Different Leica lens mounts

I had a friend ask me if there was type "R" lens mount for Leica cameras and lenses. I know of the M39 screwmount and the type "M" bayonet type mount but the type "R" mount is new to me. Any and all replies are appreciated.

Doug

R mount is for SLR Leicas.
Now what I want to know - how many different SLR Leica mounts are there... only R mount?

Can't say for certain but it could be a mount for the Leicaflex, Leica's Slr range

darkosaric said:

R mount is for SLR Leicas.
Now what I want to know - how many different SLR Leica mounts are there... only R mount?

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Only "R" mount, but there are variations based on how many cams are on the back of the lens. As Leica SLR's became more sophisticated, they added more functions. Leica added more cams onto the lens to allow for these new functions. There are one cam, two cam and three cam versions of the R-mount, but the physical mount is the same.

Jim B.

See here: https://www.apotelyt.com/photo-camera/leica-r-mount

Mackinaw said:

Only "R" mount, but there are variations based on how many cams are on the back of the lens. As Leica SLR's became more sophisticated, they added more functions. Leica added more cams onto the lens to allow for these new functions. There are one cam, two cam and three cam versions of the R-mount, but the physical mount is the same.

Jim B.

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Perhaps a bit off topic, but there's also the S-mount for Leica's medium format DSLR cameras.

There are several variations within the R-mount. The best description I've found is on Karen Nakamura's site:

http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/Lens-R.html

One must note that there are exceptions; I'm using an R-Only lens (to which I have added two cams) on my Leicaflex SL. According to the links provided by me and Theo, such a lens doesn't even physically fit there.

Theo Sulphate said:

http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/Lens-R.html

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So actually there are different R mounts - newer R lenses cannot be used on Leicaflex.

darkosaric said:

So actually there are different R mounts - newer R lenses cannot be used on Leicaflex.

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not completely true -- there are R lenses that have three cams which can, and there are later ones that only have one, the third cam (which is really a little black prong shaped like the top half of Utah).

The first two cams are chrome'd angled things that curve, and those fit on all types of Leica R cameras but only work the Flex and Flex 2's meters. Third cam is needed for auto operation on the R3 and up. Those later cameras don't need the first two cams, so some lenses left them off.

and the third-cam only lenses aren't supposed to fit on older style cameras. The mount is made just differently enough so it won't fit and lock.

miha said:

One must note that there are exceptions; I'm using an R-Only lens (to which I have added two cams) on my Leicaflex SL. According to the links provided by me and Theo, such a lens doesn't even physically fit there.

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when they added the first two cams they probably also changed the mount so it would fit the earlier cameras. Not a big deal.

Thank you all for your responses. As soon as I see my friend tomorrow, I'll show him all of your responses and let him decide what to do next. As an afterthought,just in case he asks, if possible, can lenses with this mount be used on other cameras providing the correct adapter is available ?.

Doug

When did Leitz make the Leicaflex? I have heard that they were designed and sourced from Minolta??? I have some old Leica dealer literature from mid 50's IT'S amazing all the accessories that Leica made. All superbly crafted. The folks in Japan really hammered Europe in the late 50's on. I bought a NOS M6ttl recently, 0.85 finder and a used summicron 50. I had sold off my Leica stuff, even though I'm not a fan of 35mm, had to have one

spoolman said:

... can lenses with this mount be used on other cameras providing the correct adapter is available ?

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Karen's site, which I linked to above, has a list of other camera systems which can use the lenses with adapters.

mshchem said:

When did Leitz make the Leicaflex? I have heard that they were designed and sourced from Minolta??? ...

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Leicaflex: 1964..1968
Leicaflex SL: 1968..1974
Leicaflex SL2: 1974..1976

http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/Leicaflex.html

The Leicaflex models prior to the R3 I believe are Leica-only designed; the R3 and its immediate successors have Minolta influence in their design.

http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/LeicaR.html

Theo Sulphate said:

Karen's site, which I linked to above, has a list of other camera systems which can use the lenses with adapters.



Leicaflex: 1964..1968
Leicaflex SL: 1968..1974
Leicaflex SL2: 1974..1976

The Leicaflex models prior to the R3 I believe are Leica-only designed; the R3 and its immediate successors have Minolta influence in their design.

