R to L Lens Adapter

[marknorton]

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I have a number - 10 or more - of R lenses which are not seeing the use they deserve on an M body so I’m thinking of buying an SL2 but was surprised at the cost of the Leica R to L lens adapter. Does it provide anything beyond spacing the lens out such as auto-diaphragm or aperture ring coupling? Why would I buy this instead of a Novoflex adapter at a quarter of the price? I already have an R to M adapter and an M to L adapter so in theory could stack them.

Edited July 16, 2021 by marknorton

[masjah]

Mark, no automatic diaphragm, and no aperture coupling. There is however a ROM chip receptor so that a ROM lens can communicate lens identification and focal length. I've got the Leica adapter and personally I found the extra expense worthwhile because my lenses are ROM. It saves having to enter the lens details manually when you change lenses. Particularly useful is that with ROM zooms, the actual focal length you set on the lens is sent to the camera, since this is needed for the IBIS to work.

If your lenses are not ROM,  I'd be tempted to use your stacked adapters since you'd have to enter lens details manually anyway. What I don't know is if there would be any problem with vignetting with any of the lenses.

I used to use an R-M adapter on my M240 + EVF2, which worked OK for static subjects, but I moved over to an SL2 because I needed IBIS in my old age!

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[jaapv]

It supports the ROM. I find stacking the adapters a good solution.

[dkCambridgeshire]

Consider acquiring the URTH Leica R to L adapter £26 ... I.M.E. URTH adapters are of similar quality to Novoflex adapters ... in fact URTH adapters' internal baffling is better than Novoflex 

https://uk.urth.co/collections/lens-adapters ... R to L adapter is listed under Leica R .

I have a s/h Novoflex LET R to L mount adapter which has no electronic ROM contacts ... purchased years ago before the release of URTH adapters. I have since bought several URTH 'L mount' adapters for other non-Leica lenses. and can vouch for URTH quality 

The Leica branded 'Leica R adapter L' has ROM contacts ... this is the only illustration I could find :  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leica-R-adapter-L-16076-for-SL-camera-and-Rom-R-lens-076-/192734454907?norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-153696-560033-8&mkcid=2&keyword=&crlp=355246904595_&MT_ID=&geo_id=&rlsatarget=dsa-764521878456&adpos=&device=c&mktype=&loc=9046317&poi=&abcId=&cmpgn=2033188068&sitelnk=&adgroupid=71572595973&network=g&matchtype=b&gclid=CjwKCAjw3MSHBhB3EiwAxcaEu-Zb_wg55ASlOuH5iy955DPWSTwQBHDoxG68irzBHa8AGeRwqC-LahoCdOAQAvD_BwE ... but does not permit auto aperture selection via the camera. 

Save your ££ and consider buying URTH adapters.

Personally I'd never pay £560 for an adapter ... learnt my lesson by buying the almost useless Novoflex 'Canon EF to Leica SL' adapter ...  

dunk 

EDIT: Above relates to my experience with my SL 601 ... I do not own an SL2.

I use URTH 'L mount' adapters with my 'L mount' Panasonic S1R and 'dial in' the focal lengths for IBIS when required 

Edited July 16, 2021 by dkCambridgeshire

[Leicaiste]

Stacked adapters may cause vignetting with long lenses. 
 

[frame-it]

3 hours ago, Leicaiste said:

Stacked adapters may cause vignetting with long lenses. 
 

depending on the sensor size

[hamey]

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As you have several R lenses and you want to stay in the Leica camp I would definitely go for the Leica R to L adapter it's beautifully made and offers excellent adaption.

At this time, Leica if offering a promotion on the SL/2 with a FREE M to SL adapter but not to R users, so if you can work out a deal, buy the SL/2s with the free M to SL Adapter then trade back the adapter for the R to SL, hopefully this could save you some money.

Or 2nd option. you can get an R to EF adapter then Sigma MC 21 EF to SL mount adapter for adaption to the SL system.

3rd option go to another  brand that's the beauty with R lenses, WE DON'T REALLY NEED THE  LEICA SL SYSTEM to use our R lenses. ( are you listening Leica)

Good Luck on your options.

Edited July 17, 2021 by hamey

[ramarren]

I used the stacked adapters (R Adapter M stacked onto M Adapter L) with my SL and R lenses. All of my R lenses are three-cam, non ROM models ... there's no benefit from the ROM reader in the R Adapter L ... and the R Adapter M removable tripod foot is more compact and doesn't get in the way as much as the one for the R Adapter L. 

I did see some vignetting: both with extreme macro extension when using the Focusing Bellows-R or with some very long telephoto lenses (anything past 250mm is very long telephoto for me) on the SL body's FF sensor. The CL body's APS-C sensor shows no vignetting at all in the same circumstances.

G

[davidmknoble]

After using the M, S and R adapters I have found I really like the ROM contacts in the R adapter.  It provides not only lens EXIF in the file, but I have to believe that Leica uses the lens profiles for light falloff and other items - they had all that data for the R8 and R9 multi-meter patterns.  The Leica adapters are expensive, but so were the lenses!

