peterm1
Veteran
I am hoping someone here can help. Although I have plenty of experience with adapting various lenses for use on M43 and NEX cameras (Leica M, M42, Nikon SLR, Canon SLR etc) I know little about Nikon rangefinder lenses or Contax ones for that matter. In fact I am a complete newbie in that department. I am thinking about buying a Nikon lens - the 135mm f3.5 which looks superb as a starting point for a potential new addiction. (And yes of course I understand that Nikon lenses sometimes turn up in LTM).
When I began reearching the topic I found references to Nikon to M43 "internal" and "external" adapters and I am looking for further info on what this means in practice. Can anyone help please?
Ultimately I am hoping someone can advise what type of adapter to get at reasonable cost - although I see some wonderfully engineered adapters available in addition to the cheap $20 or so Chinese ones the former are usually in the $100 to $200 range and look to avoid these if possible for obvious reasons. Of course I realize that adapter stacking is an option too - Nikon to Leica then Leica to M43 but this would anticipate is likely to be one of the more expensive options again for obvious reasons including that any Nikon to Leica adapter would need to be highly engineered to maintain correct rangefinder focussing.
When I began reearching the topic I found references to Nikon to M43 "internal" and "external" adapters and I am looking for further info on what this means in practice. Can anyone help please?
Ultimately I am hoping someone can advise what type of adapter to get at reasonable cost - although I see some wonderfully engineered adapters available in addition to the cheap $20 or so Chinese ones the former are usually in the $100 to $200 range and look to avoid these if possible for obvious reasons. Of course I realize that adapter stacking is an option too - Nikon to Leica then Leica to M43 but this would anticipate is likely to be one of the more expensive options again for obvious reasons including that any Nikon to Leica adapter would need to be highly engineered to maintain correct rangefinder focussing.
Dwig
Well-known
The Contax RF mount system that Nikon "borrowed" for their RF line is a dual mount. There is an internal mount with focusing helicoid for 50mm lenses only. These lenses lack any focusing of their own. The external mount on the body is fixed and is for mounting all lenses other than 50mm lenses. These lenses have their own focusing helicoids and only engage the inner mount to connect to the rangefinder.
Since you are looking at a 135mm you would only need one of the simple external mount adapters.
peterm1
Veteran
OK so the 50mm lens is focused by the wheel on the body? Are you saying all lenses except the 50mm can use the external mount adapter? If I decide I like the system I may buy other lenses in future. Many thanks.