Does anyone make a Sony E-Mount to LTM (L39) adapter (not the other way around)?

[Father of Wolves]

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Hi All,

I've been looking without success to find a Sony E-Mount to LTM (L39) adapter.  There are lots to choose from the other way around though when you want to use the LTM lens on the Sony.  I'm wondering if it is just a bad idea given the weight of the Sony Lens on the Leica 39mm which at 26 threads per inch isn't optimal for Modern lens.

[pgk]

Why? Sony E mount lenses are electronically coupled and controlled. Using them 'manually' makes no sense.

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[nitroplait]

If you can mount an LTM lens on a Sony E while maintaining  infinity focus, the opposite is not possible.

and as @pgk notes above, most Sony lenses are focus-by-wire, thus they would not even work without a Sony camera to feed the lens’ electronics.

[thomasstellwag]

 

pls have a look here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flange_focal_distance

it only makes sense to mount lenses with longer focal distance via adaptor to cameras with shorter focal distance, see here as a minimum Leica L lenses to leica M bodies, where you have 1mm for the adaptor thickness. You might use a shorter lens which then doesn´t reach infinity, if the difference is minimal and you do not exceed the reachable distance f.e. for portraits. In some cases you can use the effect for macro, as a replacement for an extension tube, but I doubt, that those new lenses are designed for it...always in case you might run them manually ( manual E mount lenses from 3rd party manufacturers)

[jankap]

You can use LTM lenses only on a LTM camera. LTM = Leica Thread Mount. LTM has a distance from mount to film of 28.8 mm. Sony E mount lenses have a distance of 18mm.

But there are many LTM lenses on the second hand market: Leica, Canon, CCCP and others.

PS: Perhaps you should look in the Rangefinder Forum too.

Edited August 9, 2022 by jankap

[Father of Wolves]

Thanks everyone for your insights. I appreciate it.  Bottom line it looks like it won't work.  

[Keith (M)]

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Well, there are some  E & FE-fit lens with manual focus (I have the Zeiss Loxia 25mm f2.4 which is fully manual) and whereas I use my M and R lens on my A7III & A6500, the thought of using the E & FE lenses on M or R camera never crossed my mind.  As others have pointed out, there are physical constraints.

[Anbaric]

Someone could theoretically make an adapter, but (a) you wouldn't get infinity focus because of the shorter flange focal distance of the Sony cameras unless the adapter incorporated an additional lens element to correct for this, and (b) it would only be useful with the small selection of lenses with mechanical focusing and aperture rings made by some third party companies like 7artisans, and (c) there'd be no rangefinder coupling to the Leica, so you'd have to estimate focus. For all these reasons, I doubt there'd be a market for one!

[qqphot]

sony E has among the shortest flange-focal distances of the camera systems out there so adapters allowing E lenses to focus at infinity on almost anything else can't really exist. I guess there could be one for super 8 or 16mm motion picture cameras! But you'd still need to supply electronics to control the aperture and focus along with a nice precise servo to depress the rangefinder cam follower the right amount so the split image rangefinder would work. Of course no one would do this, it's just a silly thought experiment.

Edited August 9, 2022 by qqphot

[Father of Wolves]

Thanks for your replies Anbaric, qqphopt, and Keith.  Yeah, I'm relying on wiser photographer minds and deep 6ing that idea.  Thanks again though for your insights. I very much appreciate it!