Crazy question about CV 40mm Ultron and Olympus OM cameras

[maclaine]

After shooting a ton with the CV 40mm Nokton Classic, I've found that I really enjoy that focal length, and would love to have the option to shoot with it on my OM-4. In the last 24 hours, I have gone on an obsessive quest for the discontinued CV Ultron 40mm f/2 SL for Olympus OM bodies. I had no idea this thing even existed before. Of course, it's nearly impossible to find, which makes me want one even more.

In my hunt, I came across this site: http://www.leitax.com/OlympusOM-lens-for-Nikon-cameras.html, and it got me thinking. You can buy replacement mounts (not adaptors) from these guys and swap them out on your OM-Zuiko lenses to use on Nikon or Pentax bodies. Would this work in reverse? In other words, you buy a junky OM lens, remove the bayonet mount, and put it on one of the newer SLII 40mm lenses for either Nikon or Pentax cameras? My gut tells me no, only because it seems too easy, but I'm hoping the answer is yes because the original OM-mount 40mm lens seems to be impossible to find.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

After shooting a ton with the CV 40mm Nokton Classic, I've found that I really enjoy that focal length, and would love to have the option to shoot with it on my OM-4. In the last 24 hours, I have gone on an obsessive quest for the discontinued CV Ultron 40mm f/2 SL for Olympus OM bodies. I had no idea this thing even existed before. Of course, it's nearly impossible to find, which makes me want one even more.

In my hunt, I came across this site: http://www.leitax.com/OlympusOM-lens-for-Nikon-cameras.html, and it got me thinking. You can buy replacement mounts (not adaptors) from these guys and swap them out on your OM-Zuiko lenses to use on Nikon or Pentax bodies. Would this work in reverse? In other words, you buy a junky OM lens, remove the bayonet mount, and put it on one of the newer SLII 40mm lenses for either Nikon or Pentax cameras? My gut tells me no, only because it seems too easy, but I'm hoping the answer is yes because the original OM-mount 40mm lens seems to be impossible to find.

you have to consider the so called flange register!

 

[rxmd]

In theory that would be possible, but it would be necessary for someone to machine an OM mount that fits those lenses. A junky OM lens will have a lens mount that is of the wrong thickness and has the screw holes all in the wrong places. So either you have access to a machine shop, or you should look for the original 40mm Zuiko lens.

I'm not sure if the CV Ultron lens was ever produced in OM mount in any marketable quantities. If any were produced at all, they're a collectors' item now. If one were to hit eBay, you could guarantee that any number of OM cultists would bid it into the stratosphere.

 

[rxmd]

you have to consider the so called flange register!

No, you don't. He wants to change the mount. The difference in lens registers is 0.5mm, so all he'd have to do is to make sure the new mount is exactly 0.5mm thinner than the old one.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

No, you don't. He wants to change the mount. The difference in lens registers is 0.5mm, so all he'd have to do is to make sure the new mount is exactly 0.5mm thinner than the old one.

ok, so will he have to consider the thickness of the flange?

;-)

 

[rxmd]

ok, so will he have to consider the thickness of the flange?

;-)

OK, I'll shut up now 🙂

 

[gliderbee]

If you get this working, please let us know ! I have a few OM's I still love to use and plenty of CV lenses; it would be great to be able to put all those CV lenses om a OM-camera (I guess if you can have a convertor to put one CV to an OM, you can do it with any CV-lens ?

Regards,
Stefan.

 

[maclaine]

Thanks for your comments, everyone. This definitely seems like a little more trouble than I thought, although not impossible, it seems. I don't have access to a machine shop, unfortunately, and I wouldn't trust myself to do anything other than unscrewing the old mount and screwing another one on anyway.

It's amazing that there are adapters to fit OM lenses to almost every other camera mount, but not the other way around.

 

[rxmd]

It's amazing that there are adapters to fit OM lenses to almost every other camera mount, but not the other way around.

Not really. You can adapt lenses with a larger lens register to mounts with a smaller lens register, but not the other way round. So it's possible to put an OM lens (46mm) on a Canon EOS camera (44mm) but not the other way round.

Leitax caters, for example, to the market of Nikon owners who feel screwed that they can't adapt other lenses to their large-register system (46.5mm). So they offer alternative mounts for lenses from other large-register systems - OM (46mm), Leica R (47mm), Contax (48mm). This is possible because there's a fair number of Nikon owners with digital cameras. You could do this with an OM mount, too, but the problem with Olympus OM is that it's a dead niche system used by a few enthusiasts; while they are very vocal, there is not much money to be made there. So either you get an OM 40mm lens, or you buy yourself a cheap body, a Nikon FG or a small Pentax or so, to use with that CV lens.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

You could look for the Olympus Zuiko 40mm f2 pancake lens. Its expensive, about $500 or more used, but not hard to find. Its rare compared to most Olympus lenses but the CV 40mm in OM mount is beyond rare, its just impossible to find. The actual OLympus lens is not hard to find if you are willing to pay the money. I have one and I love it. A great focal length for street photography and its sharp and has very nice bokeh.

OM-Zuiko 40mm f2 on Ilford XP2 I think I shot it at f5.6