Using Kodak Ektra Lenses with Digital

[John C. Ling]

🙂:bang:🙂I have been very happy in my successful effort at resurrecting vintage Kodak Ektra lenses for use in the digital photography age. I was able to have an English company make adapters to fit my Ektra lenses on my Sony NEX digital camera body. Focussing works at all distances, from near to infinity. I am also able to use the close focussing range in my 35mm and 50mm lenses without any difficulty. Each custom-made adapter has a multi-start thread mount with two localising gaps to accept the somewhat complicated Kodak Ektra lens mount. This part is joined to a ready-made Sony NEX lens mount. Only the NEX mount has a mouth opening wide enough to accept the Ektar 35mm f3.3 lens. With a magnification factor of only 1.5 with these Ektar lenses, the results have been very good with my 35mm, 50mm, 90mm, and 135mm lenses. It is hard to believe that the images I have obtained were carried out with American optics made 72 years ago. It has really been a pleasure to use these lenses, instead of having them languish untouched on a display shelf.

 

[rbelyell]

this is very interesting and i think many would love to learn more about the adapter, whether its at all possible to adapt to any other cam, and see some of your results.
tony

 

[furcafe]

Excellent news. I have seen a couple Ektars on eBay that were apparently modified (via essentially built-in adapters as opposed to the glass being remounted in other barrels) to work on Leica bodies. Is your English company willing/able to make adapters for LTM or M mount? The close-focus capability would work well w/the M (Typ 240).

 

[John C. Ling]

The English company that I used is called SRB Griturn. It is on the internet and the principal that I know very well is Ian. All he needs from you is the digital camera lens mount component and probably your Ektar lens for collimation purpose. His adapter portion is very well-made and I am sure that he has my specifications for it in his file. He has also made the Ektra-Micro 4/3rds adapter mount for me and it works just as well as on the NEX, except that the magnification factor is 2. I am sure that the Canon E Mount digital body can also use the Ektar lens.

 

[furcafe]

Thanks for the info!

 

[John C. Ling]

The back focus distance for the Ektra rangefinder lens is probably very similar to the Leica M lens. This probably precludes the ability to position an adapter between the Ektar lens and the Leica M body for use at infinity. Closeups with this lens are a different matter. It is a fortunate situation that the new compact interchangeable digital cameras all have generous back focus distance so that an adapter can be interposed for putting rangefinder lenses, such as on the Ektra, on the digital body, for focussing to infinity.

 

[furcafe]

True. You're probably correct about the Ektra back focus register, but even if I must have a lens modified, I have an Ektra-mount 50/1.9 TV Ektar (focus coupled) that would be a perfect candidate.

The back focus distance for the Ektra rangefinder lens is probably very similar to the Leica M lens. This probably precludes the ability to position an adapter between the Ektar lens and the Leica M body for use at infinity. Closeups with this lens are a different matter. It is a fortunate situation that the new compact interchangeable digital cameras all have generous back focus distance so that an adapter can be interposed for putting rangefinder lenses, such as on the Ektra, on the digital body, for focussing to infinity.