Contax RF to Leica thread mount lens adapter?

I recently acquired a Leica IIIa along with a 50 mm Fed f/3.5 lens. I have a pretty complete set of Contax RF lenses and would love to be able to adapt these to the Leica rather than duplicating focal lengths in 39 mm thread mount. I am in the process of returning an adapter bought on eBay that doesn't screw on completely to the Leica body and isn't RF coupled to anything other than 50 mm lenses. So I have two questions:

1) Does the Kipon adapter for $350 or so work well?

2) Is there anything else out there that is readily available that might work?

Why waste several hundred dollars for the headaches associated with trying to match adapter build errors and focus shift issues?

IMHO you're better off buying the 'cheap' $65 Russian adapter that goes -Contax RF lens to Sony NEX- adapter.

 

This way you can buy a 'cheap' NEX-7, or for a bit more (And even better), a Full-Frame Image-stabilized sensor Sony A7II.

Both will provide much better image quality than a Leica IIIa, along with surprisingly 'Quick & Accurate' focusing.

This is performed even with build errors and/or focus shift at any aperture with ANY lens !

 

 

I wish the 'cheap' Russian set-up was available when I assembled this *expensive Contax RF to M Leica to Sony NEX kit.

*Over $400 spent on the two adapters - A pre-owned NEX-7 can easily be acquired for that...

Edited March 16, 2018 by Gus Lazzari

Thanks for the suggestion--I was hoping for a film solution rather than digital, but your idea is probably more practical.

the headaches associated with trying to match"

This is no joke.

Unless you substantially & consistently stop-down your aperture, plus use only wide angle lenses, you'll be wasting a lot of film chasing the focus plane...

 

These variables (build errors and focus shift), need to be monitored through the lens in 'Real-Time' and at the taking aperture. Mirrorless cameras don't use a simulated RF view/focus or a mirror & screen as the lens is viewed wide-open. Instead via their electronic viewfinders, they easily & flawlessly handle the darker taking aperture, & do so in Real-Time.

Thanks, Gus. I take your point about the level of precision that would be necessary to make this work. I can just imagine trying to focus an 85 mm f/2 Sonnar or 135 mm f/3.5 Nikkor at or near full aperture when there is any doubt about the exact distance from the back of the lens mount to the film plane. My first roll through this Leica turned out quite well with the FED 50 f/3.5, but I don't think I will use it enough to justify finding and buying screw mount lenses for it. From info from another forum, it seems that Amedeo (who makes some well regarded adapters ) used to make a good Contax to LTM adapter but stopped due to the difficulty of making it.

Amedeo made a few, the threads on the early ones are quite thin and you need to be careful with them. I have two of them- one is accurate, the other is not. The focus difference between the Contax mount and Nikon mount lenses is significant, and a different adapter is required for each. The Nikkor 13.5cm F3.5 in Leica mount is common, can be found for $75 or so. The 8.5cm F2 Nikkor in Leica mount goes for $250 or so. For the price of the adapter- you can buy Nikkor lenses.

The adapters are really only practical to M-mount. They require a non-flat cam that rides against the RF roller. That requires that the adapter be "indexed" the same way on any camera. Works on the M bayonet mount. Doesn't on L39 screw-mount, lenses screw on with slightly different orientations on different cameras. The adapters would as well.