Flange focal distance Leica M-to-SL adapter

[thighslapper]

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Are the DOF scales accurate for M lenses on the SL then?????? These are a real plus for landscape applications. Focus near, focus far, note the distances and set the appropriate distance for which the f-stop encompasses both near and far point.

 

Are you telling me that fiddling about looking at the DOF ranges and setting the focus point on the lens is more convenient and quicker than a look through the viewfinder and focussing that way ????

 

Having spent a fair while this year taking hundreds of images landscape with the SL + WATE, the easiest and most accurate method is to use peaking and focus so the most distant objects just light up. That ensures the maximum possible DOF and takes seconds. You need to look through the thing to check exposure and other settings anyway. 

 

Invariably this is all on a tripod and using apertures of f8/11anyway  ....... so any minor inaccuracies caused by the adapter if setting by the barrel markings would be lost in the enormous DOF. I suggest anyone with concerns actually checks for problems before condemning the adapter as not fit for purpose. I have used the DOF scales on M lenses ...... and apart from the infinity stop on 50+mm lenses they give the expected results. 

 

Yet again on the forum ...... lots of grumblings and mutterings about Leicas theoretical 'deficiencies' which have minimal, if any, real world issues when it comes to taking photos.  

 

Having said that ...... if there wasn't something to moan about the forum would rapidly die .....

Edited October 23, 2017 by thighslapper

[jaapv]

LD_50

Thanks for your reassurance about the SL + Adapter. As an amateur Leica M film photographer who has seen issues with my ~£1000 Sony A7 + adapter for M lenses, moving to the Leica SL + adapter (~£4000 used) is a big outlay so forgive me for being cautious and asking the forum for their experience with SL+ adapter when considering moving to SL.

 

I'll probably have to visit Leica in London to test the SL + Adapter and see for myself. If the only minor issue with the adapter is the distance scale on the lens doesn't match but you always need to use the focus peaking then I suppose that's acceptable. If you know it's there you can work with it.

 

Regards, Lincoln

I cannot recall when I used the distance scale. To me zone focusing is a gamble anyway.

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[BernardC]

Are the DOF scales accurate for M lenses on the SL then??????

All DOF scales are approximations, based on the range of "acceptable sharpness."

The scales on older lenses were based on what an average consumer might find acceptable on a small print (no bigger than 4"x6"). Obviously, what's sharp in a small print may not be sharp in a bigger enlargement.

 

The best advice is to do some tests to determine what is sharp enough for you. It's fairly common for photographers to use the markings for a wider aperture. For instance, if you are shooting at f:8, use the DOF marking for 5.6 or even 4.0.

 

By the way, this advice is not related to the brand of camera or lens. All DOF scales are just rough guides.

[Steve McGarrett]

Update: got M-L and R-L adapters.

 

While beautifully made, R-L distance is shorter than M-L plus M-R stacked solution, enough to notice it on the lens focus scale with WAs, and enough perhaps to make a little bit of difference in edge sharpness with FLE wides (ie. 15, 19, 35/1.4 etc.).

 

If for example I focus the 19mm with stacked adapters at 5m on the scale, I need to focus it at 2m on the scale with the R-L adapter, to have focus on the same point.

 

To sum it up:

M/L adapter + M lens = real infinity very close to infinity mark on the lens

M/L adapter + M/R adapter + R lens = see above

R/L adapter + R lens = much shorter

 

Is it normal? Should I return the R-L adapter to see if there is any difference in another copy?

 

Thank you

[JoelH]

I know this is an old thread, I just came across it while searching for something else.

 

I believe that most complaints in here have missed the engineering and cost issues associated with mirrorless and contrast AF.

 

Following is a post I made almost exactly 9 years ago regarding adapters for MFT (the first mirrorless ILC system), and it applies to this thread also in case anyone is interested:

 

Well, before autofocus and before mirrorless, lenses generally had mechanical focusing helicoids with calibrated-correct infinity stops, so of course it was a simple matter to set infinity.

With manual-focus-by-wire lenses, there is often no stop at all, and furthermore no guarantee that the lens will settle at infinity if you heartily twist the control ring in that direction. With contrast-detect mirrorless systems, neither the flange-to-sensor distance on the body, nor the lens focus-vs.-control-ring relationship need to be precisely calibrated - and so they aren't. The entire setup is capable of focusing somewhere past infinity - in fact this is required to avoid feedback-control problems in the CDAF hunting algorithm. Not to mention the fact that it saves cost to avoid the extra calibration shims and adjustments associated with traditional calibrated-focus systems. Hence no stops, and quite often no focus scale at all. MF is accomplished visually, perhaps with the aid of magnification or peaking display, and the EVF helps gain up the light but is still problematic in deep darkness.

Edited September 23, 2018 by JoelH

[jankap]

Jim Kasson has measured adapters with remarkable results. No ones from Leica.

See his blog. 

Jan

[AndreaP75]

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Correct ....... and I did some experiments having noticed issues with my Leica T using the M-T/SL adapter ....... adding a 0.09mm shim  (conveniently the thickness of my screen protector film) inside the adapter (easily dismantled) brings infinity and the lens stop into alignment ....... for most ..... but not all lenses ...... which is why this lee-way is built into the adapter to cope with lens variability.

 

Personally I'd prefer to be able to set the lens to infinity if in a hurry and just shoot without having to check focus ...... so my shim has stayed put. I have a couple of M lenses where infinity is very very slightly OOF ..... but they are not the ones I would be tempted to use on the T or SL

 

 

That's great to know...I've also run into the same problem, when shooting with M lenses on the SL...especially with the 50 and 35 lux.

The infinity was slightly short up to f2.8, and had to compensate by stopping it down to get the missing DOF. Quite annoying indeed. I'll try adding a shim to see what changes, thanks for the tip!

Edited September 23, 2018 by AndreaP75

[sdw]

I have the helicoid adapter from Kipon and words cannot express how bad the build and alignment is. The lens doesn't even correctly align to the body, let alone focus correctly at infinity. I'd stick to the M adapter L from Leica, it seems to work fine.