Adapter thread. The new Lords of the Rings.

[rosko]

Birna, John, I really wonder whether it worth to bother with these vintage Nikon S lenses, I mean if you haven't any available already (like Birna) , as I noticed they are quite pricey, if not very expensive...

That said, I am sure they are of very good quality (optically and well build).

Just my thoughts, though.

I am very satisfied with my growing  M/L39 Leica mount range Tiny, sharp, which need 2 adapters only.

My only frustration (but I can cope with it !), is that I don't get data on the pictures.

[Birna Rørslett]

There are good reasons for being interested in vintage lenses. They combine small size (in general) with frequently endearing, not-so-perfect rendition to give a character to the images. Plus they, like any one or anything else, deserve being used for their designated purpose.

I tend to put many of these old-timers either on the Z50 or the NEX-5N Monochrome. The 21mm f/4 and 25mm f/4 Voigtländers  combine well with the 3.5cm f/1.8 W-Nikkor. Throw in the unbelievably tiny 85mm f/3.5 Voigtländer AP-Lanthar and you have a very neat and compact field kit.

 Just ordered a focusing adapter for internal mount Nikkor normals to Sony E so I can use these 5cm/50mm lenses on the NEX. The Voigtländer 15mm f/4.5 Aspherical performs well on this camera as well.

[Frank Fremerey]

The B4 (TV Broadcast lens) adapter to Nikon Z.  You can connect a variety of B4 broadcastlenses on the Nikon Z's.  It is necessary these B4 lenses have a doubler (double the image-field (and aperture value) otherwise they will not fill the sensor. High resolution lenses are better.  You can shoot film in the DX mode with minimal vignetting at the wide settings.  My experience is these lenses are not ideal for stills, but better be used for film only.

The adapter has it's own tripod-foot to mount the Broadcast lens.

Wonderful product shots!

[Frank Fremerey]

Tomatoe flowering in my garden
reversed 36-72 f/3.5 on the Z6

[Frank Fremerey]

Zuiko OM from the 1980ies on Z6

2.8/100mm

I also got the 2.8/24mm ... not sooo convincing and the 1.2/55mm, still in the post. And the 1.4/50mm ... very nice ... best of the bunch so far is the 2.8/100 ... all of them are very small and light and very solidly build

[John Geerts]

Birna, John, I really wonder whether it worth to bother with these vintage Nikon S lenses, I mean if you haven't any available already (like Birna) , as I noticed they are quite pricey, if not very expensive...

That said, I am sure they are of very good quality (optically and well build).

Just my thoughts, though.

I am very satisfied with my growing  M/L39 Leica mount range Tiny, sharp, which need 2 adapters only.

My only frustration (but I can cope with it !), is that I don't get data on the pictures.

It's not only the Nikon S lenses which are interesting but also the M42 lenses (which can be very cheap) The Z- camera's now offer a new world for all the lenses which were previously impossible to use on the Nikon F. 

The only thing is, at least for me, to keep an overview and select only lenses which add something new or unknown.

[John Geerts]

Wonderful product shots!

Thanks Frank

[MEPER]

Does somebody know an adapter to Z-mount that can adapt M39 Zenit SLR lenses to Z-mount?
I have a M39 Helios-40 and 44 which both are M39 SLR (not Leica LTM).
The register distance is 45.2 mm (if my google search was correct).
I can come very close using a M39 to M42 ring and then a M42 adapter.
The M42 adapter has a register of 45.46mm (google search) so I can't reach infinity focus but combination still useful for most situations as these two lenses are used mostly for "bokeh" images. But could be nice to have a dedicated adapter. Maybe a custom made adapter could be a possibility.

I think the above register distances are correct as it "fits" with that I can focus quite far but not at infinity (0.26 mm is missing). Lens needs to be able to get 0.26 mm closer to sensor for infinity focus.
A helicoid can probably be a solution and then fix it with Loctite/epoxy. Maybe adjusted so it can focus just a bit past infinity to be safe.

I also found a MIR-1 ( 37/2.8 ) in M39 Zenit SLR mount. It should be based on Zeiss Flektogon design……..so maybe a fun lens to try.

[Birna Rørslett]

M39 (Leica L) to Z adapters are easily available. But those might not be what you need?

[MEPER]

No, it is lenses like these which was for Zenit SLR cameras:
https://tomtiger.home.xs4all.nl/Zenit3m.html

I have a M39 LTM to Z mount and these has a register distance = 28.8 mm. This adapter works fine for Jupiter3 and Jupiter8 rangefinder lenses. 
The Zenit M39 or ZM39 mount has a longer register distance (45.2 mm). A little bit short of M42 adapter distance.

[Akira]

No, it is lenses like these which was for Zenit SLR cameras:
https://tomtiger.home.xs4all.nl/Zenit3m.html

I have a M39 LTM to Z mount and these has a register distance = 28.8 mm. This adapter works fine for Jupiter3 and Jupiter8 rangefinder lenses. 
The Zenit M39 or ZM39 mount has a longer register distance (45.2 mm). A little bit short of M42 adapter distance.

An M39 to M42 adapter is easily available.  It is a simple ring with the internal M39 and external M42 threads.  The Russian M39 mount lenses like Industar-50 or Helios-44 are sold as M42 mount ones with the adapter ring attached.  I have Industar-50 of such type and use it with an Novoflex M42 to TL mount adapter (LET/CO) on my Sigma fp with no problem, and the combo can focus to infinity.

[MEPER]

An M39 to M42 adapter is easily available.  It is a simple ring with the internal M39 and external M42 threads.  The Russian M39 mount lenses like Industar-50 or Helios-44 are sold as M42 mount ones with the adapter ring attached.  I have Industar-50 of such type and use it with an Novoflex M42 to TL mount adapter (LET/CO) on my Sigma fp with no problem, and the combo can focus to infinity.

I also use the ZM39 Helios-44 with M42 to Z adapter as first image shows. Then I first mount a M39 to M42 ring that keeps the same flange distance.
But infinity focus is just not there. It is close. I am sure it is the missing 0.26 mm. If I stop down I can "hide" the error. It is the same with both Helios 40 and 44. Lenses can probably be "re-adjusted" to be "real" M42 lenses like Pentax M42.

2nd image is with Helios-44 and is about as far I can focus. It was stopped down to f8. I could focus on wall but not at roof.
3rd image is as close as I can focus at full aperture just to test the lens. It is quite sharp even wide open. I need other kind of images to evaluate the bokeh. 

[MEPER]

Maybe if I find out how lenses are disassembled it can see how the infinity focus is adjusted. It could be that I can just remove the focus ring and then adjust the helicoid a little bit...….who knows… :-)

[rosko]

Maybe if I find out how lenses are disassembled it can see how the infinity focus is adjusted. It could be that I can just remove the focus ring and then adjust the helicoid a little bit...….who knows… :-)

I noticed this issue with Brown Paxette Steable katagon 50mm f/2.8. If I want infinity with this lens the solution is to machine a M42 adapter and grind the first threads until I get the correct registered distance.


I think your solution consist to find an engineer with a lathe and grind your M42/Z adapter to erase 0.26mm of thread

0.26mm being the difference between 45.46mm minus 45.20mm. And still use the thin M42/M39 ring.

Your M42 adapter would be still usable with more lenses as the removed material is less than a thread.

[MEPER]

That could be a nice solution. However I will never use the lenses on Zenit SLR so if lenses could be adjusted slightly only adjusting helicoid this would be a good solution also.
I just ordered a Contact RF / Nikon S adapter that can be used via a LTM adapter. I ordered from Ukraine and I think I will ask him for advices. Seems be knows everything about Russian lenses. The adapter seems to be a Kiev RF mount that has been "worked" on. It is a nice solution so both inner and outer mount RF lenses can be used.

I watched a video where he adjusted a Helios 44-2 to Nikon F but that operation included some modification of the lens (not just an adjustment). I can ask now I have ordered something from him…..