Adapted Lenses on Mirrorless Cameras.

[BrianV]

Adapters to use lenses on mirrorless cameras have given many orphaned lenses new life in the Digital age. This can range from picking up an adapter off of Ebay, to dremeling a fixed-lens RF.

This one was not that hard, a Konica AR mount 50/1.7 adapted to Leica M-Mount. The adapter, Konica to Leica bought off of Ebay for $40. Most Japanese 50mm SLR lenses are actualy closer to 51.5mm, the Konica is no exception. To RF couple it- just had to make a Cam that attached to the retaining ring for the rear element. Got it finished today, as the Sun was going down. The lens is RF coupled to 0.65m, and focuses properly to infinity.

Wideopen at F1.7.










The Konica 50/1.7 is one of the best SLR "normal lenses" of the 1970s. the "CAM" is made from a retaining ring from a Russian I-61 for extension, spacer ring from a Jupiter-8, and copper-tape used for "fine-tuning" the RF calibration.

 

[brunerww]

Great work, Brian! You're a lot braver than I am - store bought Konica to micro 4/3 adapters are enough of an adventure for me - I wouldn't go anywhere near my old AR with a Dremel

Cheers,

Bill

 

[BrianV]

The Hexanon 50/1.7- some cutting and filing, mostly around the metal of the rear element.

This Hexanon 30/1.9 came from a "Konica EYE" Half-frame camera. Lots of dremel work.

 

[pixmedic]

can you show us a pic of the back end of the lens? so we can see the work you did? maybe a quick explanation of the process?

 

[BrianV]

The lens, off of the Konica AR to Leica M Adapter, shown in the background.

The "RF Cam" is made from retaining rings. epoxied onto the retaining ring of rear-element of the lens. It moves 1:1 with the lens as you focus. The disk at the back needs to be wide enough to engage the RF wheel of the Leica. This disk is from a Jupiter-8, the piece of metal under the front element. I use 3M copper tape to fine tune the thickness of the cam. In this case, three layers of copper tape did the trick. This is a "Kitchen-Table" job, and some filing done in the basement to remove a piece of metal that guarded the aperture lever. I use some thin silver tape around the tube. Total investment- $65 (the lens was $5), and a few hours of experimenting. This is the one that I used:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Konica-AR-l...ens_Adapters_Mounts_Tubes&hash=item2ebd838aae

I just ordered a $20 M42 Pentax to Leica M-mount adapter, and will try a Pentax 50/1.4 next. Cams for 50mm lenses are easy, the motion is 1:1.
55mm, 57mm, 58mm- much more difficult. You need an "Indexed Cam" to translate the movement of the optics to the RF mechanism.

 

[pixmedic]

thats pretty cool. I wouldnt try anything like that. but it is pretty cool. nice to see some old lenses getting used again. the most I would probably do myself is getting an adapter. not really the same thing as you did though.

 

[BrianV]

If the Pentax works out, i will take more pictures of the process. I have some other lenses adapted to Leica- will post some examples. It's "just not that hard".

 

[pixmedic]

almost makes me want to break out the dremmel tool and that 55mm f/1.4 m42 lens i got...or the 28mm. might be fun.

 

[Balinus]

Great work, Brian! You're a lot braver than I am - store bought Konica to micro 4/3 adapters are enough of an adventure for me - I wouldn't go anywhere near my old AR with a Dremel

Cheers,

Bill

With the adapter linked, you can put a Konica AR lens on a m4/3 body?

Nice... instead of buying a new Panasonic lens, maybe I should go with an adapter.... and save money in the process!

 

[BrianV]

Yes, I've been using Konica Ar lenses on the u43 for a while. Nothing special required, just put the lens on the adapter and you are ready to go.

Adapting the SLR lenses to a Leica is a bit more complicated, but not hard for 50mm lenses.

 

[Balinus]

Thanks! I'll look into it. Seems promising, especially with my dad's old Minolta lenses.

 

[BrianV]

I've picked up adapters from Ebay, and from Amazon- ranging from $10 for C-Mount to u43, to $56 for Konica to Leica. They've all been pretty good, all worked. for Minolta Manual Focus: the keyword is "MC" and "MD" mount for the manual focus lenses. The same adapter will work for both. Minolta changed mounts when they went to autofocus in the mid 1980s, and AF lenses would need a different adapter.

 

[Balinus]

Thanks for the heads up about the MD and MC lenses. It's pretty old kit he bought in the 70s, so my guess is that they are all manual focus.

 

[BrianV]

Come to think of it... I'm pretty old, too! I worked in a camera shop in the 70s, when paying my way through school. Sold Nikon, Pentax, Minolta, Canon, Olympus, Konica, etc in the 70s. "The Silver Age" of cameras- as in bright, shiny chrome. I've got adapters to use most of them on mu43 cameras.