Adapting Pre-1976 R Lenses (1 and 2 Cam) to L Mount?

[pannette]

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Hi all,

I recently inherited a large number of old R lenses from my dad, who used to shoot them on his Leicaflex SL. I'm thinking about contacting DAG and seeing if they can get that camera reprismed as the viewfinder is a total mess, but in the mean time, I was looking into something used in the L lineup that I might be able to shoot with them. However, Leica's official R to L adapter states not to use the 1 and 2 cam lenses with it or else it might get damaged. It feels wrong to take them out of the Leica ecosystem given, but is there any kind of alternative adapter I can use for these? Or is my only hope to jump ship to Canon/Nikon/Fuji/etc?

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[hansvons]

I use R 50mm and 35mm lenses from the 70ies without trouble on my SL2-S with the Novoflex R-L adapter. They also fit on regular R cameras. I think it’s the other way round. 3 cams on old SLs doesn’t work. But I might be wrong. 

[hepcat]

6 hours ago, hansvons said:

I use R 50mm and 35mm lenses from the 70ies without trouble on my SL2-S with the Novoflex R-L adapter. They also fit on regular R cameras. I think it’s the other way round. 3 cams on old SLs doesn’t work. But I might be wrong. 

I have both two and three cam lenses, and had Don add the third cam to my 50mm Summilux and 35mm Elmarit.   I use a Metabones adapter on my Lumix S1 with all of them.  I can't imagine why the Leica R to L adapter would be damaged, unless it's chipped to work with ROM lenses.  In any event, any of the straight-through, non-coupled adapters, Metabones, Novaflex, or even the cheaper Urth adapters should work fine.

 

Edited September 16, 2022 by hepcat

[dkCambridgeshire]

I use a 1960s manufactured Leica R 135mm R lens with my SL and T via a Novoflex adapter & works fine

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/276596-leica-t-budget-macro/#comment-3354182

BW, dunk

Edited September 21, 2022 by dkCambridgeshire

[masjah]

On 9/16/2022 at 2:59 AM, hepcat said:

I have both two and three cam lenses, and had Don add the third cam to my 50mm Summilux and 35mm Elmarit.   I use a Metabones adapter on my Lumix S1 with all of them.  I can't imagine why the Leica R to L adapter would be damaged, unless it's chipped to work with ROM lenses.  In any event, any of the straight-through, non-coupled adapters, Metabones, Novaflex, or even the cheaper Urth adapters should work fine.

 

The Leica branded R-L adapter is indeed able to read ROM lens chips. The camera displays which lens is attached and the focal length information helps with IBIS and perspective control.