Deliberate1 Posted October 31, 2015 Share #1 Posted October 31, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Friends, I am exploring options to supplement my four and a half year old M9 body. The M240 is a logical step since I am familiar with the platform and am very pleased with the results from my 35mm Zeiss, 50mm Summilux and 90mm Elmarit M. One of the other temptations of the M is the opportunity to use some Nikon glass that I have. The Nikon D70 was my first digital camera (M9 the second). Along with the kit zoom, I ultimately acquired a 12-24 1.4 G ED and the 70-200 VR ED 2.8, both excellent pieces. When my dear uncle passed, I inherited, in addition to his Leica III (f, I think) several Nikon lenses, including the unique PC Micro Nikon 2.8 tilt/shift, 28mm Nikkor PC 3.5 and two zooms - 80-200 Nikon ED and an older 80-200 Nikor. My first question is whether the 12-24 and 70-200 can be used since there is no aperture ring. How would you control the aperture? Secondly, I have used both those lenses on the D70 which is not a full frame sensor, making the zoom lens 100-300mm and a similar ratio for the wide zoom. If they can be used, I assume they would be shot in their native perspective on the M240 since it is full frame. Please advise if I am wrong. I am particularly excited about the two PC lenses, and especially the tilt/shift iteration. It is the wildest looking lens I have ever seen and could produce some very interesting results if I can master it. Each has a regular aperture collar and are manual focus. Any special considerations given their PC/capabilities? The older zooms have aperture controls as well. Finally, the ultimate question is whether it the results from any of these lenses merits the operational effort. Will the metering system couple with the lens and read the aperture opening for proper exposure settings. Thank for the assistance. Personal experiences with any of these lenses on the 240M would be welcome as well. David 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 31, 2015 Posted October 31, 2015 Hi Deliberate1, Take a look here Nikon glass on M240. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
darylgo Posted October 31, 2015 Share #2 Posted October 31, 2015 (edited) David, Novoflex makes an adapter for Nikon G lenses (and non-G lenses) to work on a Leica M: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/869958-REG/Novoflex_LEM_NIK_NT_Lens_Adapter_for_Nikon.html The adapter works well (on the m240 using live view) and has a blue ring that controls the aperture of the lens. The 12-24mm will not cover the full sensor of the Leica M and will vignette, yet it is usable as long as you are willing to crop the images in post processing. Two issues I find with the m240/adapter: 1- the opening and closing of the aperture is an additional step and will be slow, there are no markings for the working aperture of G lenses and so guesstimating the aperture of choice is a process of evaluating shutter speeds, 2- Nikon lenses can be large and unbalanced on the diminutive Leica body, this is personal preference but I would rather have a small lens/large body combination than a small body/large lens. Nonetheless the adapter does provide use of those excellent Nikkor optics. Edited October 31, 2015 by darylgo 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deliberate1 Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted October 31, 2015 Daryl, many thanks for the link and observations. David Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornnb Posted October 31, 2015 Share #4 Posted October 31, 2015 (edited) One must be reminded that both Canon and Nikon started out making rangefinder cameras. Some of their optics are comparable to Leica's performance of the era. There are Nikon Rangefinder lenses that will work with an adaptor. http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_nikonRF.html And for that matter Canon ones as well. The Canon ones use a Leica Thread Mount and can be converted to the M with an adaptor from Leica. https://www.cameraquest.com/crflen.htm DSLR glass will work on the M240 via an adaptor very well, however they are bulky compared to the body size and the lack of aperture control is a major issue. Edited October 31, 2015 by Mornnb 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted October 31, 2015 Share #5 Posted October 31, 2015 Just buy a s/h Nikon body, it will be easier surely? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECohen Posted October 31, 2015 Share #6 Posted October 31, 2015 Just buy a s/h Nikon body, it will be easier surely? +1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darylgo Posted October 31, 2015 Share #7 Posted October 31, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Daryl, many thanks for the link and observations. David Your welcome, good luck with the adapter, please tell us your observations if you pursue this, I would like to hear how the Tilt/shifts perform. Just buy a s/h Nikon body, it will be easier surely? +1 however an adapted body offers less equipment to deal with and that can be advantageous also. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted October 31, 2015 Share #8 Posted October 31, 2015 I have a spate of older manual Nikkors, 2 of which I have used on my Canon 5D for a bunch of years because I don't have equivalents in EF lenses. Those are a tiny 20/4 (I have a 20-35 EF lens but it's quite large), and a 180/2.8 (as I sold my EF70-200/2.8-L-IS long ago due to size and weight). The former I tend to shoot zone-focused at f/8, and the latter almost always wide open, so the non-coupled diaphragm isn't an issue. I did buy a Fotodiox F-M adapter for the M240, and have used the 180 on it a couple of times to good results, but to me it defeats the reason I'm into the M system: size, weight, and optical rangefinder-viewfinder. From 135mm shorter I have no inclination to use SLR lenses on it. The only zoom I have used on the M240 is a 70-210/4 R lens. With lack of diaphragm coupling and image stabilizer, plus the between-shot lag time of the EVF, it has its limits. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deliberate1 Posted November 1, 2015 Author Share #9 Posted November 1, 2015 (edited) Just buy a s/h Nikon body, it will be easier surely? Perhaps, but it means yet another "system." And it is my mostly uninformed impression that LV or an EVF may greatly facilitate the focus accuracy using the tilt/shift lens if it is WYSIWYG. Edited November 1, 2015 by Deliberate1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted November 1, 2015 Share #10 Posted November 1, 2015 Buy Nikon body. If the lenses you have are Ai or later, any nikon body will work. If not, you need to have them converted or buy the Df camera which will accept all the old lenses without damage. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithlaban.co.uk Posted November 1, 2015 Share #11 Posted November 1, 2015 I sold my Nikon film cameras many years ago but a little voice told me to hang on to my Nikon Micro-NIKKOR 55mm f/2.8 AI-s. I now use it via an inexpensive adapter on my M240 for close and copy work. Great lens, so glad I listened. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deliberate1 Posted November 1, 2015 Author Share #12 Posted November 1, 2015 I sold my Nikon film cameras many years ago but a little voice told me to hang on to my Nikon Micro-NIKKOR 55mm f/2.8 AI-s. I now use it via an inexpensive adapter on my M240 for close and copy work. Great lens, so glad I listened. Keith, thanks for yours. Do you use the optical view or LV/EVF for focus with the adapted Nikon lens? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithlaban.co.uk Posted November 1, 2015 Share #13 Posted November 1, 2015 Keith, thanks for yours. Do you use the optical view or LV/EVF for focus with the adapted Nikon lens? I use the EVF for critical copy and small object shots. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted November 2, 2015 Share #14 Posted November 2, 2015 I sold my Nikon film cameras many years ago but a little voice told me to hang on to my Nikon Micro-NIKKOR 55mm f/2.8 AI-s. I almost forgot, I also have a 55/3.5 Micro-Nikkor I use a lot with Canon and M240. Mine is a Nippon Kogaku factory-converted to AI back when I was shooting Photomic FTn's. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaques Posted November 2, 2015 Share #15 Posted November 2, 2015 i have that 55 micro nikkor too- awesome lens on the m240 for macro- far more versatile than using extension rings, etc. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramarren Posted November 2, 2015 Share #16 Posted November 2, 2015 I have a nice brace of older Nikon SLR lenses, including both Micro-Nikkor 55/3.5, 105/2.8, and use a Rayqual F->M adapter with the M-P. It works very well when I want something beyond the M-mount lenses I own, like the Nikkor 28/2 AI and 180/2.8 AF-D. The only one of my lenses that has a minor problem is the Nikkor 18mm f/3.5 AI-S, which exhibits a small amount of hard corner vignetting—shrouding from the adapter through the smaller diameter M lens mount. For or your G lenses you'll need a Novoflex adapter for the auxiliary aperture ring. I don't use them very often on the M, but they work very well when desired. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECohen Posted November 2, 2015 Share #17 Posted November 2, 2015 How does the file look using Nikon lenses on M240? old Nikon lenses new Nikon lenses? sharpness- color- quality ? Or do you adjust a lot in Post and enjoy what you get? I like the quality of new Nikon lenses on my Nikon 610 and Leica lenses on the M240....it's different and both are a pleasant start. I always thought the sensors were designed to match the lenses ? ...hence "the look" of the files..Nikon's look ...Leica's look are are created by a lot of factors.... lens design, coatings, electronics, firmware etc? Or are we doing this just because there is an adaptor available and your willing to put up with the quarks of mismatched equipment? I kinda see the point to macro Nikon on the M240.... but whats the advantage to using say a 180 2.8 Nikkor or a 300mm 4.0? Isn't a used Nikon body a better choice to make that photo? Please educate me ......I see these as very different systems and uses? Is it the Joy of experimentation like Lomoraphy? ......Or are they both tack sharp Nikon on Leica as Nikon on Nikon ? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted November 3, 2015 Share #18 Posted November 3, 2015 Or are we doing this just because there is an adaptor available and your willing to put up with the quarks of mismatched equipment? I kinda see the point to macro Nikon on the M240.... but whats the advantage to using say a 180 2.8 Nikkor or a 300mm 4.0? Isn't a used Nikon body a better choice to make that photo? The results I get don't appear mismatched. There is no M-mount equivalent of a 180/2.8 or 300/4 (other than in Visoflex mount, which is technically M, but not rangefinder coupled and needs to be first adapted to R mount and then back to M in order to maintain close focus capability). Buying, and more to the point, carrying a separate Nikon body dedicated to those lenses would be burdensome. Primarily I use rangefinder lenses on my M240's. The Nikkors have seen far more use on my 5D, mainly because these are lenses I might use a couple times a year and thus avoid having cash tied up in EF equivalents. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Ricard Posted November 3, 2015 Share #19 Posted November 3, 2015 (edited) Some of you are sort of missing the point about the workflow of using non Leica glass on a Leica body. For me I'm shooting something on my Leica. I enjoy using the camera, and its the body that I chose to carry for this particular job. However, there are certain shots I simply can't do on my M240 -namely anything with shallow depth of field. I can't afford a single Leica 1.4 lens. So for those shots, I break out either my Nikon 85mm 1.4 lens or my recently purchased 58mm 1.4 lens. The later lens in particular, gives me bokeh that is as close as I'm ever going to get to that of the Noctilux -another lens I can't afford. Jon Satava. (@jtsatava) Jiu Jitsu student, competitor and instructor. Nice guy. #100DaysofLeica (day 11). Leica M240 with Nikon 85mm 1.4 at 1.4. A photo posted by John Ricard (@johnricard) on Oct 28, 2015 at 5:08am PDT Day 12 of #100DaysofLeica. @dillondanis. Taken with the 58mm 1.4 Nikon. I just sent my M240 in for rangefinder calibration, so I won't be able to use that lens on my Leica until that camera comes back. My Leica image per day project will now continue on my M9. A photo posted by John Ricard (@johnricard) on Oct 29, 2015 at 6:41am PDT Edited November 3, 2015 by John Ricard 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECohen Posted November 3, 2015 Share #20 Posted November 3, 2015 Nice photos ....point well taken ....I hate the Nikon body but I figured the Nikon glass will cause more trouble than its worth in terms of sharpness/calibration and color. I guess I should be in the market for an adapter and give my Nikon lenses a try? Anybody else have photos to shair of DSLR lenses on the M240? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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