Leica announce H adapter for S2 with AF and shutter ....

[eronald]

Leica has announced an H lens adapter which preserves autofocus, diaphragm, and leaf shutter use on the S2!

http://blog.uniquephoto.com/?p=9502

Edmund

[ondebanks]

Holy moly! In a stroke, the S2 just got all those "central shutter" lenses that Leica had been promising - and more!

Could this be the answer to the "What's Hasselblad been up to?" thread we had recently? Leica may have collaborated with them to develop this. The alternative would be that it's an impressive piece of reverse engineering on Leica's part.

Ray

[mediumcool]

Great idea …

[BernardLanguillier]

Surprising... a smart move from MF stakeholders??? 

Making versions of the S lenses available in F mount would be another genius act, but I fear this may be expecting too much.

Cheers,
Bernard

[Brian Hirschfeld]

I think this is absolutely amazing. I originally had a Hasselblad H3Dii-39ms and it was a good camera to learn medium format with but I outgrew it and didn't like the ergonomics of it the way I did my Mamiya 645AFD. Which is why I switched to Phase. But Hasselblad makes some absolutely amazing lenses, my favorites were the 120mm macro, 100mm 2.2, 35-90mm, and 300mm. When I looked at cameras to switch to from my Hasselblad, I looked at the S2, but with my trade in I could get 80mp from P1 (which I already had all the lenses for) for the same price as 37mp from Leica. I loved the S but the P1 won on simple math.

I think its absolutely amazing that they came out with an autofocus adapter!! I had often day-dreamed thinking about having an adapter like this for the Hasselblad lenses to any other system, but knew there weren't any adapters that had the electronic contacts etc. I think this is a huge step for Leica expanding their lens range hugely. I may have to take an S2 home with me now and pick up some H lenses!

I don't know if Hasselblad helped with this...I can only see it taking business away from them, and will be shocked if they helped with this adapter personally...

[mediumcool]

I don't know if Hasselblad helped with this...I can only see it taking business away from them, and will be shocked if they helped with this adapter personally...

Could it be that there is more profit in the lenses for Hasselblad? It seems a tad unlikely that Leitz could have reverse-engineered all that compatibility goodness by themselves …

[Brian Hirschfeld]

Could it be that there is more profit in the lenses for Hasselblad? It seems a tad unlikely that Leitz could have reverse-engineered all that compatibility goodness by themselves …

My facetious answer is "Its Leica, they can do anything". That would be surprising to me because (please someone correct me if I am wrong) aren't the lenses made by Fuji? and I don't think there is any owner-ship relation between Hasselblad and Fuji (again correct me if I am wrong).

But that is a very good point and would explain why this exists, but I'm sure some others more well versed in Hasselblad might be able to give us some better insight into the answer to this question.

[eronald]

What Leica does best is design lenses, they have superb S lenses which owuld be beautiful on H or P or even N and C, but instead they just make bodies ...

Edmund

[Brian Hirschfeld]

What Leica does best is design lenses, they have superb S lenses which owuld be beautiful on H or P or even N and C, but instead they just make bodies ...

Edmund

Well if they have engineered an adapter to let their cameras take H lenses. I would almost be willing to bet we see some Leica autofocus S lenses with a Hasselblad mount real soon. It seems like if you invest the R&D time into something like this..why wouldn't you just add a new mount to production, if you have the electronics down....very interesting since Hasselblad has been aligned with Zeiss for so long....times are changing!

[BJL]

My facetious answer is "Its Leica, they can do anything". That would be surprising to me because (please someone correct me if I am wrong) aren't the lenses made by Fuji? and I don't think there is any owner-ship relation between Hasselblad and Fuji (again correct me if I am wrong).

AFAIK, Fujifilm makes the lenses, but under contract to Hasselblad (which also contributes to their design?) and sold under the Hasselblad brand, so I think that Hasselblad gets to mark them up and make a profit. Like Apple makes a profit on those devices that are manufactured by Foxconn.

But it is a bit puzzling that Leica is doing this while still not delivering numerous lenses of its own promissed for the S system. It is the opposite of what I was thinking again earlier today: that it would be nice for Leica to expand into making lenses for cameras from other makers --- ones with the ability to build a camera around a state-of-the-art sensor and Live View manual focusing system.

[BernardLanguillier]

it would be nice for Leica to expand into making lenses for cameras from other makers --- ones with the ability to build a camera around a state-of-the-art sensor and Live View manual focusing system.

Considering the number of Nikon users currently trying to buy Leica R lenses... I bet that some of those S lenses would indeed be a major hit in F mount.

