Novoflex LEICAN adapter doesn't work

[eric rose]

<p>Bought the LEICAN adapter so I could use Canon FD glass on my Leica's. Well I stuck it on, hung a 15mm FD lens on it and all the photos were out of focus. Not even close!<br /> <br /> Put a 50mm 1.4 lens on it, opened the shutter at B and then put some wax paper where the film goes (using as ground glass). Well it will only focus at about 18 inches. All reports I read said it would work just fine. Naturally without any type of coupling. That goes without saying.<br /> <br /> So does any know of an adapter that actually works??</p>

[geoff_r1]

<p>I use a Novoflex R to M adaptor, and it works fine. Maybe you got a dud?<br>

I wouldn't use a 50mm lens without rangefinder coupling, but the DOF of a 15mm should make it fairly easy to focus. Maybe the distance to film plane is out?</p>

[dave_s]

<p>I've never had the Novoflex adapter, but I'm surprised it's that far out. Are you sure the adapter is seated properly on both the lens and the camera?</p>

<p>If this proves to be a dud, you could try the Canon Lens Mount Converter B, which will convert Canon FD to M39, and then a M39 to Leica M adapter against the camera. I believe Mr Gandy talks about using tandem adapters like this, somewhere on the Cameraquest site.</p>

[kelly_flanigan1]

<p>Did you use the adapter on a LTM body? or a M mount body using an adapter?<br>

If used with another adapter' make sure the combo is full seating; ie no interference; no monkey business!</p>

[fred_c1]

<p>Your adapter is counterfeit if it actually says "LEICAN" instead of "LEM/CAN": http://www.novoflex.de/Einzeldatenbl%E4tter/single_data_sheets/Dabla_Adapter_Neu_E_web.pdf</p>

[yoyo lee]

<P>Your adapter is not a counterfeit. I have a LEIOM (OM lens to LTM ring) which gives OOF image when I use it to mount an OM lens on my Leica IIIf. I conclude that these LEIxxx rings could be designed for use with bellow rather than adapter per se. Well, I could be wrong.</P>

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[torben_daltoft]

<p>LEICAN is adapting the Canon lenses to a bellows (called PIBAL, BALCO or BAL-S)</p>

[Alex_Es]

<p>Something is weird. I have the Canon FD to Leica LTM adapter and I've used an FL 19.3.5 on it for years with no trouble. A 15mm lens should not give you this trouble, considering its wide depth of field. Where did you buy this adapter, Eric?</p>

[kelly_flanigan1]

<p>Here I have a Novoflex LEM/NIK adapter.<br>

This unit adapts a Nikon F slr lens to a Leica M mount camera body. The combo EXACTLY focuses to infinitiy with a Leica M3 or Epson RD-1/S body; its cost was 195 bucks many years back. The 16mm F3.5 Fisheye Nikkor works well by scale focus; or even a 35mm F2 if one is good at estimating distances and has the rig stopped down to quash the errors. A steel tape works flawlessly; most lenses have a decent footage tick mark too. As Alex mentioned a 15mm should be no problems.<br>

<br /> A LEICAN adapter; ie a LEI/CAN adapts a Leica LTM body to a Canon FD Lens; thus did you use a LTM body; or add a LTM to M adapter?</p>

<p>***Check to see if there is any interference with a dual combo; this happens sometimes.</p>

<p>Do you try just a LTM body to try the adapter with?</p>

<p>A real Novoflex adapter from B&H is 150 bucks. Did you buy a real Novoflex adapter or a knockoff/clone?</p>

<p>Adapters like these that focus to infinity have been made for many decades; once there was a Exakta slr to LTM body adapter even 1/2 century ago. Also a Lietz LTM lens to movie C mount adapter is an ancient adapter; ie say WW2 days even.</p>

[kelly_flanigan1]