I am not a fan of stacking (each to his own), because the more connections, the more chance for problems - either out of alignment or too much stress on a mount, and the R and S adapters have tripod mounts built in, so its easy to mount a long lens.  I use the R 280 f/2.8 and mount the lens to the tripod, but if I’m using the 28-90, I mount the adapter to the tripod.

Just plain flexible.

 

[Guest]

On 7/16/2021 at 7:30 PM, marknorton said:

I have a number - 10 or more - of R lenses which are not seeing the use they deserve on an M body so I’m thinking of buying an SL2 but was surprised at the cost of the Leica R to L lens adapter. Does it provide anything beyond spacing the lens out such as auto-diaphragm or aperture ring coupling? Why would I buy this instead of a Novoflex adapter at a quarter of the price? I already have an R to M adapter and an M to L adapter so in theory could stack them.

You never buy second hand, do you?

[PetersPhotoChannel]

Yesterday I had a conversation with a LEICA staff member, about the R adapter L - with two very surprising informations:

1. No focal length is transmitted to the camera - only EXIF data
   The information was, that the focal length of R primes or zooms (!) is not transmitted to the camera and that the IBIS in the LEICA SL cameras works without this parameter. They even stated, that if you manually choose an R-lens, let's say of 21mm focal length, but then connect a 280mm lens, the IBIS would still work perfectly. You just choose any lens (if you don't need the EXIF data) and the camera will work as with the correct focal length entered. Only choosing whatever lens in the menue activates the IBIS, they say. Wow!
    
2. There are no R-lens profiles in the digital LEICA cameras
   I thought that connecting a ROM lens or manually entering a lens without ROM in the menue a lens profile would be loaded to egalize imperfections. But there are none . . .

Furthermore I was told that 3CAM lenses can be attached to the R adapter L without any problems. And I got an E-Mail from NOVOFLEX stating the same about their adapter.

What are your experiences?

Peter

PetersPhotoChannel.com

[masjah]

1 hour ago, PetersPhotoChannel said:

Yesterday I had a conversation with a LEICA staff member, about the R adapter L - with two very surprising informations:

1. No focal length is transmitted to the camera - only EXIF data
   The information was, that the focal length of R primes or zooms (!) is not transmitted to the camera and that the IBIS in the LEICA SL cameras works without this parameter. They even stated, that if you manually choose an R-lens, let's say of 21mm focal length, but then connect a 280mm lens, the IBIS would still work perfectly. You just choose any lens (if you don't need the EXIF data) and the camera will work as with the correct focal length entered. Only choosing whatever lens in the menue activates the IBIS, they say. Wow!
    
2. There are no R-lens profiles in the digital LEICA cameras
   I thought that connecting a ROM lens or manually entering a lens without ROM in the menue a lens profile would be loaded to egalize imperfections. But there are none . . .

Furthermore I was told that 3CAM lenses can be attached to the R adapter L without any problems. And I got an E-Mail from NOVOFLEX stating the same about their adapter.

What are your experiences?

Peter

PetersPhotoChannel.com

At least some of this is incorrect. If you stick a ROM R zoom on the camera via the adapter, the set focal length is displayed, and furthermore it changes automatically and continuously as one zooms in and out. Try it and see.  Lord knows who you spoke to.

[frame-it]

1 hour ago, PetersPhotoChannel said:

They even stated, that if you manually choose an R-lens, let's say of 21mm focal length, but then connect a 280mm lens, the IBIS would still work perfectly.

that's correct, when i use R lenses with an R>M+M>L adaper on the SL2S i just choose the closest M lens and ibis works fine [i dont get an R lens list in the menu at all, probably because the R>M adapter has no rom contact]

Edited April 15, 2022 by frame-it

[PetersPhotoChannel]

Zitat

Lord knows who you spoke to.

@John

I spoke to an employee that’s more than twenty years with LEICA. I won’t put the name here yet as I don’t want to harm anybody’s reputation . . .
Let’s see if we can find out where the misunderstanding or the wrong information is.

It’s well known that the ROM contacts don’t transport the information about the aperture, but that i.e. in Lightroom you get an aperture value based on a software analysis of the image.

So my question to you is where you see the instantaneous changes when you zoom in or out with an R-Zoom-Lens. In camera or in post?

I do want to get this straight and will email our findings to LEICA and publish their answer here.

Peter

 

[davidmknoble]

4 hours ago, PetersPhotoChannel said:

Yesterday I had a conversation with a LEICA staff member, about the R adapter L - with two very surprising informations:

1. No focal length is transmitted to the camera - only EXIF data
   The information was, that the focal length of R primes or zooms (!) is not transmitted to the camera and that the IBIS in the LEICA SL cameras works without this parameter. They even stated, that if you manually choose an R-lens, let's say of 21mm focal length, but then connect a 280mm lens, the IBIS would still work perfectly. You just choose any lens (if you don't need the EXIF data) and the camera will work as with the correct focal length entered. Only choosing whatever lens in the menue activates the IBIS, they say. Wow!
    
