Leica M8 - Contaxed !

[deeslexia]

My Leica M8 was a one off inheritance aquisition , with just one CV 35 f2.5 with screw adapter , a clean 50s Summitar , Elmar , and one sparkling Fed collapsible lens from my USSR camera collection [ most ex USSR lenses are out of phase with Leica ]

I have now added an Amadeo adapter to use my Contax rangefinder mount pre collapsible Sonnar , a J3 50 f1.5 of 1959 - in Sonnar mount , several J8 / J8m and a stunning Helios .

One bonus is that I love the crop factor of 50mm on the M8 - giving a little more reach at a nom 67mm field of view , just as a 35mm f1.8 Rokkor becomes an effective 70mm on my squinty Leica Digilux 3 !

OK , for the cost of my Autism fuelled USSR collection , with ' free ' lenses , I could have bought a decent modern Leitz lens , but I much prefer the vintage look , which the M8 seems to thrive upon .

Crazy use of an M8 ? Possibly , but I really do not feel that I am missing out without a proper Leitz lens .

Does anyone have any vintage lenses adapted to an M8 / 9 ?

dee

 

[Brian S]

I know where that J-3 came from.

I have a pre-war Carl Zeiss Jena 5cm F1.5 on the newly acquired M9 now, and a J-3 made from parts lenses on the M8. The J-3 is a hybrid of 1955 and 1983 components, and is amazingly good. The best performing Black J-3 that I have seen. Thanks to the 1955 Optics.

 

[Charles2]

Doees a Canon Serenar qualify?

Does anyone have any vintage lenses adapted to an M8 / 9 ?

Does a Canon Serenar 85/4 in Leica screw mount qualify as "adapted"? I used a cheap LTM to M-mount adapter. I've enjoyed it on an M8, but here it is on a Bessa R3A, which has the same mount as the M8:

Tree almost looking into sun​

 

[Brian S]

Maybe "easily adapted"...

This one took a little more effort- a pre-war Carl Zeiss Jena 5cm F1.5 adapted to Leica mount using a J-3 focus mount.

On the M8, at F2: