Puzzlement: Tele Elmar won't couple

[Flinor]

This morning I glanced out my window and spotted a pair of Coyotes waatching a golf foursome like they had a bet on the game. I grabbed my only loaded camera, my CLE, put a 135 viewfinder on it and mounted my Tele Elmar which is the longest lens I own.

I have used the 135 rarely, and always on my M5 and when I had one, my M6, but never on the CLE. I went outside, composed the shot and the lens wouldn't focus. I remounted it, tried again and still nothing. The coyotes left while I was fiddling around so I tried every other lens that I had, a collection of M, LTM, Canon, Nikon LTM and CV and they all worked just fine. The 135 and all the others worked fine on my M5. The cam on the lens works fine and the followers on both cameras appear to be in the same location so I'm really puzzled.

It's not a big deal because if those coyotes hadn't been there and the CLE hadn't been loaded I never would have tried the combination and I'll probably never try it again. But I'd like to know why.

I'd appreciate ideas.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I think the design of the CL simply precludes the use of a lens as long as the Tele-Elmar. From what I've read, the baselength of the CL is smaller than that of a Leica M. Hence the incompatibility: you wouldn't be able to focus the camera correctly.

 

[jlw]

When you say "Wouldn't focus," what do you mean?

Do you mean that the secondary image wouldn't move when you turned the focus ring? Or something else?

Is the Tele-Elmar an M-mount lens, or is it a screwmount lens with an adapter?

One thing you can do in an effort to get to the bottom of it:

-- Mount the lens;
-- Set the shutter speed to "B" and lock open the shutter with a cable release;
-- Open the camera back and look at how the coupling arm contacts the cam on the lens. This should let you see why it's not following.

Be sure to let us know; I'm curious now!

 

[Flinor]

The Tele Elmar is an M mount lens, but all my LTM's work fine. The secondary image doesn't move when you turn the focus ring. I'll try the shutter open trick as soon as I get the film out. Unfortunately I had just put that roll in and it only has a few images on it. I curious also and since I'll probably never try that combo again I'll wait rather than go through the unload/reload hassle.

Francisco, the lens worked on my CL when I had one. This camera is a CLE. The first model 35 Summilux is blocked by the meter sensor baffling and won't physically mount but the Tele Elmar mounts very solidly.

 

[jaapv]

The coupling mechanism is fundamentally different from the M-camera's, although it will take a number of M lenses. Leica at the time and later Minolta for the CLE advised against using M lenses on the CL and vica versa, partly because the M lenses obstruct the viewfinder of the CL and partly because the focussing curve of the lens is steeper because of the difference in the mechanism. The longer the lens, the more problematical. It may well be that your problem is normal for the CLE, which again had some redesigns of, amongst a number of other things, the coupling mechanism.

 

[laptoprob]

Hi Gerry,
I just checked my old 135/4,5 elmar on my CLE and it works. True, due to baselength it is pushing it, but it works.
Your problem might be due to the fact that not all lenses have full tubular focusing cams. Mine is just a tab touching the camera's cam.
Maybe yours does not? What if you mount the lens a little beyond the bayonet grip (unlock button and rotate further). That can also trigger the viewfinder frame.

does this help?

cheers, Rob.

 

[Flinor]

Hi Rob,
That baseline is the reason why I never used the combo before but I figured that I was shooting at infinity anyway. Strangely enough my old Canon LTM 135 worked on the CLE.

The Tele Elmar has a tabular focusing cam and I never thought of mounting the lens beyond the lock, so I'll try it. It's just curiosity and a challenge now.

Thanks much,

 

[Ben Z]

If yours is like mine, the 39mm-filter version, it focuses by the actual round cam which is attached to the lens head (removable for Visoflex)pushing an arm inside the focus tube. That arm passes through a bracket. They've been known to get stuck. With the lens off the camera, turn the focusing ring and watch that the tab inside the rear of the lens moves in and out.

 

[Flinor]

The problem is understood but not solved. I finally used up the roll of in the CLE, (too many cameras, not enough shooting time) and looked at the cam and roller from the back. Everything works, but the lens cam passes under the camera roller. I tried all my other lenses, an assortment of M, LTM, CV, Canon and one Nikon and they all worked properly. Then I put the tele-elmar on my M5 and saw that the cam just about picks up the bottom of the roller. So I think that it's the lens that's out of spec and I'm going to quit worrying about it. I just had to know and now I do.