Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/10/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Alan: Digital has less focus "tolerance" than film. Some lenses will need adjustment, some won't, and you sometimes have to deal with focus shift which you never noticed on film. 90mm lenses sometimes can't be adjusted enough. The only way to know is to try. In my mind it's worth it. I have an M8. I have used several LTM lenses successfully via Voigtlander LTM-M adapters, with no need for recalibration. Including: Voigtlander(/Cosina) 28/1.9, 28/3.5, 35/1.2, 50/1.5, 90/3.5. Canon 50/1.8 and 50/1.2, (the latter spot-on wide open, unlike my friend's Noctilux(!) Leica lenses: 50 tabbed Summicron was perfect, 35/1.4 'Lux ASPH is good at f/1.4 and f/2, needs a little tweak closer than the RF indicates at f/2.8-5.6, DOF covers at f/8 and smaller. So the lens is right on, it's just that the focus shift of the pre-FLE design has to be dealt with. My 35/2 Summicron v.4 had to be recalibrated, as did my DR Summicron. The latter also got the close-focus cam shaved off so it would fit the camera). My 90 Summicron (mid-1980s version) was way off, had to be adjusted by DAG. It's still not perfect, but close enough that I know how much to compensate. Since the M8 is at its accuracy limits with a 90/2, your 85 Nikkor is also pushing it, you'll just have to try. I suspect you'll see focus shift it. Fast lenses, and Sonnar-design lenses do that. Typical scenario is that you have to decide how to to have it adjusted. It can be correct wide open and off between f/2.8-5.6 (usually depth of field covers the error after f/8). Or it can be good from f/2.8 down and you have to compensate for front focus at the first stop or two. Brian Sweeney can adjust 50mm Jupter-8 and -3 lenses and their corresponding classic Zeiss Sonnars to work perfectly wide-open and close up, and fine at medium distances to infinity as long as you stop down a couple of stops. I have such a Jupiter-8, and I love it. M8s will become even a bit more affordable as some people sell them to get the ME or the M. Even with its quirks, I have no regrets about getting my M8. I can shoot digitally with almost all my Leica-compatible lenses. That's worth jumping through a few initial hoops. I recommend DAG for lens adjustments, he's faster and more reliable than Leica has been overall. He can adjust your lenses to his known-good digital M, or you send him both camera and lenses, and he makes 'em both right. In my case, the camera was set correctly, so all I had to do was send the lenses that were "off." Hope this helps! --Peter > it's no sweat on my M8 > > Nikkor 135/3.5 and 35/3.5 > > ric On Oct 12, 2012, at 1:40 PM, Alan Magayne-Roshak <amr3 at uwm.edu> wrote: > Does anyone have experience using Nikon and/or Canon LTM lenses (with M > adapters) on the M8 or M9? I'm not likely to be able to get a digital M > at all, but even less so if I couldn't use the lenses I already have - 28, > 35, 85 LTM Nikkors and 50 f/1.2 Canon LTM. And my Leitz lenses are all at > least 45 years old. > > Alan > > Alan Magayne-Roshak, Senior Photographer > UPAA POY 1978 > University Relations > University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Alan+Magayne-Roshak/ > > "All the technique in the world doesn't compensate > for an inability to notice. " - Elliott Erwitt > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information