M 8 Lens Adapters

[Sandy Vongries]

<p>On the verge of buying an M - 8, bid on one last night and won, but didn't hit the reserve. Plan to try again.<br>

Question:<br>

Though I have 4 of my Dad's lenses for the M3 which will work, I have quite a few Nikon lenses from the film era, particularly at the wide end of things. I saw a Nikon F mount to Leica M mount adapter. I understand it would be stop down only, but cheap enough and would let me use 20, 24, and a couple of different 28s. <br>

Anyone have experience using the combo, M 8, adapter and Nikon pre AI or AI?</p>

[sid_chatterjee]

<p>Zone focus only. No liveview or focus peaking with M8. </p>

[Jochen_S]

<p>Sid nailed the biggest issue: Zone focusing!<br>

Stop down aperture is business as usual with the M.<br>

I am not familiar with the Nikon lenses but assume to get the most out of them you'll have to get individual adapters for each of them and sharpie 6-Bit code them according to trial & error.<br>

You 'll also need an additional finder for the 20mm. - They are not cheap!<br>

So at the end of the day you'll buy 3 adapters - $20 each? + a VF $150+x - spend an afternoon shooting brick walls to check out how far off the distance ring will be on each adapted lens, maybe draw a new one for each lens on a sticker you'll glue on it <br>

I guess Nikon lenses are pretty big and will block a lot of your VF? (kind of vexing) I don't have a 24 or 28mm but suppose the 24mm frame line isn't nice to use?<br>

What kind of photography are you planning to do? - You can waste intervertebral discs by lugging a tripod around to shoot landscapes at a zone focusing friendly and sharpness granting aperture... - The M8 is no high ISO camera! - And are the 10MP worth the hassle?<br>

For anything "journalistic" you'll probably run out of light and crave something RF coupled instead of the Nikkors. <br>

Maybe adapting is worth it for some IR fun? - But that involves expensive big filters...<br>

If I wanted to MILC heritage SLR wides using visible light, I'd adapt them to Sony or Fuji, maybe even with an auxiilary optical finder in the hotshoe, but wouldn't use the M8 for that. Handling somewhat close subjects would be too hard, since the camera doesn't process captured images swift enough to give focus confirmation. - I have no clue how precisely the adapter you are looking at was made. - I bought China's cheapest for my Fujis and distances were quite a bit off on one of them.<br>

My only wides for the M8 are a ZM 21 f2.8 paired with a soviet turret finder in 28mm setting or maybe the CV 15mm with the Zeiss finder. </p>

[Sandy Vongries]

<p>Gents, thanks -- I nearly never use live view. For old film guys zone focus is reflex. Have you been there done that as asked?</p>

[Brian1664876441]

I've used the Nikkor 24/2.8 with the M8 and one of the adapters. For the wide-angle lenses stopped down a bit, zone focus

is fine. Be little more careful when shooting wide-open, but it's not like trying to use a telephoto or wide-aperture lens. The

Nikkor 24/2, 24/2.8, 28/2 - not big lenses, retrofocus design is a plus for the M8. No 6-bit coding required.<p>

 

You will need a "Hot Mirror" filter: easy to find in 52mm. I use them on my 35/1.2 Nokton, 50/1.5 Nokton and 10.5cm F2.5 Nikkor for the M-8, and M9. Picked up long ago for the first-generation Digital cameras.<p>

 

The original Nikkor-UD 20/3.5 is a bigger lens and uses 72mm filters. I have not used it on the M8.<p>

 

All lenses are stop-down used directly on the M-Mount, the adapters engage the stop down pins. You do not lose anything as it is not through-the-lens viewing.<p>

 

<img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1654/25384421792_6aa1ff5797_o.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="shuttle_nikkor_on_leica"><p>

 

Nikkor 24/2.8 Ais with Tiffen 52mm Hot Mirror filter, wide-open, on the Leica M8.<p>

[Brian1664876441]

https://www.leicaplace.com/threads/leica-m8-set-to-iso-ludicrous-speed.1081/#post-8166 <p>

 

Be sure to look into "m8raw2dng" for the M8, this gives access to uncompressed Raw images- especially useful for

shooting in low light.<p>

 

<img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3911/14470625147_c35caeb74b_b.jpg" width="1024" height="682" alt="skate4_ISO2500"><p>

 

With a Minolta MC mount 50/1.4, wide-open and with a 52mm Hot Mirror filter. ISO2500 equiv, shot 4-stops underexposed and using M8RAW2DNG. The Minolta lens is RF coupled for the M8, I made an RF Cam for it.<p>

[Brian1664876441]

One more with the Nikkor 24/2.8, at F5.6.<p>

 

<img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1701/25384911592_0620ba3b26_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683"

alt="Jet_Nikkor24_f28_atF56"><p>

 

Closer-in, outdoors. No need for 6-bit coding with a retro-focus wide-angle. <p>

[Sandy Vongries]

<p>Brian, Many thanks! I much appreciate the trouble you took and the info provided! All the lenses I plan to use take 52mm, ex the Leica lenses originally for the M 3, and B&H has the filters in stock. Now I just need to get the camera --several available on line not too pricey, and adapter. From your post I have a whole new learning curve coming. </p>

[Sandy Vongries]

<p>Jochen, thanks for your input. The lenses I plan to use are Leica lenses, 35, 50, 90, 135 from M 3 era, and Nikon also from film days, AI or AI converted from 20 / 3.5 on up. Most are reasonably small compared to the digital monsters, and use 52mm filters. I don't plan to try Nikon Digital era lenses on the M 8. Mostly my idea is a smaller digital camera that will use the old Leica lenses, and occasionally old Nikon lenses, which already work on my D 750 and DF. </p>

[Brian1664876441]

Leica had a couple of series of lenses even in M3 days- mostly different max aperture. Summaron- F3.5 and F2.8, Summicron F2 for 35mm; several 50s- F3.5, F2.8, F2, F1.5, 90- Elmar, Elmarit, Summicron; 135- Hektor and Elmar. Most use 39mm filters, some- are strange sizes. <p>

 

When you go over the lenses,

look for internal haze. I cleaning makes a world of difference with Leica lenses from the 1950s: Youxin Ye provides a

good service for this.<p>

 

<p>

 

Leitz 5cm F1.5 Xenon, wide-open:<p>

 

<img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5603/15569008332_cba9e6d2c3_o.jpg" width="681" height="1024" alt="Marine

Museum, Xenon"><p>

 

Cleaning the haze out of this Leitz 5cm F1.5 Xenon made a world of difference. Many older Leica lenses get a bad rep

from the effects of age, which can often be reversed with a good CLA.<p>