therooster Posted June 19, 2015 Share #1 Posted June 19, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello, looks like I have to do some macro photography and need a suitable lens for my M 240. I don't know anything about macro lenses... Can anyone please recommend a relatively affordable lens that I should look up? Many thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 19, 2015 Posted June 19, 2015 Hi therooster, Take a look here Macro m lens advice. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
tobey bilek Posted June 19, 2015 Share #2 Posted June 19, 2015 define affordable. Love my 90 macro elmar. Put cheap + diopters on any 50/135 lens, they come in sets. 60 and 100 elmars for the leica R. The APO 100 is great, but pricy. I use my APO on Nikon D800 and it is superb. 135 4.5 Hector on bellows. Very good from 8 to16. You will need to hunt down adapter tubes & rings. Bellows directly on M need to be used with caution and I can not remember or if there is a fix to remove. Universal focus mount + tubes will be ok instead of bellows. 65 and 90 mm lenses will also fit up. Buy a Nikon D3300 and 40 2.8 or 60 2.8 lens. This is a rather under rated performer, just lacks a few features. This is like buying a house or car. You can spend as much or as little as you want. I have not suggested anything that will not give good results except the + diopters which are decent in the center. Also need to know object size and required working distance. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
therooster Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted June 19, 2015 Thanks, the object is watches. Dial details etc. the distance I'd say about 10cm or thereabouts? And by affordable I mean cheapest lens that will do an acceptable job, as I won't be using it often. Cheers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpitt Posted June 19, 2015 Share #4 Posted June 19, 2015 Best quality for the money IMO is the 60 Elmarit Macro R lens. You will have to use the display preview or EVF to focus. If only for use on a tripod, the 100mm Elmar R with bellows can be found in good shape for even less money. In both cases it is recommended to give them a CLA because they are 30+ years old. However you could try out and see how they perform before deciding... You will need a Leica R to M adapter. The Fotodiox makes decent ones, of course the Leica one is better but also more expensive. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted June 19, 2015 Share #5 Posted June 19, 2015 WARNING...Heresy follows. Under the circumstances you describe, one of the most effecive and least costly solutions would be to get a used Olympus VF-2 electric viewfinder (rebranded by Leica and much more expensive)(if you want really accurate fine focus - not necessary if you are comfortable with the live view screen) which because of the diopter and moveable head is great for macro work, a Chinese made Minolta MD to M240 lens adapter (I've seen them on the big auction site for USD $28-29), and a used minolta Rokkor 50mm macro lens ($30-85). Although I don't have a 240, and could recommend lots of other Leica based options, I do use the VF-2 and Rokkor macro lens on a micro 4/3 body with terrific results. You could substitute Canon FD with their excellent 50 macro lens, or Nikon with its macros as well. Or you could go with one of the much more expensive Leica routes...but I believe you would not have a discernable difference under normal circumstances in the results. I've used Leica bellows and lensheads in the past on Leica film bodies with the Visoflex as well as on Nikon DSLRs and while excellent, are more expensive than what I recommended. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted June 19, 2015 Share #6 Posted June 19, 2015 Agreed, with the M240 there really isn't any reason to worry about rangefinder coupling due to Live View, so the options are wide open. The cheapest way in, if absolute total optical perfection isn't a necessity, would be the Nikon or Canon achromat (doublet) screw-in close up lenses (or the Leica Elpros) used singly or in combination on whatever lenses you happen to already own. You'll most likely need stepping adapters but those are pretty cheap. One advantage to the closeup lenses is they don't reduce the effective f-stop, so your shutter speeds aren't elongated. Next up would be extension tubes. I happen to have a couple OUFRO's, but I'm not sure how much they go for nowadays. If you can lay hands on the correct sizes of male-to-male filter thread adapter, you can reverse any 50mm lens on a 90 or 135 and that gets you really close. Then there are a slew of older SLR macro lenses which can be adapted. I have a bunch of manual Nikkors, among which is the 55mm f/3.5 Macro, one of the sharpest lenses Nikon ever made. In non-AI version those come pretty cheaply. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted June 19, 2015 Share #7 Posted June 19, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) 135 Hector, two extension tubes, universal focus mount, and the special tube to mount the head to tubes. A bellows plus viso one with 45 degree prism will work from infinity to 1:1. No adapters required. The standard adapter provided was for the 135 lens head. This will give you decent working distance lens to subject. Because light is more important than gear, get one of the small illumination tents for close up photos to diffuse the light. Then a tripod. Incandescent light. You do not need live view or any of the other stuff. You will still have the option to lock up the mirror and use live if you want. This was used for decades for tasks as you describe. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted June 20, 2015 Share #8 Posted June 20, 2015 Another vote for the excellent Macro-Elmarit-R 60/2.8. Can be had for about 500 EUR on e**y. Latest versions are 11347 with ROM and 11253 without. You don't need ROM on the M240. See Leica specs attached: LeicaR_6028_11347_specs.pdf 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithlaban.co.uk Posted June 20, 2015 Share #9 Posted June 20, 2015 The Nikon Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/2.8 Lens can be bought for as little as a couple of hundred pounds. It is simply one of the finest macro lenses ever made. It is a superb lens when used in combination with an EVF on the M240. