Shoten R50 Pentax K to Leica M adapter

Inasmuch as I love music and retrotech high fidelity music reproduction, I think it's healthy to take periodic breaks from hifi. Frequent visitors know that I also enjoy photography, especially using black and white film loaded in old school manual focus cameras. 

So today's blog is about the Shoten R50 lens adapter that's designed to take a 50mm (Note: a 35mm, 45mm, 55mm or 58mm, etc. won't focus accurately) Pentax K bayonet mount lens and fully couple to the rangefinder focus cam of a Leica M body from 0.7 meters to infinity. 

First order of business is to make sure that the rangefinder ring of the adapter is adjusted so that it's perfectly aligned at infinity as explained above. The jeweller's screwdriver provided was perfect for the job!

After the adapter is calibrated and a chosen lens has been mounted, set the lens focus mechanism to infinity and KEEP IT THERE FOREVER!😄

From hereon, focusing the lens will be done using the tab of the Shoten R50 adapter. 

I chose the PK to Leica M version because I saw the potential of being able to adapt other 50mm lenses from my collection. By attaching a PK to M42 ring on the Shoten, it becomes M42 screw mount compatible. I can also use DKL lenses via a DKL to M42 adapter.

Before lockdown, I was delighted to discover the Fotofox Contax/Kiev RF to Leica Thread Mount adapter since it permitted the use of the Helios 103 and Zeiss Opton Sonnar lenses on Leica and Leica compatible cameras. The Shoten R50 adapter definitely expands the visual delights available to a Leica M shooter even further! 

The downside, however, is the R50 adapter defeats the compact form and light(er) weight of the Leica M rangefinder system. As pictured above, the Leica M3 + Voigtlander Color-Skopar X 50mm f2.8 + DKL to M42 adapter + Shoten R50 weighs a whopping 984 grams vs. 910 grams for the Leica M3 + 50mm rigid 'cron. 😔

That being said, let your eyes decide whether this adapter is worth the $160 or so asking price on eBay.😊

Slideshow of pictures taken by the following lenses on a Leica M3 + Shoten R50 adapter:  

1-8 = Yashinon 5cm f2 M42 

9-16 = Voigtlander Color-Skopar X 50mm f2.8 DKL
17-24 = Schneider-Kreuznach 50mm f2.8 Retina-Xenar DKL 

25 = Schneider-Kreuznach 50mm f1.9 Retina-Xenon DKL 

26-27 = Pentax SMC 50mm f1.4 PK  

28-35 = Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm f1.8 M42

36-40 = Voigtlander Color-Skopar X 50mm f2.8 DKL

Film
 1-8 = Ultrafine Extreme 100 in Kodak HC110 dilution B 

9-40 = Foma 100 in Rodinal 1+50

Music

Siciliene by Ma. Theresa von Paradis

Joseph Esmilla, violinist

Albert Tiu, pianist