Leica LTM 3/8 to 1/4 tripod socket bushing to fit IIIc

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
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loquax ludens

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I'd like to get a bushing to convert the 3/8-16 tripod socket on my IIIc to a 1/4-20 thread so I can use it on my lighter weight tripods, all of which have 1/4-20 screws.

At B&H I found a General Brand Tripod Reducer Bushing 3/8" to 1/4"-20 and a Jobu Design 3/8 to 1/4 Adapter Bushing. The Jobu looks like it would fit better. The General seems to have a wider rim at the top that might not screw down flush with the original opening in the camera.

Has anyone tried either of these for adapting the screw mount Leica tripod socket from 3/8-16 to 1/4-20? Or do you know of another bushing that works? I would like to find a bushing that screws down flush with the bottom plate.
 
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These adapters used to be very common in camera stores and I have bought them there in the past on more than one occasion. No idea about which brand though but the ones I have bought have all worked fine. If you can find an old style camera store in your locale its a fair bet they would be on hand in the same drawer these places inevitably have for accessories, old filters, bits and pieces and so forth. (Dont you love rummaging through those drawers if they will let you.)
 
Peter, there are three or four old style camera stores still in business in my area, but they are all still 25 or more miles away. I find it so much more convenient these days to shop online. Guess I've gotten lazy.

Frank, most LF cameras that are still being manufactured (and there are a few) use the 3/8-16 tripod socket thread size. I don't know about MF or small format cameras.

I can buy a QR plate for my Bogen 3030 head with a 3/8-16 screw, but I prefer to standardize on 1/4-20 for all my lightweight cameras.
 
It's a standard item in a decent camera shop, of which there are a diminishing number (most "camera shops" are electronics retailers now and might have 10 rolls of film if you're lucky).

It has an odd colloquial name in the UK which escapes me - an Enfield Bush or something.
 
Thanks Vic. Of course, I'd already done that search. That's where I found the two bushings that I linked to in my initial post. The question is whether anyone has tried one of those and knows whether or not it will sit flush with the bottom of the camera when screwed into a IIIc. If you have that information, I'd be grateful for it.

Which B&H one did you use, aperture64? Both of the ones I linked to are on the B&H site.

rogerzilla, yes it is true. Most camera stores these days are nothing but electronics retailers selling DSLR cameras, ink jet printers, and so forth. I am lucky though that there are three at least, and maybe four stores (haven't checked in on the last one in a while) in my vicinity that still sell professional film (even sheet film), and darkroom supplies. I'm sure of getting lucky at one of them, as he always has odd parts and old gear. I'll end up stopping by there this weekend most likely. It's better to have the camera in hand to see if the bushing fits.
 
For those who aren't familiar with the technology - the 'tripod' screw thread is probably the last common use of the 'Whitworth' imperial screw thread system. If you are passing old fashioned hardware stores or the like it is always worth seeing if they have any Whitworth oddments in stock as you can often create adaptors yourself - access to a small lathe and/or vertical milling machine makes this fairly straight-forward. The larger 5/8" thread is used on things like surveyor's 'dumpy' and rotating laser levels. The Whitworth taps and dies are still made and reasonably easy to obtain by mail order or at (very) specialist stores.


Regards

Andrew More
 
B&H # MA148KN

Manfrotto - 3/8 > 1/4 reducing bushing

( 5 ) for $11.06


Sound like a good deal...

If it sits a little "proud" of the camera base plate when installed, a few strokes with a fine file across the end that goes into the camera should make things nice.
 
Andrew, that's interesting information about the Whitworth imperial screw thread system. I found this Wikipedia article fascinating as well:

British Standard Whitworth

I was surprised to see mention of the Leica cameras in the section on current usage:

Nearly all current cameras accept a 1/4" Whitworth tripod thread in their baseplate.
The Leica Thread-Mount used on rangefinder cameras and on many enlarging lenses is 39mm by 26 turns-per-inch Whitworth, an artifact of its having been developed by a German company specializing in microscopes and thus equipped with tooling capable of handling threads in inches and in Whitworth.
Click to expand...

This suggests to me that the 1/4-20 thread used on cameras and tripods is also a Whitworth thread. As well, it turns out that the LTM lens mount is also a Whitworth thread. Cosina Voigtlander carries on the tradition. Whitworth lives on.
 
Luddite Frank said:
B&H # MA148KN

Manfrotto - 3/8 > 1/4 reducing bushing

( 5 ) for $11.06


Sound like a good deal...

If it sits a little "proud" of the camera base plate when installed, a few strokes with a fine file across the end that goes into the camera should make things nice.
Click to expand...

That should cover several years more of Barnack camera acquisition.
 
loquax ludens said:
Thanks Vic. Of course, I'd already done that search. That's where I found the two bushings that I linked to in my initial post. The question is whether anyone has tried one of those and knows whether or not it will sit flush with the bottom of the camera when screwed into a IIIc. If you have that information, I'd be grateful for it.

Which B&H one did you use, aperture64? Both of the ones I linked to are on the B&H site.

rogerzilla, yes it is true. Most camera stores these days are nothing but electronics retailers selling DSLR cameras, ink jet printers, and so forth. I am lucky though that there are three at least, and maybe four stores (haven't checked in on the last one in a while) in my vicinity that still sell professional film (even sheet film), and darkroom supplies. I'm sure of getting lucky at one of them, as he always has odd parts and old gear. I'll end up stopping by there this weekend most likely. It's better to have the camera in hand to see if the bushing fits.
Click to expand...

I use the General on all my German Cameras including my Contax IIIa, M3 and two Rollei TLRs, and never a problem.
 
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I found these adapters in the parts bins of my local hardware store. They worked; however, I preferred the stainless steel ones I found online at Freestyle a few years ago.

Keith Fleming
 
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