Re: [Leica] Novoflex adapter/60s R lenses

[Doug Herr <Telyt@compuserve.com>]

Manuel Escobar wrote:

>>>
I read in the Hans Phalen's page that those who want to start in the Leica
M sytem with little money, should start with lenses from the 60s. Because
the new lenses sure are better in the lar-
ger openings; but by f/4 and smaller, it is really taugh to tell the
difference.
   Should this apply to the R system also?  I ask because I'm in love with
Leica lenses, but I can't affordd to buy a Lens every six months. But I
found out that by using a Novoflex adapter to
mount R lenses on an Eos camera, I don't have to worry about the one or two
cam lenses; since they don't interfere with the body to couple with the
aperture mechanism.  So... in other words, my
question is: Are 60s and 70s one and two cam lenses worth getting into?  I
already bought the adapter, but at the moment my Eos got stolen so I have
to wait 'til I get another one.
I know that a lot of you would oppose mounting an R lens on anything but a
Leica. But my R-E got stolen also, and I wasn't altogether in love with the
weight of my Leica camera (and that's without the motor winder), while if I
use a Rebel 2000; sure I have to use a separate meter, but I get the
benefit of auto advance in the film, and auto rewind, plus the built in
flash which does not loose its ttl ability, even thoug the lens would be
manual.
     Thank you for all your input; pro or con..
<<<

Manuel,

Sure you can use an R lens on an EOS with the adapter, but IMHO using a
manual lens on an SLR at anything but the largest apertures is more trouble
than it's worth.

The older 1- and 2-cam lenses are generally excellent lenses.  Typically,
newer lenses are better but optically, the old R-lenses are still very
usable.  The biggest drawbacks to the older R lenses are more mechanical
than optical.  For example:

)) old 50mm and shorter lenses don't have built-in lens hoods, while the
newer lenses do.
)) The old lenses use Series filters, while the new ones use standard
screw-in filters.
)) Many re-designed R lenses are smaller and weigh less than their
predecessors, for example, the 35mm Summicon-R, 90mm Elmarit-R, 180mm
Elmarit-R and 250mm Telyt-R.
)) The old 250 Telyt has a rather long minimum focus distance and a
non-rotating tripod socket, while the newer (and much more expensive) 250
has a rotating tripod collar and a very close minimum focus distance.  Both
of these features are a Very Big Deal to me.

I'd rather use an old non-TTL-metering Leicaflex, and go without motorized
film transport and ttl flash, instead of losing the auto-aperture feature
of the lenses.

Doug Herr
Sacramento
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/telyt