Converting Leica R lenses to m42 mount

[Ruhayat]

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Hello all,

 

I have Leica R lenses which I would like to convert to m42 mount. Technically, it is possible, but I haven't been able to find a good adapter for this (there's a plastic one on Alibaba.com). Has anyone here done something like this? Where can I buy a solid adapter to use? And what are the issues, if any? Thanks in advance.

[andybarton]

Leica & Pentax & Nikon | Leitax

 

I use the Nikon mounts and they are extremely good. They are not adaptors, but replacement mounts, and take about 10 minutes to swap out.

[Ruhayat]

Leica & Pentax & Nikon | Leitax

 

I use the Nikon mounts and they are extremely good. They are not adaptors, but replacement mounts, and take about 10 minutes to swap out.

 

Excellent! Thank you very much, Andy.

[giordano]

The R bayonent is larger in diameter than the throat of the M42 male flange, so it's not possible to make an adapter to fit a R lens to a M42 body and let it focus to infinity (unless it includes optical elements, which will negate any advantage of using R lenses).

 

So the only sensible approach is the Leitax one, replacing the Leica bayonet flange entirely. Note however that the Leitax flanges advertised are for K-mount not M42, so if you actually want to use a M42 (screw-mount) body you'll have to get something specially made. Even then there might be problems: the inside diameter of an M42 flange is (IIRC) about 39mm - is this big enough for the R's aperture lever and cam(s) or ROM?

[andybarton]

The ROM chips are removed when you swap the mounts.

[LucisPictor]

Hello all,

 

I have Leica R lenses which I would like to convert to m42 mount. Technically, it is possible, but I haven't been able to find a good adapter for this (there's a plastic one on Alibaba.com). Has anyone here done something like this? Where can I buy a solid adapter to use? And what are the issues, if any? Thanks in advance.

 

Why do you want to do that?

If you want to use R-lenses on a Nikon or Pentax body, you can use the Leitax-mounts, on an EOS you can simply adapt the lenses.

[nobbylon]

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Why not buy a Leicaflex SL as there are plenty around and cheap. I got mine for £90 and it's mint.

I also went down the Leitax route with my R lenses and D700. Great results but a pain as not coupled and although the 700's viewfinder is excellent it was never designed for manual focus. I swapped them all back and use on the SL and SL2.

[Ruhayat]

Hmm. It's not as easy as using R lenses on EOS or 4/3, it seems. Might try the one from Alibaba and see.

 

Why do it? It's the perfect storm of reasons, really. My R-E meter is busted and it's too much hassle and cost to send it off for repair, and R bodies cost a lot more here in Malaysia. But the main reason is I already have m42 adapters for my Contax 139Q and Panasonic GF1 cameras, and I have accumulated quite a few Zeiss and Super Takumar m42 lenses for them.

 

Besides, I've been using the Contax more and more, since I found the metering to be better than that of the R-E. Being able to use the Elmarit and Summicron on the same body as the other lenses when I go out would be nice, as they would make a nice range - 28/2.8 & 50/2.0 Leica R; 50/1.7 Contax Planar, 85/2.0 m42 Jupiter 9 Sonnar& 135/3.5 m42 Zeiss Jena Sonnar. Plus tiny 28/3.5, 35/3.5, 55/2.0 and 135/2.5 Super Takumars for when I just want a much lighter SLR kit.

 

I like the Zeiss rendering for people, but for general scenes I still prefer the Summicron. And the Elmarit is beautiful for photojournalistic B&W (I use it on my M6TTL with an adapter at the moment). Hence, my search.

[Ruhayat]

Converting lenses to m42 mount makes them easier to use on almost any camera, as m42 adapters are plentiful and cheap. In case anyone else is interested in the future, the best solution I came across was in a fredmiranda.com thread (not sure if I'm allowed to post URLs to other forums, so do a search and you'll likely find it).

 

Basically, to make a Leica R lens work on an m42 camera, you need to get:

1. Leica R lens to EOS mount adapter (which I already have)

2. EOS-to-m42 extension tubes (which I would need to buy)

 

I'm guessing it will also work if you use R-to-Nikon or R-to-K mount adapters, and then find extension tubes to m42 mount for those.

