The collapsible 50/2.8 Elmar, I'm told, doesn't mate with the Leica CL or the Bessa R. (Or at least, shouldn't be fully collapsed.) Has any one tried this lens on the Hexar RF? I am aware of the reported lens flange to film plane issues with Leica lenses on the Hexar RF.

-- Phil Stiles (Stiles@metrocast.net), October 06, 2001

Answers

I just tried fully collapsing my 1958 50/2.8 Elmar M into the Hexar RF and it did not it hit the shutter. I don't have the current Elmar nor the older LTM to test though.

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), October 06, 2001.

Phil

The problem of the 50/2.8 and the Leica CL is the same as that with the Leica M5. These two cameras have a cadmium photocell mounted on a swinging arm that comes in front of the film plane when the meter is activated. If the metering system is activated with the lens collapsed, the meter crashes into the lens and is damaged.

With these cameras, the same is true of any collapsible Leica lens (eg., 50/3.5 or 90/4.0 collapsible) and is also true of lenses with protruding rear elements (eg., 21/4.0, 21/3.4, 28/2.8 first version), unless they were specially factory modified (by a cutout in the lensmount).

The Hexar RF, I believe, meters by a reflected light off the shutter curtain, so these lens should be compatible. But like the M6, the lenses with protruding rear elements, although useable, will not allow metering because they block the light path.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), October 06, 2001.