LTM SLR

2F/2F · Jan 18, 2010

Hello,

Out of curiosity, was there ever an SLR made that accepts LTM lenses and will still focus them to infinity? I roughly understand the technical reasons why this may be called "impossible", but you never know what people might have done at some point.

It sure would be great to use my Summar, Summitar, and Serenar lenses on an SLR for something other than close up work.

Thank you in advance.

cmo · Jan 18, 2010

Technically that would be impossoble on any 35mm SLR, even on an Olympus Pen F.

2F/2F · Jan 19, 2010

Yes. I was thinking some sort of small or split mirror that crops part of the composition, basically useful just for through the lens focusing, not for framing.

David A. Goldfarb · Jan 19, 2010

Canon made an M39-FD adapter, but just for macro use. I don't think I've seen any 35mm camera with the early Bronica style mirror designs that allow the lens to protrude into the lens box (falling mirror hinged at the front that slides forward and drops, or later split mirror where the front half drops and the rear half flips up).

2F/2F · Jan 19, 2010

I have an LTM to Canon FD adapter (that I got from you, as a matter of fact). I use it a lot with extension tubes. I got the idea of a split mirror from an Exacta 6x6 that I was looking at the other day.

David A. Goldfarb · Jan 19, 2010

The Bronica EC and EC-TL have the split mirror design. It can be prone to alignment problems.

The falling mirror design on the Bronica Z, D, S/2/A, and C is a lot more complex than the traditional rising mirror, which is why those cameras are notoriously loud.

2F/2F · Jan 19, 2010

I wonder if I could rig an inset adapter to get it to work on one of the Canon EOS APS SLRs. I forgot what they were called. Not sure what is available in APS anyhow, though. Probably not worth it. A small-sensor DSLR is probably a better bet.

DBP · Jan 19, 2010

The Corfield Periflex.

Tim Gray · Jan 19, 2010

There are a couple of digital cameras that would let you do this. Not technically SLRs, but you do view through the lens via the sensor. I'm sure you know about these though...

Rol_Lei Nut · Jan 20, 2010

Actually, any SLR which has a full mirror lock-up should be able to mount an M39 with an adapter and keep infinity focus.
Without TTL viewing or focusing of course. And probably not SLRs with very narrow mounts (Exakta, M42?).

But, for example, C/V made a version of its 15mm (and others?) to use on a Nikon F2 with a raised mirror.

AgX · Jan 20, 2010

The film-to-flange distance of 35mm rangefinders is in the range of 28mm, that of SLR's in the range of 40 to 46 mm.

So how would that work even with mirror-up? What did I get wrong?

(Edit: There are 35mm-rangefinder lenses designed for the use with an intermediate mirror-box. These should work with some adaper on a 35mm-SLR. But this is beyond the orginal question.)

Aron · Jan 20, 2010

There is one LTM lens I know of which you can (almost for sure) use mounted on an SLR: the Russian Industar-50 in rigid mount. They used the same basic lens for both the SLRs and rangefinders, but they put an extension ring to the end of the shorter SLR lens to make it focus at infinity on rangefinder bodies. It cam be done, because the rear element of a Tessar is pretty far from the filmplane.

Of course, this is not a real answer how to mount your Leitz and Canon lenses on an SLR.

elekm · Jan 20, 2010

Not possible. Not going to work. Not now. Not ever. Especially with wide angle lenses in which the lens sits a fraction of an inch from the shutter.

There's no advantage to fitting a lens to an SLR if you can't focus. Leave it on the LTM body, which is thinner and quieter and allows you to focus.

Besk · Jan 20, 2010

Anything is possible - almost. The Alpa had the shortest film to flange spec. but still was more that the 28mm distance from film to flange. (The Periflex excepted.)
I have often thought that a horizontal sliding mirror would be the path to a solution. Someone surely has thought of that before and discarded it.

AgX · Jan 20, 2010

There were different full-size moving-mirror designs including ones that enabled the lens to protrude more than with a classic SLR.

But I don't know of any common moving- (full-size) mirror SLR that has a flange-to-film distance significantly less than I stated in my post above.

But aside from how the mirror is moved, or even folded as in one design, the mere fact that there is a mirror makes a certain space necessary.

Rol_Lei Nut · Jan 20, 2010

AgX said:
The film-to-flange distance of 35mm rangefinders is in the range of 28mm, that of SLR's in the range of 40 to 46 mm.

So how would that work even with mirror-up? What did I get wrong?

An adapter which "sinks" into the SLR mount, reducing the film to flange distance (the reason why narrow mounts certainly would not work).

AgX · Jan 20, 2010

Thanks,

Meanwhile I got that idea too. But I wonder which rangefinder lenses are small enough to allow for such sink-in adapter.

Vincenzo Maielli · Feb 28, 2010

The very first soviet SLR Zenith was built with M39 screw mount, incompatible with the standard LTM lenses. Apart this, normally the LTM lenses, on SLR cameras, allow only the macro work.
Ciao.
Vincenzo

LTM SLR

2F/2F

cmo

2F/2F

David A. Goldfarb

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2F/2F

DBP

Tim Gray

Rol_Lei Nut

AgX

Aron

elekm

Besk

AgX

Rol_Lei Nut

AgX

Vincenzo Maielli

LTM SLR

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