<p>In every thread about Novoflex LEIXXX adapters A FEW folks preach they are only for bellows usage; but then many of us get exact infinity focus. I always wonder if the folks who preach *bellows only* are thinking about the reversed combo by mistake; or never have used them and thus inject what they read from anothers flawed preaching? By reversed combo I mean say a using a Leica M or LTM lens on a FD body; ie no infinity focus.</p>

[fred_c1]

<p><a href="http://www.pricefish.com/novoflex-leican-lens-adapter-novoflex-universal-bellows~p~1720534">Pricefish</a> says it's for bellows. <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/241239-REG/Novoflex_LEICAN_Canon_FD_to_39mm.html">B&H</a> says it's for macro. I guess Torben's right.</p>

<p>Or you can just do the math: back focus of Canon FD mount is 42mm, LTM is 28.8mm. I bet the adapter is thicker than the difference.</p>

[winfried_buechsenschuetz1]

<p>Most, if not all, Novoflex adapters are NOT made to use SLR lenses on LTM bodies but to use them on the Novoflex bellows system which also has a M39 thread. Usually they do not care too much about back focal length and make these adapters rather as short as possible. I have a Novoflex M42 (Praktica/Pentax thread size) to M39 (LTM) mount adapter which is way too short. Fortunately the dealer I bought it from had a suitable extension ring in his grab boxes.</p>

[kelly_flanigan1]

<p>Interesting;<br>

<br /> Here I have currently a Novoflex for Nikon F slr to M mount it is focuses spot on;<br>

A Nikon F to LTM Novoflex I use focuses to infinity too;<br>

plus an old Exakta/Topcon slr mount to LTM did too..<br>

Folks used these with the Canon wide angle shift lenses too .Other folks have like I believe Raid Amin and others have mentioned that their Canon FD lens to Leica adapters focus to infinity too.</p>

<p>Thus folks experiences must vary; or folks are buying knock-offs; or the design was changed.<br>

EVERY of the 4 XXX slr to Leica adapter here I have used has focused spot on; BUT these were not clones either; ie name brand HIGH BUCK adapters</p>

<p><br /> It is cheaper to NOT make an exact adapter; ie one for bellows usage only; the tolerances instead of being to 25 to 100 millionths can be many millimeters.<br>

<br /> It is either folks have a new design that is thus not for infinity usage; or a knockoff; since some folks DO have Canon FD to Leica rangefinder adapters that work.</p>

<p>For film work I have a Leitz LTM to C mount adapter; a Novoflex Nikon F to C mount; a Bealieux Nikon F to C mount adapter; a C mount to D mount adapter; a Kodak R to C mount adapter;' etc; all thus stuff focuses with no issues either</p>

[piers_hemy1]

<p>It has taken me (and my dealer) quite some time to work out what Novoflex are doing, but finally I can be clear. <br>

Novoflex DO NOT make any Leica 39mm thread adaptors to allow us of "foreign" mount lenses on LTM cameras with focus to infinity (or focus at all in some cases). But they make bellows adaptors which have "foreign" bayonet flanges and 39mm threads which allow you to fit the lenses to LTM cameras - sadly, they don't work as we all expected. As far as I can tell these mounts are all prefixed LEI - thus LEICAN is for Canon FD, LEIOM is for Olympus OM, and LEIM is for Leica M. You can find these LEI* adaptors listed on the Novoflex website along with their BALPRO bellows under the heading "Macro accessories".<br>

Novoflex DO make Leica M adaptors to allow use of "foreign" mount lenses on Leica M bayonet mount cameras with focus to infinity. These adaptors are prefixed LEM and are listed on the Novoflex website under the heading "Adaptors", or you can download a full listing as a pdf from the same website http://www.novoflex.com/de/info/download/+/file/dabla_adapter_neu_2009_e-web.pdf/ .<br>

In the case of the LEIOM (macro) adapter, it is ~6mm too thin to allow proper focusing om a LTM body. I therefore have a suitable short LTM extension tube on order!</p>

[kivivuori]

<p>I think you must have Novoflex LEMCAN adapter instead of LEICAN.<br>

BR</p>

<p>Esa Kivivuori<br>

Finland</p>