Oufro or Elpro or macro adapter???

[marcg]

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I'd be grateful if people could explain the differences and pros and cons.

 

Thanks

[luigi bertolotti]

There is a  basic difference :

- Elpro is an optical device (the current is a 2-elements design, but Leitz/Leica made Elpro devices for dozen of years - the first ones in the '20s, well known to collectors) : mounted in front of the lens, it shortens its minimum focus distance : in practice, you use a different lens from the original

- Oufro and Macro Adapter do not introduce new optical elements to your lens : simply, they allow to have more distance from the lens to the sensor (film) thus extending the minimum focus of the lens, By principle they are simple "extension tubes" mounted between lens and camera lens' flange.

Generally speaking, is considered "better" not to alter the original schema of a certain lens, which is exactly what Elpro (or Elpro-like) devices do. Historically, the obvious plus of Elpros is that it can be used on a fixed lens camera (like the original Leica I was) ; by the other way, normal lenses are computed to give their best results within a certain range of distances (infinity to some centimeters... tipically 100 to 40-50, for a normal 50mm lens) , so you if you put a very long tube to extend a lot the minimum focus distance of your lens, you get an image that can show various abherrations (you can easily verify this if you , for instance, put an Oufro between a LeicaM and a 15-20mm wideangle... you get a very narrow minimum focus... almost with the subject in touch of the front glass... but with odd quality...)

OUFRO is an "historical" device , with a length of 10mm, while the modern Macro Adapter M is a device which has its own helicoid mechanism, similar to the focusing mechanism of a lens, so that you have a variable length : of course, it is more useful than the oufro , even if two (*) OUFROs can be stacked to extend the global distnce lens to flange.... with this, and considering that one has also the native lens' focusing helicoid to "play" with, I think that after all it is not so an important advancement... personally, I have always used OUFRO(s) simply because had it for many years : shouldn't I have one, I would buy probably the Macro Adapter M (which, to be honest, is rather costly... I think one can buy a pair of used OUFROs for less than half the price of a new Macro Adapter...) . Macro Adapter M has also some mechanical specifications that make it particularly "flexible" when used with the Macro Elmar M 90mm (current version).

Personally, I have never used close focus devices like the Elpros (have some old collectible named ELPEK ELPIK... 😉) : by the point of view of carrying/managing... little difference... an Elpro is quickier to mount than an Oufro... but you have one more glass device to take care of... Oufro is really a pocketable ring that needs next to nil protection... 

(*) or more... in the Forum, you can see some funny example of 6 or 8 of them stacked for usage with very long tele lenses... 😎

Edited July 26, 2020 by luigi bertolotti

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[marcg]

Brilliant. This is extremely helpful thank you very much indeed

[jackk]

thank you so much for the detailed response. Do you happen to have the exprience, or, know how well the Macro-Elmar-M would work with an Outfro?

Looking into acquiring a macro-elmar 90mm debating whether/not I should get a copy that comes w/ the adaptor when I already have an Outfro. Thanks

Cheers all!

[Jean-Michel]

Hi,

You may find this article useful you: https://www.slack.co.uk/2014/Leica_Macro_Elmar.html

Edited August 2 by Jean-Michel
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