I tried 3 adpaters on my Leica 15/3.5: Fotodiox, Kievcamera, and eBay generic. The mirror cleared the rear glass with all of them. The only problem with the actual glass hitting the mirror was a CZ 18/4 MM version. I haven't tested critical infinity focus with the 15 yet, but I have a feeling that I don't quite have infinity focusing. The best adapter out of the above 3 for edge sharpness actually is the one I got from Kievcamera. I will try a Novoflex adapter that someone recommended.
Bob and Peter,
How did you unscrew the sleeve? I'm wary of using too much force to rotate it. Did you use any special tools? Is the lens secure with the sleeve removed?
I'd like to try it on my CZ 15, but would like some further direction before attempting it.
There's a bug in the forums in that sometimes, if you make a post that is the first on a new page, it won't show up until the second post on the page is made. --c
Wow, I'd be freaked to take a new camera and modify it. I guess I have never bought too many new things-- mostly used. It just would scare me to death to transform my valuable camera into an okie rigged machine. Don't get me wrong I have modified darn near evrything I own, but I'm gun shy with a new camera. Moreover, I hope the modification does not effect the resale price when you upgrade. I've been bit hard from my modification resales. I'm even a knifemaker and have most of the tools to make modifications but once its modified there is no turning back. Sorry for my downer comment.....
charlesk wrote:
There's a bug in the forums in that sometimes, if you make a post that is the first on a new page, it won't show up until the second post on the page is made. --c
It happens when people delete posts, and the post count gets whacked, thus telling the browser not to open a new page.
Thanks, Guy. The problem is that they all look alike. I have one bought from eBay, not from GoShotCamera, but it's the worst of the ones I have. The box that it came in looks the same as the one pictured in the other auction. The one I bought from KievCamera, also from eBay, works better than the Fotodiox I have and is the best one I've tried so far. I haven't tried CameraQuest, Novoflex, or Zoerk. Any experience with those on the 15?
stevo.k wrote:
Bob and Peter,
How did you unscrew the sleeve? I'm wary of using too much force to rotate it. Did you use any special tools? Is the lens secure with the sleeve removed?
I'd like to try it on my CZ 15, but would like some further direction before attempting it.
Stevo, before I removed anything I used a fine spirit marker pen to draw a reference line from the center to the edge of all metal parts at the rear of the lens, including the chrome mount. That was so I could reassemble all parts with their original alignment. (You don't know if some threads might be multi start or if the lens centering is critical), the marker is easily removed with a cloth dampened with methylated spirit. The collar unscrews anti-clockwise.
The rear lens cell is a tubular cell which slides into the rear of the mount and is retained by the collar. It's a snug fit but would probably drop out if you inverted the lens. After removing the collar you need to make sure the cell is fully into it's mount. Keep the lens pointing downwards at all times, on and off the camera to prevent the cell from falling out. (I've just has another look and it appears as if you could use adhesive tape at the edge of the rear cell to keep it in place.)
I used a sheet of rubber pressed against the metal collar to get a grip and unscrewed it. I was lucky, it wasn't too tight. I purchased the rubber from Micro Tools some time ago, but can't find it in their catalog now.The collar has two holes for a spanner wrench which is another way to undo it.
To protect the rear of the lens from the 5D mirror I cut two disks of adhesive surgical plaster. A smaller one the diameter of the glass and a larger one the diameter of the metal cell. Sticking the two disks together, adhesive to adhesive produces a pad with an exposed annulus of adhesive. The pad can then be attached to the lens.
With the lens focused at infinity when you try the camera all may appear to work without an error message. But, if you now move the focus from infinity you can hear the mirror drop down. With my lens this would happen with two and only one thickness of plaster, you could see the mark on the plaster in the middle of the lens where the mirror hit.
You can get an idea of the different clearance between adapters by how far you have to move the lens from infinity focus before the mirror drops.
Thanks for the detailed reply. You seem to be quite clever at this sort of thing, a surgeon in your other life perhaps? What I'm not too sure about is how many parts to remove before being able to unscrew the collar. I've successfully disassembled ( and reassembled) my CZ15 to the point of removing the aperture ring. After that I chickened out. I tried rotating the collar at that point and it didn't budge, although I didn't use too much force, nor did I have a friction enhancer like your rubber pad.
