Ltm 6-bit

[abumac]

Hi, has anybody tried this adptors?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Leica-6-Bit-cod...ultDomain_0&hash=item4aa39215c5#ht_1436wt_907

Thank you.

 

[250swb]

Yeah. They suck. 😉

and worse yet, left the lenses rotated off-axis by about 45º from center. I sent them both back for a refund.

I think they work fine. An awful lot of Leica LTM lenses are meant to be mounted rotated to the left when seen from above, its so you can see the focus scale when an auxiliary finder or flash is fitted to a Barnack Leica. All these mounts do is mimic that, it doesn't affect focusing.

Steve

 

[Steve Litt]

Yes I have one on my 21 Skopar the f5.6 mark its at the top and doesn't cause me any difficulty. The build quality of my example is equal to the VC ones I have. I just coded it as a 28mm Elmarit and it works fine.

Regards

Steve

 

[jarski]

Yeah. They suck. 😉

...

Get yourself some VC "Type II" adapters and either hand-code them, or have them milled.

+1

though I use similar Kipon adapters also avail on eBay. infinity never matches the camera's, and rear cap does not hold fit 🙁

wish Cosina did version III from their adapter and include this feature as well.

 

[lucaloren]

I just purchased and recieved one from the same seller. I was not very happy with it and have returned it for a refund. Aside from the off centre mounting of the lens, the quality was exceptionally poor. I could not easily mount or remove the adapter/lens from my M9 bayonet mount - the fit was terrible.

I queried the seller about this and he indicated that they were a new batch that he had not tested yet. :bang:

Needless to say I picked up a VC type II.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

These adapters and the Kipons are useless if using a longer lens with a tab-type cam instead of a cylindrical one. The cam follower in the camera doesn't even touch the lens.
As for the whole mimicking the lens rotation thing, that only stands for Canon lenses as they built them like that. A few of the third party manufacturers like Komura, Acall, Schacht and various others may have had some sample variation but every LTM lens I've ever owned or seen that wasn't a Canon was oriented more or less at top-dead-center with regard to the focusing mark. I called out one of the sellers on that fact that it was just bad QC and he said it was a "feature." That feature precludes using 105mm Nikkors and a few other great long lenses.
Some of the oldest and hardest used LTM lenses have had a bit of thread stretching since the brass deforms after 60 or more years' use and that will have the effect of rotating the focus point closer to the viewfinder.
Anyways, the only LTM adapters which are worth anything are the ones from Voigtlander or the original Leica ones. Everything is right with them and paying John Milich to machine one is definitely worth it.

Phil Forrest

 

[250swb]

Why copy an adapter for a Barnack when you know it will be used on a digital M? That IS the whole point of 6-bit coding, after all...

I'll stick with the VC2s...

Why copy an adapter to keep the off-set, thats the question?

Its simple really but you may have needed to use some older Leica lenses previously to appreciate it.

The majority (if not all) of LTM to M adapters I have used over the years have mounted LTM lenses off centre. When I say 'over the years' I mean thirty five plus. On an LTM camera the infinity lock button starts its throw at between 7 or 8 o'clock when looked at from the front (set to infinity) and this puts the focus scale off to the right looked at from the front. Now, put an M adapter on that same lens and which doesn't copy that position but mounts the lens square and two things happen. Firstly you are looking through the viewfinder and as you focus closer something blurry comes into view, its very strange, but after asking for guidance on a forum somebody suggests its your finger. And so it is. Because the whole lens is rotated to be 'square' the closest focus distance now puts your finger right in front of the viewfinder window. The second thing that happens is is that its possible the closest focus distance can now be reached only at the top of the lens, not an ergonomic position whether blocking the viewfinder or not.

So now you see, when its on an LTM camera the focus ring starts in a convenient position and ends in a convenient position that doesn't block the viewfinder. Ditto with the correct offset mount for an LTM to M adapter.

If you only plan to use CV lenses for instance, or lenses that were not off-set in their day, a CV adapter makes sense, it should I suppose mount the lenses square. But I think its unreasonable and silly to suggest something advertised as an LTM adapter should do anything other than correctly adapt a Leica lens to an M camera as it was meant to be installed. If you want to mount a CV lens on it why are you calling it crap if its not meant to mount a CV lens square on an M camera?

But, if you plan to use a variety of lenses on the same adapter a proper (off-set) LTM adapter is still the best way to go. It at least means your finger doesn't end up blocking the viewfinder using a Leica lens, and for CV lenses that are now off-set, so what, it doesn't matter.

Steve

 

[fiatlux]

I've got two of them (on CV 15/4.5 and CV 75/2.5).

Focus accuracy is maintained which is the most important thing and I have no issue mounting the converted lenses on my M8.

Admittedly the rear lens caps do not stay firmly in place, but I'm not sure whether it's a problem of adappter or aftermarket cap.