Hi - I recently bought the Contax G45 to Leica M conversion kit from Funleader and thought this could be a good opportunity for my first FM post. I hope I'm posting this correctly - let me know if I'm doing this wrong!
There's some info on reddit and youtube surrounding the conversion kit & converted lenses that funleader sells so I won't go too deep.
Overall, I'm impressed with the quality of the kit. The black paint looks nice on my M10 and I love that you get to keep the original front ring from the lens. People have mentioned this online, but it is definitely heavy. I guess I'd rather it be a little on the heavier side than the lighter side but I was surprised by the weight.
The DIY process was okay for me. The front ring was locked in place by some type of epoxy/adhesive so the rubber tool they provide wasn't enough on it's own to get the ring off. I had to use a bit of isopropyl alcohol to loosen up that glue. After I did that, it unthreaded pretty easily.
The only part that was a real pain was getting the right amount of shims in place to get the focusing aligned with the rangefinder. My advice would be to start with no shims and then slowly add the shims they provide one by one. I can't even remember how many I used or what thickness. You'll get there... it just might take a bit.
Would I go out a purchase a G45 just to do this conversion? Probably not. If you're like me and already own a G45, I think it's a fun investment. I haven't used my G45 for quite some time so I figured I could give it a new life on my M10-P. This lens is sharp as can be and I'm liking the results on the digital sensor.
I have used the G45 since the 1990s with the Contax G1 and also have the Funleader conversion. The quality of the lens implemetation is quite good but falls short compared to voigtlander and leica lenses as well as others like LLL that have much higher quality helicoids. On the other hand the helicoid is more than sufficient to provide a great user experience. It is great on Ms and in particular on M films as the lens was designed for film. The 46 mm filter is shared by many other lenses. Zeiss coatings and glass is sharp and the coatings provide a good realistic color rendition. It is another good choice among the many 50ish lenses for my Ms and I keep it my lens rotation for use. Enjoy !
I had the first version of this conversion and the focus was a hair loose- it would turn a slight amount before moving the helicoid. The second version is much better-no play in the focus and the focus ring has rounded edges --much bettter looking and a really great conversion. Get the second version.
As this thread began, if you have a 45/2 converting it brings new life into it, I bought a new one from Funleader because I really like the 45/2 on my Contax G1 and wanted to retain its 45/2 for its use. As much as I like my Ms there are times when an autofocus is useful- such has handing a film camera to someone else in the hope they could take a photo- so the Contax is much better. I would not necessarily say my purchase of a complete lens was good economics as at 1K there are other choices but I really like the 45/2 so it was an emotional purchase. The attached photo shows my 1966 vintage Leica Rigid v Contax G 45/2 and to my eye the Rigid on top is the better lens for this set up. Yes a good Leica rigid is more expensive than the G45/2 but the LLL Rigid is not and it is close to the same. There are other choices too in the same range- good choices from Voigtlander etc plus the Zeiss 50/2. However the 45/2 is a legend it is a great lens and I am quite happy to continue my > 30 years using it now with the Ms thanks to the Funleader conversion. I assume the ms-optics, mr ding, and others are also as capable just a little different.
Nice write up EMH2025. I agree that the quality feels sub-par to zeiss, voigtlander, or leica lenses but it is definitely usable enough to have fun like you said. I think the weight helps it feel a bit more "quality" to me but I wish it was maybe 1/3rd lighter.
petersal wrote:
Nice write up EMH2025. I agree that the quality feels sub-par to zeiss, voigtlander, or leica lenses but it is definitely usable enough to have fun like you said. I think the weight helps it feel a bit more "quality" to me but I wish it was maybe 1/3rd lighter.
Thanks- my little test shown above shows the DOF of the 45/2 is not as good as the rigid in this single example- but I do not usually use the rigid or 45/2 for a close up like this but rather for more expansive views and landscape. For this the 45/2 shines and the DOF I showed falls away. I have used the 45/2 for landscape photos and it is great, it has very natural neutral color seems to add or detract little from my eye view and it is sharp- being a zeiss design and coatings made in Japan. It is a quite good lens, but I do think the economics of it compared to other choices is not as optimum, it is ok, neither a bargain or overly expensive, it slots in with other parallel offerings, but you are of course getting a 30 year old lens rehoused for the same price as a new voigtlander. I have a bunch of 50s including those parallel 50s from voigtlander LLL so my economics is even worse because I got them all. But I do enjoy using them all.
The rehoused 45/2 also adapts to Nikon well if that is a goal. Maybe Sony etc... I have not tried. I like the 45/2 on my Z8 as well as the M both film and dig.
This might be of interest in chinese with captions before Jimmy Cheng went to english more recently. He did some testing, I am more of take it outside and use it person. But his summary is the Contax 45/2 is in the ballpark of the Leica summicron V5 as well as my impression it is competitive with the rigid a far earlier summicron. I do not think Fred ever tested the Contax 45/2 conversions that I am aware of that would be much more definitive.
petersal wrote:
Nice write up EMH2025. I agree that the quality feels sub-par to zeiss, voigtlander, or leica lenses but it is definitely usable enough to have fun like you said. I think the weight helps it feel a bit more "quality" to me but I wish it was maybe 1/3rd lighter.
It is a tiny bit hefty but could be worse if it had lead or lak glass. I think it is a good weight match weight and size for my MP which is also hefty they two lens and camera fit well together and it is a combo I like, in part because this is a film era lens, works great on dig, but it was designed for film and in general that is my preference is to use it as a film lens as I have great dig era lenses for my M11. The adaptation is a good match for Leica film cameras, to my eye it works well, and equally so on a black Leica like my M4-2.
Photo my MP as I use it, and the 45/2 G from Funleader I think it looks like it belongs on the MP
The Contax G lens I want adapted is the 21 this is a great lens size and weight, there is 28, 35, 45 all adapted but there are good alternatives especially for the 28 and 35 that make these economically less compelling, there are quite few competing lenses including the zeiss at these FL. The 21 on the other hand slots into a nice size,I think it would be a better lens than the Voigtlander 21/2.8 and perhaps the Leica as well, easy to use dig with an EV and I can use the shoe viewfinder for the MP/film.
So Funleader, Mr Ding etc how about giving me a 21 mm G in M.
EMH2025 wrote:
It is a tiny bit hefty but could be worse if it had lead or lak glass. I think it is a good weight match weight and size for my MP which is also hefty they two lens and camera fit well together and it is a combo I like, in part because this is a film era lens, works great on dig, but it was designed for film and in general that is my preference is to use it as a film lens as I have great dig era lenses for my M11. The adaptation is a good match for Leica film cameras, to my eye it works well, and equally so on a black Leica like my M4-2.
Photo my MP as I use it, and the 45/2 G from Funleader
The Contax G lens I want adapted is the 21 this is a great lens size and weight, there is 28, 35, 45 all adapted but there are good alternatives especially for the 28 and 35 that make these economically less compelling, there are quite few competing lenses including the zeiss at these FL. The 21 on the other hand slots into a nice size,I think it would be a better lens than the Voigtlander 21/2.8 and perhaps the Leica as well, easy to use dig with an EV and I can use the shoe viewfinder for the MP/film.
So Funleader, Mr Ding etc how about giving me a 21 mm G in M.
Looks great on your MP! Your F2 comparison between the rigid and 45/2 is interesting. It's quite different between the two. I'll have to check out the video you linked.
I saw the announcement by Mr Ding for the 28 and I felt the same way. I am happy with the 45 conversion but I don't feel the need to pick up the 28 kit at the moment.
p.1 #10 · Contax G45 to Leica Funleader Conversion
petersal wrote:
Looks great on your MP! Your F2 comparison between the rigid and 45/2 is interesting. It's quite different between the two. I'll have to check out the video you linked.
