The Leica R bayonet mount is a

camera lens A camera lens, photographic lens or photographic objective is an optical lens (optics), lens or assembly of lenses (compound lens) used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to Imaging, make images of objects either on photographic film ...

mount Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...

system introduced by Leitz in 1964. The R mount is the standard method of connecting a lens to the Leica R series of 35 mm

single-lens reflex In photography, a single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is a type of camera that uses a mirror and prism system to allow photographers to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured. SLRs became the dominant design for professional a ...

camera A camera is an instrument used to capture and store images and videos, either digitally via an electronic image sensor, or chemically via a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. As a pivotal technology in the fields of photograp ...

s. The mount is descended from those used for the

Leicaflex The Leicaflex series of high-end single-lens reflex 35 mm format film cameras were introduced by Leitz Camera in 1964. The first camera body was paired with the new R bayonet series of lenses. Three model of the cameras were sold by Leitz; the L ...

Leicaflex SL The Leicaflex series of high-end single-lens reflex camera, single-lens reflex 35 mm format film cameras were introduced by Leica Camera, Leitz Camera in 1964. The first camera body was paired with the new Leica R bayonet, R bayonet series of Came ...

and

Leicaflex SL2 The Leicaflex series of high-end single-lens reflex 35 mm format film cameras were introduced by Leitz Camera in 1964. The first camera body was paired with the new R bayonet series of lenses. Three model of the cameras were sold by Leitz; the Le ...

SLR cameras, but differs in the cams used to communicate lens aperture information to the camera. 3 cam lenses are compatible with all of the Leica SLR cameras, while R-only lenses have a slightly different mount shape that will not fit on the earlier cameras. The

flange focal distance For an interchangeable lens camera, the flange focal distance (FFD) (also known as the flange-to-film distance, flange focal depth, flange back distance (FBD), flange focal length (FFL), back focus or register, depending on the usage and source ...

between mount and film is 47 mm. On 5 March 2009, Leica announced plans to cease production of its R-Series manual focus SLR and lenses.

R Mount camera bodies

Leicaflex

Leica R

R mount lenses

;1 cam The original

1 cam lenses have a single sloped cam that communicates aperture setting to the camera. They can be used on later SL / SL2 and

R-series R series may refer to: Transportation * BL R-series engine, gasoline car engines * Dennis R series, coach chassis * Ford R series, busses * International R series, trucks * Mack R series, heavy-duty trucks * Scania R series, trucks Science and ...

cameras in

stop-down metering In photography, through-the-lens metering (TTL metering) refers to a feature of cameras whereby the intensity of light reflected from the scene is measured through the lens; as opposed to using a separate metering window or external hand-held light ...

mode only. Leica do not recommend that 1 cam lenses be used on R8 or R9 cameras because of possible damage to the cameras' ROM contacts. 1 cam lenses may be fitted with later 2 cams, 3 cams, or R cam + ROM contacts (replacing the sloped cams). ;2 cam 2 cam lenses have two sloped cams for the

and SL2 with TTL metering and are fully compatible with the original

. They can be used on R series cameras with the same limitation and warning as 1 cam lenses and may also be fitted with later cams. ;3 cam 3 cam lenses were introduced with R series cameras and have the earlier sloped cams and a third stepped "R-Cam" that communicates aperture information. They will work with all Leica SLR models since they have all three mechanical connections. ;R only These lenses only have the stepped R-cam and only work on R-series cameras. The mount is deliberately slightly incompatible with

models and will not fit. They may be converted to ROM by a technician. ;ROM These only have the stepped R-cam plus electrical contacts communicating focal length to the camera. This is only supported on the R8/R9 although the lenses are fully compatible with all R-series cameras. The additional information is used in flash metering and communicated to the flash unit where it can be used to set power and flash zoom correctly and also to the optional Digital Module allowing lens focal length to be recorded with other image data. Earlier 1, 2, or 3 cam lenses may be upgraded to ROM but this entails removal of both sloped cams, meaning that the lens will no longer be compatible with

series cameras. ;Table

Use with other cameras

The flange focal distance of 47 mm is fairly large, meaning that few other systems' lenses can be adapted to fit on a Leica R and retain infinity focus, but R lenses can be converted to other systems. The distance is only 0.5 mm larger than the

Nikon F-mount The Nikon F-mount is a type of interchangeable lens mount developed by Nikon for its 35mm format single-lens reflex cameras. The F-mount was first introduced on the Nikon F camera in 1959, and features a three-lug bayonet mount with a 44mm thro ...

, which is not sufficient to make a workable adapter, however, at least one Nikon camera has been modified with a Leica R bayonet mount to take R lenses, and at least two manufacturers make replacement mounts, allowing many Leica R lenses to be used directly on various camera systems, such as Nikon F mount cameras. For this purpose, the cams need to be removed, which is not always possible (e.g. early Elmarit-R f/2.8 35mm). The mounting flange may then need to be machined to allow free movement of the remaining cam. Sometimes, it is wise to refit the inner black anti-reflection ring, to avoid reflections within the focus mechanism (e.g. Elmarit-R f/2.8 90mm or Elmarit-R f/2.8 135mm). A further point of consideration is whether the protrusion on the rear lens block will engage with the mirror of the target SLR. For some Nikon cameras, this may be an issue. Chips can also be attached to provide focal length and maximum aperture recognition in the camera body, which provides Exif in digital cameras. A number of manufacturers have produced adapters to allow

Canon EOS Canon EOS (Electro-Optical System) is an autofocus single-lens reflex camera (SLR) and mirrorless camera series produced by Canon Inc. Introduced in 1987 with the Canon EOS 650, all EOS cameras used 135 film, 35 mm photographic film, film unti ...

cameras to take R lenses, these operate only in stop-down metering mode but function well when rapid operation is not required.

References

External links

* * {{Leica R bodies Lens mounts