Leica M39 to M adapter ring

Hassasin · Feb 4, 2024

I've seen comments on M39 to M adapters with mostly recommended Leitz's own. Of course there are others, from Voigtlander, KF Concept, to many other Chinese off springs.

One ring I will need is for the Leica MDa, in this case frame lines are not a concern. Are the frame lines the main issue with some of the cheaper adapters, or are there other problems, especially focusing plane being off?

Looking at some of these, I have to assume Voigltander own adapters are fine, K&F Concept looks pretty good, but I may be wrong.

Nicholas Lindan · Feb 4, 2024

I've had no problems with the Chinese adapters. There's not much to them.

bdial · Feb 4, 2024

The main problem with the generic one I have is that all the edges were really sharp with machining burrs. A few minutes with a super fine scotch-brite pad resolved that.

Ballinderry-Michael · Feb 4, 2024

I have an Urth adapter that shares the fault that bdial mentions. Easy to nick a finger while manipulating it. It is also tight in the camera mount and has to be installed and removed with care.

Hassasin · Feb 4, 2024

Looks like I'll go with K&F Concept variant as I've been quite happy with their adapters.

brbo · Feb 4, 2024

I've had good experience with Leica and Voigtländer. Generic ones, not so. From bringing up correct framelines (that OP doesn't care about) to focusing problems (also might not be a problem for OP if focusing is not done by the rangefinder).

Nitroplait · Feb 4, 2024

You don’t say which lens you want to mount on the MDa.
Be aware that some lenses with infinity lock requires an adapter with the correct cut-out in order to press down the lock and focus over the entire range.

Hassasin · Feb 4, 2024

Nitroplait said:
You don’t say which lens you want to mount on the MDa.
Be aware that some lenses with infinity lock requires an adapter with the correct cut-out in order to press down the lock and focus over the entire range.

Good point, even if in my case not of much relevance: Voigtlander Heliar 15mm, just need the thing to collimate correctly with film plane as nothing else matters.

Ballinderry-Michael · Feb 4, 2024

brbo said:
I've had good experience with Leica and Voigtländer. Generic ones, not so. From bringing up correct framelines (that OP doesn't care about) to focusing problems (also might not be a problem for OP if focusing is not done by the rangefinder).

As the MDa hasn't got a rangefinder, you have to get used to scale focusing anyway.

Hassasin · Feb 4, 2024

Ballinderry-Michael said:
As the MDa hasn't got a rangefinder, you have to get used to scale focusing anyway.

And with Heliar 15mm not much of that either.

Don_ih · Feb 4, 2024

The main issue with a cheap one would be whether or not it is actually the correct thickness, which would impact focus greatly. The Leitz ones are pretty much guaranteed to be as accurate as possible. I have taken off Leica lens mounts with shims thinner than paper beneath them. I doubt the cheap adapters are manufactured to that tolerance. But that may or may not matter to the user. Someone shooting zone focus wouldn't notice. You probably wouldn't notice unless you set the camera on a tripod and shot a test card with the lens wide open.

250swb · Feb 5, 2024

Leica lenses are calibrated to a set standard and so are the bodies, a lens and a body is never calibrated to work exclusively with each other, so if you stick something in between like an adapter it's highly likely the combined calibration will be out. But how much out is the question. I've bought Chinese adapters without paying any attention to the exact make although they are probably all made in the same factory. And they've been fine, yet other people have a problem with them. People swear by using Leica adapters, but do Leica measure the dimensions before the brass is plated or after, and what if the plating rubs off? You can get down to some absurd expectations with things few of us have the tools to measure with absolute accuracy. But one thing is certain, zone focusing a 15mm lens will not be impacted by any adapter you can buy, so just buy the cheapest and/or one to bring up the correct framelines for a lens you may get in the future, otherwise framelines don't matter on an Md.

Don_ih · Feb 5, 2024

250swb said:
just buy the cheapest

That's what I did and never had any problem with either focus or framelines. The Leica branded ones will always be more expensive, but I doubt anyone could prove there's a practical difference..

btaylor · Feb 5, 2024

I admit it, I’m a cheap guy. I bought some generic LTM to M adapters from various vendors (ebay, Amazon). I had issues with correct frame lines showing up, very sharp edges that required smoothing, sometimes very tight fit that made them difficult to remove and interference with infinity locks on some lenses.
I recall Brian Sweeney did some tests with generic adapters and found differences in thicknesses significant enough to cause visible focus inaccuracies at wide apertures. Depth of focus (lens flange to focal plane) errors are more critical the shorter the focal length as well.
Anyway, you can find the Leitz ones used for about $75, that’s what I did. I figured it was a small price to pay for everything to work and fit correctly. YMMV!

Leica M39 to M adapter ring

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