Canon RF Long Focus Lenses on M8

[Chief]

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So, I bought my used M8 for the express purpose of using my Canon rangefinder lenses.  I have a set ofFotodiox adpters. All of my lenses mount on the M8 just fine.  It loves my wide angle and normal lenses (28mm, 35mm,50mm) they focus perfectly and produce very nice photos.  However, my M8 does not like my long focus lenses (85mm, 100mm, and 135mm).  None of them have any effect on the M8'ssplit image range finder.  My work-around, for now, is to focus with a different camera nd then set the distance  on the 85mm, 100mm, or 135mm lens.  I have achieved some satisfactory results using this method.  Has anyone encountered and solved this problem with a better solution?

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[boojum]

I have an 85mm Russian Jupiter 9 on my M8.2 and it works just fine.  The adapter is a 28/90mm adapter.  I, too, have the Canon 28mm f/2.8 and it was a simple attach the adapter and go deal.  So I would assume that if you use the adapter you use for your 28mm it would work for the 85mm.  It is not exact but, as we say, close enough for government work.  

You said that the Canon RF lenses work alright on a Canon camera.  If it were not an adapter problem the same adapter used for the 28 would work for the 85.  When looking at the back of your Canon lenses does the barrel move back and forth the same way in each lens when you focus it?

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Chief,

Welcome to the Forum.

With some lenses the Focusing Cam is continuous & goes all of the way around the lens barrel.

With some other lenses the focusing cam is a flat piece coming up along the inside of the lens barrel. With lenses of this second type the sides of the ends of these flat pieces, which contact the roller in the camera, are tapered to facilitate putting the lens on the camera.

With some lenses of the second type sometimes the roller in the camera does not contact the end of the flat piece in its center. If the contact is on the tapered portion at the sides of this end of the flat piece, or if the roller does not contact the end of the flat piece at any point, then the measured distance may be inaccurate or it may not contact at all.

Sometimes the roller in the camera requires adjustment.

Sometimes this also happens if the lens is not rotated until it "clicks" when it is put on the camera.

Best Regards,

Michael

Edited November 18, 2020 by Michael Geschlecht

[Pyrogallol]

I had the same problem with a 135mm Canon lens. The shaped focussing arm on the back of the lens did not line up correctly with the camera rangefinder roller on the Leica.

[tommonego@gmail.com]

Not on an M8 but I had a 135 Canon that just didn't work with my M2s, the rangefinder seemed just off, sent it back to who I bought it from. Some one told be Canon bodies are a tiny bit thicker at the lens mount that an SM Leica, so wide angles work but telephotos have an issue, they can be adjusted to work well on a Leica, this was a Leica repair guy.

[BrianS]

The Canon Telephoto lenses use a "Tongue" to make contact with the RF pickup of the camera. Canon lenses are also made to screw in with the focus index mark at "about" 2 O'Clock as you look at the front of the camera. They do this so you can see the setting though the viewfinder, or at least peek over the top of the viewfinder. Putting the M Adapter on the lens, make sure the "Tongue" lines up with the cutout on the back of the adapter. Some of the cheap adapters do not line up where they should, some are slightly off for thickness.

Some original Canon telephoto lenses such as the earliest 135 F4 do not have an RF cam. These lenses are rare and fairly valuable.

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Canon 13.5cm F4_3 by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

Canon 100mm F2 wide-open on the M Monochrom, which has the same RF mechanism as my M8.

 

Skate and Fun by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

[84bravo]

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Try a different M mount adapter. If your lens is not centered the cam is probably not meeting the RF roller.