Which DSLR system for R lens??

[ishik_tuna]

<p>More full frame DSLR's appear to be coming on the market. I have been using my R glass on a 4/3's system for several years, and it's been ok, but i really want to be able to use my wide angle gear as it was intended.<br>

The cost and bulk of the MK5 doesn't appeal to me.<br>

Nikon and Sony now have full frame DSLR's that appear smaller and lower priced.<br>

I assume Canon will shortly/eventually announce a prosumer FF DSLR as well.<br>

Any advice? Who has experience with the leitax conversion? or the other adapter. Will the sony accept R lens?<br>

The nikon with the leitax adapters installed looks intriguing.<br>

What would you do? <br>

No, I do not want to use the upcoming R-M adapter and get a digital M.</p>

 

[mirek_elsner1]

<p>I have been using third party manual focus lenses, but only new ones with native mount for my FF camera. I don't have any personal experience using R lenses on a DSLR body. <br>

That said, my impression is that Canon is the most popular DSLR system to use with Leica R lenses due to its favorable mirror clearance. You can find good compatibility info, discussion on adapters and interesting links <a href="http://www.pebbleplace.com/Personal/Leica_db.html">here</a>. </p>

[craigd]

<p>Of the DSLRs, Canon offers the best experience with foreign-mount manual-focus lenses not only due to its shorter flange distance (compared to Nikon, in particular) but also because Canons behave very intelligently when an EF-compatible electronic lens is not present -- they simply fall back to stop-down metering and display "0" for the current aperture. This is exactly what you want. I shot for a while with old Nikon lenses on a Canon 5D Mark II, using both manual and aperture-priority modes, and it worked out very well.</p>

<p>However, I have never used a Leica R lens, so I don't know whether it is even possible to attach them to any modern DSLR even with an adapter. Many old lenses have levers or other mechanical controls that project out the back, and those items could potentially bump into something inside a DSLR, which might simply make it impossible to attach the lens, or could even damage the camera. Even within a single brand of lenses, some may work and some may not, so I suggest Googling for the particular combination of lens model and camera model that you are considering to see if there are any reports of others trying to use the same combination.</p>

[paul_wheatland]

<p>I use Leica R to 4/3 by Fotodiox but it's 2x crop. I believe your other choices would be Canon EOS Dslr or Sony Nex with 1.5 crop. I like the price and build quality of the Fotodiox product.</p>

[wgpinc]

<p>I occasionally mount one or another of my R Leica lenses on my Canon 5D Mark II. It isn't a perfect world in that I have to manually focus and set the aperture but it allows me to take advantage of the image quality of the R lenses. My Canon lenses are of course much easier to use and generally of high quality. Good luck!</p>

[SCL]

<p>I converted a Sigma SD14 camera body's mount to a Leica R mount, so I could use all my Leica R lenses without having to change their individual mounts. I used this setup for about 2-3 years and was very pleased with the results. Most of the shooting was in the aperture priority mode, and besides exposure everything was manual, you had to meter stopped down as there was no mechanism to change the diaphragm at the moment of exposure. The Foveon sensor of the SD14 was a good match for the Leica lenses, as the colors were rich and bright. You can still find the conversion kits on Ebay for around $2-300, depending on the sturdiness....I chose the heavier duty professional kit as it was better suited to working with longer focal length lenses. Occasionally you can find a fully converted body on Ebay for $8-1200, saving you the work of doing the conversion yourself. The Sigma controls were easy to operate, the chimp screen bright and reasonably uncluttered, and the package was about the size and weight of an R8 or R9. You could choose spot and center weighted metering, etc. Of course, there was the ubiquitous crop factor of 1.6 I eventually sold mine as well as most of the R lenses, as I has a complement of Nikon gear and DSLR and seemed to use it more than the Sigma. If I can do so, I'll try to attach a shot of the converted body without a lens attached.</p><div></div>

[Dieter Schaefer]