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That is exactly the information I have been looking for. Thank you Theo Sulphate for the link to Karen's website. I will pass this information along to my friend next time I see him.

Doug

summicron1 said:

when they added the first two cams they probably also changed the mount so it would fit the earlier cameras. Not a big deal.

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Not quite, I have personaly added the cam for metering purposes (as I wrote in my post). The mount stayed the same. As I said, there are exceptions, one such was my Summicron 50mm (ii) R-Only lens that now happily sits on my Leicaflex SL camera and also works as it should on my R8 and also on the two R-cameras in between.

mshchem said:

When did Leitz make the Leicaflex? I have heard that they were designed and sourced from Minolta??? I have some old Leica dealer literature from mid 50's IT'S amazing all the accessories that Leica made. All superbly crafted. The folks in Japan really hammered Europe in the late 50's on. I bought a NOS M6ttl recently, 0.85 finder and a used summicron 50. I had sold off my Leica stuff, even though I'm not a fan of 35mm, had to have one

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A little Leica film SLR history. Mostly from memory, so dates may be a bit off, but they're close...

The first Leicaflex was sometime around the mid 60s. It had a non-ttl meter, a CdS cell on the front of the prism housing. The 1-cam in the original R lens mount told the camera the actual f-stop set on the lens.

In the late 60s or so, the Leicaflex SL moved the meter behind the lens for TTL metering. That required the second cam to tell the camera how far down from wide open the lens aperture was set. There is also an SL2. These original Leicaflex and the SL/SL2 were developed solely by Leitz. Some people say the M-5 is what nearly killed Leica, but it's really the costs of these first Leicaflex bodies that was a bigger problem. They were very expensive and features were sparse. Still reports are that Leica lost money on each body and expected to make up for that in lens sales.

In the late 70s or maybe early 80s, the R3 came out. This was developed jointly with Minolta, and the R-series bodies required the Third cam which looks like a stairstep, and I'm not sure how its information differs from the 2nd cam, but this cam moves in a circular arc while the first and second cams moved a follower much like the rangefinder coupler from the RF leicas.

At some point during the run of the R-series bodies, the collaboration with Minolta kind of fizzled out. Except the mechanical R6 and R6.2, these are electronically controlled. The R6 and later is reported to be all Leica, but of course there is some of the Minolta DNA remaining in the bodies.

At some point, Leica stopped dropped the 1/2 cams from their lenses as no recent bodies needed them, and at some even later point added the ROM contacts for the R8 and R9 bodies.

I like the Leica SLRs. I have an original Leicaflex, SL, and R6.2. They have great viewfinders, the original Flex has a super-bright non-focusing screen with only a center focusing spot. They are all well made, but rumors are that repairs are difficult, expensive, and a lot of repair shops won't touch them. Lenses mostly cost more than the bodies these days, and they are what you would expect from Leica lenses. Very well made with nice optics. I don't buy the Leica Magic religion but they're good lenses.

Just to sum up: I have a Leicaflex (Standard), which had an external meter (basically an M3 with M meter and reflex mirror built into one package). This camera had one cam. Next, I bought new a Leicaflex SL, which had a ttl selective spot meter. The camera’s cam was moved to a different location and new lenses were fitted with cams for both Standard and SL Leicaflex. Ditto my SL2. I acquired an R4 with the new cam. New lenses only came with one cam for this camera but Leica would retrofit two cams for older cameras at reasonable cost and old lenses could have cam for R cameras added. For a brief period they made an extender with all three cams (the label on my extender box reads Leicaflex, Sl, R) and shortly thereafter extender only for R cameras. I really don’t use the R cameras very much because they are battery dependent and the Leicaflex just feel better in my hands. Oh yes, the adapter for using Visoflex lenses on Standard and SL cameras were different but the Standard adapter could be used on SL. These are all film cameras. I know nothing about whether lenses made for digital Leicas can be used on film cameras.

Oops! My memory may be off. I am not quite sure if Leica would or could retrofit R camera lenses for Leicaflex once lenses were fitted for R cameras only.