2. There are no R-lens profiles in the digital LEICA cameras
   I thought that connecting a ROM lens or manually entering a lens without ROM in the menue a lens profile would be loaded to egalize imperfections. But there are none . . .

Furthermore I was told that 3CAM lenses can be attached to the R adapter L without any problems. And I got an E-Mail from NOVOFLEX stating the same about their adapter.

What are your experiences?

Peter

PetersPhotoChannel.com

i can tell you that my Leica R 80-200 f/4 zoom records very odd focal lengths - ie it clearly records the zoomed focal length in my images with the Leica R to L adapter.  You know that it passed that information in the lens ROM to the Leica R8 and R9, so it would be really odd not to do so in the adapter.

I will look to see what the JPEGs look like on my Leica SL2-S with the R 80mm f/1.4 wide open to see if it corrects some of the vignetting as I do not know any other way to test the 2nd item.

 

[davidmknoble]

2 hours ago, frame-it said:

that's correct, when i use R lenses with an R>M+M>L adaper on the SL2S i just choose the closest M lens and ibis works fine [i dont get an R lens list in the menu at all, probably because the R>M adapter has no rom contact]

It would make sense that stacking adapters does not transmit proper R information.  I would expect the adapter closest to the camera would tell the camera to expect that type of lens (in this case the M lenses).  However, a direct R to L adapter would tell the camera to expect an R lens.

Just read the R to M adapter, was thinking M to L adapter which does transmit lens information.  Clearly M cameras only have light to read the 6 bit code, not contacts.  Sorry misread.

[frame-it]

11 minutes ago, davidmknoble said:

It would make sense that stacking adapters does not transmit proper R information.  I would expect the adapter closest to the camera would tell the camera to expect that type of lens (in this case the M lenses).  However, a direct R to L adapter would tell the camera to expect an R lens.

Just read the R to M adapter, was thinking M to L adapter which does transmit lens information.  Clearly M cameras only have light to read the 6 bit code, not contacts.  Sorry misread.

yep i dont really care bout it anyways

but leica should make the ibis settings like fuji:

1) on continuous

2) on shooting only

3) off

and simply enter the focal length

 

[PetersPhotoChannel]

@David

In yesterdays phone call with LEICA I stated that the R8 and the R9 do record the aperture. 
They said that‘s done mechanically, with a lever, and not through the ROM contacts. 
But I don‘t know how the focal length in those cameras is registered . . . 
‘I’m busy now but I’ll do some testing later on. 

Peter

[masjah]

2 hours ago, PetersPhotoChannel said:

@John

I spoke to an employee that’s more than twenty years with LEICA. I won’t put the name here yet as I don’t want to harm anybody’s reputation . . .
Let’s see if we can find out where the misunderstanding or the wrong information is.

It’s well known that the ROM contacts don’t transport the information about the aperture, but that i.e. in Lightroom you get an aperture value based on a software analysis of the image.

So my question to you is where you see the instantaneous changes when you zoom in or out with an R-Zoom-Lens. In camera or in post?

I do want to get this straight and will email our findings to LEICA and publish their answer here.

Peter

 

Peter, you can see it on the first summary screen of the menu, at the top left hand corner. If I've got my 28-90 lens attached, and zoom in and out, the focal length changes in small increments from 90 to 29.

Likewise, on an R8/R9, the ROM chip sends focal length information to the camera, so that a variable focal length flashgun such as a Metz MZ54, can zoom its reflector in and out.

So far as aperture is concerned, it is indeed the case that nothing is transmitted via the R-L adapter. But on an R8 or R9, with a variable aperture zoom lens, the camera viewfinder display shows the correct aperture, not the nominal one indicated on the lens aperture ring. So if the ROM chip doesn't directly send aperture information, then the correct aperture must be calculated by the R/R9, using lens specification and focal length setting sent via the ROM chip, as well as the mechanical aperture lever linkage. Likewise, with a ROM equipped 2X extender, the R8/R9 camera displays the correct (doubled) f/number, so that the extender must be passing through to the camera at least that it is present.

 

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[PetersPhotoChannel]

John, thank you very much for your very valuable input. I just confirmed it on my LEICA SL2 and the R adapter L, together with my Vario-Elmar-R 35-70mm f4 Macro. 

I just visited the LEICA homepage and verified the name of the person I spoke to yesterday and on the list with the members of the LEICA academy he’s one of the highest ranked experts, who regularly gives seminars and workshops. He must have had a really big blackout yesterday. 

I will have to verify the other two statements, one being that there are no R-lens profiles stored in the SL’s memory and that you can enter whatever focal length lens manually in the menue  and attach another lens with a different focal length - and still have a proper working IBIS. How could that work?

Well thanks again and I will post here what my LEICA contact answered. 

Happy Easter!

Peter

PetersPhotoChannel.com