Stacking Leica M Helicoid Adapters

[speclegacy]

Hello, new to the forum. Just got an A7II earlier this week to use as a digital back for my film SLR lenses (mostly OM, Hexanon AR, and C/Y).

 

Was wondering if anyone had any experience with stacking a Leica M-mount to E-mount helicoid adapter with another adapter (eg. C/Y to M mount, or OM to M-mount). I know these helicoid adapters are more useful with rangefinder lenses that have a relatively long minimum focus distance, but could be of benefit to SLR lenses as well. By my estimation the extra 5mm extension should allow a 50mm to focus down to ~0.25m instead of 0.45, a 35mm to focus to ~0.15m instead of 0.3m.

[addicted2light]

I think at that point you will be better served buying directly an adapter for the lenses you want to use, for example Contax to Sony, with the helicoid, like this one:

 

http://www.ebay.it/itm/Contax-Yashica-C-Y-lens-to-Sony-E-NEX-adapter-Macro-Focusing-Helicoid-A6000-5T-7-/400912519781?hash=item5d583f9265:g:NQQAAOSwGvhUET6f

 

My guess is that the small Leica M mount it would be not strong enough to keep up with the weight of large lenses mounted on another adapter (so with the weight further shifted in front)

[Michael_j]

Hello, new to the forum. Just got an A7II earlier this week to use as a digital back for my film SLR lenses (mostly OM, Hexanon AR, and C/Y).

 

Was wondering if anyone had any experience with stacking a Leica M-mount to E-mount helicoid adapter with another adapter (eg. C/Y to M mount, or OM to M-mount). I know these helicoid adapters are more useful with rangefinder lenses that have a relatively long minimum focus distance, but could be of benefit to SLR lenses as well. By my estimation the extra 5mm extension should allow a 50mm to focus down to ~0.25m instead of 0.45, a 35mm to focus to ~0.15m instead of 0.3m.

 

No exactly but I have used M or LTM extension tubes and a Leica or Zeiss lens with the helicoid. It's useful insofar as it gives a bit more focusing range than the lenses own focus adjustment. As with all extensions it's a law of diminishing returns and 25mm seems about the maximum extension worth using in practical terms.

[Golem]

You have adapters that convert your A7 to AR, OM, etc.

These accepter SLR lenses. Now you wanna insert the

E-mount-to-Leica helical focusing adapter and still use

those SLR lenses ?

 

Acoarst you actually SUBSTITUTE the E-to-Leica focus

adapter for the [removed] E-to-SLR adapter .... unless

you custom machine an SLR-back-to-E adapter to put

on the E-to-SLR adapter so it will accepter that helical

focusing E-to-Leica adapter.

  

Either way, you now have a Leica body flange staring at

you from the front of your A7. Now you need yet another

adapter, to get from Leica body to SLR lens.   

   

Having fun yet ?  Cuz it gets worse. You wanna STACK

those helical focusing thingies ? They are not really very

"stack friendly" .... in that the back end has an E-mount

and the front end has a Leica mount. I will not bother to

describe the litany of adapters required to do that. Plain

common sense suggests forgetting the whole idea.

  

Just use a close-up dioptre lens, the weakest one that

hits the minimum focus you require .... so as to reduce

the need to stop down to use the added lens element.   

 

  

` 

[speclegacy]

I think at that point you will be better served buying directly an adapter for the lenses you want to use, for example Contax to Sony, with the helicoid, like this one:

 

http://www.ebay.it/itm/Contax-Yashica-C-Y-lens-to-Sony-E-NEX-adapter-Macro-Focusing-Helicoid-A6000-5T-7-/400912519781?hash=item5d583f9265:g:NQQAAOSwGvhUET6f

 

My guess is that the small Leica M mount it would be not strong enough to keep up with the weight of large lenses mounted on another adapter (so with the weight further shifted in front)

 

Thanks, that's a good point about the M-NEX helicoid adapter maybe not being able to take the weight of the SLR lenses. I did look at the Roxsen ones, but read that they might cause vignetting, or loss of infinity focus. Might give one of those a go if I don't find anything else

 

 

No exactly but I have used M or LTM extension tubes and a Leica or Zeiss lens with the helicoid. It's useful insofar as it gives a bit more focusing range than the lenses own focus adjustment. As with all extensions it's a law of diminishing returns and 25mm seems about the maximum extension worth using in practical terms.

 

Thanks for the input!

 

 

You have adapters that convert your A7 to AR, OM, etc.

These accepter SLR lenses. Now you wanna insert the

E-mount-to-Leica helical focusing adapter and still use

those SLR lenses ?

 

Acoarst you actually SUBSTITUTE the E-to-Leica focus

adapter for the [removed] E-to-SLR adapter .... unless

you custom machine an SLR-back-to-E adapter to put

on the E-to-SLR adapter so it will accepter that helical

focusing E-to-Leica adapter.

  

Either way, you now have a Leica body flange staring at

you from the front of your A7. Now you need yet another

adapter, to get from Leica body to SLR lens.   

