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Leica · Rangefinder mount

Leica M — flange distance, protocol, and adapter compatibility

Leica's rangefinder bayonet, in production since 1954 and still active on the M11. Manual-focus only, but with 6-bit lens-coding for in-body lens detection. The compact body of M lenses (designed for the short 27.8 mm rangefinder flange) makes them prime candidates for adapting onto mirrorless — especially Sony E and Fujifilm X.

Mount specifications

Flange focal distance
27.8 mm
Throat diameter
44 mm
Electronic protocol
Mechanical only (no electronic coupling)
Supported formats
full-frame, APS-C
Manufacturer
Leica
Introduced
1954
Status
Active production

Adapting Leica M lenses onto other bodies

You own Leica M glass and want to mount it on a body with a different lens mount. Rows are sorted by feasibility.

Body mountResultAdapter examplesCaveats
Canon RF
flange 20 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Leica M lens and Canon RF body.
Canon EF-M
flange 18 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring1.5× crop
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Leica M lens and Canon EF-M body.
Nikon Z
flange 16 mm
Mechanical
AF partial—Ap. ring
  • Megadap MTZ11 (motorised AF M-adapter)
  • Generic M-Z rings (Urth, K&F, Fotodiox)
  • Megadap MTZ11 adds autofocus by mechanically extending the rear flange via a 4.5 mm voice-coil tube — works with any M-mount lens (Leica, Voigtländer, Zeiss ZM, 7Artisans, TT Artisan).
  • AF speed is leisurely by design; brilliant for static or low-motion work, not for sports / wildlife.
Sony E (incl. FE)
flange 18 mm
Mechanical
——Ap. ring
  • Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus
  • Techart LM-EA9 (autofocus M adapter)
  • Generic M-NEX rings
  • Manual focus by design; Techart LM-EA9 adds AF by mechanically extending the rear flange.
  • Wide M-mount lenses can show colour cast / smearing on the sensor edges; mitigated on later A7 generations.
Fujifilm X
flange 17.7 mm
Mechanical
——Ap. ring1.5× crop
  • Voigtländer VM-X Close Focus
  • Generic M-FX rings
  • Manual focus only; APS-C crop turns 50 mm M-mount into a ~75 mm equivalent.
Micro Four Thirds
flange 19.25 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring2× crop
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Leica M lens and Micro Four Thirds body.
L-Mount
flange 20 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Leica M lens and L-Mount body.
Canon RF (cine)
flange 20 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Leica M lens and Canon RF (cine) body.
C-mount
flange 17.526 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring2.7× crop
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Leica M lens and C-mount body.
Fujifilm GFX (G-mount)
flange 26.7 mm
Speed booster
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheelvignettes
  • Speed Booster / focal-reducer family
  • Flange clearance is only 1.1 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required.
  • Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.

Adapting other lenses onto a Leica M body

You own a Leica M body and want to mount glass from other systems. Mirrorless-lens-onto-DSLR-body combinations are omitted (rear element collides with the mirror box).

