LTM>M adapters

kaiyen

local man of mystery
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Hi all,
I got my first set of LTM>M adapters this past weekend. Not Leitz or CV brand, but looked like made very well. I have a question that I fear I already know the answer to...

when screwed on, should the "top" of the LTM lens be at the "top" of the adapter? Such that the dot indicating the middle of the round of the lens still shows up in the middle, as you look down upon the lens from above?

sigh.
allan
 
For some lenses yes, Allan. Like CV or Jupiter lenses. They can be a little off, but not much.

For other lenses no, like Canon or Nikkor LTM lenses on an adapter are intentionally off; the infinity focus mark is at around 1-2 o'clock when looking at the lens from the front. So you can see the DOF scale through the RF window. Like this:

119214525_a3dJt-M.jpg


When the lens has a continuous RF cam it doesn't really matter.

Best,

Roland.
 
Last edited:
Roland,
Thanks for the fast reply. My CV Heliar has the inifinity focus mark at about 12:30 from the front of the body. However, when the lens is at infinity the RF patch does not line up.

Thoughts?
alan
 
Roland,
Thanks for the fast reply. My CV Heliar has the inifinity focus mark at about 12:30 from the front of the body. However, when the lens is at infinity the RF patch does not line up.

Thoughts?
alan

Sounds like the adapter is too thin or too thick. The patch should line up. I have a couple of spare ones, if you want to try another one.

Roland.
 
Hi Guys,

This subject is suddenly of interest to me because I recently acquired a M3 (my first Leica!), and I'll be looking for a couple of LTM to M adapters. Which brands should I avoid, and which are good? How much do they cost, on average, for a good quality one?

Thanks,

Warren
 
Hi Guys,

This subject is suddenly of interest to me because I recently acquired a M3 (my first Leica!), and I'll be looking for a couple of LTM to M adapters. Which brands should I avoid, and which are good? How much do they cost, on average, for a good quality one?

Thanks,

Warren

i think you cant go wrong with the ones Fedka sells, or the ones from the head bartender. they cost about the same either way.
 
..........and of course you could try the originasl Leica ones. They can be found for reasonable prices sometimes. I tried one of the cheaper ones......well it works at least for the CV 21mm
 
CQ $55 plus shipping, Fedka $52 plus shipping. I have two from Fedka, entirely satisfactory.

Allan, if the adapters are to be on the lenses permanently and if the R/F is off in the "correct" way, you could try putting two small pieces of thin paper between lens and adapter. That is what I did before I adjusted (though it is still not exactly right) the R/F of my M2.
 
I wonder if this is the Chinese adapter I have seen on eBay; at first for $10.00, and more recently for $15.00 or $20.00. I have wondered how good those may be.

I use the 28mm/90mm and 50/75mm ones from the head bartender. I don't have the 35mm one as of now.
 
I got a pretty cheap one off eBay and Ive been less then impressed with the quality, it is supposed to bring up the 50mm frame line, but reality it sets the frame lines between 50 and whatever the smaller ones are on my M4. I can see on the flange that brings up the frame lines that it was poorly machined, an easy fix except I dont have any small files on hand in my dorm room.
 
For some lenses yes, Allan. Like CV or Jupiter lenses. They can be a little off, but not much.

For other lenses no, like Canon or Nikkor LTM lenses on an adapter are intentionally off; the infinity focus mark is at around 1-2 o'clock when looking at the lens from the front. So you can see the DOF scale through the RF window. Like this:

119214525_a3dJt-M.jpg


When the lens has a continuous RF cam it doesn't really matter.

Best,

Roland.

thank you so much for that!

i have an old Canon LTM and it's driven me crazy by the "off" placement. with your explanation and photo -- it all makes sense now!
 
Ah yes, I did see some here in Shanghai just last weekend, and my first thought about it was that its very light. I doubt its brass, looks more like aluminium. I'm not too convinced using a light metal for a mount adapter is a good idea. And the price is around $15. The machining looked second grade as well.

I wonder if this is the Chinese adapter I have seen on eBay; at first for $10.00, and more recently for $15.00 or $20.00. I have wondered how good those may be.

I use the 28mm/90mm and 50/75mm ones from the head bartender. I don't have the 35mm one as of now.
 
kaiyen - do you have m-mount lenses to test as well? Does the patch line up at infinity for them?

It is possible that the RF is just out of adjustment, not that the adapters are wrong.
 
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