What's your favorite "sleeper" adapted lens on the M typ 246?

[dante]

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So the M typ 246 now allows you to plug in (and focus) basically any SLR lens you want. I have been running slowly through my SLR lenses and noted that a surprisingly strong performer is the Konica Hexanon AR 35-70/3.5-4.5, a featherweight plastic(!)-bodied SLR lens from ~1981 that had the first aspherical plastic element used in a camera optic. This was, I think, the last lens they made (and Cosina might have made it). Costing all of $10 on Ebay, this actually turned in a shockingly good performance at 35mm and not slouchy at 70mm. I'll post some samples in a bit.

 

Have you encountered any such pleasant surprises? I haven't done organized testing on many optics, but my disorganized testing so far tells me that once you have a dead-flat imager, you're focusing at shooting aperture, and there is no chromatic aberration to work around, a lot of older lenses are really, really good.

 

Dante

[fiftyonepointsix]

I've adapted several SLR lenses to the M Monochrom by making an RF cam attached to the rear element.

 

On the M Monochrom the Canon 50/1.4 FL mount is the best. Chromatic aberration and spherical aberration are very low, then current tests showed blue-red to be 0.05mm and spherical from F1.4 to F5.6 to be 0.01mm. Those numbers are ~1/2 that of the pre-asph Summilux also tested in the same article (July 1976). This is a big lens with a long optical path.

 

Canon 50/1.4, now RF Coupled by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

M Monochrom with Canon 50/1.4 FL mount by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

The Konica 50/1.7 is also well worth using. I adapted the Canon 50/1.4, Konica 50/1.7, Pentax 50/1.4, and Minolta 50/1.4 MC to RF coupled mount.

Edited July 17, 2015 by fiftyonepointsix

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[dante]

Here is the 35-70 Hexanon. This gets pixel-doubled on a Retina screen, but if you look at it at true 100%, it is amazing.

 

Dante

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[algrove]

Maybe not a "sleeper", but I very much like the R 28-90.

[dante]

Hey, fiftyonepointsix, are you converting lenses that are not ~51.6mm (such as 57mms)? Is that possible without making a new helicoid?

 

D

[fiftyonepointsix]

Hey, fiftyonepointsix, are you converting lenses that are not ~51.6mm (such as 57mms)? Is that possible without making a new helicoid?

 

D

A 57mm lens would require a new focus mount with an indexed cam or an internal translation. I've stuck with SLR lenses that are close enough to 51.6mm to use a cam connected to the rear of the lens; much easier. Amedeo converted Nikkor 55/1.2's to Leica mount by making a new mount. 

 

The other way to do this- transplant the optical fixture to an existing focus mount. I have a wartime 5-element Schneider Xenar 5cm F2.8 coated lens from an Agfa Karat converted using a Canon 50/2.8 LTM mount.

Edited July 18, 2015 by fiftyonepointsix

[algrove]

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Summaron 35/3.5 and the Summicron-C 40/2.

[mmx_2]

I found out the other day that the old super angulon 21 (f3.4) actually is awesome on the monochrome. If you use the EVF it is quite easy to compensate for the lack of metering with just a half press at the shutter release. And you also don't need to worry too much about the horrible edges.

[dante]

The ZM Biogon-C is no slouch on the MM. You do need to stop down to f/8 to get the corners, but that's pretty normal on symmetrical 21mm lenses.

 

Dante

[asiafish]

Jupiter 3

[Etruscello]

Thank you for your comment about your use of the R 28-90, Algrove.  I need something like a MATE on my M 240, but the range of that M-lens too limited.  The R 28-90 could be my solution.  How do you adapt it? Are their multiple versions of the R 28-90?  Which one do you think is best on the M 240?  Is focusing problematic at all, especially at 90mm?  Is the size of the lens problematic?
I'd appreciate any information you or anyone can give me.  Thanks.  Tom