Plea for Canon, Nikon and Sony E-mount adapters

[pico]

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Yep I'm still fantasizing about the S system, and since Leica hasn't made any S lenses longer than 180mm the adapters for other-brand lenses are essential for me to even think about the S.

 

Excellent point. Thanks for knocking the cobwebs from my brain. I would love to try a 500mm (either model) Hasselblad lens on an S.

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[peterv]

I noticed this thread got more than 500 hits within one week, so I figured that might be an indication of potential interest in such adapters.

I’ve come up with a list of pros and cons for such adapters.

 

Pros:

 

- The MTF’s of the S lenses are hard to beat for any of their counterpart FF lenses

 

- tilt/shift, movements would be possible with specialised adapters, even more so for APS-C cameras that also use Canon, Nikon and Sony mounts

 

- Possibility to later (or from the moment of purchase) use the S lenses on a larger sensor camera such as the Leica S system, future MF mirror-less, and also on future larger sensor video and digital cinema cameras. The über 65mm sensor of the new Arri requires a 59mm image circle, but the S lenses have most video sensors covered with 54mm.

 

- Leica can make money on adapters and lenses

 

- making the option to use S lenses on other cameras available to S lens owners would be very economical for photographers who don't want to buy a second S as back up camera (who does/can?) and usefull for photographers who want to use a high ISO camera next to their high res S camera. This would save them having to buy Canon, Nikon or Sony lenses and/or schlepping around two lens systems. The money saved on other system lenses can be used to invest in future proof "multi-mount" S lenses

 

- Leica can sell lenses to the many buyers of high res, small pixel pitch FF cameras who are (with reason) afraid native lenses are not up to the task of providing enough resolving power for their 37,5 - 50 MP (and in the future even higher MP) FF sensors.

 

- All this would mean that an investment in S lenses is a future-proof and thus safe investment, which would lead to more sales. Leica can make the S system better known, gain prestige, and hopefully get more market penetration of the complete S system. Some photographers who bought the S lenses for their FF system may later on want to use their lenses to their full potential on a real Leica S camera with a 56% bigger sensor.

 

 

Cons:

 

- potentially, there might be moiré on lower res sensor cameras without OLP filter

 

- Costs, S lenses are more expensive than their FF counterparts, except perhaps for the Zeiss Otus lenses

 

- Not all, but quite a lot of lenses available for FF are smaller and lighter

 

- FF systems generally have faster lenses available

 

- potential customers might lose an important incentive to buy an S camera if Leica S lens adapters to Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras are available

 

- it remains to be seen if a FF camera with an adapter can make use of the central shutter in Leica S CS lenses (would be great if they could make that work, and this would be an important reason to buy CS lenses for FF camera users)

 

 

 

I thought I might add some extra pros and cons of Leica S lenses against the Zeiss Otus:

 

Cons:

 

The Otus line offers faster lenses

 

Pros:

 

Much more focal lengths in the Leica S lens line up available now The Otus line only has 2 lenses available

 

Leica S lenses offer weather sealing

 

Leica S lenses offer auto focus

 

Leica S lenses offer auto aperture

 

Leica S lenses offer a larger image circle

[AlanG]

I remember when Zoerkendorfer showed me an adapter that would allow a Rollei 6000 series lens to work on a Nikon. It had an electronic system for working the aperture. I tried to buy it but was told it was the only prototype. I'm not sure why I would have needed it unless it had a tilt shift mechanism. It never went any further in development as far as I know. I bought some Russian MF lenses in tilt shift mounts from Hartblei instead... still have them with Canon adapters now.

 

Not to say it would be a bad idea for S owners to multipurpose their lenses, but what would these adapters have to cost for all of the development required and the relatively small number of potential buyers? (Assuming electronic connections for AF and aperture)

 

Leica wouldn't have much incentive to make these for anything but their M and T cameras. As for the rest, there are countless used inexpensive MF and 35mm lenses that can work on these... especially on the A7.