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Elcan 52mm f5.6 adapter?


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When an Elcan 52mm f5.6 lens with beautiful glass came up for sale locally, I couldn't resist.   According to the previous owner, it was part of a Leitz document copy system (which he still has).   i've also read in Wiki that the 52mm lens is an enlarging lens.   Nice puzzle.  There are currently ads on Ebay showing other Elcan lenses adapted to LTM and NEX, but no details are available.

 

In order to try it, i'll have to find a way to adapt the 53mm (?) rear thread mount to something (Nikon, Leica R, Sony Nex) which will mount on an A7R.

 

Has anyone here heard of an adapter of any sort for this lens?  The rear of the lens needs to be about 35mm from the front flange of an A7R in order to focus to infinity.

 

Greetings from Hamburg

 

Rick

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Can you post some pictures ? I remember well to have seen, somewhere on the Net, an Elcan 52/5,6  fitted on the Docuflex 35  (a rather recent - '70s - and not so succesful document repro system) but I seem to remember it had a bayonet mount. not a thread...

Anyway, could be interesting to see how it performs as a taking lens... I suppose that, even with some properly made adapter, it can have an unusual focus range... I mean,  not for standard takings from infinity...

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hello luigi

thank you for taking an interest in my non-mainstream lens.   yes, the lens comes from a Docuflex 35 - that was the name i was searching for when i said ''document copy system'' in my original post.  i have added some photos to show the lens itself, and have also added one photo using the lens.  the lens was set to its infinity focus point, and handheld (shaky, not aligned!) in front of a sony A7R without lens.   the photo is a crop and represents about 1/4 of the original size.   i think there is potential to use the lens somewhat normally, but possibly with limitations.    

greetings from hamburg

rick

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Edited by rickp13
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more photos

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last photo, taken with the Elcan handheld in front of the camera without lens or adapter

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thank you, thomas.  now i'm the digicamclub's newest member (same user name as here).   the focusing helicoid project (VNEX) looks interesting.   maybe i will need such a part in order to focus the elcan lens properly.   i'll keep you informed with new articles here.

 

gruesse

 

rick

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That thread on the back doesn't look too fine, so if you can measure it someone like SRB-Griturn can make you an adapter to L39 I would think, and then you could use a Sony E to Leica M helicoid readily available on Ebay.  Focus range would be limited and you might need some L39 ext tubes. (as well as an M to L39 adapter).

I would imagine it was computed for close work, so macro rather than infinity landscapes wold be the idea.

 

Gerry

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thank you, gerry

i'm glad to have the link to SRB-Gritum, especially if they've been able to do ''camera'' projects before.  in addition to my adapter, a friend (wpo) may help to adapt a S-Planar 4/74mm from Zeiss to M39 threads.    also the idea of the sony E / leica M adapter with helicoid may prove very useful.     i'll write about progress ups and downs here to keep you informed.

 

looking forward to a good new week for us all

 

rick

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Detailed article from Marco Cavina : http://www.marcocavina.com/articoli_fotografici/Leitz_Elcan_52mm_5,6/00_pag.htm

 

from which seems that the original design was made for a Military enlarger.

 

And an item (probably the one that I vaguely remembered) with a bayonet mount : http://bid.igavelauctions.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=2304419

Edited by luigi bertolotti
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hello luigi

many thanks for the good links to further information.   i had to lubricate my tattered italian with a glass or two of 'gallo nero' before i could understand marco cavina's article, but i learned a lot.   examples:   quite rare lens - not so many produced.   incredible resolution as an enlarging lens on a navy focomat, producing prints up to 108cm on the long dimension.    i am not much further on a solution for mounting, but i did get the name of a specialist machinist who does other photo gear production and modification, so i'll try to visit him this week with the lens.

 

more to follow

 

good weekend to all

 

rick

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hello luigi

many thanks for the good links to further information.   i had to lubricate my tattered italian with a glass or two of 'gallo nero' before i could understand marco cavina's article, ....

rick

Any occasion to appreciate Chianti is welcome.... :) ... anyway, a pair of interesting infos within the articles are :

 

- Despite its "normal" focal, the lens has a retrofocus design, required by the special arrangement of the enlarger it was designed for (which included a dedicated shutter . see the schema)

- The lens was designed to work mainly wide open, which makes even more impressive its resolution (250 lpmm)

 

Given its particular specs, I wouldn't be surprised if this could result to be an excellent Macro lens....  maybe mounting it reversed on a bellows (it has a 52mm thread on front, so it wouldn't be difficult to make a proper adapter ring)

Edited by luigi bertolotti
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hello luigi

 

yes, i did read about  the special type of shutter on the enlarger, an unusual combination of shutter and retrofocus lens design.   using the lens reversed might be easier, due to the availability of 52mm reverse lens adapters, so i'll keep that for plan B.

 

more this week when i meet the technicians at wiese-fototechnik.de    they have some other interesting lens products on their site.

 

good week to all

 

rick

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i took the lens to wiese fototechnik this morning.   they'll estimate the cost of an adapter to leica R or sony E and let me know.     here's another link (thanks to dierk topp / forum member and to leicashop vienna) with more information about the lens as used in the leica docuflex system.

 

good weekend

 

rick

 

http://www.leicashop.com/vintage_en/docuflex-35-sku19636-1.html

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  • 1 month later...

sorry for the delay in finishing this post.  one of the key wiese people passed away unexpectedly, and they fell behind schedule.   

 

anyhow, the adapter from elcan screw thread to leica R is now on the lens, looks great, and allows focus from about 1 meter to infinity.   the lens is quite well balanced and easy to use on a sony a7r with novoflex R adapter.  i'll  probably use R extension rings or macro adapter to get to 1:1.

 

there are two photos below, one showing the adapter on the lens with novoflex adapter, and a quick test shot from the garden.    the garden photo is full frame, no PP.   i think it has the kind of color, saturation and contrast i'm looking for.   i'll post some other shots from around hamburg later with other subjects.

 

good weekend

 

rick

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Edited by rickp13
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  • 2 weeks later...

two more photos at minimum focusing distance (ca. 1 meter).  both are not processed except size.  the first is full frame from the A7R; the second is a crop of the center 1/9th.  aperture was wide open at 5.6.   i'll try to get an extension ring or macro adapter tomorrow. 

 

 

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Well... I'd say that the crop proves the exceptional resolution of this lens... I think is worth to test it in some well studied macro shot... and also, just for firther investigation on the possibilities of this lens, verifying if closing the diapragm (to increase DOF, a frequen need in macro) does impact the resolution.

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hello luigi

thank you.   i thought the lens did rather well in the cropped photo, but i can only compare to the micro-nikkor P 55mm f3.5.   i'll do some other closeup work at different apertures and post some examples here later.

good weekend

rick

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