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Bee Posted June 20, 2015 Share #10 Posted June 20, 2015 How about the Olympus OM 50mm F2.0 or 90mm F2.0 , both are staggeringly sharp with wonderful bokeh too. Rather hard to find though, however not impossible. Kind regards, Simon 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter H Posted June 20, 2015 Share #11 Posted June 20, 2015 Yet another vote for the Macro-Elmarit-R 60/2.8 with M adapter. For the sort of work you describe (watch faces and details) it should be the ideal focal length and nothing will beat it for quality at anything remotely comparable in price. Also, being so well made, it is a pleasure to use, and I find the focussing movement more precise than any other macro lens I've ever used, except for high-quality bellows, which is another subject altogether, and not really necessary with your camera. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dritz Posted June 20, 2015 Share #12 Posted June 20, 2015 Yet another "another vote" for the Macro-Elmarit-R 60. You will find yourself looking at lots more things up close -- including faces. It was my standard lens for the R. Yet another vote for the Macro-Elmarit-R 60/2.8 with M adapter. For the sort of work you describe (watch faces and details) it should be the ideal focal length and nothing will beat it for quality at anything remotely comparable in price. Also, being so well made, it is a pleasure to use, and I find the focussing movement more precise than any other macro lens I've ever used, except for high-quality bellows, which is another subject altogether, and not really necessary with your camera. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted June 20, 2015 Share #13 Posted June 20, 2015 I remember an old advert for Technical Pan film from Kodak. A fairly large poster of watch internals shot on a 55/2.8 micro-Nikkor and showing extraordinary detail. Good lens, but then there are a lot of good macro lenses 55/2.8 and 60/2.8 Nikkors, equivalents from Minolta, Pentax, and of course Leica. Probably the cheapest are the Minolta and Pentax but the older 55/2.8 micro-Nikkors aren't too costly either. The Macro-Elmarit is still holding a good price and I'd suggest its probably double the equivalent Nikkor, so relatively expensive, though a good performer. FWIW these 'older' designs are far better than the modern internal focus (IF) micro lenses over a greater range of magnification so will probably hold good values as there are far fewer similar type lenses in production today. The IF lenses so beloved of AF camera manufacturers due to their lighter focus mechanisms, don't work very well beyond 1:1 (I've tried) with extension tubes or bellows. So the older non-IF are still very contemporary in their performance and far more versatile. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted June 23, 2015 Share #14 Posted June 23, 2015 This is a reasonably priced combo (Elmar 65 black and Novoflex LEM/VIS) which can be even further extended with bellows or Chinese OUFROs ; works fine, is light, portable, robust. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/246670-macro-m-lens-advice/?do=findComment&comment=2840946'>More sharing options...
Jeffry Abt Posted June 23, 2015 Share #15 Posted June 23, 2015 (edited) I have been using an old 90mm Elmarit 1:2.8 and a Leica Macro-Adapter M #14652 with my M (type 240) .... Works just fine to my eyes! I set the camera to capture raw image with a JPG. And then set the JPG ( film mode) to be in Black and White. This will flip the electronic viewfinder to be in Black and White as well. The advantage of this is that the focus peaking will be in color (red, blue etc.) while the rest of the image will be in black-and-white in your electronic viewfinder. This makes things very easy to view and work with for precise focusing. Edited June 23, 2015 by Jeffry Abt 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaques Posted June 24, 2015 Share #16 Posted June 24, 2015 Thanks, the object is watches. Dial details etc. the distance I'd say about 10cm or thereabouts? And by affordable I mean cheapest lens that will do an acceptable job, as I won't be using it often. Cheers. I strongly suggest you look for an old SLR macro lens- like the Micro Nikkor 55mm or the Vivitar Auto Macro 55mm. These lenses have excellent DOF and reproduction ratio scales marked and can be focused from a few cm's to infinity. Much easier to use than macro adaptor rings. image quality is very good- and you can find these lenses for $50 or less. here are a few (admittedly dull) samples from my Macro Nikkor: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/246670-macro-m-lens-advice/?do=findComment&comment=2841312'>More sharing options...
menos I M6 Posted June 27, 2015 Share #17 Posted June 27, 2015 I would get the best quality Leica M - Nikon F adapter I wanted to afford. I then would buy a 105mm Nikon manual focus macro lens. Shorter focal lengths can be had for petty cash (often even below 100 EUR) but I wouldn't start macro of small products below 105mm as you will have very short working distances, making composing and lighting difficult. There is no need to splurge for a Leica lens for this, although the 100mm and 60mm R lenses have a stellar reputation (so do Nikon Macro lenses). 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EoinC Posted July 1, 2015 Share #18 Posted July 1, 2015 I'm using a Leica Macro Adapter with my 50mm Summicron (not the ideal lens for macro...). The EVF is very helpful with hand-held work and moving targets (which shouldn't be an issue with you watches). d001 by Eoin Christie, on Flickr 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
therooster Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share #19 Posted July 2, 2015 Thanks for all the useful advice guys. It was very helpful and I ended up getting a 60 elmarit R lens with macro adapter. It does the job perfectly well! Many thanks to everyone for the suggestions and advice. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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