GeorgeRazmadze
Member
Thank you for your time Mr. Brian May I ask you on lens you tested? thanks.
A bit of a lens comparison, inc. some Soviet lenses and focusing accuracy issues
- Thread starter Coldkennels
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GeorgeRazmadze
Member
I suppose they are lying in description.
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Note that one is in all chrome. If they went back to the original design, it might work.
The Adapter itself jammed on the Zorki, no lens on it at the time.
I use the adapter with Nikkor S-Mount 5cm F1.4 and F2 with no changes to the shim necessary.
I use them with the post-war Zeiss Opton 50mm F1.5 with the lens custom-shimmed for best use close-up and wide-open. This is an easy adjustment using the internal variable stand-off ring.
The Adapter itself jammed on the Zorki, no lens on it at the time.
I use the adapter with Nikkor S-Mount 5cm F1.4 and F2 with no changes to the shim necessary.
I use them with the post-war Zeiss Opton 50mm F1.5 with the lens custom-shimmed for best use close-up and wide-open. This is an easy adjustment using the internal variable stand-off ring.
Coldkennels
Barnack-toting Brit.
@GeorgeRazmadze, looking at that listing, I think this will be your problem:
The notch on the cam there will likely be what snags on the wedge-shaped cam follower on a FED or Zorki, and this may be worse on a FED 2 than on a Zorki, as the cam follower on a FED 2 typically sits slightly lower in the lens mount/throat (which is why they often have issues with a Jupiter 12).
Frankly, I think this idea's a non-starter. Either pick up a non-Soviet body to use the lens and adapter on, or fork out for the Amedeo.
The notch on the cam there will likely be what snags on the wedge-shaped cam follower on a FED or Zorki, and this may be worse on a FED 2 than on a Zorki, as the cam follower on a FED 2 typically sits slightly lower in the lens mount/throat (which is why they often have issues with a Jupiter 12).Frankly, I think this idea's a non-starter. Either pick up a non-Soviet body to use the lens and adapter on, or fork out for the Amedeo.
GeorgeRazmadze
Member
GeorgeRazmadze
Member
Thank you for your time advices and interest Mr. Cold Kennls✌🏻 I appreciate it✨
GeorgeRazmadze
Member
Thank you for your time and advices mr. Brian ✌🏻
GeorgeRazmadze
Member
GeorgeRazmadze
Member
Hello again. I think I’ll save money and go for Amedeo adapter than buying leica lens. May I ensure one thing Mr Coldkennels: So you are using zeiss opton 50mm f/1.5 on fed-2 with Amedeo adapter and it works perfectly yes?
@GeorgeRazmadze - Amedeo makes a true Contax to Leica adapter, which I own. I have the Zeiss lens on it now. Perfect focus across range on my Leica. Get the dedicated Contax to Leica Amedeo adapter, and use it on a Leica standard camera. Mine is M-Mount, the Screw-Mount version should also work with a Leica.
BernardL
Well-known
@Coldkennels
Kudos for these systematic tests.
Please excuse my ignorance; I'd like you to confirm that the backfocusing you show for the J-8 is only due to a difference in the standard focal length, the one that defines the travel rate of the RF cam? And not to a difference in flange distance?
In other words, does that J-8, mounted on the same body, focus properly at infinity? By the distance scale? By the RF patch?
Thank you.
Kudos for these systematic tests.
Please excuse my ignorance; I'd like you to confirm that the backfocusing you show for the J-8 is only due to a difference in the standard focal length, the one that defines the travel rate of the RF cam? And not to a difference in flange distance?
In other words, does that J-8, mounted on the same body, focus properly at infinity? By the distance scale? By the RF patch?
Thank you.
But as has been discussed a few times in here over the years, unmodified Soviet "LTM" lenses back focus on a Leica, and I have a bunch lying around. Want to see how bad it is?