I saw the announcement by Mr Ding for the 28 and I felt the same way. I am happy with the 45 conversion but I don't feel the need to pick up the 28 kit at the moment.
I think in my use above the 45/2 is slightly very slightly sharper in the center than a rigid, which is a kind of benchmark vintage lens and i have a good clean copy, but the DOF close in with 45/2 is much inferior to the rigid. It would be worse I suspect if I did this test with a very unfair apo summicron. I do not think the 45/2 may be the best choice for close in, but in a landscape mode it really shines with sharpness and realistic color. This is not a new observation if go back to reviews from a while ago the lens shines for landscape comes through in those reviews. I think as an overall well balanced close to distant lens the rigid is better choice- or a LLL copy- but there are others as well, I have been using a 3.5 voigtlander 50 and it is a gem. The 21 on a contax and when I have adapted it to a Nikon is a nice lens- a M mod would interest me, but I am not sure I need another 28 or 35 even though these are both nice glass.
p.1 #11 · Contax G45 to Leica Funleader Conversion
Reworklens on eBay has 21mm helicoid kits. I've converted mine and it shoots spectacularly on my m10r
EMH2025 wrote:
It is a tiny bit hefty but could be worse if it had lead or lak glass. I think it is a good weight match weight and size for my MP which is also hefty they two lens and camera fit well together and it is a combo I like, in part because this is a film era lens, works great on dig, but it was designed for film and in general that is my preference is to use it as a film lens as I have great dig era lenses for my M11. The adaptation is a good match for Leica film cameras, to my eye it works well, and equally so on a black Leica like my M4-2.
Photo my MP as I use it, and the 45/2 G from Funleader I think it looks like it belongs on the MP
The Contax G lens I want adapted is the 21 this is a great lens size and weight, there is 28, 35, 45 all adapted but there are good alternatives especially for the 28 and 35 that make these economically less compelling, there are quite few competing lenses including the zeiss at these FL. The 21 on the other hand slots into a nice size,I think it would be a better lens than the Voigtlander 21/2.8 and perhaps the Leica as well, easy to use dig with an EV and I can use the shoe viewfinder for the MP/film.
So Funleader, Mr Ding etc how about giving me a 21 mm G in M.
p.1 #12 · Contax G45 to Leica Funleader Conversion
I'm curious to see how well the 28 conversion is on a digital sensor.
The rear lens element sticks out quite a bit needing a larger rear lens cap. The lens was designed for film. So, do the corners smear on a digital sensor?
p.1 #13 · Contax G45 to Leica Funleader Conversion
sarkleshark wrote:
I'm curious to see how well the 28 conversion is on a digital sensor.
The rear lens element sticks out quite a bit needing a larger rear lens cap. The lens was designed for film. So, do the corners smear on a digital sensor?
I bet it is ok, like the 45, but at the moment I am not going for it, I have one for my G1 I could convert but I like it on my G1, so if I was to buy another it will be the ball park of the forthcoming Voigtlander 28/2 apo that I am on list and I suspect will be a much better lens for my digital M and maybe film, to be determined. I have the 28 Nokton now that is a very nice lens and not that large, the colorskoper 2.8, as well as the LLL 28, so not desperate for another 28. So given the cost of 28 and the 35 conversions I am just not convinced the cost is worth it for a 30 year old lens compared to other offerings to get an entire lens if I am to retain my present G1 kit, that I want to do.
Anyone reading this thread- the Contax G 45/2 is a very good choice as a bright light single lens carry- the lens is ok at F2, 2.8 but does not shine, at F5.6 and 8 it is wonderfully sharp and the color rendition to my eye is my eye- very real. I have used the lens since the 1990s, now as M mount. I do not think it is so wonderful close, but medium (people at maybe 6 feet away and crowds etc) to long-range as a travel lens it could be one lens, and indeed for me it often was going back to the 1990s. But still from an economic perspective there are other good parallel price point lenses, the Voigtlander 2.0 and 3.5 50s are great, the LLL Rigid a bit more character but also similar, as is the elcan LLL now out of production, a used Leica summicron. I do like the 45 mm a bit more than 50 for travel that little 5 mm seems to make a large difference as a single lens carry. So at the roughly 1k$ price point there are choices lots of them. But still I like this lens and keep coming back to it for many years. As a lens designed for film it is really good for that, but it also works well on a M11 and as a landscape lens it is sharp and real in its color rendition. Unless you play computer games with film sim character is not this lens- it is vanilla - it is a what you see what you get lens, that is very appropriate for travel.
p.1 #14 · Contax G45 to Leica Funleader Conversion
fritzx6 wrote:
Reworklens on eBay has 21mm helicoid kits. I've converted mine and it shoots spectacularly on my m10r
Thanks for this. Their price is decent. I noticed these come out of Taiwan and it got me thinking about Hawk's Factory and their conversion kits, which I haven't heard mentioned for some time. I noticed those listed at https://fotohobby.com.hk/en/categories/Hawk-Factory/ and they're about 2x the price of the rework-lens listings.
I have a G45 converted to Leica M that I bought that way. But the conversion was a Fotodiox kit that has really, really poor handling. The focusing experience is like using a cheap early AF design in manual focus - it's ridiculously light and any slight touch will immediately throw off focus. I'd really like to rehouse it in another helicoid kit, but it's a low priority project given I have so many other 50s, such as the Rigid, ZM 50/2, Lux ASPH, VM 50/2.2, various Sonnars, etc..
p.1 #15 · Contax G45 to Leica Funleader Conversion
In a prior post this thread I discussed the rigid has a better DOF than the 45/2 for close, but as a landscape lens I enjoyed using the 45/2 for decades. Now in its Funleader form it is on my M11s and film cameras- perhaps one of the best and last 50ish lenses designed at the end of the film era. This morning I wanted to catch the remains of a Saguaro that fell and died a couple of years ago its remnants now aged quite well and it is in just right position to catch the morning light, where I can stand w/o standing in thorny cactus and being cold the rattlesnakes are less of concern unseen so now with my chance I claimed my spot. 50mm I found was too much 45 was perfect so out came the 45/2. Then I turned to the side and shot the landscape view. I really liked this lens for my Contax G, it was mostly ok Nikon adapted, but shines again in M mount. At 5.6 or 8 the 45/2 remains an excellent lens that in the morning light I really like the Zeiss glass and coatings (I use use a Zeiss UV on this lens). I mostly got this lens for film Leica- looks good on my MP- but it remains good on dig 60mp.
p.1 #16 · Contax G45 to Leica Funleader Conversion
EMH2025 wrote:
In a prior post this thread I discussed the rigid has a better DOF than the 45/2 for close, but as a landscape lens I enjoyed using the 45/2 for decades. Now in its Funleader form it is on my M11s and film cameras- perhaps one of the best and last 50ish lenses designed at the end of the film era. This morning I wanted to catch the remains of a Saguaro that fell and died a couple of years ago its remnants now aged quite well and it is in just right position to catch the morning light, where I can stand w/o standing in thorny cactus and being cold the rattlesnakes are less of concern unseen so now with my chance I claimed my spot. 50mm I found was too much 45 was perfect so out came the 45/2. Then I turned to the side and shot the landscape view. I really liked this lens for my Contax G, it was mostly ok Nikon adapted, but shines again in M mount. At 5.6 or 8 the 45/2 remains an excellent lens that in the morning light I really like the Zeiss glass and coatings (I use use a Zeiss UV on this lens). I mostly got this lens for film Leica- looks good on my MP- but it remains good on dig 60mp....Show more →
Very nice crisp blue morning light - classic Zeiss color rendering!
