[LRflex] Re: R lenses on Nikon DSLRs using the Leitax bayonets
- From: Steve Barbour <steve.barbour@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:58:38 -0700
thanks Howard, wonderful and much appreciated,
Steve
On Aug 19, 2009, at 7:50 AM, H&ECummer wrote:
Hi Flexers,
I am on a slow internet connection here at the cabin on Pender
Island so I haven't been following the digests too closely. It is
frustrating when you want to look at posted pictures and it takes so
long for them to load - if ever. But, this morning I am up early,
the net has little traffic and I have followed the discussion about
using R lenses on other digital platforms with interest. Most
comments mirror my own experience. I have tried all routes, except
the DMR back. David's experience put me off that. I have used
adapters to put R lenses on Canon DSLRs from the D60 all the way to
the 5D and even the 1D MkII. There are lens clearance issues with
the 5D (check Fred Miranda's site for a very long review of that -
100's of pages) and the exposure is non linear as you stop down.
Focusing wides is problematic. I used R lenses with Chinese made
adapters on the Oly 330E and later on the E3. They worked reasonably
well but it is stop down metering and hi ISO low noise performance
left something to be desired. Finally, I tried the leitax bayonet
change and first used R lenses on the Nikon D300 which I later
upgraded to a D700. This is easy to do, as Doug says, it is
completely reversible, and if you go to the Leitax site and look at
the conversion for the first edition Elmarit 19 - the photos are
mine. I have converted the following Leica R lenses - 19 Elmarit 1st
version (second has mirror clearance issues as do some other lenses
as Philippe points out) 90mm Summicron, 100mm Macro Elmarit, 180mm
Telyt APO f3.4. If you go to:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/R+lenses+on+Nikon+D700/
http://tinyurl.com/cq98dk
you can see the results of using the lenses on the D700. With the
D700 exposure shifts are linear - no exposure problems as with the
Canon 5D. You can focus stopped down to about f5.6 - but there is a
natural tendency to shot Leica lenses wide open - so stop down
metering is not commonly used or required. Live view can also be
used but it is slow and clumsy. The D700 has the best high ISO low
noise performance of any digital camera I have ever owned and its
menus and ergonomics are well thought out. I have the function
button set at the front so that when I change R lenses I can dial in
the new focal length with a push of that button and a twirl of the
wheel at the back of the camera. You can set up to 8 or 9 focal
lengths and apertures for non auto lenses. Only Nikon digitals
(D200, D300 D700 and D3) provides that option. The D700 is
(relatively) expensive but works well - and should be falling in
price shortly as a new model is coming out. If they mess with the
low noise high ISO performance by introducing more pixels - I won't
be upgrading.
Cheers
Howard
best,
Steve
steve.barbour@xxxxxxxxx
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