magnified that it is hard to fix focus before the magnification
turns off. Chris believes a firmware upgrade has already been announced to allow the user to extend the timing of the magnification.

The new firmware has changed this so you can keep the magnification on indefinitely

[howard_cummer]

Dear Terry,
Thanks for the kind words. I am not surprised, as an early adopter, that you have the G1.
How much are is it in Vancouver? Here the kit sells for about C$975.
Please give my best to all our mutual friends - especially at the Zen and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.
Cheers
Howard

[sdai]

Brand new full Canadian warranty G1s can be had for about 600 CAD (which is about 500 USD) on eBay.

The G1's sensor seems to be a bottleneck to bring out the best from the M lenses so far ... I'm underwhelmed.

[marknorton]

I'm impressed by the G1 too, especially for the price. I like the idea of being able to use M lenses one minute in aperture priority mode and then switch to the kit zoom and iAuto for a true P&S camera.

The other thing which impresses me - though not Jono Slack who think's it's noisy - is how quiet it is; much less noticeable than an M8 though I do not yet have an updated M8.

As for price, I paid much less for mine (including lens) that Leica want to charge for a new 21mm viewfinder so the value is exceptional. The most exciting thing for me is that is allows you to use M lenses and sense actual focus instead of relying on (and hoping) the rangefinder will do it for you.

It's a pity that Leica had their fingers so badly burned with the Digilux 3 that they shunned the micro 4/3 format; once you cross the bridge of doing away with the mirror box, that reduced bayonet to sensor distance is opening up all sorts of possibilities.

[sdai]

The biggest downer with the G1 is its 2x cropping factor ... what gives, you pay $4000 for a 35/1.4 and immediately 71% (2.43 cm² vs. 8.64 cm²) frame coverage is chopped???

[marknorton]

That's a valid argument against any crop camera though it didn't stop Leica promoting the Digilux 3 fitted with R lenses as a way to go a while back. The fact they had a warehouse full of Digilux 3s and no R cameras had of course no bearing on their reasoning...

The attraction of the G1 for me is that it's a completely new configuration camera - not a conventional SLR, not a rangefinder, not a live-view only P&S, not a fixed lens cross-over camera. In time the G1 will go the way of all digital cameras but for now, it's a refreshingly new approach.

[kassarat]

Where can I buy this adaptor?

[luigi bertolotti]

Originally Posted by sdai

The biggest downer with the G1 is its 2x cropping factor ... what gives, you pay $4000 for a 35/1.4 and immediately 71% (2.43 cm² vs. 8.64 cm²) frame coverage is chopped???

Right... but I think that the interest for G1 and other Micro 4/3s to come is given by the fact that many of us ALREADY have things like the $4000 35/1,4 you quote...
For me, as for others, is intriguing the idea to use our beloved glass with those cameras, light, tiny and anyway with a decent sensor size (for me, I am not running to have a G1 with M adapter... I prefer to wait for the Olympus, whose manikin showed at Photokina looks fine a lot).
).

[monza]

Here is a list of adapters for various lens mounts:

http://tinyurl.com/6tnoht

[terrycioni]

Originally Posted by howard_cummer

Dear Terry,
Thanks for the kind words. I am not surprised, as an early adopter, that you have the G1.
How much are is it in Vancouver? Here the kit sells for about C$975.
Please give my best to all our mutual friends - especially at the Zen and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.
Cheers
Howard

Thanks Howard.

I plan a Zen visit this Friday so I will say hello to all in attendance.

We are now in the middle of getting an additional 30cm of snow on top of the 30cm we currently have. Apparently the whitest Christmas on record. That said we go to +8 or higher on Saturday through the weekend.

The G1 is going for $745.00CDN with kit lens at London Drugs of all places. I bought mine at Leo's as I really enjoy chatting with David Donaldson who keeps up with these things. I have since noticed they are going for $769+ with lens. I did purchase the Panasonic MA1 4/3 adapter and an Olympus Pancake 25mm F2.8 as well as the 45-200 Zoom. The real push was the ability to adapt M lenses.

So far I am liking the G1 very much, it is excellent on the noisy streets of Vancouver - both with the EVF and large live view screen.

I have not abandoned the M8 by any stretch and am waiting for an adapter to try my Leica/CV/Zeiss lenses on the G1. I am excited about using both the 12 and 15mm CV lenses. Not quite sure how to get an adapter from Japan!

Best of the season to you Howard and your family and all the gang on the Leica forum.

Regards. Terry.

[rafael_macia]

Originally Posted by kassarat

Where can I buy this adaptor?

contact John Milich. He just showed me some adapters he has just made for the G1 allowing one to use M or LTM lenses. He is in Brooklyn.

jm@milich.com
Product & Design
Building 280
Room 618
Brooklyn Navy Yard
63 Flushing Avenue Unit 322
Brooklyn New York 11205

347 231 7525

[kassarat]

Thanks, I will contact him.

[howard_cummer]

The G1 - Leica M lenses duet continues.

One minute I think the G1 is a piece of light plastic junk and the next minute I put on a Leica lens and it surprises me.

Here's my Heliar 15mm on the G1 - accurately focused on my son Russ who is on his way back to Tokyo today.
It really enhances the value of the Heliar when you don't have to guess at its focus.

Russ15HeliarBw


Russ15HeliarBw

Cheers
Howard

[Tenor1]

Hi Howard,

I was enjoying your pictures and noticed a book on Macau, which is where I was born. Needless to say that's my favorite pic, lol.

Regards,
Carlos Marques

[sean_reid]

Originally Posted by howard_cummer

It really enhances the value of the Heliar when you don't have to guess at its focus.
Howard

I definitely agree and the same goes for the 12 and LTM 25.

Cheers,

Sean

[farnz]

Hmm ... accurate focussing on the G1 makes the Zeiss 15mm f/2.8 an interesting prospect.

Pete.

[marknorton]

Originally Posted by howard_cummer

It really enhances the value of the Heliar when you don't have to guess at its focus.

I agree but would go further - it enhances the value of any M mount lens when you don't have to guess at its focus or rely on a rangefinder which may, or may not, be doing its job properly.

I'm afraid the G1 makes the Leica M focussing method seem well past its sell-by date.