Voightlander M Bayonet Adaptors??

[samcomet]

Does anyone know what the differences are between the two Voightlander/M Bayonet Adaptors? One is for 50/75mm lens and the other is for 28/90mm lens. I guess my query comes from not being able to discern any visable difference between the two.....thanks and cheers! Sam

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

There's no difference if you use them on Cosina-Voigtlander bodies, but on a Leica, they bring up the right framelines for the focal lengths marked on the adapter, so you buy the one for your lens you intend to use with it, so you get the right frames in your Leica.

The framelines are actuated by one of the bayonet lugs on the back of the adapter (or the back of a lens with an M-Mount). One of the four lugs varies in length depending on the framelines the lens is intended to trigger, and a sensor cam inside the camera body senses the length of this part of the lens mount to bring up the right framelines.

 

[samcomet]

Thanks a lot Chris!! Head scratching solved ..... I use the Bessa R2A & R3A as my bodies du jour, so I assume that my 50 and my 85 Russian Jupiters can go on either adaptor. My 35 Nokton is a bayonet anyway so no probs there. Thanks again. Cheers, Sam

 

[tallenkukal]

I have 3 Voightlander bayonet mount lenses (35mm, 50mm, 135mm) for a Vitessa T from 1958. I am wondering if they can be adapted for use on my M6. Any information will be appreciated, for instance what did Voightlander call their bayonet mount. I have the Vitessa but the film advance post will not lock down. They were my father's and he purchased them new in Europe. Cheers, Tom

 

[ddutchison2]

I have 3 Voightlander bayonet mount lenses (35mm, 50mm, 135mm) for a Vitessa T from 1958. I am wondering if they can be adapted for use on my M6. ...

Not practically. The Vitessa T used a system of interchangeable front lens groups, all using the same common rear lens group permanently mounted in the camera. Also, the Voighlander of the 50s was an entirely different company from the present day Cosina/Voighlander.

 

[tallenkukal]

Thank you for he reply. My Vitessa T lenses appear to not have elements in the camera unless they are behind the compur shutter. Please see the attached photos. The 50mm and 135mm are shown. Any information will be appreciated.

 

[tallenkukal]

Not practically. The Vitessa T used a system of interchangeable front lens groups, all using the same common rear lens group permanently mounted in the camera. Also, the Voighlander of the 50s was an entirely different company from the present day Cosina/Voighlander.

Thank you for the reply. My Vitessa T lenses appear to not have elements in the camera unless they are behind the compur shutter. Please see the attached photos above. The 50mm and 135mm are shown. Any information will be appreciated.

 

[WoodallP]

I think it’s one of the variations of the DKL mount and adapters to M are available but you lose rangefinder coupling and your infinity is only as good as the adapter; so use on an M6 is impractical. The adapter also has to serve as the aperture ring.

I have done it with Bessamatic lenses in the past but see little purpose other than to prove it is possible.

 

[tallenkukal]

Thank you for the information. It is enlightening. Locating the lens in an adapter relative to the film plain, would be tricky in order to achieve sharp focus at infinity. I was thinking of having an adapter machined, but without a ranger coupling and the infinity problem it doesn't make since.

 

[WoodallP]

Thank you for the information. It is enlightening. Locating the lens in an adapter relative to the film plain, would be tricky in order to achieve sharp focus at infinity. I was thinking of having an adapter machined, but without a ranger coupling and the infinity problem it doesn't make since.

If QC is maintained then infinity shouldn't be a problem, the manufacturer just needs to ensure the correct 45.7 mm flange depth results. However, some adapters may overshoot. The one I had a few years back was fine at infinity and thus everything else lined up for scale focus; I used an M10 with EVF so focus was easy anyway.

Having one made is probably not worth it given that it will need moving parts for the aperture control ring. Something like this will probably work but there are much cheaper ones (just search DKL to Leica M); none will have RF coupling though.

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The DKL mount was used by Voigtlander, Braun and Kodak for various cameras but small modifications were made to stop you cross mounting. It is my understating that most converters will take all DKL lenses; I tried lenses from a Bessamatic and a Retina but Wikipedia also lists DKL as being used on the Vitessa T (see list in Flange focal distance - Wikipedia)

I did once succeed in mounting a Voigtlander Septon on a DKL-to-Pentax K mount and then mounted this on an M10 using a Shoten R50 Pentax K-to-M mount with a built in 50mm helicoid. Once set up this allowed full RF focussing on any M, including film, but only for a 50mm DKL lens. Was it worth it? Not really but I had fun. I just wanted to shoot my Dad's old lens.

 

[tallenkukal]

Thank you! I have ordered one and will see what I can do with it. Tom