Hi Richard, Wayne, Nathan, C.H., Chris and all,
From: "Wayne Harridge" <wayneharridge@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Many people on this list recommend the adapters sold through
>the auction site by "jinfinance"
I'd like to raise my vote AGAINST jinfinance... I purchased a not-so-cheap
Nikon-F -> Leica-M adapter by the end of 2009 and, despite looking like
another fully working adapter (Yashica/Contax -> Leica-M) I bought
previously from him, this one was crap: it won't fit some cameras, some
others are really tight to mount OR remove, and some have excessive
longitudinal play -- affecting focus! I contacted him and agreed to return
the item for a replacement...
I had to remind him to send the adapter, because he forgot TWICE -- and
eventually sent it on March 20th. Arrived a few days ago... as bad as the
first time :-(
But the worst thing comes now: he refuses to get the adapter back for a full
refund, but just offers some 'discount'... in the form of credit towards
future purchases in his site!
Maybe a bad adapter is not his fault; but the bad service when problems
arise, definitely is.
From: Nathan Wajsman <photo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>I think in adapters, like in much else, you get what you pay for.
Seems reasonable... but having purchased _many_ adapters in my life (first
for EOS, now for mFT) my experience doesn't confirm this -- I've bought some
fine adapters dirt cheap and, unfortunately, some crappy adapters at premium
price :-(
In fact, I often see the very same adapter at way different prices -- even
within the same seller! And sometimes they're marked 'RJ camera' like most
those jinfinance sells.
I'm afraid the problem with (most) adapters, no matter the source, is
_tolerances_: you may be lucky and get a perfectly working unit, but you may
also get one out of whack. I think that return privileges are very important
when purchasing an adapter.
>Whenever I have bought an adapter from Cameraquest, on the other hand, I
have always received
>a top-notch product that worked as it should.
I have purchased a lot of toys from S. Gandy and I think he's totally
reliable, but never got any of "his" adapters... however a couple of CV
lenses came with Voigl‰nder's LTM->M adapters (like he sells) and I find
them no better or worse than jinfinance's -- although that's a much simpler
adapter with little to go wrong, I admit.
>Right now the adapter you are looking for is $125:
><http://www.cameraquest.com/adp_micro_43_fd.htm>
Thanks for the link! Although it's a "special" price, regular price is more
like $175. By the way, I know of other Rayqual adapters for many mounts
(including OM) to Leica-M -- with a really interesting cam which presses the
RF coupling on body in order to set the VF/RF focus at 3m. But they (it's a
Japanese website) don't seem to sell outside Japan... I wonder if Gandy
would contact them about it...
From: "C.H.Ling" <ch_photo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>the steel spring locks make a big different from the type you show here,
the brass
>lens friction locks will bend with heavy lenses, like the $17 adapter I
>purchased locally but it is ok for what I paid for.
I agree, steel flat springs are way better. But there's still a lot of other
things thay may go wrong.
>The best third party adapter I got is a Pen FT lens to micro 4/3 adapter,
same as this one,
>but I purchased it locally at $45:
>
>ebay item: 220584631617
Just like mine!
>It has steel springs, will last very long but the total thickness is a bit
thin
>(focus well pass infinity)
This is interesting... it's a very common issue with most adapters,
sometimes clearly advertised. If you use lenses with close-range correction,
it could be a problem, because the lens would be optimized for a different
distance than the subject! I don't know how much amount would be acceptable;
my OM->mFT adapter goes a tiny tad beyond infinity.
>and you may need to flatten the springs a little due to very tight for
first time use
I'm not at home so I can't check... but I recall my Pen-F adapter a bit
tight, yes. But not a serious problem.
BTW, the lens doesn't stand fully upright, it keeps about 1-2mm from it.
From: Chris Barker <ftog@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>I am using this adaptor for my GF-1 and Zuiko 50/1.4:
><http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220536454787>
>It seems well made to me, looks good with a smooth finish and works
properly.
The same I use. I don't feel it's _very_ well made, but... it works perfect
-- safe for the slight 'beyond infinity' focus. But it's just a tiny bit...
less than 1mm at the barrel of a 135/3.5. Don't think it would affect lense
with floating elements.
>the only other accessory that I *might* need is the electronic
>viewfinder.
Pressing the camera (and its viewfinder) against the face-eye-nose triangle
does improve steadiness A LOT! To me, it's well worth buying the EVF,
despite being of poor resolution... but serves well as a framing device
_and_ shows exposure etc info, unlike any optical VF.
For accurate manual focusing, the "assist" function is a must with the EVF,
but I have no problems even with the Nokton 50/1.1.
>the small Helios optical viewfinder mounted on the hot-shoe is
>sufficient for when the light is too bright to use the LCD screen.
Yes, but it's format is 3:2 instead of 4:3. And no info shown. That's why I
don't use the Voigtländer VF's.
Cheers,
--
Carlos J. Santisteban Salinas
IES Turaniana (Roquetas de Mar, Almeria)
<http://cjss.sytes.net/>
--
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