Hoooo boy. This backfocuses so badly you can actually start to get an idea of how messy my office is! This Jupiter 8 works perfectly fine on a Zorki - it's *not* defective. This is how post-war Soviet lenses were built.
Coldkennels
Barnack-toting Brit.
That is exactly correct. You can scale focus a Soviet lens on a Leica, Canon, Leotax or Nicca without issue. It's only when you try using the rangefinder that things go wrong. At distances close to infinity, you're unlikely to see any problems. Anything closer than that, you're going to be back-focusing if you use the rangefinder. How close you can get will depend on the print or scan size, the resolution of the film you're using, the aperture you're shooting at, the focal length, and your personal tolerance for mis-focusing. I used to reliably spot the mis-focusing with a Jupiter 12 focused at 4m-5m at f/4 or f/5.6 on 8x10 prints. A Jupiter 3 or Jupiter 9 wide open is a write-off on a Leica for me at anything less than 10m or so.
Yes. But also no.
My FED 2 is still set to the Soviet rangefinder standard to use Soviet lenses. My Zorki 5 has been recalibrated to the Leica standard to use actual LTM lenses from Leica, Canon, Voigtlander, etc. The Amedeo is obviously built to the Leica standard, not the Soviet one - so if you want to use it on a FED 2, you'll have to recalibrate the FED to the Leica standard, just as I did with the Zorki.
This isn't particularly hard, but it does require some patience and the right tools. You need to rotate the wedge-shaped cam follower slightly until the rangefinder agrees with the lens' focusing scale at 1m, then adjust the infinity focus until that agrees with the lens. That'll throw off the rangefinder at the 1m mark, so then you have to adjust that again. That'll throw off the rangefinder at infinity again, so back you go to adjust that. Eventually, through gradual adjustment at both ends, you'll get the rangefinder agreeing across the entire scale. At that point the only thing you should ever need to check and adjust is the infinity setting - the close-focus adjustment is pretty solid.
GeorgeRazmadze
Member
Thanks. Have you purchased Amedeo adapter from website for your Fed-2 and Sonnar lens and then you adjusted rangefinder as leica standard on Fed-2 am I right Mr. Coldkennels?
Thank you for your time.
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Coldkennels
Barnack-toting Brit.
That's basically it, yes. Although I've not adjusted my FED 2, only the Zorki 5. I normally use the Amedeo and Sonnar on my Leica IIIg, but it does work perfectly fine on the Zorki.
Just make sure you get one for LTM, not for M. The LTM Amedeo adapters are quite rare - supposedly, they're much harder to make than the M mount ones.
GeorgeRazmadze
Member
additional simple thin leica m to ltm adapter will not work? I suppose not.
GeorgeRazmadze
Member
New Version Contax RF-Leica M39 - KIPON
Silver KIPON Adapter for Contax Rangefinder RF Mount lens to Leica M39 mount camera
kipon.com
Coldkennels
Barnack-toting Brit.
You can't go that way around - you can convert an LTM lens (or LTM Amedeo adapter) to an M-mount camera, but not vice-versa.
Coldkennels
Barnack-toting Brit.
This is Amedeo's eBay account: Items for sale by amedeo.m | eBayI think I meed this and it is only listing out there.New Version Contax RF-Leica M39 - KIPON
Silver KIPON Adapter for Contax Rangefinder RF Mount lens to Leica M39 mount camera
He puts up new listings from time to time, selling adapters as they're made. If you contact him directly about a Contax to LTM adapter, he might be able to list one for you.
GeorgeRazmadze
Member
Thanks so much Mr. Coldkennels. The reason why I want to use Sonnar on FED-2 , except the price point, because it is very good camera as your leica IIF. The ergonomics in hand is nearly the same leica like because of the same form of body. It is small with very good accurate rangefinder (long). I wish you the very happy and shiny days and endless photography adventures✌🏻✨
@GeorgeRazmadze - I would consider getting a Contax or Kiev that has been recently cleaned to use the Sonnar. This would cost less than the adapter, and solve the compatibility issues.
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