Are you still using hacked lenses?

[raid]

It used to be a popular thread discussion to share with others at RFF that someone managed to hack a Contax lens into an M lens, or maybe hack a Retina lens into a ltm lens.

With time, I have seen such interesting threads disappear at RFF. Is "everybody" buying modern lenses these days? Are hacked lenses considered things of the past?

I still enjoy getting such hacked lenses. It is so much fun to use them, knowing that few such lenses exist.

Do you use any hacked lens? Please share with us your experiences with such lenses. They may have a long history of users, and they may have character that modern lenses lack.

 

[raid]

My latest hacked lens is a Schneider 50/2.8 Xenon for the Retina. Its rear element is uncoated glass from a pre-war Retina, while the front element (coated) is from a post-war Retina. It has RF down to 3ft and to infinity, with an M mount. It took a gifted person to put it all together. It was not me!

 

[Charlie Lemay]

Raid, I am currently using 21, 28, 45 and 90mm Contax G lenses on Leica M cameras. I don't like battery dependent cameras and dislike the masked image frame of the Contax G cameras, but love the image quality of the lenses. I also use a M42 Helios 40-2 85mm f1'5 lens on my Nikons with an adapter that has no glass in it so does not focus to infinity. Again the special quality of this lens makes it wonderful to work with even in the shortened range.

 

[VTHokiEE]

Raid, I am currently using 21, 28, 45 and 90mm Contax G lenses on Leica M cameras. I don't like battery dependent cameras and dislike the masked image frame of the Contax G cameras, but love the image quality of the lenses. I also use a M42 Helios 40-2 85mm f1'5 lens on my Nikons with an adapter that has no glass in it so does not focus to infinity. Again the special quality of this lens makes it wonderful to work with even in the shortened range.

I'd love to try some of the contax G glass someday, but so far no hacked lenses for me.

How far out does the helios focus on a nikon? I'd thought about picking one up.

 

[john neal]

I have done a couple of Sonnar to LTM conversions myself (since sold here) and now only have a Brian Sweeney produced uncoated 50mm f1.5 Sonnar in a J3 mount.

If I could find good donor lenses at affordable prices and a bunch of time, I would be making more & different hacks all the time 🙂

 

[FrankS]

Hi Raid, I still have a Contax Zeiss 50f2 transplanted into a Jupiter8 ltm barrel by Brian Sw. Now that I'm retired, ill have some time to test it out.

I also have a 4x5 Speed Grafic with which to play with vintage lenses in barrel, and a new to me Bronica S2a, also with in-body shutter, to try out simple magnifying glass lesses on.

 

[raid]

I bought the hacked Schneider 50/2.8 (M mount), but its from glass was scratched very badly, and all over. So I bought another Xenon 50/2.8 that was hacked for a cine camera, and its from glass was clean while its rear glass was messed up. Brian was kind enough to put the good parts together for me. I am waiting for it in the mail, but I have seen online some of the images that Brian took. The OOF is very smooth.

 

[raid]

Raid, I am currently using 21, 28, 45 and 90mm Contax G lenses on Leica M cameras. I don't like battery dependent cameras and dislike the masked image frame of the Contax G cameras, but love the image quality of the lenses. I also use a M42 Helios 40-2 85mm f1'5 lens on my Nikons with an adapter that has no glass in it so does not focus to infinity. Again the special quality of this lens makes it wonderful to work with even in the shortened range.

Charlie: I have only a 45/2 G lens in M mount. Who/how were your lenses hacked into M/ltm?

 

[raid]

I have done a couple of Sonnar to LTM conversions myself (since sold here) and now only have a Brian Sweeney produced uncoated 50mm f1.5 Sonnar in a J3 mount.

If I could find good donor lenses at affordable prices and a bunch of time, I would be making more & different hacks all the time 🙂

John: The J-3 option was a good one for a while for being hacked into ltm lenses, but the J3 has become too expensive for such hacking.

Of course, if you shoot an M240 or any M4/3 camera, there is no need to hack any lens. Get a suitable adapter.

 

[raid]

Hi Raid, I still have a Contax Zeiss 50f2 transplanted into a Jupiter8 ltm barrel by Brian Sw. Now that I'm retired, ill have some time to test it out.

I also have a 4x5 Speed Grafic with which to play with vintage lenses in barrel, and a new to me Bronica S2a, also with in-body shutter, to try out simple magnifying glass lesses on.

Hi Frank: The 4x5 camera must be fun to use with other lenses.

 

[micromontenegro]

I am currently using only one lens that isn't hacked or somehow adapted. 😀

 

[FrankS]

Hi Frank: The 4x5 camera must be fun to use with other lenses.

I'm looking forward to trying this one:

 

[kuuan]

can't report on hacked lenses used on a RF film camera...but I converted my set of Pen-F Zuiko halfframe lenses to Leica M to use them, besides on NEX5n, also on Ricoh GXR M module. I am using them quite a bit on the Ricoh and love the results, and I have not heard of anyone else ever having done this conversion.

Also converted a Minotar from a Minox 35 to Leica M, which is a bit more difficult that converting to e.g. Sony E mount which I see quite a number of people have done. If anyone wants to convert a Minotar one might take care to get a later body that has a multicoated lens. Mine came from the first model, a Minox EL, it's single coated and suffers greatly from direct light, for this reason I have not been using it much.

 

[micromontenegro]

Also converted a Minotar from a Minox 35 to Leica M

I am doing one right now. Lotsa fun!

 

[f16sunshine]

I do quite a bit.
Don't think of them as hacks but rather.. adaptions.
Mostly reflex lenses adapted to my eos bodies.
Zeiss Contax, Zeiss DDR (Pancolar), Zuiko, Takumars and Super Taks.
Lots of beautifully performing Manual focus glass for modern use.
🙂

 

[Charlie Lemay]

Raid. There's a guy on eBay in CA who makes the conversion for $350. Search Leica Contax G lens. They're pretty good quality, but the focus is next to the body and is a little awkward, but I am willing to do it for the result, some may prefer the silky OEM M lens focus.

VTHokiEE. The Helios focuses medium to near. No Infinity. I haven't measured really. If you get one, pay a little more for the USSR export version from the 70's. I can vouch for for these. There are new ones out also, but I have no experience with those.

 

[raid]

I am doing one right now. Lotsa fun!

How do you do the hacking?

 

[raid]

can't report on hacked lenses used on a RF film camera...but I converted my set of Pen-F Zuiko halfframe lenses to Leica M to use them, besides on NEX5n, also on Ricoh GXR M module. I am using them quite a bit on the Ricoh and love the results, and I have not heard of anyone else ever having done this conversion.

Also converted a Minotar from a Minox 35 to Leica M, which is a bit more difficult that converting to e.g. Sony E mount which I see quite a number of people have done. If anyone wants to convert a Minotar one might take care to get a later body that has a multicoated lens. Mine came from the first model, a Minox EL, it's single coated and suffers greatly from direct light, for this reason I have not been using it much.

Which parts are needed for such a conversion? I have an EL and a GT and an ML.

 

[rfaspen]

The poll is a little misleading...

I've never used a hacked lens (that I know of), but I really want to!

 

[raid]

😀The three poll options are clear.
You have never used a hacked lens.
You used such a lens in the past.
You are currently using such a lens.

There is no reason to get confused.