Anyone epoxy a lens to a camera it doesn't belong to?

I just bought a Zorki 2c that will be arriving shortly
I have an Ektra Ektar 90mm 3.5 without a real home
My plan is to make a Zorleictra

Right now the Ektar is epoxied to a kodak pony which was good enough to test the lens out through my bedroom window.

I wont be able to focus by mechanism but rather I turn the barrel out manually ..I don't have the skill needed to properly fashion a thing that couples to the focussing of the ektar and I don't plan to pay anyone to do so, either
I'll have to shoot a few test rolls to get the correct markings for near objects

I don't know the registration distance of the Ektra. I think it's more than the Leica 39mm so I should be fine



If you've done this before with a lens how did it work out? Were you ever able to trust the epoxy? What kind of epoxy for metal to metal/leatherette? I used loctite wood glue to secure the homemade "mount" made out of filter holder plastic
It seems strong but

Did you like the results? I'm never going to buy an Ektra for 1K so I figured this would work well enough to utilize the lens.

This is just a bedroom window photo with lens at f11 and lens cap for shutter.

What about finding a lens board from the Kodak Precision Enlarger -used to mount the Medalist and Ektra lenses- and use that as the flange on the Zorki so that no epoxying -I think- would be needed? Anybody have one of those layin around?

Um, er, ah, I thought you'd already glued the lens in question to a Pony. How are you going to remove the epoxy from it?

1.) Try playing with that Zorki2 just as it gets to your house. You might find that is one sweet camera. I have a Zorki 1 that has quickly become my favorite 135 camera.
2.) There are adapters out there for 39mm thread mounts. One came on a 150 Schneider lens I bought, the previous owner had it on the front side of a Leica. (?) at least that's what he said. I haven't put it on any of my Zorkis yet. You are going to need some spacing on that lens anyway to get it to focus correctly. Screw up an adapter before you screw up a camera.

tim in san jose

The lens is glued to the Pony using wood glue. The lens was press fit into one of those round plastic filter holders so there would be more surface area for the glue. I could just snap it off the camera. The lens may come right out if I pull on it
I'll just attach a photo

Don't know enough about adapters but doubt there is one for Ektra/Medalist to Leica

I cannot wait to play with the Zorki. I'll take photos with its lens but I really don't need another camera ..I just want to check out the ektar as I've never seen any real photos taken with the 90mm -very few photos at all from the Ektra. I like it's color rendition -on Portra NC- from what I've seen
Seems to have good sharpness ..and looks to be contrasty ..perhaps more so than my 50 Zuiko? I'll have to see more prints but I'm sure it's a better lens than the rigid 50 industar

The Pony seems just about correct for the Ektars registration
My homemade press fit and epoxied "adapter" could take up the extra distance for proper registration on the zorki
Exchanging flanges would require some stable shims, at the very least. But it would look nicer.


I know I'm asking a lot of nothing
thanks, though

It doesn't have to be Ektra/Medalist to Leica. If you are going to be doing some serious destruction in your construction, try and mitigate the damage and use throw away parts instead of epoxy to a camera body.

tim in san jose

I thought adapters mount to the lens in the normal fashion as if the adapter was the camera flange
but then adapt to the new camera flange on the other end ?

How would some other adapter for some other mounting system/lens engage the ektar lens which seems to have a very complex mount?

I don't understand that ...unless you're saying to modify an adapter for use instead of cheap plastic filter case as it will be better constructed.
I don't plan on damaging anything.

Sorry, I am out of my league here. What I know of the Zorki is it's 39mm screw mount. What I know of the Ektar with that shutter system is it has some sort of helical mount. How were (are) you planning on getting the iris shutdown to work? How does a plastic filter case give you those actions?

I thought you were going to epoxy that poor lens onto the camera and use it in preset mode.

My mistake. Post photos when you are done.

tim n san jose