EOS 5D Mark 2 hacked to Leica M mount

Rangefinder Lens Forum needed?

Rangefinder Lens Forum needed?

With all this talk, I think we need a new section on this forum for rangefinder lenses. I feel this is the future anyway and why not get it started here. The only rule would be only lenses designed for rangefinder cameras are to be used. It would be open go any camera, hacked, adapters, rangefinders, evf, dslr, etc, . It would encourage more experimentation with alternative lens camera combinations.
 
I'm surprised adapter tubes aren't widely available (that of course don't go to infinity), or are they?
 
eleskin said:
With all this talk, I think we need a new section on this forum for rangefinder lenses. I feel this is the future anyway and why not get it started here. The only rule would be only lenses designed for rangefinder cameras are to be used. It would be open go any camera, hacked, adapters, rangefinders, evf, dslr, etc, . It would encourage more experimentation with alternative lens camera combinations.
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We have an optics & lenses forum. I don't think yet another forum would encourage anyone.
 
keytarjunkie said:
I don't consider someone who cuts off the front of a camera an "innovator," it seems more like "well I can't afford an M9 so I'll just hack away at this $2000 camera until it fits my other lenses." I would consider someone who designs a camera to fill such a niche an innovator (for example, this new fuji X100 if it lives up to the hype). I can see beyond...the BS :rolleyes: what can they do with those amazing leica m lenses that they REALLY couldn't do with their lowly EOS L lenses? It's a fantastic project for sure, but it's not like their photographs are tremendously improving because they rubbed down the front of a camera.
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Good point but then I said to myself this guy owns a lot of expensive glass so $$ may not be the issue. :)
 
Wait wait ... is THIS the same as the one from this link? http://72.32.6.157/~rbensonarch/blog/?page_id=247

I'm guessing maybe, though a little doubtful :/ ... It is getting quite the exposure on some blogs and other forums.

I'm not one to judge, but this is fascinating work, especially since everything is precision engineered by somebody with actual experience in such matters.
 
bugmenot said:
Wait wait ... is THIS the same as the one from this link? http://72.32.6.157/~rbensonarch/blog/?page_id=247

I'm guessing maybe, though a little doubtful :/ ... It is getting quite the exposure on some blogs and other forums.

I'm not one to judge, but this is fascinating work, especially since everything is precision engineered by somebody with actual experience in such matters.
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It's not the same. The one in the page you linked to does not have an M-mount, it has a 44mm screw mount.

In order to use Leica M lenses on it, you have to replace the mount on the lens by an M42 screw mount and use a 42-44mm step-up ring. I asked Robert Benson why he put a screw mount on it, instead of just using an M bayonet directly on the camera, but so far he hasn't answered.
 
Great! carry on with your surgery..next step is to cut away the VF housing and flatten the top...why not unbx the whole elecronics and custom box it!!!

Great!!!

Bye!!!
 
rxmd said:
It's not the same. The one in the page you linked to does not have an M-mount, it has a 44mm screw mount.

In order to use Leica M lenses on it, you have to replace the mount on the lens by an M42 screw mount and use a 42-44mm step-up ring. I asked Robert Benson why he put a screw mount on it, instead of just using an M bayonet directly on the camera, but so far he hasn't answered.
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Thank you for pointing that out. It seems odd that one has to modify his or her own lens to fit it on that 5DII modification (that is what I understand must be done, right?). Would have made more sense to just make it a bayonet mount ...
 
Monochrom said:
Great! carry on with your surgery..next step is to cut away the VF housing and flatten the top...why not unbx the whole elecronics and custom box it!!!

Great!!!

Bye!!!
Click to expand...


I actually thought about cutting off the prism area to make it more rangefinder like. It's actually hollow in there, the glass prism has been removed. But I wanted to retain the flash functionality of the hot shoe so I kept it. Maybe next time I'll hack that off too..


Regarding "modifying lenses" there is none. All screw mount leica lenses screw right on this thing. But if I want to use a M bayonent mount lents, I have to instead put a screw mount adapter on it (in place of the bayonet mount). This is ALMOST as easy as changing a filter in front of the lens.....

Certain things inside the Canon Camera that had to stay interfered with the tabs on a leica bayonet mount, so I just made the thing a screw mount camera. Old school Leica!
 
rastas said:
Regarding "modifying lenses" there is none. All screw mount leica lenses screw right on this thing. But if I want to use a M bayonent mount lents, I have to instead put a screw mount adapter on it (in place of the bayonet mount). This is ALMOST as easy as changing a filter in front of the lens.....
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Do you place the screw mount adapter on top of the existing bayonet, or do you have to take off the bayonet flange off the lens and replace it by a screw mount?

The latter would seem a bit inconvenient to me if you have to do it every time you want to change between the 5D body and a Leica M body.

About the flash shoe - good point about keeping flash functionality. Could you just take the hot shoe, build a new flat top for the camera without the prism hump, and put the hot shoe on there? It's connected by a ribbon cable, there should be no problem.
 
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