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Adapters for SLR lenses to RF cameras?
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:33 am    Post subject: Adapters for SLR lenses to RF cameras? Reply with quote
I've been browsing through all the sky-high buy-it-now prices on eBay for M39 lenses and getting depressed. Makes me wish I'd have never sold my old Canon IVsb outfit. But that was a long time ago, and who knew?

It got me to wondering, though, so then I went and did a search on eBay for adapters but came away with nothing. And this really got me to wondering. Has anyone produced adapters so that SLR lenses can be used on rangefinder cameras?

Specifically, I would like to be able to use my Canon FL and FD lenses or my Nikon F lenses on my Canon IIIa rangefinder. Instead of having to spend several hundred dollars on a 50 year old or more RF lens if I wanted to shoot wide-angle, for example, I could just use one of my 24s or 28s.

I know it isn't registration distance that's an issue, since it's just the opposite when using SLR lenses on a rangefinder. Maybe back in the day some were made, I suppose, but nowadays there's just no demand? I realize there's no focus coupling possible, so only range focusing can be used, but that's fine. Especially with wide angles and their greater depth of field.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 5:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
It's too bad that Alex became unreliable... I think there is a significant market left for these custom adapters.

It's pretty much the same situation I am in with my Olympus Pen FT:
http://forum.mflenses.com/olympus-pen-f-mount-adapters-t33015.html
A great variety of adapters were available at one time, but now there are none to be found - at any price. Neutral


The biggest bummer is how these adapters could really transform these camera bodies. In many cases, the vintage bodies are quite affordable, but a reasonable kit of lenses will totally break the bank. Neutral Just one adapter, even if it is a bit expensive, could open up huge opportunities.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Perzackly my point!


PostPosted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 7:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Scheimpflug wrote:
It's too bad that Alex became unreliable... I think there is a significant market left for these custom adapters.

It's pretty much the same situation I am in with my Olympus Pen FT:
http://forum.mflenses.com/olympus-pen-f-mount-adapters-t33015.html
A great variety of adapters were available at one time, but now there are none to be found - at any price. Neutral


The biggest bummer is how these adapters could really transform these camera bodies. In many cases, the vintage bodies are quite affordable, but a reasonable kit of lenses will totally break the bank. Neutral Just one adapter, even if it is a bit expensive, could open up huge opportunities.

If the adaptor is profitable, one or more Chinese adaptor makers will probably made such kind of adaptor.

If the adaptor is not so complicated, the best way will be making a replica of the original adaptor.Some repairman may able to make you one such as Topcon UV to Nikon F adaptor:
http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/jore-blog/article?mid=71&next=69&l=a&fid=7


PostPosted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 8:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Canon itself marketed such adapter back at the time. It was called Canon lens converter B. Infinity is retained, no RF coupling. It's worth looking for in used market.

Cheers, M.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
marty wrote:
Canon itself marketed such adapter back at the time. It was called Canon lens converter B. Infinity is retained, no RF coupling. It's worth looking for in used market.

Cheers, M.


Hey Marty, thanks for that bit of info! Yeah, seems like Canon was one of the few camera manufacturers who made a variety of interesting adapters.

Using your info, I was able to locate three of them on eBay. All predictably high priced, too. Evil or Very Mad And it's no wonder. All three are owned by Kevin Cameras -- one eBay seller I refuse to buy from specifically because his prices are too high.

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=canon+"converter+b"&_sacat=0&_odkw=canon+"adapter+b"&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

Guess they got folks over a barrel. A lot cheaper than having to buy the RF lenses, though, I suppose.

Last edited by cooltouch on Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:02 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
There are quite a few makers for SLR-to-rangefinder adapters. But as SLR lenses do not have a constant, proportional focusing, they will reduce your rangefinder to a scale focus camera. This does not matter for ultrawides (I used a M4-P with 20mm f/4 Nikkor for many years, as Leica ultrawides were way beyond my budget) but for anything else it is beyond pointless, given that a Leica costs about 1000 times as much as a scale focus camera right now...


PostPosted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
For Leica M-series, maybe so. But for other rangefinders, such as run-of-the-mill LTMs, where even an "ordinary" 28mm will often cost more than one of the cameras, your rationalizations don't work.

And one need not be using an ultrawide for range-focusing to be a valid option. 35mm and wider, at f/8 or f/11 usually provides enough DOF where range focusing, especially when using the hyperfocal distance scale, becomes practical.

