Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/12/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:11:54 -0500 (EST) > From: Wayne Serrano <wayneserrano at earthlink.net> > Subject: Re: [Leica] R 250 Telyt for my Nikon D700? > To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> > > Hello Alastair, > > Was reading what you wrote about the D700 and R lenses... Yesterday > I looked at the D700 and a 5D MKII as FF Digital bodies to use with > my 28, 60, 90, 100, and 180 lenses. Hoping you've already gone thru > this analysis and can offer some suggestions. My 28, 100, and 180 > are current ROM lenses with the 60 and 90 being older non-ROM. Your > thoughts and input would be greatly appreciated. > > Kindest regards, > > Wayne, Hi Wayne, I know you addressed your question to Alastair and I hope you don't mind if I weigh in here a bit. I have used my R lenses on Canon DSLRs and Olympic DSLRs first before finally migrating to the leitax bayonet and Nikon DSLRs. I have the following lenses adapted, 19 Elmarit, first version, 28 Elmarit ROM, 90mm Summicron 3rd cam, 100mm Elmarit Macro APO ROM, 180 Telyt APO F3.4, and 400 Telyt f6.8 (in process of having the bayonet changed). I gravitated to the Nikon platform because long ago I was a Nikon user and I have a bunch of old lenses (like the 58 f1.2 Nikkor Nocti) that I wanted to use, and you can dial the focal lengths and apertures of these lenses into the D700 (and the D200 and D300) and use aperture mode with accurate metering. Leica R lens with the Leitax bayonets (see <leitax.com>) can also be dialed into these cameras and the exposure made with the lenses is linear - meaning that as you shut down the aperture manually the shutter speed slows down in a linear fashion. There is no auto diaphragm for the R lenses with any of these adapters or systems so you have to use stop down metering with a darkening image as you stop down. Accurate exposure is problematic with the Canon system (I was using a 5D Mk 1) and on the Fred Miranda site there are many many pages on the exposure anomalies with the Canon cameras. You can easily work around the problem but it adds another variable. With the Nikon system you get focus confirmation without having to use a chipped adapter - although the focus arrows move in the wrong direction for R lenses - because the lenses rotate the "wrong" way for Nikon focusing. Using the Olympus system (I used a 330E and then an E3) with an adapter - you don't have the exposure linearity problem - and using magnified live view you can nail focus but the process is slow and cumbersome and really requires a tripod. I also chose the D700 because of the ability to set auto ISO and limit slow shutter speeds. The D700 ISO performance to ISO 6400 is awesome - and was the world's best when I bought the D700. I understand the new 5d MKII is now equal or better. Please see: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/R+lenses+on+Nikon+D700/ there are three pages of R lens photos taken with the D700 in the LUG folder. In sum, I think you can go either way - Nikon or Canon - it really depends on how you like the handling of either system but as you can read above I prefer the Nikon after trying the other systems. Cheers Howard.