Nikon lens on Leica R?

[sandro]

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Is it possible to use older Nikkor lenses on a Leica R body? It seems the other way round is possible, but I would be interested to use a Nikon Nikkor lens on a Leica R camera. I assume it is not possible to use Nikon lenses on analgue Leica M bodies.

Lex

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[Shac]

Yes it most definitely is possible and when I had Nikon cameras I adapted several R lenses. The owner of the site is very helpful

See

http://leitax.com/leica-lens-for-nikon-cameras.html

Edited April 18, 2024 by Shac

[sandro]

I would like it the other way round: using Nikon lenses on a Leica R camera.

Lex

[Guest]

I assume you mean Nikon F lenses.

Just compare the flange focal distance (FFD): Nikon F 46.5mm, Leica R 47.0mm. Thus, to focus on "infinity" a Nikon F lens needs 46.5mm distance from the film plane. But a Leica R camera already provides 47mm (plus the width of an adapter). In other words, you will not be able to focus on infinity.  

Regarding using Nikon F lenses on analog Leica M (FFD 27.8mm) bodies, that would work (with an adapter, of course) but there is no way to focus. There is one exception: Shoten produces an adapter (NF-LM R50) for 50mm Nikon F lenses on Leica M cameras that is rangefinder coupled.   

Edited April 18, 2024 by Studienkamera

[romanus53]

Novoflex made a nice adapter LEM/NIK to use Nikon lenses on Leica-M. Of course no rangefinder-coupling but you can use either scale-focusing or EVF on digital M (that's what I use frequently). There are some adapters out in the bay providing rf-coupling but only for f=50mm and that has to be precise 50mm - we all know about tolerances in real focal length and their consequences for rf-coupling. I was tempted to try such thing out for M42-mount but didn't buy and stick to the EVF still.

[dpitt]

And of course you could use a Leica SL or CL/TL with a cheap mechanical adapter to use all your manual Nikon F lenses.

[Anbaric]

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With such a long flange focal distance the R cameras are almost the least adaptable of all 35mm SLRs; only the rare Contax N AF mount distance is longer. With an R body, you are pretty much limited to the native lenses and universal mounts like Tamron Adaptall and the T-mount variants.

I suppose an adapter with an extra lens element to allow infinity focus could have been made (there were several such adapters to use other lenses on Nikon cameras, without having to do Leitax conversions) but I haven't seen any for the R cameras - possibly the market for using third party lenses on Leica SLRs, with the inevitable degradation in image quality from the extra glass, wasn't thought to be large enough to bother. Canon EOS cameras, with a relatively short focal distance of 44mm, are more adaptable than most film SLR bodies, and a decent range of glassless adapters that give infinity focus are available, including for Leica R and Nikon F lenses.

For Nikon lenses the best option is of course a Nikon body, and you can get a really high quality one for little money by Leica standards. But you do need to be aware of the changes in compatibility that Nikon made over time, especially the change from pre-AI to AI (mounting an unconverted pre-AI lens can damage an AI body), and for the later lenses the different AF and aperture control systems, which mean that not all lenses are compatible with all bodies.

[sandro]

Thanks Anbaric. I unexpectedly inherited a Nikkormat EL with seven Nikon and one Soligor lenses, which is nice and interesting, but I don't aim to collect such cameras and lenses. In this case I may sell most of the lenses but keep the Micro-Nikkor -P.C 3.5/55mm, which seems the most interesting. As an analog Leica M user I bought an R4 several years ago to use the Macro-Elmar 60mm which I could buy for a very nice price. So perhaps the Nikkormat will be staying.

Lex

[Shac]

14 hours ago, sandro said:

I would like it the other way round: using Nikon lenses on a Leica R camera.

Lex

My apologies - reading to quickly

[nitroplait]

The Nikkormat is unfairly low priced in the current market - Excellent camera but hardly worth the trouble selling.

It doesn’t hurt having a platform for some of the excellent and inexpensive Nikkor lenses out there.

 

[250swb]

Very true, if you like Leica there is also much to appreciate with a Nikon body and great lenses.

[sandro]

I agree, I have used a Nikkormat for a short while in the 1970's and it is a wonderful, strong and reliable camera. Due to much metal it is a rather heavy camera, expecially in comparison with modern cameras. I guess we were used to carry such heavy equipment around back then.

So yes, I think about keeping the Nikkormat EL to use one or two of the lenses, but I certainly won't be using all eight lenses that came with the camera.

Lex

[pgk]

I'm sure that I have seen a Nikon lens adapted for Leica R - the 35mm shift lens. So whilst it is technically feasible (on some lenses anyway)it would involve considerable machining and modification and is irreversable. As it would be very expensive to get done (assuming someone would take such a conversion on) I doubt that it would be of any interest to anyone to have a Nikon lens modified to Leica R today.

[BernardC]

16 hours ago, sandro said:

So yes, I think about keeping the Nikkormat EL to use one or two of the lenses, but I certainly won't be using all eight lenses that came with the camera.

Exactly. Try-out the whole kit, enjoy the Nikon experience. Nikon made some wonderful bodies during their peak years. If you don't like it, sell it on.

One thing that may bother you is that Nikkors focus the "wrong way," relative to Leica, Canon, Hasselblad, etc., so you'll find that you are turning the focus ring in the wrong direction. It can mess with your muscle memory when you go back to your M and Leicaflex.

[sandro]

Bernard, yes I noticed the focus turning the other way than I am used to. Funny thing is that I didn't intend to collect other camera's than Leica M, I also have received a Pentax Spotmatic in working order with a few lenses, and now the Nikkormat. 

Lex