M mount bargains

[froyd]

I need to penny pinch getting my first RF kit together. For camera I'll go for either of the Bessa R#a (once I decide if I can live without 35mm framelines). For lenses, I need your help. From what I have been reading, it seems that my only budget choices are getting FSU lenses in LTM and buy the $55 LTM > M adaptors. Is that correct? Are there any FSU lenses in M mount? Any other options?

If I go for the R2a, I might spring for the 35mm voigtlander, but I would like to know if I can go even cheaper than that.

Thanks for any hints!

 

[Todd.Hanz]

I need to penny pinch getting my first RF kit together. For camera I'll go for either of the Bessa R#a (once I decide if I can live without 35mm framelines). For lenses, I need your help. From what I have been reading, it seems that my only budget choices are getting FSU lenses in LTM and buy the $55 LTM > M adaptors. Is that correct? Are there any FSU lenses in M mount? Any other options?

If I go for the R2a, I might spring for the 35mm voigtlander, but I would like to know if I can go even cheaper than that.

Thanks for any hints!

I'm not sure if this is worth consideration but fixed lens RF's are pretty cheap. The Canon QL17, Yashica GSN, and several others can be had for less than fifty bucks on ebay, in fact you could get two or three for that money. The lenses are fast f1.4- f1.7 and they make good back-up cameras for when you have enough $$$ to buy what you want.

Good luck,
Todd

 

[Palaeoboy]

I know you specified M mount but Camerquest has a special on the screw mount Bessa R with a 35mm lens for $399.

Ferider is correct about the 40mm Summicron/Rokkor. They are excellent lenses for the money. A friend on this forum (Captain is his username) has them for about $220 USD

 

[vrgard]

I know you specified M mount but Camerquest has a special on the screw mount Bessa R with a 35mm lens for $399.

Ferider is correct about the 40mm Summicron/Rokkor. They are excellent lenses for the money. A friend on this forum (Captain is his username) has them for about $220 USD

Wow, $220 for a 40mm cron/Rokkor is a bargain.

-Randy

 

[Chris Lynch]

HAHA i was thinking about snagging taht cheap cron/rokkor the other day

 

[froyd]

me too poor

me too poor

OK, maybe I should have been clearer. What I meant by cheap is <$100.

I have several good Nikon SLR primes, so I'm assuming the Nikon to M adapter would be another option open to me. Would that adapter allow me to focus via the rangefinder patch, or will I have to scale-focus? (If I buy a screw mount FSU lens w/ adapter I read that I would be able to focus via the rangefinder, correct?)

 

[Max Power]

froyd,
I happen to have a collection of FSU LTM lenses I bought with my FED-5 and Zorki-4. Just for a kick I tried the J-8 on my R3A using an LTM to M-mount adapter...Just wanted to do a side-by-side of the 50/1.5 Nokton and the J-8. I can assure you that the adapters work well, and that the J-8 works just fine on the Bessa. The focus is bang on close-up and wide-open.

The quality of the J-8 is not as good as that of the 50/1.5 Nokton, but that is a whole other story😀

Kent

 

[venchka]

...I have several good Nikon SLR primes, so I'm assuming the Nikon to M adapter would be another option open to me.

Which adapter is this? What is it? Who makes it? Where is it? Is there a Canon FD to M adapter as well? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[wlewisiii]

Bargains for M? Well, I've gotten 2 really good ones:
Collapsible Summicron $75+$55 for CLA = $130
90/4 Elmar - traded for a Moskva 5, though I did have to buy an adaptor.

There are real bargains out there if you keep your eyes open.

William

 

[wlewisiii]

Wayne,

There is the Canon FD converter B which allows you to mount FD on screwmount and then a M adaptor would hook it to an M. Kevincameras.com has two, rather cheaply, right now. If I had the cash, he'd only have one... 🙂

William

 

[venchka]

I know about the Canon "B" FD to LTM to M arrangement. I just had not heard about something similar for Nikon. Kevins, eh? I've been musing about this for days now. I just don't know if it would make a really useful pairing. It's one thing to do it and quite another to have something useful.

 

[lubitel]

Wayne,

There is the Canon FD converter B which allows you to mount FD on screwmount and then a M adaptor would hook it to an M. Kevincameras.com has two, rather cheaply, right now. If I had the cash, he'd only have one... 🙂

William

there is such a thing? damn! I just sold my Canon FD 1.2 cause I wasnt using the AE-1 anymore. would have been nice on the Bessa-R

 

[rxmd]

Using SLR non-wideangle lenses on a rangefinder kind of defeats the purpose of using a rangefinder in the first place IMHO (it's not smaller as the thickness is exactly the same, and you have trouble focusing).

Philipp

 

[cary]

90mm Elmars in M mount are inexpensive, I just picked one up on Ebay for $51. You may also want to look at the 135mm Hektor in M mount, they go for less than $100.

Cary Chin

 

[wlewisiii]

I know about the Canon "B" FD to LTM to M arrangement. I just had not heard about something similar for Nikon. Kevins, eh? I've been musing about this for days now. I just don't know if it would make a really useful pairing. It's one thing to do it and quite another to have something useful.

From my understanding, it's really only worth the effort for 28mm or wider since it's a scale focus arrangement. I'd suppose 35 & 50 could be done w/out too much hassle, but I sure wouldn't want to try anything longer 🙂

And FD wides are much cheaper than LTM/M ones 😀

William

 

[clintock]

The good thing about the bessa body is the frame lines are selected via switch instead of by the specific screw to bayonet adaptor, so you can just buy one adaptor and be in the world of fsu and cosina lenses, yet still have the right frame lines. With a leica, you gotta get several adaptors. There's a vendor on ebay selling dirt cheap chinese adaptor rings, i wonder if they are any good?

 

[Palaeoboy]

Wow, $220 for a 40mm cron/Rokkor is a bargain.

Try messenging him, I think he had one of each.

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

< $100 ? I think the Jupiter lenses fit that bill. And frankly, if you get a good copy, I've seen some fairly impressive photos from properly calibrated ones.

cheers

 

[Abbazz]

Which adapter is this? What is it? Who makes it? Where is it? Is there a Canon FD to M adapter as well? Inquiring minds want to know.

Venchka,

Many adapters available on Cameraquest will allow you to mount SLR lenses on Leica M bodies. The cheaper ones will provide rangefinder coupling (scale focusing only). But there are a few "deluxe" models, which will let you focus through the rangefinder and then transfer the distance displayed on the adapter's scale to the normal distance scale of the lens. It is indeed slower than focusing a genuine M lens, but more accurate than guess focusing.

Here is the link for basic adapters for Nikon, Leica R and Pentax M42 lenses. This is the focusing model, which is available for Nikon or Pentax K mount.

Cheers,

Abbazz