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M Adapters


marcg

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If one is thinking of using M lenses and one of these new cameras, one needs an M adapter.

 

Would somebody be kind enough to go through the various adapters available and the advantages and disadvantages. I'm assuming that there are various products on offer

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There's a range of M adapters available.

At the top of that range is the Leica-made adapter. It's the only one that passes-though 6-bit coding on M lenses, and it's the best made.

Below that is the Novoflex adapter. No electronics, not quite as nicely made, but still very good and smooth.

Then you get to "name-brand" third-party adapters: Kipon, Fotodiox Pro, Hawkes Factory. They are cheaper for a reason, but they are still OK. I find that lenses don't mount as smoothly, and tolerances may be a bit looser.

Below that are the suspiciously cheap ebay/amazon adapters. They use even thinner metal, have release mechanisms that are hard to operate, and they are unlikely to be fully parallel. I find that they work best if you dedicate one adapter to one lens, after trying a few. It may not be worth the effort for a the M mount, but sometimes they are the only option for less common mounts (Rollei QBM, Praktina, etc).

 

If you are going to be using M lenses often, then you really want the Leica adapter. The Novoflex is almost as good, but not coded. Kipon/Fotodiox are fine for playing around. The next level down is only for occasional use, like if you had an old 90 that you wanted to try on the CL/TL/SL.

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Well for the moment, I've bought a cheap adapter http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leica-M-mount-L-M-LM-lens-to-Leica-T-L-T-mount-LT-adapter-T-Type-701-Mirrorless/251752716869?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 so that I can try out a couple of M lenses when the CL ends up in a shop.

 

I'd rather get an idea of what it all works like before splashing out 300 bucks on a lighter adapter.

 

What I'm interested to know is how well the manual focusing works without a rangefinder patch. Trying to focus with an M camera simply using the live view or the EVF is really an impossible thing to do. There seems to be so much latitude in front and behind the focus point that the live view is really only useful for framing and composition. The focus peaking particularly is a waste of time.

 

Would manual focusing on the CL be any better?

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The EVF on the CL is a lot better than the M offering but I have no idea if it will meet with you satisfaction. I find focus peaking to be fine with the Q and SL and they have similar quality finders as the CL.

Some people never warm to FP and prefer other focussing methods.

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I would be very happy with focus peaking if the lights switched on a precisely the point of focus and switched off when they were precisely off the point of focus. I had always gathered that this is what it was for.

 

The Leica version of focus peaking is so approximate that it makes the thing completely useless

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I would be very happy with focus peaking if the lights switched on a precisely the point of focus and switched off when they were precisely off the point of focus. I had always gathered that this is what it was for.
 
The Leica version of focus peaking is so approximate that it makes the thing completely useless

 

 

depends entirely on the aperture and DOF .... with a noctilux at 0.95 it makes focussing far more accurate than other methods .... and you have the option of magnification. 

 

if the subject is within the peaking range it will be in focus ...... what is the problem with that ?

 

.... and as you are focussing manually it is easy to focus in and out to estimate where the mid point of the DOF is.

 

It gives you a visual idea of the DOF in the image which simple single point focus does not give you ... which for portraits is invaluable.

 

I have never found it 'approximate' on any of the cameras where Leica have implemented it .....

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focus peaking is just contrast detect autofocus with the human exercising as little judgement on where to look.

 

But on this Black Friday specials weekend, yhas anyone seen a deal for the genuine Leica M to L adapter, the one that reads the six bit codes and transmits them to the digital contacts in the L?  With the CL coming out, I may need two such adapters, and this may be an advantageous time to go and get one.

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There's a range of M adapters available.

At the top of that range is the Leica-made adapter. It's the only one that passes-though 6-bit coding on M lenses, and it's the best made.

Below that is the Novoflex adapter. No electronics, not quite as nicely made, but still very good and smooth.

Then you get to "name-brand" third-party adapters: Kipon, Fotodiox Pro, Hawkes Factory. They are cheaper for a reason, but they are still OK. I find that lenses don't mount as smoothly, and tolerances may be a bit looser.

Below that are the suspiciously cheap ebay/amazon adapters. They use even thinner metal, have release mechanisms that are hard to operate, and they are unlikely to be fully parallel. I find that they work best if you dedicate one adapter to one lens, after trying a few. It may not be worth the effort for a the M mount, but sometimes they are the only option for less common mounts (Rollei QBM, Praktina, etc).

