Quality of heavystar M39 to M Adapter

ath

ath

Well-known
Local time
12:14 AM
Joined
Jul 4, 2007
Messages
292
Location
Germany
View My Gallery
Hi,
I'm thinking of purchasing one of these adapters from heavystar to mount my Jupiter 8 on my M2.
Has anyone used these? How is the build quality? Does it fit good, locking properly and bringing up the frame correct?

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks,
Andreas
 
Andreas, while I can't comment on the Heavystar adapter, I have bought a Chinese-made one before. I don't remember the seller's name but it was about $20 shipped.

It was crap! Very roughly made and did not allow the rangefinder coupling to reach nearer than 1.5 meters. It was also labeled for 50/75mm lenses, but it brought up 35/135 framelines instead.

If the Heavystar one is any similar, I would stay far, far, away.
 
Last edited:
While I like heavystar for adapter rings and hoods, I think M adapters require too tight tolerances to skimp on.

I'd stick with CV and Leica made adapters, personally.
 
rogue_designer said:
I'd stick with CV and Leica made adapters, personally.
Click to expand...

I agree. Never had a problem with either brand.

My other post is not an attack on Heavystar. I've bought hoods from him before and they're okay. Just relating a bad experience with a poorly made adapter.
 
I too bought a Chinese 135-35 M39>M adapter for under $20 total. It works fine and measures in thickness very close to original Leitz adapter (that I also have). It is not as finely machined as Leitz one, but nor is crude.

If you can buy one from heavystar with return privelege, you can give it a try and tell us how it works 🙂
 
Making a LTM>M adapter, while takes a notable degree of precision, is not something that can't be done by a person with access to CNC lathe. It is only one relatively simple part, without moving components. The biggest issue is how well those people do control of manufactured parts, which in garage-type production is likely to vary greatly from person to person. But in general saying that all adapters made in China are crap is a bit unfair. China is a huge country 🙂
 
I've had very good luck with Heavystar. China is a big country and I'm sure there are folks out there doing a great job. If you can not afford to make a mistake (time or $$-wise), go used Leica or CV. I do not think you will loose any money if the Heavystar unit does not work, but you will loose some time. I'd give it a swing and see how you make out. Remember, the brave die but once!

B2 (;->
 
Sorry but I must be in the minority in that I dont like the Voigtlander adapters, the 2 I have are poor quality. The idea of chroming the brass of these adapters is that the brass is soft and the chrome plating is hard to prevent wear. The 2 Voigtlander adapters I have, have the brass showing through. When machined to the required 1mm thickness they have machined through the chrome to reveal the brass. If it had of been on the lens side it wouldn't have been as bad as it remains on the lens usually but no its on the mount side, the very very face that needs the chromed plating as that's where most wear occurs. The exposed brass also starts to oxidise. I go with other brands instead as I feel this is not acceptable.
 
I must be lucky to get a working Chinese made M adapter. It works- lenses focus and couple with the RF correctly. A friend bought it for me in Shanghai for about $7.00. He also has one, and it too, appears to be working right. It is now on my Epson R-D1s, though sometimes it goes on the Leica M3.

The adapter is unbranded- it came in a plain, unmarked white box. It does feel rough, with some sharp edges. But none appears to cause any harm, except for the potential of causing cuts on the the hand if handled or fondled improperly 🙂

Jay
 
What about getting used Leica ones from EvilBay? Not much can go wrong with them, no? Put a few on your watch list, research completed items and I bet you can snipe a few bargains.

B2 (;->
 
Captain said:
Sorry but I must be in the minority in that I dont like the Voigtlander adapters, the 2 I have are poor quality. The idea of chroming the brass of these adapters is that the brass is soft and the chrome plating is hard to prevent wear. The 2 Voigtlander adapters I have, have the brass showing through. When machined to the required 1mm thickness they have machined through the chrome to reveal the brass. If it had of been on the lens side it wouldn't have been as bad as it remains on the lens usually but no its on the mount side, the very very face that needs the chromed plating as that's where most wear occurs. The exposed brass also starts to oxidise. I go with other brands instead as I feel this is not acceptable.
Click to expand...

If I understood your description correctly -- that's exactly how my original Leitz adapters are.
 
I recieved my LTM-M adapter from Heavystar a couple of days ago, very good quality in my opinion. Works great and has engraved markings for the framelines it brings up, M6-M7 28 & 90 framelines, M2-M3 90 framelines. I believe I paid around $20 with no cap but the quality is close to the voigtlander adapter. Definatley does not feel cheap at all.
 
Well, I ordered an adapter (50/75mm) from heavystar together with some other items.

To be honest, I'm not that impressed by the quality of the adapter. I found one real problem and one potential problem.
The real problem is, that the adapter brings up the rf frames halfway between the 50 and the 90 on my M2. Luckily, this can be cured with a file.
The potential problem is the engraving on the front side, which is nice but creates burrs on the surface and compromizes the thickness of the adapter.
And the thread seems to be a bit rough - my Jupiter 8 made a slightly grinding noise when screwing it on.

OTOH the lens shade i ordered (40.5mm vented and tilted with cap) is very well made.

Shipping to Germany was very fast - less than 1 week.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom