If you could adapt one Leica-R lens to a Nikon mount- which one?

[Benjamin Marks]

A company called Leitax sells lens mount conversion kits for Leica R lenses. Pentax-K and Leica-R are among the choices. If you could adapt one Leica-R lens to Nikon-F mount which one would you choose and why?

Ben Marks

 

[21-135 Apo All Good]

My 35-70 F2.8 just so I could use it on my F3HP w/ MD-4 Motor. Always liked the balance of that body & motor combo. Made for each other and became something you never wanted to ever take apart.

 

[sykotec]

a timely question, as I've settled on the 35/1.4 and 105/1.8 AIS lenses for my long and wide, but am looking for a 50 I can be happy with on my F5. I just sold a 50/1.2 AIS as the rendering just didn't gel with me as a 'normal', and now I've got a 50/1.8 AF-D. Enjoying autofocus much (but not all!) of the time, tentatively satisfied but not thrilled with rendering on film.

My current thoughts for a happy 50 are with a a Nikon 50.1/8 AFS-G, or a converted Summicron-M 50. Af with immediate override is tempting, and the classic Summicron look for a normal lens is as well.

That said...... if I could adapt any, let's got pipe-dream here, something I can't afford. Definitely a Summilux. The mount adapters are stop down metering only as I recall, so best with something truly unique that just HAPPENS to be nice to shoot wide open.

 

[f16sunshine]

Ben,
I use an adapted Summicron f2/35 on my 5Dii and really love the lens. It has a special look at wide open and then stopped down just becomes so damn sharp.
I've used the f2/90(v2 non apo)and f2/50 as well. The 90 is lovely but, nothing special since I use a zeiss planar 85 (faster and sharper at similar apertures).
The 50 was great but, not remarkable either.
That f2/35mm though Damn!

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

35/2.

The 50mm range is pretty well-covered, either with the 50/1.8G or the 1.8 Series E i have. And, another option is the Sigma 50/1.4. I've wanted a 35 for my FE2 and F100, but haven't been impressed by the OOF rendering of the Nikon AF version.

The Leica-R 35/2 didn't impress me with 'sharpness' - it was only equal to the Canon 35/2 i had at the time... but i really did like the Summicron's bokeh.

 

[BobYIL]

Elmarit-R 28/2.8 II is great but expensive. Summicron-R 35/2 (E55), 60/2.8 Macro-Elmarit and Summicron-R 90/2 (III) are all affordable and excellent lenses. BTW, "jinfinance" offers quality adapters for reasonable prices.

 

[kbg32]

The 19, 24, or 28 Elmarits.

 

[Steve M.]

I'd go w/ this 90 2.0 R Summicron, mounted on my N90s.


http://content.snapixel.com/content/EBS1/m/SteveMarino_e2d0aa441780.jpg?c=1328296520

 

[kanzlr]

35/2.8

actually, I did 🙂

 

[rickp]

after looking at 100s of photos on flickr, and dozens of recommendations on the forums, i just finished with the conversion (leitax) of the f4 35/70 with fabulous color rendering and a most useful macro function and the 180mm f3,4 apo telyt, designed by mandler. sooooo sharp, and my longest lens. well suited to hunt for beautiful details in landscapes, cityscapes and people photography. both are currently on an f4, maybe later on a d700.

enjoy!

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Here's the trick: I already have a group of Leica R lenses. I use them sometimes on m-4/3 and NEX bodies, but the balance is all wrong. They really want to be on a D3. Here's the list:

28/2.8
35/2
50/2
90/2
90/2.8
135/2.8
180/2.8 (version just before the f:3.4)

I was thinking of doing the 90/2.8 as Nikon doesn't make a 90 and the D3's high ISO performance would compensate for the slower speed. But the ones tugging at my heartstrings are the 35 and the 50.

I have one Leitax adapter sitting on the shelf, taunting me.

Maybe the answer is to buy more adapters . . .Arg.

 

[Peter_Jones]

I picked up an R3/Summicron 50/2 dirt cheap, and flogged the body which paid for the Leitax adaptor. 🙂

The Summicron 50/2 is very nice, stop-down metering means you have to think a bit (no bad thing), I reckon I'll have to conduct a manual-focus shoot-off against Nikkors to really judge, but the colours are so real and OOF areas so smooth it's definitely a keeper 😀

Just need a D700 now, to use it on.

 

[Calzone]

I was looking at a 28 Elmarit-R E48 with hood yesterday for possible use on my black F2 with DE-1 eye level finder. Got to love the look of a square hood on a Nikon. Time to do my taxes.

Cal

 

[rover]

Nikon (or Canon for that matter) doesn't offer anything like the 50 R Summicron or Summilux, if you can afford it, in my eyes. So they would be a no brainer.

The 35 R Summicron is a wonder, I would love to have, and the Elmarit also excellent and more attainable, but Nikon and Zeiss 35mm options are better than their 50mm offerings.

 

[Tom A]

I have divested myself of a lot of R-lenses, kept the 180f3.4, Macro Elmarit 60f2.8 and a 100f4 Macro. I suspect that I would only bother to convert the 180f3.4 and possibly the 100f4. My Macro Elmarit 60f2.8 is good, but I find myself using the Micro Nikkor 55f3.5 more - and liking the result better.

 

[Rob-F]

When I got rid of my Leica R outfit, I kept three lenses and converted them to Nikon Mount: 90mm Elmarit; 135mm Elmarit; and 180mm APO-Telyt f/3.4. SOmehow I just felt they would the be easiest to use with stop-down metering. (remember, you do have to use them in stop-down mode.) So far, I have not looked back. I'm happy with that choice.

 

[Calzone]

SOmehow I just felt they would the be easiest to use with stop-down metering. (remember, you do have to use them in stop-down mode.)

I'll be using a 28 Elmarit for street on a Nikon F2 with DE-1, and basically will only need three stops: wide open; F5.6; and F8.0. I also will install hard stops so that F11, F16 and F22 are unavalable.

I'm thinking that most lenses have a sweet spot 2 stops down from wide open where it is the sharpest and on an Elmarit this is F5.6. Beyond F8 diffraction degrades sharpness.

Should be easy to set my aperture because F2.8 and F8 will have hard stops and F5.6 will be so easy to find off these hard stops, but this requires the Leitax adapter with only full stop detents.

Its really handy that The Nikon F2 has a maximum shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second and the rest of the speeds are infinately variable.

Add a Beattie Intenscreen for a bright VF'er for a specialized NYC street rig.

Cal

 

[nobbylon]

I had 35/2, 50/2, 90/2.8, all superb however I've converted them back to use on my Leicaflex's.
Leitax adapters hardly used in the classifieds x3 at a discount on new,
regards john

 

[Paul Jenkin]

I had the 28mm f2.8 / 50mm f2.0 and 90mm f2.0. All are great lenses but I wantd something a bit more portable for street shooting. I have an M6TTL and, apparently, it's possible to get an R lens to M body adapter. I considered this but discounted it as I suspected that the R lenses would take up almost al of the viewfinder....

 

[Dirk]

50mm Summicron, version II. Overall color reproduction and 3D-ness.