 

If you are going to be using M lenses often, then you really want the Leica adapter. The Novoflex is almost as good, but not coded. Kipon/Fotodiox are fine for playing around. The next level down is only for occasional use, like if you had an old 90 that you wanted to try on the CL/TL/SL.

Thanks for that roundup of the available adapters. I find it reassuring as I have just pre-ordered a CL and after balking at the price added a Leica adapter to the order. I expected that the quality would be high but as it is the only adapter available that passes the coding information to the camera and I intend to use M lenses the expenditure is worth it for me.

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I have had the Leica M to L adapter for two years and it works very well. It is very fussy on hand coded lenses, so I had Malcolm Taylor change the bayonets on various older hand coded lenses for coded ones. I have just bought the R to L adapter as Harrisons had it in their Black Friday sale. It looks ever better made than my M to L and works perfectly with my ROM 80-200/f4 R lens on the SL, while I am awaiting delivery of my CL. After sending off my 90-280 to Ffordes to be sold, the 80-200 looks very small and neat. At an EFOV of 75mm, both my Noctilux and Series III Summilux, will make excellent portrait lenses on the CL. I suspect the Noctilux will feel too big, whereas it feels just right on the SL but the quite small Summilux will be fine on the CL. I bought an unused 1999 Special Edition LTM Summilux III from a collector this year, mainly to use on film but it works equally well on digital. I prefer its gentler rendition to the 50 ASPH Summilux I use to have and it is not as prone to purple fringing as the ASPH, presumably from lower edge contrast. 

 

Wilson

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi,

I’m probably being very dense, but I’m trying to find the Novoflex adapter online but can’t find it anywhere.

I’m not a Leica user myself - I’ve just bought the Leica CL as a gift for my husband and need an adapter to take a manual Voigtlander M fit lens, but I don’t fully understand what I’m doing... could someone please help me out and give me a link to the Novoflex?

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Hi,

I’m probably being very dense, but I’m trying to find the Novoflex adapter online but can’t find it anywhere.

I’m not a Leica user myself - I’ve just bought the Leica CL as a gift for my husband and need an adapter to take a manual Voigtlander M fit lens, but I don’t fully understand what I’m doing... could someone please help me out and give me a link to the Novoflex?

 

http://www.novoflex.de/en/674.html

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Hi,

I’m probably being very dense, but I’m trying to find the Novoflex adapter online but can’t find it anywhere.

I’m not a Leica user myself - I’ve just bought the Leica CL as a gift for my husband and need an adapter to take a manual Voigtlander M fit lens, but I don’t fully understand what I’m doing... could someone please help me out and give me a link to the Novoflex?

 

 

The  adapter you want is the Novoflex LET/LEM adapter. A search on this adapter should give you hits in the UK (I guess).

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Hi,

I’m probably being very dense, but I’m trying to find the Novoflex adapter online but can’t find it anywhere.

I’m not a Leica user myself - I’ve just bought the Leica CL as a gift for my husband and need an adapter to take a manual Voigtlander M fit lens, but I don’t fully understand what I’m doing... could someone please help me out and give me a link to the Novoflex?

 

Wouldn't you be better off with Leica's adapter instead? It seems that Novoflex adapters have some issues with CL.

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I will post some tests with the Leica R to L adapter tomorrow on my CL. It works just fine on my SL, so no reason it should not work on the CL. Gave a slightly odd focal length reading with the ROM 80-200R on the SL of 178mm at full zoom. 

 

Wilson

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Hi,

I’m probably being very dense, but I’m trying to find the Novoflex adapter online but can’t find it anywhere.

I’m not a Leica user myself - I’ve just bought the Leica CL as a gift for my husband and need an adapter to take a manual Voigtlander M fit lens, but I don’t fully understand what I’m doing... could someone please help me out and give me a link to the Novoflex?

 If you are in the UK try SpeedGraphic ..... they stock the full range of Novoflex adapters, are good on price and usually ship very quickly. 

 

The official Leica adapter would be better if using Leica M lenses, but for Voigtlander/Zeiss the Novoflex at 1/3 of the price will be fine. 

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I just got a new Kipon Leica M to Sony E adp. fit's nice and tight, but not too tight and the lenses fit smooth and there is no play. I also have the Alpa to Leica M that they make that allows rf coupling with the 50mm Kern Macro Switar which also works fine.

wbill

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