Nikon to M Lenses

HSI

HSI

The Fourth
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May 4, 2007
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Sorry to be a bother, but could someone explain to me the mounts that the Nikon RF lenses used, and how they are compatible to a Leica M-Mount?
I know the LTM to M convertors and all that, but are all Nikon RF lenses LTM?
 
I had two genuine Orion adapters and eBayed them several years ago for a nice price.

I've bought about a half dozen ersatz adapters since then, mostly the Chinese ones made from Kiev helicoids on eBay.

Average price, about $240.

Most of them are not satisfactory. I then resell them. Finally, I bought one that seems perfect. Focus is spot-on with Russian and Contax lenses on my R-D1 camera.

You need a lot of shimming, lubricating, and tightening to make them work properly.

Now that I've got a good one, I'm done for now.

But it is fun to mount all those old lenses on the R-D1.

The early 1950's Jupiter-3 lenses are fantastic, when you have a good one.
 
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So its pretty hard to tell what mount each lens is if your not up to date on your Nikon lenses?
 
So I need an 'orion' mount for any 'nikon' mount lenses being used on an 'm' mount, correct?
And the 'LTM' mount lenses are just like any other 'LTM' and I can use a convertor such as the CV one from cameraquest.com.
O.K, but what happens when i step in to the big ring on the internet, anyway to tell through say KEH.com, other than asking them or you guys?
 
HSI said:
So I need an 'orion' mount for any 'nikon' mount lenses being used on an 'm' mount, correct?
And the 'LTM' mount lenses are just like any other 'LTM' and I can use a convertor such as the CV one from cameraquest.com.
O.K, but what happens when i step in to the big ring on the internet, anyway to tell through say KEH.com, other than asking them or you guys?
Click to expand...
Any Leica screw mount lens (LTM) will fit an "M" camera with a simple L to M adapter.

You need an "Orion type" adapter to attach Contax or rangefinder Nikon mount lenses
to an M camera. There are "Contax" adjusted adapters and "Nikon" adjusted adapters. Furthermore, these are not simple mount adapters, so there may be a lot of misadjustment.

If you don't really know what you want, stick to adapting "L" lenses to "M" with the simple adapters.
 
Thatas what I'm looking for. I want to keep it simple. But I think I might just keep looking around the diffrent manufacters to find a decent deal on a 35 or a 50, but at the moment I've got Nikon RF, Canon RF, CV, Leica, Hexar all on the radar for a good deal.
:)
 
Mounting Contax/Nikon rangefinder lenses on "M" cameras is not an exact science. It's more for tinkerers and experimenters, or someone who already has lots of lenses in a collection.

If you want a problem-free shooting experience, forget about "Orion" adapters and buy a LTM or M lens.
 
Nikon lenses in LTM tend to cost a little more than Nikon s-mount lenses. Probably the best deals are with Canon LTM lenses.
 
Sorry to dig up an old thread. Does it make sense to try and adapt an s-mount 35/1.8 over buying a LTM version?
 
That's a waste of time. Edward Felcher was a pretty smart and accurate guy. Probably had a high IQ.

There's a guy in South America who sells really good CNC machined adapters for around $250 on eBay. Amedeo or something like that.

He has Nikon and Contax versions for sale.
 
No. Buy the LTM mount lens, or a modern Cosina Voigtlander 35/1.7 Ultron.

The 3.5cm f1.8 is a great lens, but its rear element will hang up on the RF follower of the Leica camera even if you use the S-Mount to M-Mount adapter. You can get a non-RF coupled adapter that offsets the lens. That produces non-optimal performance.

also: image quality from the 3.5cm F1.8 is comparable with the much cheaper 3.5cm f2.5. You give up one F-Stop. The F2.5 lens is available in LTM, and the S-Mount to m-Mount adapters will work with it.

More on Contax to m adapters on ziforums. You will need to register to see the attachments.

http://ziforums.com/showthread.php?t=91

You could cut the RF pickup of the Leica down to size if you were really determined to make it work.
 
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I'd like the extra stop of performance and for over 1/3 the price of the LTM lens I'll just get it. Are there any issues with RF coupling using the LTM version on a LTM to M adapter?
 
As long as the LTM adapter is good quality, and proper thickness, there will be no problems using an LTM Nikkor on an M-Mount camera.
 
My 3.5mm f1.8 Nikkor never hangs with an M adapter.



Brian Sweeney said:
No. Buy the LTM mount lens, or a modern Cosina Voigtlander 35/1.7 Ultron.

The 3.5cm f1.8 is a great lens, but its rear element will hang up on the RF follower of the Leica camera even if you use the S-Mount to M-Mount adapter. You can get a non-RF coupled adapter that offsets the lens. That produces non-optimal performance.

also: image quality from the 3.5cm F1.8 is comparable with the much cheaper 3.5cm f2.5. You give up one F-Stop. The F2.5 lens is available in LTM, and the S-Mount to m-Mount adapters will work with it.

More on Contax to m adapters on ziforums. You will need to register to see the attachments.

http://ziforums.com/showthread.php?t=91

You could cut the RF pickup of the Leica down to size if you were really determined to make it work.
Click to expand...
 
Zero Nakajima said:
My 3.5mm f1.8 Nikkor never hangs with an M adapter.
Click to expand...

What type of M adapter do you have?

The LTM Nikkors will not hang up using an adapter. They are constructed differently from the S-Mount lenses.

My 3.5cm F1.8 S-Mount lens cannot be used on any of my three Contax to Leica adapters. The problem is not the adapters, the problem is the rear element of the S-Mount 3.5cm F1.8 hits the RF Pickup Wheel of the Leica.
 
I think we lost ZN and have to wait for his new incarnation.

For the OP, I recommend to get a Nikkor 35 LTM. Not cheap, but, when compared to similar classics, like the Summicron 35/2 or UC Hexanon, not too expensive either. If you decide to get the 35/1.8 watch for element separation.
 
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