I am personally in love with the Leitax mount Leica R 180 f2.8 APO on the D800, although its color rendition is a bit on the cool side compared to the other lenses in my line up, be it Nikon or Zeiss.

Cheers,
Bernard

[eronald]

Sigma and Tamron make a good living out of compatible lenses, Zeiss does too, but the company with arguably the best optics in the 35mm arena, Leica, turns them into collector items and doorstops.

Edmund

AFAIK, Fujifilm makes the lenses, but under contract to Hasselblad (which also contributes to their design?) and sold under the Hasselblad brand, so I think that Hasselblad gets to mark them up and make a profit. Like Apple makes a profit on those devices that are manufactured by Foxconn.

But it is a bit puzzling that Leica is doing this while still not delivering numerous lenses of its own promissed for the S system. It is the opposite of what I was thinking again earlier today: that it would be nice for Leica to expand into making lenses for cameras from other makers --- ones with the ability to build a camera around a state-of-the-art sensor and Live View manual focusing system.

[BernardLanguillier]

Sigma and Tamron make a good living out of compatible lenses, Zeiss does too, but the company with arguably the best optics in the 35mm arena, Leica, turns them into collector items and doorstops.

It could be that they consider themselves as a camera company while most of the world around them sees them as a lens company. 

Cheers,
Bernard

[Carl Glover]

I would love to see Leica do a Rollei 6000 series adapter.

[ondebanks]

Well if they have engineered an adapter to let their cameras take H lenses. I would almost be willing to bet we see some Leica autofocus S lenses with a Hasselblad mount real soon. It seems like if you invest the R&D time into something like this..why wouldn't you just add a new mount to production, if you have the electronics down....

To do that requires more than an adapter though - to get S lenses to focus to infinity on a H body, they would have to be redesigned with shorter barrels. It might not be possible - there might be mechanical clearance issues, depending on how far back the rear glass elements reach, etc.

It used be that the M645, and more recently the C645, were the "universal bodies" for medium format - of all the SLRs, they had the shortest flange distances, so they could in theory adapt all the other systems' lenses.
Now that baton has passed to the Leica S2...it comfortably adapts the M645 lenses. I wonder will Leica also come up with an adapter which operates the AF and aperture of the Mamiya/Phase 645AF lenses?

Ray

[mediumcool]

… aren't the lenses made by Fuji?

And that would restrict Hasselblad how? As far as I am aware, Fuji is permitted under its contract with Hasselblad to sell what they make (self-branded) in Japan, with the Swedish mob having the rights everywhere else (cf. Xpan).

[torger]

I guess this is collaboration, not reverse engineering? One thing I like with the MF systems is that they are less closed than the 135 digital systems where locking in customers and making things hard for third party developers is standard.

[Brian Hirschfeld]

And that would restrict Hasselblad how? As far as I am aware, Fuji is permitted under its contract with Hasselblad to sell what they make (self-branded) in Japan, with the Swedish mob having the rights everywhere else (cf. Xpan).

I was assuming you make less if you have to more companies involved. but it was late at night you may be right.

[Brian Hirschfeld]

To do that requires more than an adapter though - to get S lenses to focus to infinity on a H body, they would have to be redesigned with shorter barrels. It might not be possible - there might be mechanical clearance issues, depending on how far back the rear glass elements reach, etc.

It used be that the M645, and more recently the C645, were the "universal bodies" for medium format - of all the SLRs, they had the shortest flange distances, so they could in theory adapt all the other systems' lenses.
Now that baton has passed to the Leica S2...it comfortably adapts the M645 lenses. I wonder will Leica also come up with an adapter which operates the AF and aperture of the Mamiya/Phase 645AF lenses?

Ray

Thats a very good point. It would be interesting to see Mamiya/Phase glass on the S2 with electronic connection. In this case I think it would be more because of the ability for people to switch over without getting new lenses, since as good as Mamiya and Phase lenses can be, I think overall Hasselblad, but especially Leica have them beat. There are some great M645 lenses out there, 80mm 1.9N, 150mm 2.8N though....

Also to Carl's point I had that exact thought as well. The Rollei 6008 def has some solid lenses and its amazing they have autofocus as well except they are very restricted in cameras you can use them on. Personally, I appreciate autofocus.

[michael]

I guess this is collaboration, not reverse engineering? One thing I like with the MF systems is that they are less closed than the 135 digital systems where locking in customers and making things hard for third party developers is standard.

According to Leica executives the adaptor was independantly developed with no involvement by Hasselblad.

Michael