What have you just BOUGHT?

The Hector 135mm f/4.5 has often been considered one of Leica's worst lenses.. and I can see how many came to that conclusion. Its RF focusing mount is not particularly precise, and without TTL imaging and magnification, it is easy to be "slightly off" the mark on focus, particularly wide open. I had one in LTM from my father once upon a time, and much later bought an M-mount version from about 1960. Used on a modern M body with Live View and magnification assist, it comes alive with beautiful imaging qualities.

G
 
Just yesterday I received a Lens, Light Lab Leica M to L mount close focus adapter (i.e. with built in helicoid). I understand that there are some other such adapters but some of them (7 Artisans I think) cannot achieve infinity focus when mounted. If you are in the market for one check this detail carefully in any advert. The LLL one definitely has a full focus range.

I bought it partly out of perverse curiosity and partly because I have adopted the practice of using M mount adapters on cameras and lenses so as to effectively convert any lens / camera combo to M mount - e.g. I can use a Nikon F to M mount adapter on the lens with an M mount to L mount on an L mount camera. The same principle applies to any camera / lens combo. It is more effective than it seems at first glance, especially if you use a few difference camera systems. Plus it simplifies lens swaps in the field if using disparate lens types on a body.

When using the above approach the use of a helicoid adapter effectively converts any lens (not just M mount) to a close focus lens. Another advantage that some have mentioned is that it also is an effective way of overcoming the rather large minimum focus distance possessed by many rangefinder lenses.

The adapter has superb build quality and while I cannot provide a detailed assessment of it yet, the following post gives some idea. The price was reasonable (from memory I got mine for about $130 USD). Similar competitors can run to much more if they are provide a full range of focus. The only comment I can make is that I noticed that tolerances are tight though arguably not too tight, both for mounting a lens on the adapter and for mounting the adapter on the camera. I expect it to "wear in" over time and definitely prefer it to the opposite - being too "loosey goosey".

www.l-camera-forum.com

Fabulous M-L adapter from Light Lens Lab

I just received my Leica M to L-Mount lens adapter by Light Lens Lab. In a word, Marvelous. This adapter is not in general release yet in the U.S. but you can pre-order from Popflash or on eBay if you are comfortable ordering from a third party in China (QyCamera) The construction is first rate a...
www.l-camera-forum.com www.l-camera-forum.com

A review of various other options.

phillipreeve.net

Leica M to Sony E Close Focus Adapters - phillipreeve.net

Close Focus Adapters allow you to focus closer with your lenses than you normally could. Let's have a look at
phillipreeve.net phillipreeve.net
 
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I have one of these:
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It works well with some Sony cameras, but not so well with others. It's an older model. Likes to eat camera's battery. But i still like it and find pretty useful. Nice to have af for all those old lenses sometimes. 😜
 
This week I bought an "ordinary" 62mm Hoya HMC UV filter to replace the 62mm Hoya Pro1 Digital filter with "digital multi coating". The ordinary one has a reflection which is a couple of stops darker than the digital one AND it is green rather than the almost "plain mirror" reflection of the digital filter. I wonder if "designed for digital" is juts a marketing ploy?
 
seany65 said:
This week I bought an "ordinary" 62mm Hoya HMC UV filter to replace the 62mm Hoya Pro1 Digital filter with "digital multi coating". The ordinary one has a reflection which is a couple of stops darker than the digital one AND it is green rather than the almost "plain mirror" reflection of the digital filter. I wonder if "designed for digital" is juts a marketing ploy?
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It would not surprise me. 🙄
I have no idea what a "digital multicoating" would be or do differently from any other good antireflection coating.

Looking it up on the Hoya website and other reviewer sites, it's "Newer, Better, Tuned for Digital Sensors" et cetera, but I see no data or examples articulating and demonstrating how it differs. It might simply use different materials/manufacturing process that cost less or more... I haven't seen much in antireflection coatings that has proven significantly different since the Zeiss T* and Pentax SMC coatings came out in the late-1960s/early 1970s.

G
 
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seany65 said:
This week I bought an "ordinary" 62mm Hoya HMC UV filter to replace the 62mm Hoya Pro1 Digital filter with "digital multi coating". The ordinary one has a reflection which is a couple of stops darker than the digital one AND it is green rather than the almost "plain mirror" reflection of the digital filter. I wonder if "designed for digital" is juts a marketing ploy?
Click to expand...
The "digital" one may have updated coatings as every generation of filters do (and lenses of course). But my suspicion is that inserting the word "digital" into the description is pure marketing to try to distinguish it from offerings by other makers.
 
Pentax KM camera with SMC Pentax 55/1.8 lens

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$100 shipped from a camera store in Tulsa OK selling on eBay

After a trip to Eric Hendrickson this will be given as a gift to a fellow retired coworker.

Chris
 
KoNickon said:
Well, the bodies didn't rust, so that's one thing they have going for them. Two-stroke engine?

But seriously, may the OP have a lot of fun with it. I don't think I've ever seen one over here in the US.
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The bodies didn‘t, but the whole construction the duroplast was attached to did.
 
A fleamarket was about to pack up, as I went by on the adjacent road.
I stopped, first table had a number of cameras - picked an untested Petri color 35 (with no prior knowledge) for a fistful of bucks.
What a cute little camera, I could not get the meter to work though. (a short roll of film (12exp) to test is in there right now).

The shutter (by ear) seemed to work to degree at least, and so does setting the aperture. What a sturdy little box.
(And pretty - black with some very tasteful brassing...)

We'll see...
 
peterm1 said:
The "digital" one may have updated coatings as every generation of filters do (and lenses of course). But my suspicion is that inserting the word "digital" into the description is pure marketing to try to distinguish it from offerings by other makers.
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That is possible, but the (possibly) improved coatings on this filter seem to have been put on backwards or something as even the single coated Hoya UV/sky 1a filters I have darker reflections of my window than this Pro 1 filter. I don't know about anyone else, but I associate the lightness/darkness of the reflection given by the front surface of a filter with the amount of light that it transmits. Dunno if that's a good idea or not though.

Something I forgot to mention last week is that I bought a 34mm-37mm step up ring and a 37mm metal lens hood which I'd hoped would be fairly matt black on the inside so that I wouldn't have to faff about buying a little tin of actual matt black paint for the 34mm lens hood I'd bought several weeks earlier, and it turned that it was a good idea.
 
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