And if there are quite a few makers for SLR lenses to RF cameras, their products are pretty well hidden on eBay.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Found a Novoflex for Nikon SLR to M39. Pricey!

Click here to see on Ebay


PostPosted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 5:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
calvin83 wrote:
If the adaptor is profitable, one or more Chinese adaptor makers will probably made such kind of adaptor.


You would think so... but they seem to be focusing on the more popular adapters, and selling larger quantities. There are whole ranges of adapters which are simply unavailable - at any price. It would seem as though this leaves the market wide open for the vendor to price them as high as is necessary to ensure a profit, and at least some of them will sell. But these low-demand adapters just don't get made... Neutral


PostPosted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
If you have a cad drawing an engineering prototype can be relatively inexpensive. Cheap 3D CNC 'printers' are proliferating, there is even a DIY Desktop CNC Machine. Google "one-off prototype"


PostPosted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 12:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Whatever happened to Alex?


PostPosted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 1:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
disappeared without notice.


PostPosted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 2:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
visualopsins wrote:
If you have a cad drawing an engineering prototype can be relatively inexpensive. Cheap 3D CNC 'printers' are proliferating, there is even a DIY Desktop CNC Machine. Google "one-off prototype"

Some small machineryfactory in China do accept order in small quality if you have the CAD drawing. It is not so expensive.


PostPosted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 5:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I knew it! I knew if I searched long enough, I'd find something I could afford -- or at least want to invest in.

Click here to see on Ebay

The guy's in Hong Kong, though, so with any luck I'll see it before February. Rolling Eyes

Only problem is I don't own any M42 lenses anymore. But fortunately it's still possible to find deals on M42 glass. Besides, I have a couple of Pentax K-mount cameras that I can get M42 adapters for, and I have an M42 lens to FD body adapter made by Canon that I've owned for years, and have never tried out.

Just what I need. More excuses to buy glass. Cool


PostPosted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 5:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
I knew it! I knew if I searched long enough, I'd find something I could afford -- or at least want to invest in.

Click here to see on Ebay

It looks like a filter step up ring. Question


PostPosted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 5:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You say tomato, I say tomahto -- call it a step-up ring if you prefer. Functionally, it acts as an adapter, allowing one to mount M42 lenses to M39 cameras. In the text of the auction, he states:

"LEICA M39 BODY to PENTAX M42 LENS"

Hopefully he's done the math so that registration is correct for M42 lenses. I've sent a note to the seller, asking for confirmation of this -- should have thought of that before I bought it, I'll admit. But in the note, I've let the seller know that if the registration distance is not correct, the adapter has no value, and I've requested a refund if this is the case. It would seem exceedingly strange for this type of adapter not to have the correct registration distance determined -- but this is eBay so you never can tell, I suppose.


PostPosted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 6:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
You say tomato, I say tomahto -- call it a step-up ring if you prefer. Functionally, it acts as an adapter, allowing one to mount M42 lenses to M39 cameras. In the text of the auction, he states:

"LEICA M39 BODY to PENTAX M42 LENS"

Hopefully he's done the math so that registration is correct for M42 lenses. I've sent a note to the seller, asking for confirmation of this -- should have thought of that before I bought it, I'll admit. But in the note, I've let the seller know that if the registration distance is not correct, the adapter has no value, and I've requested a refund if this is the case. It would seem exceedingly strange for this type of adapter not to have the correct registration distance determined -- but this is eBay so you never can tell, I suppose.

The thickness of the adaptor should be a few cm if it is made for adapting a M42 lens to a Lecia M39 camera body.

Thread pitch for filter is 0.75mm v.s. 1mm for m42 mount.


PostPosted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
calvin83 wrote:

The thickness of the adaptor should be a few cm if it is made for adapting a M42 lens to a Lecia M39 camera body.


Not so. I went ahead and looked up the registration distance for LTM and M42 -- LTM M39 is 28.8mm and M42 is 45.5mm. So, the difference between the two is 1.67 cm, not "a few cm."

Still, I should have done the due diligence before ordering it. Perhaps I'll be able to find an extension tube that will work. Or hell, maybe I just oughta make my own with the lathe I have sitting out in my shop.

Last edited by cooltouch on Mon Dec 27, 2010 5:08 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 2:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yes. It should be 1.67cm.

I would like to have a lathe too but there is insufficient space to put it there.
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