<p>I modified one Leica R lens with the leitax mount to use on my Nikon DSLR - the lens is the Apo-Telyt 180/3.4. I sold a bunch of other ones because I already had the focal lengths covered with other lenses. The modification on the 180 was easy and it is "reversible" (which for me is not an issue as the R cameras are long since sold).<br>

The leitax route is one that works if you want to use a Nikon DSLR - you end up with stop-down metering and lenses that can't be used interchangeably on an R camera. If maintaining their use on a R body is your goal, then an adapter on a Canon DSLR works better - the lens mount stays intact.</p>

[mark_punch]

<p>I've had Leica 50-R and 90 2.8-R both converted to Nikon/Leitax mounts, and using them on a<br>

Nikon D700 body ...works well. <br>

If you want to retain the R capability, then yes, better to go<br>

with Canon and EOS adapter, but for Nikon , Leitax conversion is great.</p>

[MTC Photography]

<p>I use Canon 5D mark II with Leitz Elmarit R-19 ultrawide angle lens<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/12748655-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="403" /></p>

[MTC Photography]

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/12196870-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="489" /><br>

Lushan, 2010 Canon 5DII +Leitz Elmarit R19</p>

[Rob F.]

<p>I converted my 90/2.8, 135/2.8, and 180/3.4 lenses to use on my Nikon D700, using the bayonet rings available from Leitax, et. al. No regrets. Stop-down metering is not hard to do.</p>

[philip_wilson]

<p>I use MF lenses on my Canon full frame bodies (e.g. 5DII) and find they work well. For best results it helps if you have a live view equipped camera as this makes a big difference for critical focusing. I have not used Leica R as I do not have any but I get good results with Contax lenses. In addition I use Mamiya M645 lenses on a tilt shift adaptor and they work great - not as good as my Canon 17 F4 TS but I have 35mm to 120mm (and beyond) covered for the $400 price of the Mirex adaptor.</p>

[einst_stein]

used Kodak slr/c or slr/n or 14n. These are ff Nikon mount or canon mount. 14mp, the current eBay price is about $500.

Kodak color rendering is more preferable to me than Canon or Nikon. You might feel the same if you prefer the Kodachrome 25 (when it

stll had the right developing, not after Kodak mess-up) over fujifilm velvia. If you prefer the opposite, than you will apply your ps skill.

[m_m3]

<p>a99 with the evf will give you the most accurate focusing. convert them with leitax.</p>

[ky1]

<p>Be very careful about convert R lenses. I tried a 3-cam 60 mm micro and found it very complicated and irreversible, wasting a lot of time, money and energy. You are better off selling these R lenses while you still can. <br>

The Nikon lenses are totally adequate for its own FX systems and there is no need to use the R lenses. The R lenses are bigger than the Nikons. </p>

[Gus Lazzari]

<p>With the introduction of the <em>New</em> Leica M and it's OEM Leica R-to-M lens adapter, (like the M lenses did) the R lenses will begin a rise in value. Modifying them will certainly affect this appreciation. The economical <strong>FullFrame</strong> choice is anyone of several Canon EOS units connected with a focus confirmation adapter.</p>

[Alex_Es]

<p>Just get the M and R adapter. Life has suddenly become easier. </p>

[arthur_tong]

<p>I recently purchased a Canon 5D Mk II after using a Leica M6 for the past 20 years or so. I resisted getting the M9 because I believe it is still developmental. I have a set of R lenses with a SL body that I have laid idle for all those years. So I bought a Leitax mount & tried out the 50 Summicron R on the 5D body. I mostly use aperture priority & focus manually. I love it so much I bought 2 more Leitax mounts for the other 2 R lenses in my collection. So now each R lens would have a Canon mount & I would change lenses as if they were Canon lenses. The expense is a little more than a single adapter but the resulting mount is more secure. I would just program the focal length & aperture into the Dandelion chip.<br>

The 5D is my first digital camera. I am really happy with the results. It's like getting the best of both worlds, superb Leica lenses with a SOTA full frame digital body. My only gripe is the weight. I most likely will get the new M when it comes out, but for now, this hybrid will do.</p>