Adapter for the Leica R Mount

[SimonBaalmann]

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Hello there,

I would like to buy a new lens for my Leica R SLR camera. 

However, I would prefer not to have an R mount lens, but another one (possibly "M" mount from Leica or a Minolta lens). 

Are there any adapters for the cameras R body, which are not necessarily from Leica itself (Leica adapters cost new sometimes 700€ or even more). 

Thanks and Best regards

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[jaapv]

Minolta nor Leica M can be used on an R mount.

https://www.graphics.cornell.edu/~westin/misc/mounts-by-register.html

[jankap]

I believe, one can safely say, that there are no adapters for the R mount. The distance from the lens mount to the film plane is 47mm. That is almost the largest dimension of all camera types. The Leica M - for instance - has 27.8mm, that means, that one can only take macro photos with M lenses on R cameras. Leica choose this distance to be able to use large mirrors in the R cameras, giving a very bright viewfinder.

The other way around, namely adapting R lenses on cameras of other makes is easy, therefore. 

Edited March 20, 2022 by jankap

[adan]

Tamron produced adapters to fit their own Adaptall lenses to Leica R.

https://www.keh.com/shop/tamron-adaptall-leica-r-661272.html

That was how the Adaptall systems worked (there were 4 over the years) - the basic lenses were all made identical (i.e less expensive) and wouldn't fit anything except the adapters. One bought adapters for the camera one had, and used Tamron lenses on them.

The lenses will not be "new" - they will mostly be 30-60 years old, ranging from the 1960s T-mount to the 1980s Adaptall-2 system. With a handful of extreme long lenses made into the 2000s. And the Tamron SP 90mm f/2.5 Macro is the "daddy" of today's Tamron 90mm Macros.

http://www.adaptall-2.com/index.html

As jankap says, the R cameras are too "thick" or deep to take most other "35mm-system" lenses for anything except macro work. But some medium-format or large-format lenses, that were designed for even deeper cameras in the first place, can be adapted.

https://fotodioxpro.com/products/hbv-lr-p

Edited March 21, 2022 by adan

[davidmknoble]

15 hours ago, jankap said:

I believe, one can safely say, that there are no adapters for the R mount. The distance from the lens mount to the film plane is 47mm

 

@jankapis correct. I did some research a few years ago wanting to mount some old Nikon aid glass to an R.  But the film distance is less on the Nikon. You can get great adapters for the SL system and R glass of Nikon, but not the other way around. 

[ph.]

Novoflex Pigriff  with their 280/300&600 should be usable (but not at Leitz level) with their own adapter, also  some of Leitz´ longer Telyts where  made to fit. As noted above such  glass is by now quite old. The last optics made for the R system was quite good:  some of it equal or better than what is available today, also the R lenses do not suffer from aging and unobtainable electronics and motors, but  do not count on getting any  damaged glass repaired 🚄Solms has warned that some lenses  cannot be serviced since components  are unavailable.

p.

 

[jaapv]

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Actually, the glass elements of the Novoflex lenses were made by Leica for Agfa, who built the lenses. I had the 400T (triplet), which outperformed the Leica 400 "trombone" (Doublet) at the time. Actually I have a Leica Telyt 400 6.8 - R (LNIB) somewhere in a drawer. Never used it as I preferred  the Noflexar.

[a.noctilux]

Many decades ago, I needed perspective control lens in R mount.

At that time only 4/35 was available in R mount, P-A Curtagon.

One "old style" repairer found a solution easily as he had done for other users already.

I bought a Nikkor PC 3.5/28mm then he adapted the mount, shaving 0.5mm to reach infinity.

Very nice job.

...

Now I use the PC Super-Angulon-R 2.8/28mm ( like this one ) with interchangeable mount in Leica R or even I use in Nikon mount with digital Nikon.

[dkCambridgeshire]

On 3/21/2022 at 6:20 PM, jaapv said:

Actually, the glass elements of the Novoflex lenses were made by Leica for Agfa, who built the lenses. I had the 400T (triplet), which outperformed the Leica 400 "trombone" (Doublet) at the time. Actually I have a Leica Telyt 400 6.8 - R (LNIB) somewhere in a drawer. Never used it as I preferred  the Noflexar.

Incorrect and has been discussed previously : https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/252637-budget-price-noflexar-t-400mm-3-element-lens-for-the-t/?do=findComment&comment=3577194

 

[jaapv]

I stand corrected. I read this a long time ago. It doesn’t take away that the triplet is a very good lens, though 

[dkCambridgeshire]

2 hours ago, jaapv said:

I stand corrected. I read this a long time ago. It doesn’t take away that the triplet is a very good lens, though 

Yes it is an excellent lens ... good images with the SL601. 

[jaapv]

I found the source that claims the lenses are made by Leica  from Schott glass: Jonathan Eastland, Leica M Compendium, Page 96.

[dkCambridgeshire]

2 hours ago, jaapv said:

I found the source that claims the lenses are made by Leica  from Schott glass: Jonathan Eastland, Leica M Compendium, Page 96.

On page 96 JE is referring to the Novoflex Rapid Follow Focus mount fitted with existing Leitz 400mm and 560mm f6.8 lens heads (2 element achromats) ... lens heads manufactured by Leica GmbH Solmes  ... glass supplied by Schott Glaswerke of Mainze. And JE states The 3 element 400mm T Noflexar lens heads (not used by Leitz) were supplied to Novoflex 'by a specialist subsidiary of Messrs Agfa ...'  which must have been Agfa's Staeble company. 

Edited March 28, 2022 by dkCambridgeshire

[dkCambridgeshire]

On 3/20/2022 at 7:22 PM, SimonBaalmann said:

Hello there,

I would like to buy a new lens for my Leica R SLR camera. 

However, I would prefer not to have an R mount lens, but another one (possibly "M" mount from Leica or a Minolta lens). 

Are there any adapters for the cameras R body, which are not necessarily from Leica itself (Leica adapters cost new sometimes 700€ or even more). 

Thanks and Best regards

Probably the only way of adapting non-R manual focus prime lenses to a Leica R body is to use a Novoflex bellows which has interchangeable mounts. The lens / bellows / camera combination will not focus to infinity but would be OK for close up photography. The original and current Novoflex c/u systems thus enable e.g. Olympus OM, Canon FD, Nikon F, Pentax K, Minolta MD/MC etc. macro lenses (and regular primes) to be used on any Leica SLR body. However, expect to pay £20 to £50 each for s/h Novoflex mounts ... and a s/h 1970s - 1990s Novoflex bellows would likely cost up to £150 depending on where sourced. There are several different Novoflex bellows all of which use the same series of interchangeable mounts. 

Reprints detailing the original Novoflex close-up system can be sourced online e.g. https://www.camera-manual.com/novoflex-bellows-manual-22843-gbp.  .

Novoflex offers their current close-up system using the same interchangeable mounts with their latest bellows ... a very versatile but relatively expensive close-up photography system.

https://www.novoflex.de/en/products-637/macro/extension-bellows.html

Novoflex manufactured the original Leica R bellows but it has a non-interchangeable front mount. 

dunk 

Edited April 26, 2022 by dkCambridgeshire

[masjah]

On 3/20/2022 at 7:22 PM, SimonBaalmann said:

Hello there,

I would like to buy a new lens for my Leica R SLR camera. 

However, I would prefer not to have an R mount lens, but another one (possibly "M" mount from Leica or a Minolta lens). 

Are there any adapters for the cameras R body, which are not necessarily from Leica itself (Leica adapters cost new sometimes 700€ or even more). 

Thanks and Best regards

Simon, if you want to use a lens on both an R camera and on another camera system, you might think about getting an R mount lens, and looking for an adapter to use the R lens on the other system. You might have more luck there, since, as has already been said, the R system has a greater film/flange distance than other systems. Just a thought. 

[mark fewtrell]

On 3/27/2022 at 10:24 AM, a.noctilux said:

Many decades ago, I needed perspective control lens in R mount.

At that time only 4/35 was available in R mount, P-A Curtagon.

One "old style" repairer found a solution easily as he had done for other users already.

I bought a Nikkor PC 3.5/28mm then he adapted the mount, shaving 0.5mm to reach infinity.

Very nice job.

...

Now I use the PC Super-Angulon-R 2.8/28mm ( like this one ) with interchangeable mount in Leica R or even I use in Nikon mount with digital Nikon.

Forgive my ignorance but  were there other adjustments to the Nikon bayonet?

[a.noctilux]

4 hours ago, mark fewtrell said:

Forgive my ignorance but  were there other adjustments to the Nikon bayonet?

Talking about Nikkor 28mm ?

Nikkor PC was in Nikon mount of course to be replaced, and the man replaced the Nikon F mount with Leica R mount.

No adjustments possible, so the entire male F mount replaced by R mount..

[dpitt]

There is one kind of 35mm lens I can think of that could work on the R system.

The old Visoflex  lenses can be mounted on the R camera's with the proper adapter. These will be 65mm FL and longer, but they will work as initended and provide good value for money.
Most of them will be older than the R camera though and finding the right focusing mounts and adapters for each lens can be a puzzle.

https://wiki.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Visoflex_Lenses_x_Focal_Length

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[mark fewtrell]

16 hours ago, a.noctilux said:

Talking about Nikkor 28mm ?

Nikkor PC was in Nikon mount of course to be replaced, and the man replaced the Nikon F mount with Leica R mount.

No adjustments possible, so the entire male F mount replaced by R mount..

okay thanks i misunderstood. 

[Frank.G]

Based on flange distance of 52mm

i wonder if it is possible to adapter Arri PL mount lens to Leica R series

if so, is there any existing adapter on the market?