[Leica] 90 Elmarit R on D700

[drodgers at casefarms.com (David Rodgers)]

Howard wrote:

>>When I get my Leica 19mm Elmarit R adapted to my Nikon D700 in the  
next few days I am going to experiment on CS4 with complete panos.<<

I installed a "Leitax Nikon F Bayonet for Leica R lenses" on a 90
Elmarit last night. Installing the bayonet was very simple. I'll go so
far as to say that anyone who can install a hard drive in a desktop
computer could install a Leitax mount. In fact, the Leitax bayonet
installation was easier than any one of the hundreds of hard drive
installations I've done over the years. 

The 90/2.8 Elmarit R I converted was a 3-cam. I removed the six screws
that attached the R bayonet. I lifted off the old bayonet. I removed the
2-cams (but not the R-cam). All together that involved unscrewing 10
screws. 

I then placed the Leitax bayonet on the lens and attached it using the 6
original screws. I spent less than 10 minutes on the whole process. I
probably could have done it in half that time. 

I got a little sloppy and didn't keep track of the tiny screws like I
should have. One of the cam screws (very tiny) fell into a ding in the
table I was working on. I thought it had fallen on the floor. It's
important to work slowly and to keep track of the screws. (When you're
more familiar with large industrial equipment, the disappearing act of
super tiny screws can catch you by surprise).

There's also a tiny ball bearing that indexes the f-stops. The bayonet
comes with one, but I just reused the original. 

I put the cams, old adapter and cam screws in a bag in case I ever want
to convert the lens back. It would be very easy to convert the lens back
to it's original state (as long as you have all the screws).     

The instructions on the Leitax web site are very straight forward.
Again, the whole process was easier than I anticipated. My one
recommendation would be to make certain to use a high quality screw
driver that is the right size. I have a set of jeweler's tools. You
don't need something of that high quality. Any good Craftsman
screwdriver will do the trick. (I think Leitax also sells the necessary
tools). 

The lens I converted has Phillips head screws. I think some of the older
lenses may have flat head screws. I don't know when they changed from
one to the other.

I did the conversion late yesterday evening. I snapped a couple of
frames just to try things out. Here's a link to a sample image.

http://www.purplehen.com/Leica/90ElmaritR.htm

It's not a very refined example. I snapped a shot and slapped together a
web page in a couple of minutes. No processing in PS, other than to cut
out the enlarged section. 

There's a typo on the page. I wrote 7/60 sec. I don't know where I got
that. I went back and looked at the metadata and the SS was 1/10 sec. I
was sitting on a couch watching TV and half asleep when I snapped the
shot. I didn't think there was enough light. My focus point was the
clock. Sharpness isn't too bad for f2.8 and 1/10th sec -- especially in
a very low contrast scene (OTOH performance in low light is what I love
about Leica lenses). The camera was hand held but resting on a pillow
for support.  

I'm converting a 28/2.8 Elmarit as soon as my second bayonet arrives
from Leitax. I'll do a more detailed write up after I've had a chance to
do more of a field test. 

My initial impression is that the Leitax bayonet is a really good option
for anyone who wants to use R lenses on a Nikon body. I like the fact
that it's a permanent bayonet attached to the lens, and not just an
adapter. It meters on the D700 -- aperture preferred, though you can't
use the thumb wheel to change apertures. You must change the aperture on
the lens. The viewfinder is good enough for bright scene focus. Focus
assist also works when needed. I used it in the above shot.  

Again, more to come. Here's a link to the Leitax web site. 

http://www.leitax.com/ 

I corresponded with David Llado -- of Leitax -- before I bought the
bayonet. He's really great to work with. Howard Cummer originally
introduced me to Leitax. I bought the 90 from Lugger Dave Allen (because
a few years back I foolishly sold all my R lenses).

DaveR