Novoflex adapters

[gpwhite]

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Please could you spell out for me what you mean by "Be sure that your lens is disengaged from its Nikon auto-everything setting so that you are able to manually select aperture value."? Apologies if this falls into the category of the b.....y obvious!

 

Oh, silly me... I did not look at the model you have before writing earlier. Sorry to confuse you. I see now that this lens does not seem to have the feature that most Nikon lenses have to afford aperture control from the body. So there is no pin near the aperture ring to notch out. My point in the previous post is that your lens needs to be configured so that you are operating the diaphragm in what was once called stopped-down method.

 

Incidentally, my impression is that almost all of the members on our forum are self taught. One of the special values of our dialogue, I think, is that because most Leica knowledge (and probably about photography in general) is acquired through trial and error, we can all help each other. Please do not be reticent about sharing your observations... True, eventually some one may pop off at you, but when that happens to me I just reply that I am moving on from their post because I need to return to dusting the serial numbers on my equipment.

[michali]

I am using Contax lenses all the time on my M240. I have an Adriano Lolli Contax CX/Y to LTM adapter plus a 28/90 LTM/LM ring coded as 110111, so I can access the R lens menu. Other than the weight of the lenses, which takes a bit of getting used to (28-85/f3.3 Zeiss Vario Sonnar, 300/f4 Zeiss Tele Tessar plus Mutar 2X extenders type I and II), these lenses work very well on the 240. Once you have a neoprene dot on the zoom button, focusing becomes as much second nature as using the RF. I decided not to buy the 300/f2.8 Contax APO Tessar, which although a wonderful lens, is extremely heavy and expensive (over £5,000).

Wilson

 

For what it's worth Wilson I still have the Carl Zeiss Contax 300m f2.8 APO Tessar which I bought from Ken Hansen in NYC for about $11, 000.00 in 1996. I've custom converted this lens from C/Y to Sony α mount and use it on my Sony 850 DSLR. It's an amazing but huge lens and weighs in at about 3kg, I couldn't imagine trying to mount it on an M body

 

I also have the Leica 280mm APO f4 which is obviously much lighter, and right up there with the CZ 300m f2.8 Tessar in terms of quality. Given the ability to shoot at higher ISO on the M240, ergonomically I feel one would be better off using the Leica 280mm.

[wlaidlaw]

 

For what it's worth Wilson I still have the Carl Zeiss Contax 300m f2.8 APO Tessar which I bought from Ken Hansen in NYC for about $11, 000.00 in 1996. I've custom converted this lens from C/Y to Sony α mount and use it on my Sony 850 DSLR. It's an amazing but huge lens and weighs in at about 3kg, I couldn't imagine trying to mount it on an M body

 

I also have the Leica 280mm APO f4 which is much obviously much lighter, and right up there with the CZ 300m f2.8 Tessar in terms of quality. Given the ability to shoot at higher ISO on the M240, ergonomically I feel one would be better off using the Leica 280mm .

 

Michali,

 

I expect my wrists to recover soon from using the 300/2.8 APO Tessar on the M240

 

I don't use long lenses that much and I found an unsold old stock Contax Tele Tessar 300/f4 for which I only paid £300. It is so much better than the Telyt 280/4.8 Visoflex lenses, where I had both the series 2 and 3, that I don't think for me, it is worth paying the extra for the APO Telyt 280/4. The Contax is a very late MMJ model and seems much better than its reputation would suggest. Maybe not the sharpest in the corners but its high contrast taken together with the dynamic range of the M240 make for some very good results. Once I get my plaster cast off from having my ankle replaced for the second time, I hope to get out and about and use it a lot more. Trying to take photos with a long manual focus lens, while using crutches is not easy!

 

Wilson

[gpwhite]

 

I also have the Leica 280mm APO f4 which is obviously much lighter, and right up there with the CZ 300m f2.8 Tessar in terms of quality. Given the ability to shoot at higher ISO on the M240, ergonomically I feel one would be better off using the Leica 280mm.

 

Mike, just curious if you have the APO Elmarit 180 f/2.8 and have shot it on your M240? I realize that lens is a bit too hand-holdable for you, , but hope you have comment. I am debating a search for one, and I understand that the M240 has driven the 180 APO price up.

 

Peter

[michali]

Peter I don't have the APO Elmarit 180mm so I can't comment on this lens. I've seen a few

for sale in the $4, 000. - $5, 500. range.

 

I recently played around with a demo M240 for a week, but have decided for now to stick with my M9s & Monochrome.

