E55, E39 and others

Hello Gents

 

Still glued to the filters for the CL.

 

What means E55? Is this a 55mm size with a leitz thread?

Why the 60mm filter is named Serie 7 or 8?

 

And lastly why a E39 could be a 39mm or 42mm dependant of the seller

on Ebay?

Thanks for sorting out this madness!

Cheers.

X.

Let's see: the filters for my Leica M are marked E39. The filters for my Contax G2 are marked

46E. I'd say "E" stands for the diameter. I don't thnik the thread has anything to do with it, but I

may be wrong. As for E39 being either 39 or 42, this sounds suspect. Beware.

 

Why don't you pay a visit to B&W' home page and drop them a note?

« www.schneiderkreuznach.com/produkte_gb.htm »

Go here for more information on Leica M filter sizes...

 

http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/overview/listm.html

 

Series filters are unthreaded. They require a threaded ring to attach them to a lens. A series 7 filter retaining ring has 48x.075 threads so an E48 filter can be used in place of the Series 7 filter plus ring. A Series 8 filter uses a 60mm retaining ring so an E60 filter can be used in it's place. The E (I believe) stands for the filter thread pitch (0.75). The older Leica M lenses take a 39mm filter but I think the thread pitch is not the same as the E thread. I think the old 39mm ones had a pitch of 0.5.

 

I have two older R lenses. The 28mm took a Series 7 filter plus retaining ring. I use an E48 filter in it's place. I also have an older 60 Macro Elmarit which used a Series 8 filter. I use an E60 filter on this lens.

The "E" is an abbreviation of the German word for threaded. It

does not relate to a specific thread pitch or size.

"E" means that the filter is set in a filter mount that can be screwed on to the lens _AND_ specifies a relationship between diameter and thread pitch.The number next to the "E" is the diameter in millimeters.

 

I cannot find the exact relationship but it is something like 0.50mm/thread up to 45mm, 0.75mm/thread from 46mm up to about 90mm, 1.OOmm/thread and finally 1.5mm/thread above this last value.

 

For some diameters, other threads exist (ES,ER, ...).

 

Series filter adaptors in some cases may have the same diameter and thread pitch than "E" filters. It is not the case for the series 5.5 filter ont he summicron 40CL (39x0.75mm) when the E39 is 39x0.50mm. The consequence is that you can screw an E39 filter on the Summicron 40CL but it will not go further than rougly half a turn. Sufficient to hold it though not a "clean" solution.

It was explained to me a number of years ago by one of the technical gentlemen from B + W filters and it relates to pitch (how many threads per unit of measure - I don't know if it's threads per mm, but it is definitely a measure of pitch). If you try to thread something other than E39 onto a E39 lens, the softer metal will give and you will cross thread either the male or female threads, or both.

Bud writes: "A series 7 filter retaining ring has 48x.075 threads so an E48 filter can be used in place of the Series 7 filter plus ring. <snip> The older Leica M lenses take a 39mm filter but I think the thread pitch is not the same as the E thread. I think the old 39mm ones had a pitch of 0.5.

I have two older R lenses. The 28mm took a Series 7 filter plus retaining ring. I use an E48 filter in it's place...."

 

 

All the above is, unfortunately, misinformation.

 

1)Leica Serie 7 *retaining rings* are 54mm thread. There are 54-55 step-up rings which permit easy use of standard 55mm filters (the same as "E55").

 

 

2)All 39mm Leica lenses have the same pitch, and all 39mm and E39 filters will fit them *except* filters designated 39N which are front-threaded filters specifically for the drop-in filter holders in Nikon telephotos.

 

3) The previous version Leica 28mm R lens does indeed have 48mm threads and will accept a 48mm filter. However it did *not* take a Serie 7 in a retaining ring; rather, the Serie 7 filters fitted into a recess in the attachable lens hood.

And what will go into the Series 5.5 "thread" of my oldest lens, a 50 R 'cron? It's a little smaller than E43.

Thanks for straightening me out Jay. I guess I should stick to something I know about.

I think E55 stands for Leitz 55mm thread filter. <p>

E55 is not any 55mm filter, it must have 55mm thread, and the outer diameter of the E55 filter must be < 56.4mm, not more<p>

For example, Contax 55mm UV filter for Carl Zeiss Planar 50/1.4 has

the right thread, it can fit onto a Summicron 50/2, however Contax 55mm filter has a outer diameter = 59mm, it jams up the built in lens hood of Leica lens, making it inoperable<p> Only E55 filter permits

the built in lens hood on Leica R lenses operable.<p>

E55 filter fits Carl Zeiss Planar 50/1.4, however it does not look

as good as Contax 55m filter, as the Contax filter rim flushes with

the lens barrel as if one piece.<div></div>

<h3>54/55mm stepup ring plus E55 may not replace 14161 retainer ring +Series 7</h3>

 

 

"Leica Serie 7 *retaining rings* are 54mm thread. There are 54-55 step-up rings which permit easy use of standard 55mm filters (the same as "E55"). "

 

One must be very careful about replacing Series 7 filter + 14161 retainer ring with 54/55mm step up ring + e55/55mm filter<p>

 

If a Leica lens has built in lens hood, and it specified using

Series 7 + 14161 retainer ring, then 54-55mm step up ring + E55 filter

simply won't work<p>

 

Because 14161 retainer ring has a outer diameter of 54.9mm, a E55 filter has outer diamter 56.4mm, about 1.5mm too large to fit the

built in lens hood of some Leitz lens<p>

 

If a lens has no lens hood, then replace Series 7 + 14161 retainer ring with 54-55mm stepup ring + E55 may be workable.

Leica E60 filter ( UV, cir polarizer etc ) has 60mm thread and 61.6mm

outer diameter

<p>Guys, Trying to get info on Leica Threads and filter adapters... <br>

I got together a Leica R set and some use the "Series" system. <br>

Would love to adapt all of them to 72mm so as to only use one same filter for all the set.<br>

Ive got Series VI, Series VII, and Series VIII lenses, and then a couple of E55 ones. <br />Do you know any source online for those adapters? Ive already sent messages to Adorama/B and H, and several Ebay sellers and no one have the step up rings I need. <br>

Do they actually exist???<br>

Thanks!</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Martin Tai wrote,</p>

<blockquote>

<p>For example, Contax 55mm UV filter for Carl Zeiss Planar 50/1.4 has the right thread, it can fit onto a Summicron 50/2, however Contax 55mm filter has a outer diameter = 59mm, it jams up the built in lens hood of Leica lens, making it inoperable<br>

Only E55 filter permits the built in lens hood on Leica R lenses operable.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I bought b+w 55mm filter UV MRC recently, it fits my Leitz Canada Summicron R 50mm f/2 with builtin hood. Hood operates without jam problem. </p>