# Using vintage Braun Paxette lenses with EOS bodies



## optikus (Jul 17, 2013)

Good morning, forum!

In the german "Digicamclub"-forum for manuel lenses on digital cameras we developped a special adapter to use the ancient M39-Lenses for the "teacher's Leica" *Paxette*, manufactured by Braun, Nürnberg also with Canon EOS bodies. There are Lenses from Steinheil (Muenchen), Schneider (Kreuznach), Roeschlein (Kreuznach), Enna (München), Braun and Staeble (Nürnberg) and other well known german manufacturers on the market.

Due to the longer flange-distance (compared to LTM) of 44mm it is possible to make adapters which allow infinity-focusing correctly.

If interested you will find an actual information (in german) here:

_Werte Forenkolleginnen und Kollegen,

wir hatten vor einiger Zeit das Thema Adaption der M39-Objektive der Paxette (Auflagemaß nominal 44mm) an das EOS-System. 

Dazu gab es im Digicamclub eine fruchtbare Diskussion, die zur Herstellung einer Messing-Kleinserie von speziellen M39-EOS-Adaptern geführt hat, die eine Eindrehung erhalten haben, so dass eine korrekte Unendlich-Einstellung möglich ist. Die meisten (nicht alle !) Paxette-Objektive lassen sich einwandfrei am EF-S-Bajonett der APS-C-Kameras nutzen, eine Reihe auch am EF-Bajonett der Vollformatkameras. Lediglich die Objektive mit verlängertem Hinterbau scheiden ohne auszugsverlängerndes Zubehör aus und bleiben damit dem Makro-Bereich vorbehalten.

Thread -> http://www.digicamclub.de/showthread...998#post195998

Wer mehr über das Thema und seine Anfänge erfahren möchte:

- http://www.digicamclub.de/showthread...axette+adapter
- http://www.digicamclub.de/showthread...hlight=telexon
- http://www.digicamclub.de/showthread...l=1#post175541

Im Digicamclub gibt es darüber hinaus - Stichwort VNex - einiges mehr zur Verwendung dieser Objektive am NEX-System._

If there is any interest contact me, some of these adapters are still available.

Joerg


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## optikus (Jul 18, 2013)

Hello community,

after a little bit of preparation of some photos now the story also in English.







The idea came up when a discussion came up in the digicamclub about adapting the various M39-Paxette-lenses via the VNEX-adaption-system to NEX-bodies. It was posted, that the distance between film and mount of the paxette is 44mm, the same as the EOS-system has.

On the market there are various Leica-thread-mount adapters to EOS, which allow macro use only due to the very much shorter flange distance of the Leica compared with the EOS-bayonett. But the idea came up to modify such an adapter mechanically to make it possible to screw in a Paxette lens and get it on the right position for achieving infinity-position correctly. That would mean bringing it to the exakt parallel point of the EOS-bayonett-mount of the camera body.

The lenses of the paxette are pretty small - after some experiments we found adapters to use them as basis material for the modification which are stable enouht to accept the reduction of brass in the critical mount-level withour breaking up and fitting the widest possible range of paxette-lenses we could find to get their mechanical dimensions. With the now found solution all know Paxette-lenses can be mounted to a EOS-body.

But there are restrictions.

Those lenses with a very short construction on the cameras side can be used with EF *and* EF-S mount = fitting full format bodies. Example is the Schneider Xenar 1:2,8/50mm, (tested with s/n *4220026*) and the Staeble Telexon -E- 1:5,6/85mm (tested with s/n *527602*).

The midrange of constructions, as the Roeschlein Telenar -E- 1:5,6/135mm and the Roeschlein Telenar -E- 1:3,8/90mm can be used with EF-S bodies, due to mechanical components colliding with the mirror of FV-bodies. (testes with Roeschlein Telenar -E- 135mm s/n *188201* and Telenar -E- 90mm *119302*)

Some short lenses, possibly older ones, have an additional tubus on the back side, potencially for an intendet coupled d-meter, which never came in the camera, those lenses are only for macro use with the bellows, e.g. the Staeble-Choro -R- 1:3,5/38mm (tested with s/n *384419*) and the Steinheil Cassarit 1:2,8/45mm (s/n *1033635*). I tell you the serial numbers to refer to this explicite lenses, it may be that there are versions of them with different structures, at this moment i don't know any - but I'm not God.






The image above shows the different structures on the body-side of the lenses.

Right row downwards: Steinheil 45mm - Staeble-Choro 38mm - Schneider 50mm
Left row downwards: Roeschlein 135mm in adapter-prototype - Roeschlein 90mm - Staeble 85mm






Here my EOS 400D with three adapted lenses in the new adapters, one adapter on the camera withour lens.






Impressive, how small these lenses are compared to the known dimensions of our today-equipment.






The Roeschlein 90mm is the lens with the best performance in my set - but it needs some additional time and things like lens hoods to test them all correctly.

Right click on the image-symbols -> opens them in a separate window.

Joerg


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 18, 2013)

Click on the attachments and other options link below the text box when you post. That will let you upload a small image (800 X 800) ??
I'm curious as to how you could use a 44mm flange back lens on a 44mm flange back camera and get infinity focus, it would not focus to infinity unless the adaptor had zero thickness, or unless you modified the lens by replacing the mount.
M42 lenses with their 45.5 mm flange distance are commonly used on Canon EOS bodies. Some M39 lenses had 45.5mm flange back distances, I don't know about the Pauxette.


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## optikus (Jul 18, 2013)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Click on the attachments and other options link below the text box when you post. That will let you upload a small image (800 X 800) ??
> I'm curious as to how you could use a 44mm flange back lens on a 44mm flange back camera and get infinity focus, it would not focus to infinity unless the adaptor had zero thickness, or unless you modified the lens by replacing the mount.
> M42 lenses with their 45.5 mm flange distance are commonly used on Canon EOS bodies. Some M39 lenses had 45.5mm flange back distances, I don't know about the Pauxette.



Hi,

thenk you for the input, I try asap.

The solution is easy.

The EF-mount is wide enough to remove enough material from a commercial Leica-EOS-Adapter (or a M42-EOS-Adapter with an additional reducion-ring M42/M39) in a smaller diameter then the EOS-mouth and have a stable adapter as good as before, if you find an adapter made of a very good material. Therefore we use only brass adapters and none from aluminium. 

There is not very much metall remaining between the machined area of the adapter and the mouth of the EF-mount - but enough. It only works because of the very small dimensions of the Paxette-Lenses, they dive in the EF-mount, to use a imaginable metapher.

Joerg


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