Hawk's Factory Close Focus Adapter Review

Disaster_Area

Disaster_Area

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So I finally got my Hawk's Factory Close Focus adapter in the mail and all I can say is... wow...

It's made every M-mount lens I put on my Nex so much more useful. I wrote up a review of the adapter along with example shots from all my Voigtlander lenses showing the before/after of how close you can get with them.

Hawk's Factory Close Focus Adapter Review

They've really got a winner on their hands, I'm hoping they make a M4/3rds version soon as a couple of my friends are quite jealous right now 🙂
 
Thanks for sharing, good work🙂

Great article, how long experience is the review based on?

And usually a review discusses pros and cons. So what are possible cons (thats missing from this review):
- Does the Hawk focus tab interfere with Leica lens focus tab?
- How easy is to accidentally move focus?
- Possible to lock focus at infinity?
- The helicod introduces more mechanical moving parts. Can this affect durability?
- Is the adapter as mechanical stable when at close-focus?
- How is the focus turn distance compared to the turn of Leica lenses? For many of my lenses I can focus blind by feel only.
- Is focus the same direction as Leica lenses (sorry, had to ask to be sure)?
- Is the adapter delivered with 2 caps?
- Other?

Its really not my intention to bash the review, but reading user experiences on Internet one get a bit (too) skeptical sometimes. Sorry about this 😉
 
No worries... I definitely would have mentioned any cons if I had noticed any. And I really do appreciate the criticism, I think I just go so impressed with the adapter that I was focused too much on the pro's, it's not a bad idea to mention the lack of cons explicitly.

- There's absolutely no play or wobble with any of my lenses mounted and as I stated in the review it's a very well built adapter, I forsee no durability issues. And yes, it feels just as stable at close focus as it does fully collapsed.

- It focuses in the same direction as Leica M lenses, again I think I would have said it was a "con" if it didn't.

- There's no way to lock infinity focus, but I didn't mention that as I HATE infinity locks, I would have actually mentioned it as a "con" if it did have one 🙂

- It's not easy to move focus, the movement is stiff enough to avoid accidental movement without being too stiff, and very smooth.

- the adapter doesn't interfere with my 25mm Skopar's focusing tab, but I don't have a leica lens with a tab to test. I would guess it wouldn't though, no more than the body of an M film camera would.

- if you're looking at the adapter mounted on the camera, the focusing tab goes from roughly 7 o'clock fully collapsed, to 5 o'clock fully extended


The review is based on about a weeks worth of use... usually I take more time, but it's not exactly a complicated piece of equipment. Again, thank you so much for actual constructive criticism, that's what this forum is all about! I plan on incorporating some of this info in to my review as soon as I get a chance.
 
My 2 cents:

- Does the Hawk focus tab interfere with Leica lens focus tab? - I have an early model without a tab.
- How easy is to accidentally move focus? - as easy/difficult as it is with any properly damped lens.
- Possible to lock focus at infinity? - no. I rarely shoot at infinity so this would be an irritant.
- The helicoid introduces more mechanical moving parts. Can this affect durability? - of course. so can driving over it with a truck. 🙂
- Is the adapter as mechanical stable when at close-focus? - yes.
- How is the focus turn distance compared to the turn of Leica lenses? For many of my lenses I can focus blind by feel only. - it's about 1/4 turn from near to far.
- Is focus the same direction as Leica lenses (sorry, had to ask to be sure)? - I don't consider it to be a focusing helical, it's more of a variable extension tube. Direction doesn't matter to me.
- Is the adapter delivered with 2 caps? - no, why would it need caps, there is no glass to protect. 🙂
 
I guess I should have mentioned as well, the focusing tab is held on with two small screws, so I guess you could remove it if you felt it interfered with your lens, but I really like it and would probably keep it unless it cause major problems with a lens I used a lot.
 
A great many thanks to digitalintrigue and Disaster_Area for helping out with information 🙂

Btw; the extra plastic caps can be glued together back to back, then make a hole in the middle and you have a low cost extension tube improving the close focus.
 
I used a Hawk adapter - the version before the tab was introduced - for a couple of months and several thousand exposures. It's a solid piece of equipment - maybe not as nicely finished as a chromed Novoflex or CV adapter, but still very well made. Even with a relatively heavy lens like a ZM18 mounted you'll find no play at all.

