M lens on OM body

[ped]

Hi guys

I have a LOVELy OM1 inbound. This thing looks beautiful, lots of brassing, lovely and smooth - should be a winner.

It comes with a 1.4 50mm but I wondered if I can put M lenses on it using an adapter. What are the drawbacks to doing so (presumably the aperture blades will make the VF dark and I guess there will be some focusing issues?

Cheers
ped

 

[Addy101]

The flange distance of a M camera is much smaller 'cause it doesn't have a mirror like a SLR.... No, it won't fit. Maybe there are adapters with glass, but that would be a waist of good lenses. Just enjoy your OM with Olympus lenses and use M lenses on a M body.

 

[ruby.monkey]

You could mount those lenses intended for use with a Visoflex, if you could find a suitable adapter.

 

[ped]

Great, thanks chaps! Yes I love the OM lenses.

 

[tunalegs]

If an adapter exists it would be for macro use only. I do know a lot of older SLRs did have adapters available for LTM lenses (for macro use) but I don't think I've seen one for M lenses.

 

[wblynch]

How about a Leica R lens? That might be fun. I don't know how you would do it though.

 

[zuiko85]

Since most SLR register distances are fairly close, 44mm to 48mm, there is often little room for an adapter and of course the auto aperture and metering functions are not coupled, cross platform. If you already have a batch of optics from one system and want to explore their use on another mount you *might* find an adapter to do so but I would never get a camera with the intention of buying and using another system's lenses on it.

 

[redisburning]

if the rear element doesnt fowl the mirror most slr systems can swap mounts assuming you can find someone to do the work. OM and R are fairly close it may be possible.

 

[Godfrey]

How about a Leica R lens? That might be fun. I don't know how you would do it though.

Leica R has a 47mm mount register where Olympus OM has a 46mm mount register. So it is possible to adapt R lenses to OM bodies, but would likely take a mounting flange replacement. Leitax.com doesn't list R to OM adaptations; I don't know who else might.

However, at the current price of a Leicaflex or R series body, you'd be better off just buying one of them rather than adapting lenses at likely $100 min per lens. The major reason to adapt Leica R lenses to a different mount these days is to use them for digital capture. I use R lenses on Olympus FourThirds and Micro- FourThirds, particularly the latter, where they perform beautifully, and of course on the Leicaflex SL body they were intended for.

My only interest in the Sony A7 bodies is for precisely this purpose. 🙂

G