Do you have the Leica or Zeiss version of the 15? They may be built differently.
Any further advice would be greatly appreciated. It's killing me having this great piece of glass and this great camera and not being able to mate the two.
Guy Mancuso wrote:
Now I just got a e-mail from Steen a member in eurpoe andf he talked to Noviaflex and said it should work but not sure they really did test it. We need someone that has one to report
Guy, the Novoflex adapter is thicker than the fotodiox-like adapters and seems to be about as thick as the one I got from you. I don't have a micrometer, but it's got to be within a few 0.1mm or less.
I've sort of lost the thread here--do you need someone with the 15 or the adapter to report--I'm using both. I'm now using the Novoflex adapters on the 15 and 19, both achieve infinity focus easily (at least in temperate climates, not sure about Arizona summers....). I had intended to use one Novoflex on my 180/2 and one on the 15, but the Novoflex is too hard to remove quickly, and I use the 2x on the 180 a lot.
The Novoflex lens release is the weak point (in a big way). If you're planning on trying to unmount the lens from the adapter, it will be very difficult. The adapter is otherwise much nicer than the others, with a fit that is vastly superior to anything else out there--it really has the feel of attaching the lens to a manufacturer's body. No extra play in the mount at all.
Unfortunately I don't have a 5D, I just have to make do with the 1ds2, so I don't know if the Novoflex solves the problem with the 15/3.5 on 5D or not. The "no name" adapter we each have a copy of may become worth it's weight in gold. Unfortunately, I have to attend to my real job for the next 4 days....otherwise I would seek out some unwitting local 5D owner--there's got to be one in Nashville
Thanks for the detailed reply. You seem to be quite clever at this sort of thing, a surgeon in your other life perhaps? What I'm not too sure about is how many parts to remove before being able to unscrew the collar. I've successfully disassembled ( and reassembled) my CZ15 to the point of removing the aperture ring. After that I chickened out. I tried rotating the collar at that point and it didn't budge, although I didn't use too much force, nor did I have a friction enhancer like your rubber pad.
Do you have the Leica or Zeiss version of the 15? They may be built differently.
Any further advice would be greatly appreciated. It's killing me having this great piece of glass and this great camera and not being able to mate the two.
I have the Leica version. There is only one part to remove and that's the collar. Since I didn't know what to expect, that's why I marked everything - just in case. As it turned out, after removing the collar the only item which could move/rotate was the rear lens cell. So it pays to mark the back of the cell and reference it to something which doesn't move such as the chrome mount.
Here's a picture of the rear of the Leica lens with the collar, the collar removed showing the black rear lens cell and the brass thread which the collar screws onto, and the removed collar where you can see the two holes for the spanner wrench.. http://www.dodo.demon.co.uk/fm/15mm_elmar.jpg
Don't forget with the retaining collar removed the rear lens cell may slide out.
The 5D mirror frame is plastic, I don't know it's tolerances or if the front of the mirror can overlap the frame. On my 5D the mirror edge is flush with the frame and you can just make out marks on the matt black paint of both where the protective plaster scraped. I would have thought the frame would have been a precision engineering plastic that's loaded with something like silica flour to maintain dimensional stability so there shouldn't be a big variation between cameras, that's guessing though.
If your lens/adapter does clear the mirror with room to spare then it's worth seeing if you can obtain a spare collar to machine down or chance machining/filing the one you have. It looks as if the collar is quite thick allowing the edge to be safely filed.
my goodness, I looked at the sample images throughout this post and I couldn't believe how unclear the images were and how ugly the bokeh was, surely I have seen Canon lenses preform way better then this so I don't understand ...
foxXx wrote:
my goodness, I looked at the sample images throughout this post and I couldn't believe how unclear the images were and how ugly the bokeh was, surely I have seen Canon lenses preform way better then this so I don't understand ... Fox
""Where was the bokeh tested in here, i think you have the wrong thread this was about modifying a mirror and not a lens test but just to see they work.
This whole thread is about testing a camera and it's functions to leica glass. This is not a presentation on bokeh or anything else. Guy Mancuso
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Hmmm...You modify a mirror...show shots that appear as shot thru coke bottle lenses shot by Mancuso who everyone expects will achieve perfection...well hell, The question now is simple...Was it a huge failure? Looks like a done deal, one murdered 5D. delete the post and eliminate this failure idea.