[Peter H]

........... I found an unsold old stock Contax Tele Tessar 300/f4 ............

 

Wilson, have you tried this lens with a Novoflex adapter? Have you any thoughts as to how/whether a Novoflex Contax/Yashica to Leica M adapter might work?

[wlaidlaw]

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Mike, just curious if you have the APO Elmarit 180 f/2.8 and have shot it on your M240? I realize that lens is a bit too hand-holdable for you, , but hope you have comment. I am debating a search for one, and I understand that the M240 has driven the 180 APO price up.

 

Peter

 

Peter,

 

With the improved high ISO performance of the M240, another lens worth considering is the 80-200/f4 Vario Elmar-R made for Leica by Kyocera. This is a very good and flexible performer on the M240. Other than the 70-180/2.8 APO Vario Elmarit, it is probably the best of the tele R fit zooms. It is just over half the weight of the APO at around 1,020gr against 1,870gr. The price of these has unfortunately climbed quite a bit over the last 9 months, since I bought a mint one for £600 but they are still a lot cheaper than either the APO zoom or APO 180. If you want a tripod support ring for the 80-200, a Canon A(W) 66mm ring will fit if you chamfer the inside edges a touch to around 45º with a Dremel. You can buy these for just a few dollars on eBay and unlike the correct Leica support ring, they are made of solid metal rather than plastic.

 

You can see a picture of this lens with the Canon ring on the M240, that I uploaded to the M240 page on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/134394203393859/permalink/150746248425321/

 

Wilson

[jaapv]

They're about $ 1750 now...

[wlaidlaw]

Wilson, have you tried this lens with a Novoflex adapter? Have you any thoughts as to how/whether a Novoflex Contax/Yashica to Leica M adapter might work?

 

I think the Novoflex adapter would be better quality than the Lolli one I have and work OK. The Lolli one has pluses and minuses. On the plus side it is a CX/Y to LTM adapter and therefore you can screw on the correct coded LTM to LM 28/90 framelines ring. Secondly it is made in two parts which are locked together with hex socket set screws. You can slacken these to correct any radial alignment issues. The minuses are that the female Contax bayonet is not quite tight enough and permits the lens to wobble a small amount. The second issue is that it is very difficult to get the company to send exactly what you order. They have a tendency to send what they think you need rather than what you ordered. I am still, after two months, waiting for them to send the correct LTM to LM ring. Luckily I had a spare Jinfinance one.

 

I am told that the Novoflex adapters bring up the 50/75 framelines. People are claiming that if they code this adapter 110111, it is bringing up the R lens menu. This is totally at odds to what Jesko von Oeynhausen told me in an email at the end of February. He said it was not possible for any other frameline except 28/90 to work with the 110111 (55) code, as the other codes were being reserved. Both Jono and I had requested that all variations of the 55 code could bring up the R lens menu. I therefore remain sceptical that the 50/75 code and 110111 work and wonder if the adapter which apparently did this had a slightly long framelines tab.

 

Wilson

[Peter H]

Thank you Wilson. Marvellously informative as ever.

[Lindolfi]

I am told that the Novoflex adapters bring up the 50/75 framelines. People are claiming that if they code this adapter 110111, it is bringing up the R lens menu. This is totally at odds to what Jesko von Oeynhausen told me in an email at the end of February. He said it was not possible for any other frameline except 28/90 to work with the 110111 (55) code, as the other codes were being reserved. Both Jono and I had requested that all variations of the 55 code could bring up the R lens menu. I therefore remain sceptical that the 50/75 code and 110111 work and wonder if the adapter which apparently did this had a slightly long framelines tab.

 

Wilson

 

Wilson, to feed your thoughts on this: this is a photograph of the Novoflex LEM/CAN adapter that brings up the 50/75 frame lines and the R menu after coding it to 110111.

 

 

(The frame lines tab is to within 0.2 mm the same length as that of my 50/1.4 Summilux ASPH)

 

And here is the menu that is brought up on the M (typ 240) (mounted is a 85/1.2 with the novoflex LEM/CAN adapter shown above)

 

 

[wlaidlaw]

Bert,

 

I wish I had known that as I would then have bought a Novoflex Contax to M rather than a Lolli. The only advantage of the Lolli is that when you put the Jinfinance LTM/LM ring on, the coding slots are actually milled into the ring. I suppose Novoflex is too close to Leica to risk annoying them by cutting unpainted coding slots into their adapters. There is a rumour that Novoflex may be the company making (or not making ) the R to M adapters.

