Just Bought an M6 - One Question

T

tedwhite

Guest
Hi, Tom:

Just bought John R. Gleason's M6 (from last week in the classifieds) and it should be here in a day or two.

Unfortunately, both my lenses (CV Color Skopar 35/2.5 and Canon 50/1.8) are M39 screwmount as I was using them on my Bessa R.

Will one adapter work for both lenses, or do I need a separate adapter for each lens? Also - unless you have some extras you'd care to sell me - what are the best brands and where can I find them?

Regards,

Ted (Oops, that was two questions, wasn't it...)
 
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You could just leave the adapter in the camera and change the lenses via the thread. The advantage of seperate adapters is that they're designed to bring up the correct frame line for the lens in a Leica viewfinder.
 
Al is right. It's a lot easier and quicker to get a dedicated LTM adapter for each lens. You new (to you) M6 has a great finder which with the correct adapter will bring up the proper frame line for you when you switch lenses.

Without one you need to manually adjust the frame line to show the correct framing. A royal pain in the but if you ask me. I'd rather just swap out a bright line finder on top than hold the frame arm manually.

Used they sell from around $25-30 on up and can be found often here and on EvilBay.

B2 (;->
 
Thank you both for your thoughts and advice. I believe I'd rather have a separate adapter for each lens - that way it would bring up the proper frame lines. (One of the great innovative ideas in the Bessa R series is that adjustable frameline dial on the top plate).

I'll take a look on ebay. Should I buy only a Leitz adapter, or are aftermarket brands going to work as well? I know that when I bought a brand X M42 to K mount adapter for my Pentax DSLR it was a career getting it off. Finally paid the extra for a Pentax one and it goes on and off like silk.
 
You can get those adapters from $19 - $55. Some people say the cheap ones are made poorly.

The more expensive (pretty much guaranteed to work) adapters can be found at Photovillage, cameraquest, and I think Popflash.
 
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Yeah go for separate adapters for each lens You have, and I'd recommend the Voigtlander LTM to M mount Adapters, they are of very High Quality and most likely You won't get any problems compared to the other ones.
 
Ted,

I had great luck with Leica adapters of any age. Some folks have had bad luck with no-name brands. I would trust Komura, CV and Leica if I were to get back into M cameras again.

B2 (;->
 
I have a non-Leica 35/135 adapter that is mismarked as a 50/75. (I was trying to buy a 50/75). I tested it on several lenses and two camera bodies, it brings up the 35/135 frames, it's just mismarked.

Since I already have a 35/135, I'd sell it for $20 shipping included.
 
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I wonder if will work on my Canon 50/1.8 as it has/had an infinity lock? I dismantled the infinity lock some time ago. I'll take a look at it tomorrow and get back to you. Thanks for the offer. Oops - I just re-read your post. Yeah, if the adapter brings up 35/135 framelines on two different camera bodies (Leicas?) then sure. I'll buy it. How do you want to get paid? Paypal's fast and 3% is sixty cents, so $20.60 works for me. Does it work for you?

Got a kick out of your "Joisey" thing. I participate in a sport with a guy from New Jersey who says, "You got a problem with that?" quite often.
 
Ted,
I happen to also have a Canon 50 1.8, that's the lens I was trying to get a 50/75 adapter for, and this adapter works fine with it, you just won't get the 50 frameline.

Re: "Joisey"... I got tired of trying to explain to some people from middle America how even though I'm Italian (half) and from New Jersey, that I'm NOT in the Mafia! True story!

Ted, just send fifteen bucks via Paypal and we'll call it a deal. PP address is ClassicVW [AT] aol.com
 
I have two adapters bought from www.fedka.com. No trouble with either. But they cost $52 each as against CameraQuest's $55, so you wouldn't save much money. They permit the use of lenses with infinity locks, which I understand the newer CV adapters don't.
 
The newer VC adapters have a "full" circle coverage so that users of M8's can code them for the cameras rather fickle processor.
Most screw to bayonet adapters work well, but I have had some chinese made ones were the chrome was laid on too thick and they would "bind" in the mount. I would recommend that you get the correct adapter for each lens if you use a M or ZM camera. With the Bessa range it doesn't matter as you flip the frame lines in place with the lever.
 
The photographs of the Leica in Classifieds didn't do justice to the camera. It literally appears unused!

Anyway, M6, Serial No: 24245XX. Does anyone know its date of manufacture?

Ted
 
Thanks, ferider, for dating my M6. I had no idea the M6 was made that recently.

I looked at your gallery. Marvelous stuff. Were they all shot with Leicas?
 
tedwhite said:
Thanks, ferider, for dating my M6. I had no idea the M6 was made that recently.

I looked at your gallery. Marvelous stuff. Were they all shot with Leicas?
Click to expand...

Thanks, Ted. These days, most of them, with all kinds of (non-Leica, largely) glass. The square ones come from a Hasselblad :)

Cheers,

Roland.

PS: here is a list of Leica body serials: http://www.cameraquest.com/leicanum.htm
 
I use a CV mount adapter for my Canon 50mm 1.8 and a cheap Chinese one that was seriously cheap for the CV Ultron 28mm 1.9 - both work a treat, bringing up the correct framelines and never binding. Luck of the draw I guess.

Certainly worth the expense of buying one for each lens. Infact I may have to buy another myself as I've literally just bought a Canon 50mm 1.2 on ebay....though maybe I'll just pinch the one from the 1.8 version.

Enjoy the M6, they're fabulous cameras...mine's an '87, not sure about my TTL though

EDIT: I am now, just checked Ferider's chart...it's a '98.
 
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My M6 is serial# 21805xx. What vintage would that be?

Sorry, I looked around for your chart, but didn't find it.
 
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