As the NEX is a live view camera unless one is using zone or scale focus, accidental movement is less of a worry. The helicoid is well damped. Accidental movement is possible but not nearly as likely as one might expect - certainly I did not find this to be an issue.

If you have a NEX, and M Lenses, it'd be worth having the Hawk adapter just for the close focus ability it brings even if you already own another quality adapter. The utility it brings all of your lenses is worth the ~ 180 dollars, easily.

The Hawk is much more versatile than a fixed M to M extension ring like the OUFRO:

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/OUFRO

... although a single OUFRO will allow for even greater magnification / shorter minimum focus distance.

I owned both but have since sold my NEX-5N and the Hawk adapter. I still own the OUFRO for use on a Ricoh GXR M Mount. I still miss the variable nature of the Hawk adapter - with a live view camera like the NEX it's an excellent solution that opens up new photographic doors.
 
I had one of the very first Hawk's M adapters made, and my new version with the focus tab is built better. There is much less play in the lens when mounted (there is still a little with the helicoid extended,) and all of my lenses seem to reach infinity with the new one.
 
douglasf13 said:
I had one of the very first Hawk's M adapters made, and my new version with the focus tab is built better. There is much less play in the lens when mounted (there is still a little with the helicoid extended,) and all of my lenses seem to reach infinity with the new one.
Click to expand...

how does the new adapter look like? is it the v2.5? I'm using the older version I think - I got a used one and don't mind the upgrade if it helps with the focusing.. not that I have a focusing problem. It's perfectly fine though I find there is a little bit of play (its a well used set), and I find my fingers traveling to find the "focus" ring of the adapter..
 
The review I posted is for the V2, apparently the only difference in the 2.5 is a slightly larger knob for releasing the lens... personally I like how small the release button is on the v2, keeps it from catching on things
 
The only difference that I notice between the V1 and V2 adapters, outside of the focusing tab, is that the leaf springs on the inside look to be better, and the lens sits more firmly in the v2, but I had one of the first V1s, and I think they may have improved the V1 after I bought it. My V1 doesn't have any writing on it, either.

The new V2.5 looks terrible, to me. One of my biggest annoyances with adapters is when the focus tab is large and pinches the fingers on my grip hand. Before the Hawk's, I bought Voigtlander adapters for this reason. I hope my V2 adapter lasts a while, because I won't buy a V2.5.
 
i have a kipon adapter that close focus as well. works well ... my canon 35mm f1.8 lens now focus as close as 0.3-0.4m
 
Question for Hawk's Helicoid owners: I've just got one from the latest batch (a 2.5), but the lens lock doesn't seem to have a spring. I have to push the knob forward to lock the lens on. Is this the case with everyone else's?

Thanks.

PS I've only tried it with a CV 35mm f1.4 Classic so far. I'll try my Leica lenses on it later.
 
Hmmmm... mine definitely has a spring, although I have the V2... but I couldn't see them removing something so important from the design, I would contact the place you bought it and get a new one.
 
When I looked up Hawke's Factory LM-> NEX helicoid adapter on eBay, I found there are two competing products on offer. One is from Kipon with weird looking focusing ring, and another generic version similar to Hawke's. They are at different price levels. Had anyone from this forum any experience with the other two versions? Thanks!
 
Leica M - NEX adapter

Leica M - NEX adapter

Hello! I bought a helical focusring from ebay. It´s not the Hawks or Kipon. The marking says only "LM.E.Helicoid". I think it was 120 US dollars including registered mail from Hong Kong. Fast delivery to Sweden. I am very pleased with its function. I use it with Perar 35mm and 28mm, Leica Summicron 50mm, Leica Summicron 40mm, Leica Summaron 35mm, Leica Elmarit 90mm, Leica Elmar 90mm, CV 12mm, CV 15mm, CV 28mm, CV 40mm, CV 90mm and some russians with Leica thread. The two widest CV lenses gives an awful cyan like corner discolorisation, but it is fixable with the free program Cornerfix which is downloadable. Just Google and you can´t miss it. Greetings from Sweden in Easter time.
 
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