Lens mountResultAdapter examplesCaveats
Canon EF
flange 44 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Canon EF lens and Leica M body.
  • Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Canon EF-S
flange 44 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheelvignettes
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Canon EF-S lens and Leica M body.
  • Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Nikon F
flange 46.5 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Leica M body.
  • Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Sony A / Minolta A
flange 44.5 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Sony A / Minolta A lens and Leica M body.
  • Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
M42 (Pentax / Praktica screw mount)
flange 45.46 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between M42 (Pentax / Praktica screw mount) lens and Leica M body.
Pentax K
flange 45.46 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Pentax K lens and Leica M body.
  • Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
PL (Positive Lock)
flange 52 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between PL (Positive Lock) lens and Leica M body.
Canon EF (cine)
flange 44 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Canon EF (cine) lens and Leica M body.
  • Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Exakta
flange 44.7 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Exakta lens and Leica M body.
T-mount (T2)
flange 55 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between T-mount (T2) lens and Leica M body.
Praktica B
flange 44.4 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Praktica B lens and Leica M body.
Konica AR
flange 40.5 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Konica AR lens and Leica M body.
Minolta SR / MC / MD
flange 43.5 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Minolta SR / MC / MD lens and Leica M body.
Canon RF
flange 20 mm
Speed booster
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel
  • Speed Booster / focal-reducer family
  • Flange clearance is only -7.8 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required.
  • Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Canon EF-M
flange 18 mm
Speed booster
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheelvignettes
  • Speed Booster / focal-reducer family
  • Flange clearance is only -9.8 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required.
  • Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Nikon Z
flange 16 mm
Speed booster
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel
  • Speed Booster / focal-reducer family
  • Flange clearance is only -11.8 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required.
  • Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Sony E (incl. FE)
flange 18 mm
Speed booster
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel
  • Speed Booster / focal-reducer family
  • Flange clearance is only -9.8 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required.
  • Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Fujifilm X
flange 17.7 mm
Speed booster
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheelvignettes
  • Speed Booster / focal-reducer family
  • Flange clearance is only -10.1 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required.
  • Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Fujifilm GFX (G-mount)
flange 26.7 mm
Speed booster
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel1.27× crop
  • Speed Booster / focal-reducer family
  • Flange clearance is only -1.1 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required.
  • Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Micro Four Thirds
flange 19.25 mm
Speed booster
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheelvignettes
  • Speed Booster / focal-reducer family
  • Flange clearance is only -8.6 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required.
  • Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
L-Mount
flange 20 mm
Speed booster
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel
  • Speed Booster / focal-reducer family
  • Flange clearance is only -7.8 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required.
  • Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Canon RF (cine)
flange 20 mm
Speed booster
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel
  • Speed Booster / focal-reducer family
  • Flange clearance is only -7.8 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required.
  • Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
C-mount
flange 17.526 mm
Speed booster
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheelvignettes
  • Speed Booster / focal-reducer family
  • Flange clearance is only -10.3 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required.
  • Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.

Adapter SKU teardown

Curated adapter SKUs that involve the Leica M mount on either side, with the operational specifics — body-side electronic contact count, firmware-update path, weather sealing, and whether optical glass is in the path.

  • Techart LM-EA9

    released 2022

    Leica M lens → Sony E (incl. FE) body

    • 0 body-side contacts
    • no firmware updates
    • not weather sealed
    • no glass — pass-through
    • Mechanical-AF adapter: a 4.5 mm motorised tube physically extends the flange to drive autofocus on rangefinder-era M-mount lenses (and any other mechanically-coupled MF lens).
    • AF speed is leisurely by design; brilliant for static or controlled-subject work, not for sports.

  • Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus

    released 2015

    Leica M lens → Sony E (incl. FE) body

    • 0 body-side contacts
    • no firmware updates
    • not weather sealed
    • no glass — pass-through
    • Helicoid extends the rear flange to enable close focus past the lens's native minimum (typically 0.7 m on a 50mm Summicron → ~0.3 m).
    • Build quality matches the M-system aesthetic; manual-focus by design.

  • Megadap MTZ11

    released 2023

    Leica M lens → Nikon Z body

    • 11 body-side contacts
    • firmware updatable
    • not weather sealed
    • no glass — pass-through
    • Motorised mechanical-AF adapter: a 4.5 mm voice-coil tube physically extends the rear flange to drive autofocus on M-mount rangefinder glass — the Nikon-Z counterpart to Techart's LM-EA9 for Sony.
    • Works with any M-mount lens (Leica, Voigtländer Cosina, Zeiss ZM, 7Artisans, TT Artisan) — the lens itself doesn't need to know it's being autofocused.
    • USB-C firmware updatable. Eye-AF tracking works on Z6 II / Z7 II / Z8 / Z9 with the latest firmware. AF speed is unhurried by design — best for static or low-motion subjects.

References

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