REVIEWS - Leica R-Adapter M 14642

OVERVIEW

The Leica R-Adapter M needs little introduction as its function is straight forward - if wanting to mount Leica R lenses to a Leica M, then this is the adapter to do that. The following paragraphs are mostly anecdotal observations after 6-7 years of use.

BUILD QUALITY

Like all things Leica, the Leica R-Adapter M's material quality, fit and finish are excellent. But it is only a lens adapter, so how hard can it be? Adapters are indeed “simple” devices, but companies find many ways to skrew them up... I could write a manifesto on all the ways cheap adapters have caused me grief over the years.

The Leica's overly engineered build provides assurance that the adapter will not structurally fail under pressure. With a Leica R-Adapter M I am buying an implied assurance that all will work without grief. The adapter will attach smoothly to the camera and lens. There will be no wiggle or play. The adapter’s 6-bit coding will line-up properly.

HANDLING

One of the nice features of the Leica R-Adapter M is the removable tripod foot; though, in practice I leave the foot always attached instead of fiddling with taking it on and off. If using a smaller lens or a lens with its own tripod collar, then I use Novoflex's Leica R/M Adapter (LEM/LER). The Novoflex adapter is also well made and done so under license of Leica (whatever that means).

I use the Leica R-Adapter M mostly with mid-range telephoto lenses. Some are Leica R, some are medium format. Most do not have a tripod collar, so the Leica R-Adapter M’s tripod foot is key. For use with Arca Swiss based clamps, a lens QR plate is needed. And if rotating the lens from landscape to portrait orientation, a L-bracket is an easy solution:

• Really Right Stuff B6 Bi-Directional Plate:  The RRS B6 lens plate fits the lens foot very cleanly. It is not oversized. It has a raised lip to prevent the plate twisting / rotating on the lens foot.
• Kirk Universal Quick Release Short L-Bracket:  I prefer using the Kirk L-bracket for portrait orientation because it is considerably more stable than tilting the kit 90º via the ball head. The Kirk Universal L Bracket has a built-in Arca Swiss quick release clamp, so the L-bracket set-up can be easily added or removed as needed without any tools.

6-BIT CODING AND SUPPORTED LENSES

How a Leica R lens is selected in the camera's menu varies. On the Leica M-240 generation there is no access to the R lens list unless a lens adapter with the 6-bit code for the Leica R-Adapter M is attached. If the camera does not detect that 6-bit code, then the list is hidden.

The Leica M10 generation’s approach is much improved. With the M10 generation, the list of R lenses is always accessible, so even if an adapter is not 6-bit coded, the end user can still select a Leica R lens.

The officially supported lenses Leica R lenses are listed below. Officially supported means the lens is listed the Leica M menu as one of selectable options and the lens' name will be published in the EXIF data:

The Leica R-Adapter M has no electronic communication between the adapter and the camera, thus the Leica M camera will not know (or record) the actual aperture value. Likewise, if using a zoom lens, the Leica M will not know the focal length selected.

The Leica 105-280mm F4.2 Vario-Elmar R is not "officially supported" and I have observed mechanical vignetting in the corners with the Leica R-Adapter M. However, there is no vignetting with the Novoflex Leica R/M Adapter (LEM/LER).

ATTACHING OTHER LENSES TO THE LEICA R-ADAPTER M

Due to the Leica R's 47mm registration distance, not much can be adapted to the Leica R mount aside from medium format lenses. For more registration distances, this web page is helpful. To adapt medium format mount to the Leica-R mount, I use Novoflex's adapters.

ATTACHING HASSELBLAD V LENSES

Getting the Hasselblad 110mm F2 Planar FE adapted the Leica M can be inexpensive with adapters like Kipon’s Hasselblad L/M Adapter or other such adapters on Ebay. Since I had most of the needed pieces on hand, I purchased the Novoflex Hasselblad Lens Adapter Ring (HARING). The HARING is pricey, but it is a complex mechanism with a locking ring.

The Novoflex LEA-R and HARING slot together and with a twist of the locking ring they are secured. At this point the Novoflex pair attach to the Leica R-Adapter M like any other R lens. With the Kirk Universal Quick Release Short L-Bracket the set-up easily switches between landscape and portrait orientation.

ATTACHING MAMIYA 645M LENSES

While the Hasselblad set-up was for giggles and grins, the Mamiya 645M 200mm F2.8 APO is serious stuff for me. Using the Novoflex LEMA and MAMRING, the Mamiya M645 200mm F2.8 APO can be mounted directly to the Leica M camera (eliminating the Leica R-Adapter M). And for a tripod collar, the Novoflex ASTAT is up to the task - almost. I had to 3D print spacer; more about that here.

While Novoflex MAMRING + LEMA + ASTAT NEX with 3D printed spacer for ASTAT worked well, rotating the lens in the collar was sloppy and the Novoflex ASTAT-NEX tripod collar was on the small side for the 200mm APO. Nowadays I use the Novoflex MAMRING + LEA-R + Leica R-Adapter M + RRS B6 Plate and Kirk L Bracket. This set-up may be overkill, but it is very secure and stable.

BACKFILLING EXIF

Entire books can be written on this topic... One man, Phil Harvey, is the EXIF oracle. We writes an open source software for reading and writing the EXIF. His software is the underlying engine for many (all?) applications that edit EXIF. If not wanting to spend a penny, download his free app and through command line instructions, EXIF can be updated. It works, but requires a lot of self-education. Instead of command line instructions, I use Exif Editor (MacOS). Much easier. Mostly works. I do not want to get side tracked on the EXIF topic. If this is a new topic for you, start with Phil Harvey and work your way from there.

CONCLUSION

While the Leica R-Adapter M is expensive, Leica’s build quality is second to none. The 6-bit coding has been readable by all my Leica digital M’s without issue. And the tripod lens foot is exceptionally solid and well suited for larger / heavier lenses. It is always a stretch to say a Leica product is a good value for the price, but if quality is a key requirement, then the Leica R-Adapter M is the best choice. At the risk of being "preachy", you are attaching an expensive Leica M camera to an expensive Leica R lens. Do not go “cheap” with the adapter. A bad adapter spoils everything.