M10 with Macro Adapter or Elpro 52

[startover]

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Hi all, has anyone used an M10 with either of those options for close-up work?

I have 21-35-28-50 lenses and soon will have the 90 F/4 Macro Elmar lenses.  Am trying to figure out:

- should i add the macro adapter or the Elpro 52?  If so, which is better, especially if I plan to use it with my multiple lenses.  Perhaps not practical below 28 and not useful beyond 90?

- would i need anything else ... the Visolflex 020 or bellows?

I am looking for closer focusing and not necessarily for commercial applications of macro photography that might likely be better served with a Nikon system.

 

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[brandnew2]

Hi, I own/have used most of these things for watch photography (both close-up and true macro work). You can find my photos at the IG link in my signature - all the photos on my page dating back to about June were taken with some variation of the setup described below.

My current setup (which I don't necessarily all use at once) is a M10-R (previously a M10-P), a 90mm F/4 macro-elmar, macro adapter(s) (I have 3 of them and stack as needed depending on how close I want to get), an old OUFRO extension tube, the elpro 52, and bellows. 

If your primary objective is closer focusing (as opposed to true macro work) and you want to be able to use multiple lenses, I would recommend the macro-adapter-m. It's an extension tube, so there's no compromise to image quality, whereas the Elpro 52 (while very high quality) will degrade image quality slightly. The current 90mm f4 macro-elmar in particular works well with (and is designed to go along with) the macro-adapter, since you can focus all the way from the minimum distance to infinity with the macro-adapter mounted. The elpro will limit your focus range to close distances, and you'll have to unscrew it to focus to infinity. 

Edited October 22, 2020 by brandnew2

[startover]

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed and helpful response.  Nice pictures of watches/movements--great detail.  Yes, my primary objective is closer focusing. 

A basic question on the macro adapter--would I have to resort to live view to focus (with or without the Visoflex)?  Also, what is your view on the 90 Macro Elmar lens--if I focused at 80 cm (the minimum focusing distance), can I get enough detail in faces, for example, to not warrant having the macro adapter?  

[farnz]

There's a similar thread here that might be of help.

Pete.

[paulsydaus]

I have both.

The Elpro 52 gets closer and for me has a noticeably higher quality since it doesn’t throw away any light compared to the extension tube approach.  Plus it’s significantly cheaper.  Seems like it is a no brainer decision then I guess...

[brandnew2]

57 minutes ago, startover said:

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed and helpful response.  Nice pictures of watches/movements--great detail.  Yes, my primary objective is closer focusing. 

A basic question on the macro adapter--would I have to resort to live view to focus (with or without the Visoflex)?  Also, what is your view on the 90 Macro Elmar lens--if I focused at 80 cm (the minimum focusing distance), can I get enough detail in faces, for example, to not warrant having the macro adapter?  

Thank you! Yes, the macro adapter isn't rangefinder coupled, so if you have it mounted, it's live view only (the elpro of course also requires live view). If your intention is to shoot faces/portraits, the 90 macro alone is more than enough - you really don't need the macro-adapter-m unless you're shooting smaller objects, IMO. At the 90 M-E-M's closest native focal distance without any add-ons, a face will basically fill the entire frame (and the lens is sharp as a tack, so you will get a lot of detail). 

The elpro is really for very close range work - it'll make the lens focus way too closely for a portrait. 

Edited October 23, 2020 by brandnew2

[startover]

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Thank you farnz, paulsydaus and brandnew2.

Seems like I should just use a 90 Macro Elmar lens for close-ups in my documentary work to capture details of faces and hands, for example.  Not being able to use RF focusing with the Macro Adapter or Elpro 52 is a big minus for me.

 

[farnz]

You could use the LCD or Visoflex 020 for focussing instead of the rangefinder so you'd be looking TTL.

Pete.

[rnz]

taken with elpro52, it takes some practice to get good focus.  

 

 

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[pyracine]

On 10/23/2020 at 5:13 AM, startover said:

Thank you farnz, paulsydaus and brandnew2.

Seems like I should just use a 90 Macro Elmar lens for close-ups in my documentary work to capture details of faces and hands, for example.  Not being able to use RF focusing with the Macro Adapter or Elpro 52 is a big minus for me.

 

Hello

For rangefinder focusing, the only RF coupled adapter is Leica 14409. Late versions are 6-bit coded.

However it is precarious to shoot handheld at such a close distance as the DOF is so thin.. and parallax also is an issue.

Manual / instructions here : 

http://www.summilux.net/documents/MacroAdapterM-Notice.pdf