Corsica fox

This is a day late and a dollar short inquiry but I have some Contax T lenses I would love to able to attach to my Nikon 810 or maybe another brand. I've paid some attention over the years to this subject but in my lazy sort of way never saw a way. But just recently in another site announced that Monster introduced an adaptor for Contax N lens to the Sony E mount. Do you think that might work for my Contax T's if I got a Sony E mount body?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Your best option is a mirrorless digital body. With the removal of the mirror, the flange distance of mirrorless bodies are much less. Flange distance - the distance in millimeters from the lens mount to the sensor / film. Now, most any legacy SRL lens can be adapted to most any MILC with a simple metal 'donut' that holds the lens at the proper longer distance of the legacy lens mount. MILC - Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera. Any MILC brand will work. You just need an adapter that addresses the old lens to the new target mount.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

Paul's right -- you need a mirrorless body and ideally a popular one as the more so the adapters are readily available. I have Fuji X camera bodies and I use every imaginable lens on them including Zeiss lenses, Leica lenses, Nikon lenses, Pentax lenses, even my old enlarging lenses. One of my favorite combinations is my old 60mm Rodagon enlarging lens on my XT-2. The key is the shortened flange distance and then someone to make the adapter. I've had good luck with K&F Concept adapters.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Who made the enlarging lens adapter? (I’d like to try that on my X-T2) Thanks in advance for the information.

BebuLamar

Enlarging lenses don't have focusing helicoid so it will be fixed focus. I use my enlarging lenses on the bellow.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

Yep, so the trick is to buy an adapter that includes a focusing helicoid.

Corsica fox

Thank you both. I figured a new camera/mount was likely. At 87 years old sure that's the best use of time or money. Do appreciate your quick thoughts.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

It can get a little involved depending on the focal length of the enlarging lens. I use both my 60mm Rodagon and my 50mm El-Nikkor.

First I have a Fuji X to M42 helical adapter -- need the helicoid to focus. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Fotasy-Helicord-Focusing-Helicoid-Extention/dp/B00CPUSYLA there's plenty of options. The one I have has a longer focusing extension than the one I found here at Amazon. Think about what you'll use it for.

Then to further modify the working focus range I got a cheap set of M42 extension tubes. For close-up work with the 60mm I use the shortest tube. To get closer just add an extension.

Finally the enlarging lenses are 39mm so I needed a 39mm to 42mm step ring.

I have a (huge) 100mm Zeiss Macro Planar that I rarely use because the 60mm Rodagon is just as good and it's so much smaller and lighter.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Money is for you to decide. A used 24MP MILC may be cost effective, but of course, not free.

Time too is for you to decide, but trying to use manual focus / non electronic lenses on a DSLR is just a 100% waste of time.

Corsica fox

Thank you all. It clearly is far beyond buying a new adaptor. While my next camera will be mirrorless the thought of adding an adaptor and dealing with manual focus, etc., for relatively few pictures isn't worth it at my age. Ah to be 40/50/60/70/80 again. Thanks again.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The problem isn't the manual focus on the DSLR, it's the lack of aperture control and metering. On mirrorless, you can tell the camera to release without a lens and it just meters the light as hitting the sensor (no mirror blocking). So, if you dial f/8 or wide open or whatever on the non-electronic lens and the mirrorless doesn't know the difference, it just meters the light as arriving. For focus, imagine your DSLR's LiveView in the view finder as you zoom the display by 10x and precisely focus. We had to 'go through' DSLR to get to digital mirrorless, but the future has arrived and now enables all the pre-digital equipment too. Finally, imagine image stabilization for all your old pre-VR lenses now provided by default from the camera body.

Corsica fox

Good point as usual. I won't completely give up on the notion waiting for a move to mirrorless.

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

Originally, I purchased a Sony a6000 to be able to use my old 1950s Exacta lenses via adapter on it. I have "$10 adapters for lots old lenses, Nikon, Minolta, M39, and Canon. You should be able to find an adapter for the Contax lenses for Sony E-mount. If you really want to go old school ... you would look for a used Sony a7. That is probably less expensive that a a6000. There are adapters for the Sony e-mount than any other Mirrorless Camera. Ebay has Sony NEX cameras which are starting around $50, then there is the a5000, a little more $, the a6000, more $, and the full frame a7 at about $200.

Corsica fox

Thanks, I'm keeping this notion alive if I live long enough to get a mirrorless body.

MrPhotog

Many enlarging lenses are 39 mm thread mount. That is same as leica thread mount, so adapters are plentiful.

For focusing i have purchased 65 mm diameter helicoids on Ebay. Depending on extension and seller-$25-$45.
Search for M65 helicoid.
There are similar systems in 52 mm and 42 mm diameters. Search for M42 helicoid or other size.

If you go with a 42 mm system, you can get s small threaded ring to permit threading in 39 mm mount lenses.

I buy a Front plate that is 39 mm female to 65 mm male to mount lens to helicoid. Back plate is 65 mm female to 39 mm male. That goes to a 39 mm to Sony adapter. 65 mm adapter are direct fit on Leica bellows, too.

Range of the helicoid may not be great enough for focus from infinity to 1:1, but these can be supplemented with simple threaded extension rings to get you into any range you want.
You can get blank 65 mm plates and drill your own holes for custom sizes, and there are many predrilled sizes, such as for large format lenses or 42 mm thread.

I originally got into the 65 mm adapter system for easy mounting of view camera lenses with leaf shutters for flash work. If you drill a mounting hole off center, by rotating the mounting disk you can obtain lens shifts for perspective control.