# Leica M39 Adapter for M Mount?



## gordonbb (Apr 14, 2014)

I have a few Canon Rangefinder lenses I'm itching to try out on the M.

A 35 f/2.8





A 50 f/1.8




And a 100 f/3.5




I'm looking at various M39 to M-mount adapters. The Novaflex adapter at B&H is crazy expensive at over $150 US for what is, in essence, a metallic tube.

There is thison eBay and several other options in the $30 range on Amazon and other sites.

Anyone have any experience with less expensive options for adapting M39 screw-mount lenses?

I'll probably pull the trigger on the "adjustable" eBay version though the thought that the flange height is adjustable makes me a little nervous about the quality.

Have to load magic lantern and try out the focus peaking ...


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## gordonbb (Apr 18, 2014)

There are various options available.
The cream of the crop featuring German precision and engineering is the Novoflex EOS-M/lei available from BH for $156.99US and appears to be machined from a single block of metal and states that infinity focus will work so the height of the adapter is set to compensate for the differences in flange distance between the leica/canon S and the EOS M bodies.

Various other options from the Far East are available.

One option available for $30 Cdn from Amazon in Canada appears to mount flush with the body of the EOS M which leads me to suspect that the flange height differences have not been adequately compensated for. I have contacted the vendor asking if this adapter will allow infinity focus and have had an email in reply have not yet received an answer to the question.

There is also an adapter from Fotga for $33.10Cdn on Amazon in Canada which appears similar in height to the Novoflex and thus is likely to properly compensate for flange height differences.

Rainbow Imaging in New York have and adapter they sell for under $10US directly or through Amazon in the US or eBay.

While I love German engineering and have been lusting after Novoflex Macro Products for a few years I have decided to pull the trigger on the FOTGA and am ordering it through Amazon here in Canada. If the Rainbow Imaging adapter were available though Amazon in Canada I likely would have ordered that but ordering through Amazon US for delivery to Canada just adds complexity in Customs Brokerage and taxes that I'd rather not deal with.

Update to follow once the adapter arrives...


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## gordonbb (May 12, 2014)

The FOTGA adapter arrived Friday and with a busy weekend I haven't had much time to play with it.

Infinity focus works.

Here is the head of the pack in our household:




Serenar 50mm, f/1.8, 1/60, ISO 3200

This image is definitely not as sharp in the center as the 85mm f/1.2 at f/1.8 but for a 60 year-old lens and Canon's first attempt at a fast fifty it's not too bad. Definitely a more solid lens than the current 50 f/1.8!

Here is the obligatory Duck Shot. This mallard was sitting on the tree in the foreground that had been felled by a beaver.




Serenar 35mm f/2.8 at f/8, ISO 100, 1/160

Images from this lens appear soft but I have not had an opportunity to try it on a tripod.

There is some interesting flare from this lens and the contrast is not nearly as good as current lenses.




Serenar 35mm f/2.8 at f/5.6 set for hyperfocal distance ISO 100, 1/1000 and shot from the hip.

Though the lens appears to be soft it has a somewhat dreamy characteristic.





Focusing wide open using the 10x zoom then setting the aperture to the desired value seems to work well. I haven't loaded Magic Lantern yet and am curious to see how well the focus peaking works.

And the camera looks sweet with the lens and universal finder on it.


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