Leica R adapter
Leica R lenses were produced for the SLR range of Leicaflex and Leica R cameras. The Leica R mount was introduced in 1964 with the launch of the Leicaflex SLR. The production of Leica R lenses was discontinued in March 2009.
Leica R lenses are generally of excellent optical quality and tend to be less expensive than Leica M lenses. Thus, they represent a great way to obtain Leica quality lenses without breaking the bank. Leica R lenses have a rather large flange focal distance of 47mm between the mount and the film. This means that unfortunately the lenses can only be adapted on certain modern cameras and infinity focus will not work for some camera types such as Nikon F.
There are a lot of adapters available – below you find a link to each camera mount:
Leica R mount to MFT adapter
Connectivity to micro-four-thirds (mft) is unproblematic. The adapter is always quiet large which will increase the “size” of your lens. Focusing to infinity works fine. The only major drawback is that the images are cropped compared a full frame SLR. Even a 35 or 50 prime lens will feel like a telephoto. You can find the adapters here:
Leica R mount to Canon EOS adapter
Leica R lenses can be used on Canon EOS digital SLRs without much of a problem. Two distinct types of adapters exist. The cheaper ones are non AF-confirm adapters. This means that you will have to trust your own judgement when it comes the focusing. AF-confirm adapters tend to be a bit more expensive but you will receive a visual confirmation from your camera when in focus. In my eperience this is a great advantage and it is worth investing a bit more for a AF confirm adapter.
Leica R mount to Nikon F adapter
As with most other vintage lens mouts, using a Leica R lens on a Nikon F body can be problematic. Focusing to infinity will not work in most cases. It also depends on which lens you are trying to adapt as some of them will hit the mirror of your lens. The following lenses will not work on a Nikon F body:
– Super Angulon 21mm f/3.4
– Summilux 35mm f/1.4
– Fisheye-Elmarit 16mm f/2.8
It is possible to modify the lens mount in order to increase the space for the mirror of the camera but these changes are irrevisble – do it at your own risk! Some adapters use a corrective glass element to allow infinity focus on a larger range of lenses. Unfortunately the corrective glass element will decrease the image quality. You can find the appropriate adapters here:
Leica R mount to Sony Alpha E-mount adapter
Connecting a Leica R lens to a Sony Alpha mount camera is generally unproblematic. Focusing to infinity is possible. Some lenses might not work, so make sure to double check with your vendor. You can find the appropriate adapters here:
Leica R mount to Fuji X adapter
Connecting a Leica R lens to a Fuji-X mount camera is generally unproblematic. Focusing to infinity is possible. The adapter is always quiet large which will increase the “size” of your lens. Focusing to infinity works fine. The only major drawback is that the images are cropped compared a full frame SLR. Even a 35 or 50 prime lens will feel like a telephoto. You can find the appropriate adapters here:
Leica R mount to Nikon-1 adapter
Connecting a Leica R lens to a Nikon-1 mount camera is generally unproblematic. Focusing to infinity is possible. The adapter is always quiet large which will increase the “size” of your lens. Focusing to infinity works fine. The only major drawback is that the images are cropped compared a full frame SLR. Even a 35 or 50 prime lens will feel like a telephoto. You can find the appropriate adapters here:
