What digital camera for my LTM lenses?

We retired and now are downsizing.

I thought of selling my LTM equipment, then had a second thought.

What digital cameras might I buy that can use my LTM lenses (15mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm)? Are adapters available? Has anyone done this successfully?

I know I can get a good LTM/M3 adapter, but what digital cameras can take an M-3 mount?

Or, would two adapters work? (One for the lens and onf ro the camera.)

Since I'm downsizing, smaller and lighter than my old SLR would be great.

Obsolete, but I have and use a Ricoh GXR and their Leica Mount module with several M-3 lenses. A simple adapter Nikon to Leica lets me use my film era Nikon lenses as well. I haven't looked into it, but I am sure there are a variety of "X" to Leica adapters that will work with the system.

If you google "LTM to Sony E" or "LTM to Nikon Z", or "LTM to EOS R", you will see collection potential adaptors from LTM to Sony E mount, Nikon Z mount, or Canon R mount cameras. All are full frame mirrorless models and if you look at the Sony options, you will likely find a number of more inexpensive used cameras, since Sony has been at the FF mirrorless game for far longer than Canon or Nikon. I believe there have been some performance issues related to using wide angle Leica M lenses on the new FF mirrorless models, and then again, Google will likely provide some anecdotal (and perhaps some test images) relating to that question.

 

(just for clarity, Sony also makes crop sensor E mount cameras, but their A7 and A9 models are FF)

Do you have a budget?

 

Do you want a full-frame camera, or is a crop sensor Okay?

 

I use a Leica M9, bought 9 years ago. It is native M-Mount, full-frame, takes all of my RF coupled lenses.

 

Canon 50/1.2, with home-made hood by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

sonnar_1607_1 by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

Canon 50mm F2.2 by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

You certainly can't go wrong with the M9. AFAIK the early A7 models didn't work very well with RF lenses. But the A7S actually does pretty well, or so I'm told. Try and find actual photos taken with the combination you want.

 

There's also nothing wrong with using an APS-C sensor with those lenses. Fuji and Sony would be my picks, but YMMV. Just know that you can't use a focal length reducer with RF lenses. Does anyone know otherwise?

As above, if you have the budget, Leica would be the obvious choice. If money is tighter, Fuji feels most like a 'real' camera, but the crop sensor will lose you some width on the wide angles (and check the wides will fit if they have protruding rear elements). Can get a Fuji body plus adaptor for under 200€/$/£

I am using a Nikon Z6 with a Leica M to Nikon Z adapter and Leica M lenses or 39mm lenses+Leica M adapter.

This way I have a full frame sensor and even funny lenses like a 12mm Voigtländer first generation work reasonably well.

Edited January 9, 2020 by jean_christophe_barnoud

but what digital cameras can take an M-3 mount?

Epson R_D1 (obsolete, discointinued, cute) Anything Leica M.

Anything mirrorless via adapter.

LTM lenses (15mm, 24mm, 35mm

Dunno if you could fit a Jupiter 35/2.8 on anything digital at all. Rangefinder wides thnd to benefit from a thinfilter conversion of the camera sensor - Kolarivision offer that service or already converted MILCs.

IDK what to seriously suggest. Read reviews of all your lenses tested on various suitable cameras and come up with your personal conclusion. -I have an old 15/4.5 too. It doesn't really "sing" neither on film nor on older Leica M(8 & Monochrom) but it seems "OK for it's size". If you are going for a small sensor digital, better look for one with native wide lenses that even you would be willing to carry.

In doubt: Pick a digital for it's native lenses, add a cheap adapter and figure out which of your LTM lenses feel worth keeping.

The Jupiter 12 2.8/35mm works fine on the Nikon Z6. You just have to be careful not to hit the unprotected rear lens when mounting/unmouting it but this is a lens problem not a camera one.

Epson R_D1 (obsolete, discointinued, cute) Anything Leica M.

Anything mirrorless via adapter.

Dunno if you could fit a Jupiter 35/2.8 on anything digital at all. Rangefinder wides thnd to benefit from a thinfilter conversion of the camera sensor - Kolarivision offer that service or already converted MILCs..

 

I use a 1952 KMZ J-12 on my M8 and M9, and used a much later Black J-12 on the same cameras. This worked quite well after shimming the lens.

 

I found the "completed" for sale thread- has sample images made with the 1977 J-12 on my M9.

 

Leica - COMPLETED: For Sale: Jupiter-12 Leica Thread Mount| Location: USA | Ships:

If you want your LTM wides to remain wide, you'll need a mirrorless or M camera with full-frame sensor. Unfortunately, most of these 24x36 sensors do not work very well at all with rangefinder wide lenses (film often benefited from rangefinder wides vs SLR wides, but digital works the opposite way). Leica themselves had to jump thru hoops to make their own M9 etc work reasonably well with RF wides.

 

Whether it would be worth spending the considerable sum for a new digital M, or seeking out a properly serviced used digital M (some nasty traps there for the unwary), just to use a handful of LTM lenses is another question. If they are really really good lenses, or lenses with an optical signature you depend on, perhaps yes. But keep in mind digital is vastly more ruthless about focus errors than film. You will need to be OCD dialing in precise manual focus, or the results can be very disappointing compared to what you got on film.