 

To make it work on a Contax C/Y camera, an additional step is needed:

3. m42 lens to Contax C/Y mount adapter (which I already have)

[Ruhayat]

FWIW, the only direct adapter I could find was from this guy:

 

camera body adapter Leica R To M42 products, buy camera body adapter Leica R To M42 products from alibaba.com

 

But it is made of plastic, and I have no history of dealing with this trader so I'm reluctant to try.

[giordano]

Basically, to make a Leica R lens work on an m42 camera, you need to get:

1. Leica R lens to EOS mount adapter (which I already have)

2. EOS-to-m42 extension tubes (which I would need to buy)

 

This won't give infinity focus, for reasons similar to those I tried to explain in my first post and try again below.

 

I'm guessing it will also work if you use R-to-Nikon or R-to-K mount adapters, and then find extension tubes to m42 mount for those.

 

The phrase "extension tubes" gives a clue.

 

The minimum practical thickness of an adapter to fit a Nikon AIS or AF lens on a M42 body is about 12mm. About 10mm of this (from the Nikon flange backwards) is the thickness of the Nikon bayonet and clearance for the various lugs, levers and contacts; the remainder is the thickness of solid metal needed for physical strength.

 

This calculation wouldn't be much different if the adapter were for K-mount or Leicaflex.

 

So the adapter would be like using a 12mm (approx) extension ring - i.e. longest focus distance with a 50mm lens would be about 32cm.

[Ruhayat]

This won't give infinity focus, for reasons similar to those I tried to explain in my first post and try again below.

 

Ah. Sorry, I missed that. 32cm? Dang. I knew there would be a catch somewhere. So I can't even use the lenses for people and scenery shots or environmental portraits of up to, say, 3 metres, then.

 

Also, I tend to hyperfocus the 28mm Elmarit to 1.5 metres at f8. Would this be similarly affected? Sorry for such basic questions... I'm not a very technical photographer.

[giordano]

Also, I tend to hyperfocus the 28mm Elmarit to 1.5 metres at f8. Would this be similarly affected? Sorry for such basic questions... I'm not a very technical photographer.

 

12mm extension on a 28mm lens implies a film to subject distance of about 13cm with an ideal "thin" lens. With an real, retrofocus, 28mm SLR lens the distance will be longer, but the plane of focus will still be just a few centimetres in front of the lens.

 

If you want to use R lenses on a film camera, either get an EOS body and an adapter, or use the Leitax conversion mounts with a Nikon or K-mount body.

 

Or - and best - use a Leica R body!

[Ruhayat]

If you want to use R lenses on a film camera, either get an EOS body and an adapter, or use the Leitax conversion mounts with a Nikon or K-mount body.

 

Or - and best - use a Leica R body!

 

Hmm. So no free pass for me, then. That's a shame.

 

I did have a Leica R-E for the past 2 years but 6 months ago the electronics started to go wonky. First it was the shutter, which would freeze up every few random shots in a roll. And then the meter itself went kaput. Rather than spend on a pricey repair job that the technician said may or may not work long term (he said other issues may crop up in time), I decided to go for a Contax 139Q, which costs about a quarter of what the cheapest R camera I can get here.

 

With a 50mm f1.7 Planar, it's been great. The R-E design and ergonomics is/was better, but as a working camera I find the Contax is more stable and the meter is also more accurate. So then I got an m42 adapter to use Russian Sonnars, and then I got some tiny Super Takumars. These also worked great on the Contax. And now I had the idea of turning my two R lenses into m42 mount so that I wouldn't have to keep buying cameras.

 

On m4/3 the 50mm Summicron becomes far too long, and the 28mm Elmarit doesn't play very well. I just quit EOS at the end of last year, selling off everything Canon that I had, buying into m4/3 for video and using just film for photography. I don't like Nikon. With the K mount I would have to buy two replacement mounts and it's not as convenient as using adapters. Ditto with the Alpha mount.

 

Do I want to invest thousands into a new digital system? Not really. I'm a confirmed fan of film for still photos now, since I don't do commercial shoots any more. And I have vowed to stop buying into 35mm - the next purchases onwards would be 645 format only.

 

Well, looks like I may just keep using the 28mm Elmarit on my M6TTL, and probably the 50mm Summicron, too, once in a while. Hyperfocusing at f4-8 is not that hard. I could just sell off both and get the M equivalents, I suppose, but I'd rather spend on a 645 system.