 

Wilson

[Lindolfi]

 

I suppose Novoflex is too close to Leica to risk annoying them by cutting unpainted coding slots into their adapters.

 

Wilson

 

That is exactly what they do: there is a depression milled in the ring, which is filled with silvery paint exactly in the place for coding (see my photograph). I've covered the silvery paint with ink, but you can also scratch away the paint to get the coding.

[wlaidlaw]

Bert,

 

I understand now. I thought that was just painted on. I am therefore very tempted to order a CX/Y to M from Ian at Griturn on Monday. The slight movement of my 28-85 Vario Sonnar on the Lolli adapter irritates me and can't be improving the image quality. I wonder if Novoflex feel they can get away with a milled groove but 6 milled separate slots would be pushing Leica's tolerance.

 

Wilson

[01af]

I therefore remain sceptical that the 50/75 code and 110111 work ...

Don't be. It really works. And you can apply the 6-bit code to the Novoflex adapter with a simple pencil; no permanent felt pen required.

[wlaidlaw]

Olaf and Bert,

 

Thank you for the update info on the 50/75 framelines. It might have been nice if Leica had told us, having been so categorical on the email to me. I just hope it is not like the loopholes Apple sometimes leave in error on their iPhone, which get closed off at the next firmware update.

 

Wilson

[Peter H]

Please pardon my ignorance yet again, but why does it matter what frame-lines are brought up by lenses that won't match the frame-lines anyway? I keep feeling that there's an obvious answer to this, but I can't think of it!

[wlaidlaw]

Please pardon my ignorance yet again, but why does it matter what frame-lines are brought up by lenses that won't match the frame-lines anyway? I keep feeling that there's an obvious answer to this, but I can't think of it!

 

Peter,

 

It is so that you can access the R lens selection menu on the M240 by coding the adapters as 110111 (55). Nobody is quite sure at the moment if this does much if anything other than give the focal length in the EXIF but even that can be useful. One oddity on this is that if for example you mount a zoom lens declared as the 28-90 Vario-Elmarit-R, as I do for my 28-85 Zeiss Vario Sonnar, the EXIF shows that a 28mm lens is mounted. It is therefore I would say, still work in progress. I have not got a R to M adapter which will access the R lens menu, I cannot say what length my 80-200 Vario Elmar-R brings up. I certainly cannot get my framelines tabless Camerapix R to M adapter to activate the R lens menu when hand coded 110111.

 

Wilson

[Rick]

I am using Contax lenses all the time on my M240. I have an Adriano Lolli Contax CX/Y to LTM adapter plus a 28/90 LTM/LM ring coded as 110111, so I can access the R lens menu. Other than the weight of the lenses, which takes a bit of getting used to (28-85/f3.3 Zeiss Vario Sonnar, 300/f4 Zeiss Tele Tessar plus Mutar 2X extenders type I and II), these lenses work very well on the 240. Once you have a neoprene dot on the zoom button, focusing becomes as much second nature as using the RF. I decided not to buy the 300/f2.8 Contax APO Tessar, which although a wonderful lens, is extremely heavy and expensive (over £5,000).

 

Wilson

 

Hello Wilson. I have the Leica 280/2.8 APO and it is an excellent lens. It is somewhat heavy, but very manageable on the M because, it has a lens tripod mount. The excellent 1.4x and 2.0 x APO extenders work extremely well with the Leica 280/2.8 APO. I find the 280/2.8 image quality excellent and I can't imagine the 280/4.0 to be much better in practice. The 280/2.8 has the advantage of better light gathering ability and beautiful OOF rendering which exceeds the 280/4.0 by a fair amount. Yes, the 280/4.0 is smaller and a very fine lens, but the 280/2.8 has its own advantages.

 

Anyway, my point is that you can still find the excellent Leica 280/2.8 for less than what you quoted the 300/2.8 Contax APO Tessar if, you are interested. Did I mention you get a freaking suitcase with the Leica 280/2.8 when you buy it?

 

Rick... Goat photographer.

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[wlaidlaw]

Rick,

 

Thanks for the info on the APO 280. I have decided to give up on rocket launcher sized lenses. I am even currently in the process of selling my 400/560 Telyt/Televit kit because I just never used them. For the few times I will be using a lens longer than the 200mm of my Vario Elmar-R, the Contax 300/f4 Tele Tessar I have now bought along with Mutars I and II 2X extenders (better than the non-APO Leica extenders but not as good as the APO) will do me fine. The Contax is really quite small for an F4 300mm lens.

 

Wilson