 

Adapting your lenses to a crop sensor (smaller than 24x36) digital body was a transitional kludge people tolerated before 24x36 sensors became available. Such cameras are still available new from Sony etc. But the crop shifts your entire lens collection into tighter framing, which you may or may not find acceptable (15mm becomes 20mm, 24mm becomes 32mm, 35mm becomes 48mm, 50mm becomes 67mm, and 70mm becomes 95mm). The narrower field of view is further afflicted with all the optical compromises inherent in wide angles intended for 24x36, so a LTM 35mm used as an effective 50mm on a crop sensor body generally isn't quite as good as a 50mm on 24x36 (or a crop-dedicated new 35mm lens).

 

Unless you're really devoted to these LTM lenses, consider selling them so you can migrate completely over to a modern, smaller-sensor system with small dedicated AF lenses. Fuji X is about as close as you can get to Leica handling in a really portable lightweight modern AF-oriented system, and most of the lenses are top notch. Olympus and Panasonic have somewhat smaller sensors, but a much wider array of available lenses (including some designed in collaboration with Leica. and some larger but excellent zooms that are great for one or two lens travel coverage).

 

A lot of us here do enjoy using vintage or RF glass on various digital bodies for many reasons, but its more of a niche thing than daily driver for most. Leica M aside, relying solely on vintage or manual focus uncoupled lenses for digital can be a bit like wearing a hair shirt: doable if you must, but if you don't have a particular motivation, why bother? Go to a store and get some hands on-time with Fuji and Olympus before deciding what to do with your LTM kit: I expect you'll immediately discover whether you want to switch to a more automated smaller footprint kit, or opt for a digital M to properly exploit your LTM lenses. Sony A7 is a popular alternative to digital M body, but requires modification for decent wide performance and even then isn't quite as optimized for RF glass as the M.

Edited January 9, 2020 by orsetto

The correct answer is -

a Leica M9 or M240. 6-bit coded LTM to M adapters can be had for very little money.

An imperfect answer, but an inexpensive one which has satisfied my desires for several years has been to use my LTM lenses on a mirrorless micro 4/3 body (I use an old model Olympus E-PL2). Size wise it is a little smaller than a Leica M body, and uses electronic viewing instead of Leica's s rangefinder (although Leica eventually rebranded the OLY finder to use on one of their digital models), the drawback, if one can call it such, is, as mentioned above, that the images are "cropped", ie a 50mm lens produces an image which appears to have been shot with a 100mm lens. Once getting over that, it has worked quite well, for slide and picture archiving, daily shooting, and document digitizing. Modern m4/3 lenses easily match or outdo old classics and have the added advantage of autofocus, but there are inexpensive adapters which allow me to use my Zeiss, Canon FD, Nikon, Olympus OM, Pentax lenses in addition to my LTMs. Yes, I'd love a digital Leica ($2-5000) but have been quite satisfied with 16x20 prints from my 2nd hand outfit which cost less than $200. YMMV.

You certainly can't go wrong with the M9.

Unless the sensor self-destructs. A lot of sensors had to be replaced when they 'corroded'. Early on, Leica just replaced failed sensors with the same part. Later, they developed a replacement that didn't suffer from this problem, and for a while the replacement was free (no longer). I would only buy an M9 where there's good evidence it has the later sensor (which a specific firmware version or dated paperwork may indicate). Otherwise, the M240 is a safer choice, and not much more expensive.

The culprit was the S8612 cover glass used by the original M9. The cover glass corrodes. I had mine replaced last year, the problems started showing after 8 years.

 

Most sellers advertise of the sensor has been replaced, and this is fairly easy to check by looking at the firmware version of the record of the repair is not available.

It's been suggested that if you have firmware version 1.204 the new generation sensor has been fitted to the M9. This firmware version was apparently not available for download and was only installed at the factory to support the new sensor. However, Leica later released 1.210, which anyone can download and is compatible with both versions of the sensor. If 1.210 is installed then you can't be sure which sensor version you have. That just leaves the date to go by. Leica announced the new generation sensor at the end of June 2015, though they didn't give the exact date they began fitting it. Sensors changed in late 2015 or more recently should be fine, but you'd probably want to check anything done in mid 2015 with Leica - they should have the sensor version in the service records for your serial number.

I'm going to back off of the use-my-ltm-lenses-on-digital idea.

I have Cosina-Voigtlanders LTM in 15mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 75mm (that's why I wanted to do it), But I don't want to go for a Leica for only a few years shooting. Any suggestions about selling them off would be welcome. CameraQuest is full up with LTMs in his inventory these days.

(I hope I'm not breaking a rule by asking sales question.)

Photo.net has a classified section (but not THAT many participants anymore). - I heard rumors about something "Rangefinderforum" being busier and offering addspace too. - Maybe for a fee.

I'll bite my tongue about ebay in it's current state. (It might be too buyer friendly now. - No 1st hand experience.)

My local bet for "hey business, get me some money" would be Meister Kamera Hamburg or their Berlin or Munich stores.

I'm going to back off of the use-my-ltm-lenses-on-digital idea.

I have Cosina-Voigtlanders LTM in 15mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 75mm (that's why I wanted to do it), But I don't want to go for a Leica for only a few years shooting. Any suggestions about selling them off would be welcome. CameraQuest is full up with LTMs in his inventory these days.

(I hope I'm not breaking a rule by asking sales question.)

 

Be realistic in the expectations as to what you'll realize selling them. I think you'll find no one beating your doors down to take them off your hands.