Can I Put A Long Lense on an R4M?

[wgerrard]

I'm new to this RF thing, so perhaps these are naive questions:

What's to stop me from attaching a longer lense to an R4M? I.e., something over 50mm?

Would I need to attach a separate rangefinder? Are such things specific to a particular camera model (meaning if it isn't made for an R4M, it won't work on an R4M), or are they manufactured to work with a particular lense on any camera body?

 

[kb244]

Nothing to stop you from actually doing it, you would just have to kinda guess your frame coverage without the framelines, or without the external viewfinder.

The rangefinder coupler is 'supposed' to be the same on all the lens, so focusing should still be the same. The main thing you might notice is that if you use a long or long&fast lens you might find that focus accuracy may be poor with the R4M due to the short base length (ie: if not calibrated tightly, it may be difficult to 'eyeball' the actual focus with a long lens). Slower or wider lens are not as much an impact because depth of field kicks in.

In short, you can use a longer lens than 50.

PS: Shoe mounted viewfinders are not exactly designed for a specific camera (though some fit better than others if made by the same manufacture.) The external finders are an approximation.

 

[Doug]

Hi... There is nothing physically preventing mounting longer lenses on the R4, but you will find an accessory viewfinder useful for framing. These are not camera-specific; they just slide into the accessory/flash shoe. You'd need to obtain a finder matching the lens in use.

The R4 is not ideal for longer lenses due to the inconvenience of the accessorty viewfinder, but perhaps more importantly due to the low magnification of the built-in viewfinder/rangefinder. Ideal for wide lenses, this low magnification means less focusing accuracy with long lenses, especially at wide apertures.

For long fast lenses, you'd be much better served with a camera body with longer RF baseline and higher viewfinder magnification.

 

[wgerrard]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate it. I bought the R4M to use wide lenses, but a longer lens would be nice every so often.