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D800/E and Leica R Lenses

S

Shelby Lewis

Guest
Hey everyone,

It may be too early to ask, but how many of you are using R lenses with the D800. I'm interested in finding lenses with a bit more bite and slightly different color rendition than some of the Nikon glass and the R's seem to fit the bill. Tim, I know you're using the 50 Cron-R to good effect... it's on my list.

Any comments on the 90 Macro, the 100 APO-Macro, the 35/2, and the 135 Elmarit?

Others?

I'd love to see samples, no matter how "mundane" you may think they seem.

Thanks!
Shelby
 
W

waynelake

Member
R35-70 F4, I'm getting focus confirm light which I'm very glad to have.
I was in a hurry tonight to get the adapter fitted. Not Leitax but a different version. Got a friend to do it as I did not have the smaller screwdrivers. I'm thinking something more needs to be known/done. The aperature at F4 is F4. But to change to F8 need to take lens off and alter from inside lens mount, can change it there if that makes sense. So by moving to F22, then putting lens on camera, then changing to F8 on aperature ring it does work. I've got to check to see if I'm getting infinity focus.

So Queenstown Winter Festival started tonight, goes for 10 days. Nothing too flash so far, some band pictures... resized only, nothing else.

Love the spirit level. ISO 100, 4 sec, F4. Focus is just past half way along of building on left. Resized only.



250th, F4, 6400.



Holly Arrowsmith, she was a surprise, a very good singer... 350th F4 6400.



500th F4 6400



Focusing is approximate, front singers, and mostly all at 70mm.
I'm thinking wow quite a lot... the lens has not been added as a non cpu lens, these are resized only, landscape mode, nothing else done.
 
S

sergio lovisolo

Member
Shelby,
I have a few, an I am happy to have.
Elmarit 19 type 2, summicron 35 type 1 (1972), elmarit 35 type 2, summilux 50 type 2, elmarit 60 macro.

Let's start with the summicron 35: simply fantastic. Delicate, light and transparent colors, evident and convincing tridimensionality generated by
the contrast between in focus and out of focus area. A few "mundane" shots:
I got camera and this lens 2 days ago.


DSC_0068 by sergio lovisolo, on Flickr

Continue.......

Sergio


DSC_0052 by sergio lovisolo, on Flickr


DSC_0026 by sergio lovisolo, on Flickr
 
J

just4fun

Member
sergio lovisolo said:
elmarit 60 macro: extreme resolution corner to corner (strongly ouresolves the sensor)

To see the full size jpg, go to the view all sizes page on flickr.

Measured resolution is limited by sensor at 100 line pairs mm.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the test chart!!!
I have just Leitaxed my 2 macro lens: 60mm elmarit and 100mm elmarit APO.
Killer on D800!
 
F

fotografz

Well-known member
Shelby,

The R lenses to seek for the way you shoot are the 35/1.4 and 80/1.4 ... nothing before or since equals this duo for their rendering of light and unique character ... trust me on this.

Question for those using converted lenses ... with the focus confirmation, how accurate are the faster aperture R lenses for focus? While I doubt it, can the in-camera micro focus adjust be manually utilized, or does it have to be a CPU lens?

Are there just dumb adapters to use R lenses without altering the lens mount?

-Marc
 
glenerrolrd

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
The Leitax.com website is the best source on converting Leica R lenses to a Nikon F mount . Marc when I purchased your D3X a few years back I converted 3-4 Leica R lenses to the Nikon mount. The process is shown in detail at Leitax.com. Since I converted my lenses they came out with a chip to communicate the focal length and aperture . I am not sure how this works on the Nikon.

I converted the 80/1.4 but the 35 1.4 could not be converted because of clearance issues. Some other lenses with mirror clearance issues could be converted but not reversed back to an R mount .

I tested the 80 1.4 on the D800E and its incredibly accurate to focus manually . (this is a function of the calibration of the camera screen ....if its sharp on the screen is it sharp on the sensor ..my D800E is nicely calibrated) . You can not use AF lens calibration adjustments on Manual lenses so this is critical. My test is to try a newspaper at a 45 agree angle and nail the first letter in a line of type . The key to this type of focusing is to look not at the target directly but at the letters in front and in back of the target ..when they look the same ..you have the dof spread evenly . The focus confirmation is close but will tolerate some range of acceptable “in focus “ . In good light I trust my eyes ....in weak light I use the focus confirmation and bracket my focus or stop down.

Still usability will be in the eye of the beholder . Metering is still stop down style ..so the lens is most usable from 1.4-2.8 . Manual focus requires hand eye coordination that may not be well practiced since the move to AF . Your speed and accuracy is based on a skill not a technology .

The results are worth it ...no other lens I have tried on the Nikon bodies produces the smooth bokeh of the 80 1.4 . It is most visible in the rolloff from sharp to unsharp which is very smooth . I have the 85 1.4G and had the Zf 85 1.4 for a while ..neither compare for shooting wide open . Paired with a D800/E body this lens is something special .

The benefit is the beauty of the rendering wide open ..the challenge is your ability to accurately focus without ruining your rhythm .

I also converted a pre asph 67mm 180 2.8 which was fabulous stopped down to f5.6 (which you can do in Florida ) but soft wide open and a 500/8 R mirror which can be a challenge in itself ....but is also sometimes the only way to get the shot . At D800/E with the 500/8 (has a T stop of 11) used at ISO3200 covers night baseball . I have not committed to converting my Leica R telephotos ....don t worry the Leica R body will return .
 
F

fotophil

Member
I use the Leitax adapter flanges. The 50 Cron-R was a very easy conversion because the flange mounting screws were easy to remove. In contrast, the 21mm and 28mm Zeiss C/Y were difficult due to thread sealant
 
doug

doug

Well-known member
fotografz said:
Are there just dumb adapters to use R lenses without altering the lens mount?
Click to expand...
If there were any they wouldn't allow infinity focus. The R mount register is 0.5mm longer than the F mount register but the R flange is wider than the F flange so the R bayonet lugs would not fit inside the F mount.
 
F

fotografz

Well-known member
Sorry, I'm out of town so can't dig into the archives to show some R lens stuff.

For character and OOF rendering, the R 35, 50, and 80 Luxes are the best 35mm lenses I've ever used except maybe the rarer Contax 55 and 85 f/1.2 Anniversary lenses that Zeiss made in Germany.

There was one model or version of the 60 macro that was some sort of super lens in terms of resolving power ... can't recall which one.

If Leica had only held out a little longer to make a FF version of the DMR ... just so we could use those lenses ... sigh.

My time has passed, and my eyes just love AF now, so I like to keep my peepers happy ... in that respect, the S2 was a God sent.

-Marc
 
T

Thorkil

Well-known member
Sergio, and you are not at all considering selling your R 19 Elmarit?, I could have picked it up in Italy in July :)
Thorkil
 
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