Leica adaptors with non-ROM R lenses on SL and SL2 cameras

[John Sheridan]

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I have both an SL and an SL2 camera with SL lenses as well as several M and R lenses bought originally for use on M and R cameras.

I also have a Leica R-adaptor M, a Leica M-adaptor L, and a Leica R-adaptor L. The Leica R-adaptor L was bought because I have some longer R lenses and because of vignetting and light leak issues, in some instances, when stacked adaptors are used.

I have found that R-ROM lenses are recognised and operate as expected on both the SL and SL2 cameras when the Leica R-adaptor L is used.

Non-ROM R lenses are recognised on the SL camera after the lens details have been entered manually under ‘Lens Profiles…R-Lenses’ in the menu when the Leica R-adaptor L is employed.  This information, however, is lost on most occasions if an adjustment is made to the aperture ring of the lens.

Similarly, non-ROM R lenses are recognised on the SL2 camera after the lens details have been entered manually, in this case, under ‘Camera Settings...Lens Profiles…R-Lenses’ when the Leica R-adaptor L is employed. However as with the SL this information, again, is usually lost if an adjustment is made to the aperture ring of the lens.

The question is do I have a faulty Leica R-adaptor L or do all such adaptors behave this way?

If the adaptor is not faulty could a software updates on both cameras rectify the shared problem?

Using the Leica R-adaptor M plus the Leica M-adaptor L with non-ROM lenses on the SL, the lenses are recognised by the camera after the lens details have been entered under ‘Lens Profiles…R-Lenses’. However, unlike the situation with the dedicated Leica R-adaptor L, with the stacked adaptors, the lens information is retained when adjustments are made to the aperture ring of the lens.  

Incredibly using the stacked adaptors with non-ROM lenses on the SL2 the situation is unworkable. This is because lens details cannot be entered.  Bringing up ‘Camera Settings… Lens Profiles’ with the stacked adaptors in place leads to ‘Auto, Off and M-Lenses’ being the only options; ‘R-Lenses’ is not even an option!

Have others come across the same difficulties as me? It is hard to believe what I have found.  

Any thoughts?

Thank you,

John Sheridan

[ardbeg]

I think there is definitely something amiss perhaps with the adapter contacts or connection of the adapter(s) to the camera bodies. For my part, I regularly use stacked R to M and M to L adapters exclusively with non-ROM lenses and the R lens profile menu option is visible and selectable on my SL2. I do not have any experience with the more ROM lens centric R to L adapter but I can note that Leica’s documentation on adapters does say that adapter is only formally compatible with the ROM lenses. There’s a chart which recommends the stacked adapters for non-ROM lenses. All that said, the fact that moving the aperture messes up lens detection on the R to L would imply imperfect contact between the adapter and body.

Edited November 10, 2020 by ardbeg

[ardbeg]

This link (https://us.leica-camera.com/content/download/133226/1815664/version/1/file/160726_Kompatibilität_R-Objektive_E.pdf) lists the lenses supported by both the R Adapter L (meant best for ROM lenses) and the combination of R Adapter M and M Adapter L which are usable on all/most R lenses (but which doesn't pass lens data as there are no digital contacts)

Edited November 10, 2020 by ardbeg

[BernardC]

1 hour ago, John Sheridan said:

This information, however, is lost on most occasions if an adjustment is made to the aperture ring of the lens.

The R adapters do not relay aperture information on non-ROM lenses. I wonder if changing the aperture rotates the adapter a little bit, so that the contacts no longer line-up. That would make the camera think that you've changed lenses. You should check for excessive play on the adapter. Leica, or your dealer, may help you out if it's loose.

Do you find that you need to have the focal length information with R lenses? It allows you to use IS with the SL2, but it doesn't do much with the SL. Some people like to know what lens they used for a particular picture. I carry a small kit, so I can usually tell if I used my wide, normal, or long lens.

[John Sheridan]

Thank you both Ardbeg and BernardC for your helpful comments

Yes, I suspect you are correct in thinking there is something amiss with the contacts or connection between the R-adaptor L and both my SL and SL2 cameras. Surprisingly however the lens / adaptor / camera connections appear to be firm and attempts to stress the connections by twisting fixed parts of the lens against the cameras do not cause loss of lens detail information by either camera. This is despite even very gentle aperture ring adjustments generally causing loss of such information. It also seems odd than aperture adjustment of R-Rom lenses have no ill effect on lens recognition by either camera.

My main reason for concern with the R-adaptor L is the loss of lens detail information with aperture adjustment leads to the loss of image stabilisation on the SL2.

With the stacked Leica R to M and M to L adaptors,  Ardbeg’s SL2 allows access to R lens profiles when using non-ROM lenses whilst mine did not. Since reading this I have wobbled the connections between the stacked adaptors with the result that I now have access to R profiles on the SL2. So thank you for that!

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by John Sheridan
My stupidity

[tritentrue]

14 hours ago, John Sheridan said:

Non-ROM R lenses are recognised on the SL camera after the lens details have been entered manually under ‘Lens Profiles…R-Lenses’ in the menu when the Leica R-adaptor L is employed.  This information, however, is lost on most occasions if an adjustment is made to the aperture ring of the lens.

When using a non-ROM Leica R lens (or a non-ROM teleconverter attached to an R lens) attached to the R-Adapter-L (16076) on my SL601 or CL, the lens information in EXIF (when viewed in Capture One 20) is not lost if I change the aperture.

There are, however, other anomalies that diminish the shooting experience.  When any non-ROM optic (teleconverter or lens) is attached to the R-Adapter-L, the SL601  and CL require about four seconds after a half-press of the shutter button for the EVF to wake up and display the subject matter.  This has cost me more than one "decisive moment."

But when I use the R-Adapter-M coupled with the M-Adapter-L, wakeup is almost instant with the half-press on either camera.  The issue is also not present when a ROM lens is attached directly to the R-Adapter-L.  Unfortunately, the combined adapter option causes some vignetting on my 180mm and 280mm lenses when using the SL601.

Last but not least, as was previously noted by another forum user, the 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R ROM is shown in EXIF as being 277mm when used with the R-Adapter-L, contrary to the 283mm focal length specified in Leica's "datenblatt" for the lens.  All byproducts, I suppose, of the process of shoehorning R-mount lenses onto L-mount cameras.  At least we have that option! 🙃

 

[masjah]

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10 hours ago, tritentrue said:

 

10 hours ago, tritentrue said:

 

10 hours ago, tritentrue said:

......... Last but not least, as was previously noted by another forum user, the 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R ROM is shown in EXIF as being 277mm when used with the R-Adapter-L, contrary to the 283mm focal length specified in Leica's "datenblatt" for the lens.  All byproducts, I suppose, of the process of shoehorning R-mount lenses onto L-mount cameras.  At least we have that option! 🙃

 

The focal length information is transmitted via the ROM chip, even to the extent of a ROM zoom lens sending the actual selected focal length to the camera. You can see the focal length changing in the camera's display as you zoom the lens. If 277 actually comes up in your camera display, then presumably that is what is being sent to the camera by the ROM chip. When the ROM chip concept was first introduced, Leica made a bit of a thing about the chip being programmed with information specific to the actual individual lens sample to which the chip was attached, for example the aperture dynamics. I just wonder if the same goes for actual (as distinct from nominal) focal length of your individual sample.

Just a thought.

 

 

[tritentrue]

The 277mm focal length shows up in EXIF, and is not displayed in camera.  The 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R ROM is a fixed focal length lens and one therefore cannot "see the focal length changing in the camera's display as you zoom the lens."  Coincidentally, the member who originally posted about the anomaly also reported 277mm focal length being displayed.

To elaborate on my overriding thought, the lens is so good that I don't really care what's displayed in EXIF; it is just a matter of mild interest.  And I'm grateful to Leica for enabling use of R lenses with corrections on their cameras of a subsequent era.

Apologies to TS for going OT here . . . 🤫

[masjah]

8 hours ago, tritentrue said:

The 277mm focal length shows up in EXIF, and is not displayed in camera.  The 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R ROM is a fixed focal length lens and one therefore cannot "see the focal length changing in the camera's display as you zoom the lens."  Coincidentally, the member who originally posted about the anomaly also reported 277mm focal length being displayed.

To elaborate on my overriding thought, the lens is so good that I don't really care what's displayed in EXIF; it is just a matter of mild interest.  And I'm grateful to Leica for enabling use of R lenses with corrections on their cameras of a subsequent era.

Apologies to TS for going OT here . . . 🤫

Yes, I'm aware that it's not a zoom lens - I've got one myself. I was just making the point that what is displayed in the camera's display is coming from the lens, and not a look-up table in the camera based on the ROM chip simply identifying which lens it is. If 277 is displayed in the camera, then that is what the ROM chip is telling the camera. I'll see if I've got time today to put my lens on the camera and see what gets displayed.

I also completely agree with your second paragraph - my own mild interest got triggered!

PS: Had a spare moment to mount my 280/4 ROM on my SL2. It comes up on the main menu page as 276.

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by masjah