Help! Old Prominent lens adapter to M-mount?

[Melb Skopar]

Hi All,

I absolutely love my 1950's Color Skopar lens on a Vitomatic. (I promise to post some pics in the gallery soon!!)

But I'm looking at how to get those great 50's Voigtlander lenses onto a more modern camera body. (I don't want to use the unwieldy Prominent). You can get these great lenses for much less than $100 each... mmmmm

The bodies I'm most keen on are: Hexar RF and Cosina Voigtlander Bessa. (I guess that for future lens options, I'd prefer a Leica M-mount lens body rather than ContaxRF mount.)

Thanks to this forum, it seems like there is a Voigtlander Prominent lens (1950's) to Leica-M adapter.

See the links below - it is attached to an Epson DR-1, which indeed has a Leica M fitting.

http://www.shingai.com/r-d1/file/html/P1010344.html

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/for...nt+adapter+page

Now, from my reading on Prominent adapters, I have only come up with two options (from Cameraquest and others): a Prominent to ContaxRF mount and a Prominent to NikonRF mount adapter, which VC has been making since 2003.
Also, this info says that the adapters only work on 50mm lenses (ie Nokton 50/1.5 and Ultron 50/2)

Does anyone have info on the adapter in the photo (ie to Leica M)??

And why won't such an adapter work on, say, the 35mm/3.5 Skoparon wide-angle. Since the Prominent camera had interchangeable lenses, surely the mount would be the same...

The last point is: since the old Prominent focuses via the much-maligned focus knob on the left side of THE CAMERA BODY, not the lens, how on earth do you focus the Nokton when it's fitted to an adapter like that????

Is there great knowledge from you peoples out there?????

Cheers,
Dan

 

[rover]

I think I know the answer to your last question, actually more. 50mm lenses in the Contax and Nikon mounts focus using a finger wheel and fit in the inner part of the camera mount. I assume the adaptor fits this inside mount and can be focused with the wheel. Other focal length lenses mount on the outer portion of the Contax/Nikon mount and the lenses have focusing rings. If the Prominent lenses do not have a focusing ring then perhaps that is why only the 50s will work with the adaptor. That being said, it may be worth while to buy a Contax to use the Nokton.

 

[former member]

On Ebay, I forget the seller(EDIT: I see this was posted in Leica M and was answered as "Arsenall"), I have seen a custom made Voigtlander 50mm F1.5 to Leica Thread Mount adapter. It was reasonably proced at $300 or so. I "Think" someone could start with a Leica close-up adapter like a "nooky" for the project, and have it machined to take the Prominent lens. The Leica close-up adapters have a helical and were made to take the collapsible lenses. The lens collapsed into its mount, and then "bayonetted" into the "Nooky". Depending on the back-focus of the Nokton/Ultron, the lens "could" be fitted into a Nooky, the helical machined to get the RF cam to engage, and off you go.

The other Prominent Lenses have their own helical but engage the Prominents built-in helical for RF coupling. An adpater would have to include the lugs for those lenses. Similar adapters for the Nikon to LTM go in the over $1,000 range.

 

[popitz]

there's a Prominent to ContaxRF mount adapter?! where could you buy them? i've got a Nokton 1.5/50 here on my Prominent and it would be real interesting if i could use that with my Contax II or Kievs. btw, how does it compare to the Sonnar 1.5/50? maybe i can just use the Nokton instead of buying a Sonnar (i do have a Jupiter-3, though). i haven't shot a roll on my Prominent (just arrived last week) so i don't know how the original Noktons perform. i also have a Vitomatic IIa (cute camera) but haven't finished the roll of film on it yet.

 

[popitz]

nevermind, just saw it on cameraquest. getting a sonnar 1.5/50 is cheaper.

 

[furcafe]

Although both are great lenses, the Nokton has its own charms v. the Sonnar.

http://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=110367