Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/12/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Frank, do you really think that Leica would design and market a Leica screw mount to Leica M bayonet adapter system which didn't work flawlessly ? Mr. K is only using the system which Leica designed and invented in the 1950's. The troubles you are having with the adapters are in no way normal. Something is wrong somewhere with 1) your technique 2) the adapter 3) the camera body or 4) any combination of 1 to 3. A. hand tighten the adapter on screw mount lens B. mount the adapter and lens together on the M mount. this will tighten up the adapter to the lens. give the lens a gentle turn to the right towards the rewind lever / knob just to be sure. C. after that, if all is working right, the adapter will stick to the lens like glue. D. to remove the adapter/lens combination depress the lens release and remove like you would any other M lens E. to remove the adapter from the lens, forget the rear lens cap adapter wrench concept. Use the M body as a lens wrench instead. insert the adapter/lens into the M camera body, and turn the lens to the left towards the advance lever. the lens will unscrew and the adapter will fall off in your hand since you did not lock it into place in the camera mount. All of the above work should work easily and flawlessly. If you are having trouble with it, 1st tighten the lens a bit more on the adapter, then try replacing the adapter. last resort is having the camera mount looked at by a good Leica tech. in absolutely no way should the adapters become stuck on the camera. Mr. K's logic is that screw mount lenses offer far more versatility to the buyer than M mount lenses, since screw mount lenses work perfectly on both screw mount and M bodies, but M mount lenses only work on M mount bodies. Leica was not doing you a favor by switching over to all M mount lenses in the 1960's. It was a marketing ploy to force buyers to buy M bodies in order to take advantage of the newer optical designs in the M only lens mounts. The M mount cameras initially encountered a big back lash in the 1950's about being too large and heavy compared to the screw mount Leicas. The M mount only lens strategy was a way to force even screw mount diehards to switch to the new M camera bodies -- and of course increase M body sales. Frankly Frank, I was really surprised when I read about your adapter problems. I have never personally encountered such difficulties. But I am glad you brought it up. Stephen Gandy Frank Filippone wrote: > I think it is pretty obvious that having an adapter is "silly". It is a > piece of equipment that is not really necessary compared to machining a M > rear lens mount on the LTM lenses, or even permanently gluing one on) , it > is inconvenient, and it sticks to the bodies, and must, at times, be > removed > using the equivalent of a wrench ( the back of CERTAIN Leica M mount back > caps). Remember, these are M cameras with M mounts, not M cameras with > built in LTM adapters on front. > > I realize that you represent the CV company as a distributor of theirs. > You > have done an excellent job of promoting their products. But there remains > a practical issue of consumer friendliness. LTM lenses with an adapter are > not consumer friendly to M users. Useable, yes, but not friendly. > > Personally, I would pay extra NOT to have to use the adapters. I bet there > are others out there that feel the same way...... > > Feel free to chime in now, gang...... CV Lenses with M mounts are > preferred > over LTM lenses with M adapters......for use on a M camera. > > Frank Filippone > red735i@earthlink.net > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information