Lens question

[Debowebo]

I have a Ricoh KR-5 film camera and I want to make the lenses for myCanon Eos Rebel t3i. What type of adapter would I need? I apologize if this is t the right place to post this

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I don't believe that is possible. Ricoh used the Pentax K mount for their earlier cameras such as the KR-5. The lenses can be used on a Pentax camera but you have to remove a certain nub on the Ricoh lens otherwise it will get locked on the Pentax camera and will be very difficult to remove.

 

[HPS3]

Why don't you buy a Sony Nex body and use your Kmount lenses on it. Focusing will be WAY easier than on your T3i and you will also have a better sensor. You can find a used Nex 3 or 5 series for a great price and they work wonders for manual focusing with the use of focus peaking and digital zooming. You can also mount pretty much any lenses via adapters.

 

[ItsNahtazu]

There are several K to EOS adapters out there. Check out fotodiox or novaflex. The fotodiox adapter has an AF confirm chip - the body can't autofocus the lens for you, but you can manually focus and the viewfinder will light up when focus is confirmed.

 

[zackiedawg]

It should actually be doable, if you really wanted to. The Canon registration distance from sensor/film to lens is about 44mm, versus 45mm for Pentax's PK/K mount, which is what your Ricoh lenses are. So you would need an adapter like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-Lens-Canon-Mount-Adapter/dp/B005JV06QI/ref=pd_sim_sbs_p_1

They're cheap - under $10 - and no glass. However, you would have pretty stripped down functionality - no autofocus, no stabilization, possibly not being able to meter through the lens (ie: you might need to use all manual settings, including setting aperture and shutter yourself without the camera's aid in metering the scene). I'm not too familiar with how Canon bodies deal with adapted mounts.

As HPS3 mentioned above, mirrorless cameras are usually significantly better to use with adapted manual lenses. The NEX series is a well liked system for manual lens shooting - they use the same type of cheap adapters, but can meter through the lens, can shoot in aperture priority or manual modes, have exposure simulation capability through the LCD or viewfinder, have focus peaking (a system that highlights in focus areas to help when manually focusing), can zoom in while focusing, and can adapt to pretty much any lens ever made from any camera system because they have an incredibly small registration distance much smaller than any 35mm or rangefinder camera.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Again, I want to warn whomever, that the Ricoh "K" mount can be slightly different than the original Pentax. The first Ricoh camera lenses were interchangeable with Pentax, but later versions were not. There is a pin that when the Ricoh lens is mounted onto a Pentax camera, a pin drops down into the autofocus hole causing the lens to lock onto the camera. It is difficult to remove the lens. I don't know how this would work with adaptors. However I did find a website discussing the issue.

http://www.theatreofnoise.com/2008/05/ricoh-lenses-on-pentax-cameras-ricoh.html

 

[zackiedawg]

Good warning indeed. It probably wouldn't be as bad an issue with the adapters as mounting the lens directly to the Pentax body - if the lens gets stuck on the camera body, you're in trouble...if the lens gets stuck on the Pentax/Canon adapter, you're out about $6 for that adapter. But still, good heads-up!