   

Having fun yet ?  Cuz it gets worse. You wanna STACK

those helical focusing thingies ? They are not really very

"stack friendly" .... in that the back end has an E-mount

and the front end has a Leica mount. I will not bother to

describe the litany of adapters required to do that. Plain

common sense suggests forgetting the whole idea.

  

Just use a close-up dioptre lens, the weakest one that

hits the minimum focus you require .... so as to reduce

the need to stop down to use the added lens element.   

 

  

` 

 

Yep, the idea was that it would be say an OM lens, then an OM to Leica M adapter, then a Leica M to Sony E helicoid, which mounts to the camera. I'm no stranger to stacking adapters. Currently, I have an EF to E mount adapter, to which I then mount the lenses I used to adapt to my 6D. Anyway, addicted2light's reply answered my question as to whether this idea would work.

 

I've used diopter lenses, and didn't like them due to the decreased image quality.

[D700]

...

Was wondering if anyone had any experience with stacking a Leica M-mount to E-mount helicoid adapter with another adapter (eg. C/Y to M mount, or OM to M-mount)...

 

Yes, it's my daily use

Leica M ist my master and I stack every legacy lens (Minolta MC, Canon FD, Leica R) with M-Adapters to it (except Leica M, which ist native for me ).

[speclegacy]

Yes, it's my daily use

Leica M ist my master and I stack every legacy lens (Minolta MC, Canon FD, Leica R) with M-Adapters to it (except Leica M, which ist native for me ).

 

Great! So there's not too much wobble when mounting an SLR lens on top of the helicoid adapter?

[D700]

Great! So there's not too much wobble when mounting an SLR lens on top of the helicoid adapter?

 

My biggest lenses are Canon FDn 300 and 400mm; but I use this with my Monopod (of course)

All other lenses 'till 200m aren't a problem w/o 'pod either ...

[speclegacy]

My biggest lenses are Canon FDn 300 and 400mm; but I use this with my Monopod (of course)

All other lenses 'till 200m aren't a problem w/o 'pod either ...

 

Thanks for the input! I decided to also look up the specs for the lenses I would use with this combo, and all of mine are lighter than the Summilux 50, and the overall length including the adapter is pretty close. Just ordered a helicoid adapter as well as an OM-M and CY-M adapter.

[D700]

I also stacked my heavy 1:1 Kiron Macro lens (FD Mount to Leica M) w/o any problem.

This Voigtlaender adapter is very solid!

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[speclegacy]

Wish I had the budget for the VM-E adapter! I ended up ordering a cheap $30 one, and will see if that does the trick. I don't plan to mount anything that big or heavy to it, so it's hopefully sturdy enough for me.

[VANGSTR]

I got the VM-E without bothering the other alternatives and never looked back.  Very happy with the VM-E.

[addicted2light]

Wish I had the budget for the VM-E adapter! I ended up ordering a cheap $30 one, and will see if that does the trick. I don't plan to mount anything that big or heavy to it, so it's hopefully sturdy enough for me.

 

I too have one of these cheap helicoid adapters (judging by the pictures they are probably made all in the same factory somewhere in China).

 

For the price they do the job, but on mine after using it with a Jupiter-9 85/2 the screws became loose and I had to re-tighten them. Besides, the adapter (or at least my sample) has a "wobble" so severe that you can accidentally change focus!

 

The trick is to use ONLY the adapter to focus the lens, and not the ring on the lens, otherwise turning the focusing ring on the lens you will be lightly but surely pushing onto the adapter, and the second you let go of the lens the "wobble" will alter the focus you so carefully checked.

 

For the same reason I wouldn't even dream to stack another adapter on top of this piece of crap. I ended up using it like a sort of extension ring, mounting it on the camera only when I want / need to go really close to a subject, otherwise keeping a better adapter on the rest of the time.

[speclegacy]

I too have one of these cheap helicoid adapters (judging by the pictures they are probably made all in the same factory somewhere in China).

 

For the price they do the job, but on mine after using it with a Jupiter-9 85/2 the screws became loose and I had to re-tighten them. Besides, the adapter (or at least my sample) has a "wobble" so severe that you can accidentally change focus!

 

The trick is to use ONLY the adapter to focus the lens, and not the ring on the lens, otherwise turning the focusing ring on the lens you will be lightly but surely pushing onto the adapter, and the second you let go of the lens the "wobble" will alter the focus you so carefully checked.

 

For the same reason I wouldn't even dream to stack another adapter on top of this piece of crap. I ended up using it like a sort of extension ring, mounting it on the camera only when I want / need to go really close to a subject, otherwise keeping a better adapter on the rest of the time.

 

If that's the case, I may end up having to return the one I bought and just springing for a better one. Should be here in the next few days, so I'll know for sure when it arrives.

[speclegacy]

The adapters arrived yesterday, and I have to say I'm actually fairly impressed with the cheap helicoid adapter. Feels very solid to me. Will have to wait and see if it holds up over time, but it seems quite well made.