Adapter guide
Konica AR lenses on L-mount
Yes, this works. Konica AR has a 40.5mm flange distance and L-Mount Alliance (Leica, Panasonic, Sigma) has 20mm, so a 20.5mm mechanical adapter with no glass fills the gap and infinity focus is preserved. Focus and aperture stay manual.
- Konica AR flange
- 40.5 mm
- L-mount flange
- 20 mm
- Adapter thickness
- 20.5 mm
- Optical elements
- None required
Setting it up
On Panasonic S bodies set Shoot w/o Lens to On and enter the focal length for stabilisation. Leica SL bodies accept adapted lenses without a setting change and Leica sells its own R-Adapter L for Leica R glass.
Automatic diaphragm with an AE (later EE) lock position on the aperture ring for shutter-priority bodies. Press the lock button and move the ring off AE to use the aperture manually.
Konica AR lenses and their field of view on L-mount
Effective focal length changes with sensor size. The lens itself does not change; the smaller sensor simply captures a narrower part of the image circle.
| Lens | Focal length | Aperture | Full frame | Frames like (APS-C (1.5x)) | Years | Used value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Konica Hexanon AR 50mm f/1.7 | 50mm | f/1.7 | 50mm | 75mm | 1965-1980s | $40 to $150 |
| Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f/1.2 | 57mm | f/1.2 | 57mm | 86mm | 1965-1970s | $500 to $1,600 |
Frequently asked
Do Konica AR lenses work on L-mount cameras?
Yes. A plain Konica AR to L-mount adapter works with no optics. Konica AR has a 40.5mm register and L-Mount Alliance (Leica, Panasonic, Sigma) has a 20mm register, so the adapter is a 20.5mm tube that puts the lens exactly where a Konica AR body would. Plain adapter ring. The 40.5mm register is the shortest of the classic 35mm SLR mounts, so AR lenses adapt to mirrorless but cannot reach infinity on any DSLR.
Do Konica AR lenses focus to infinity on L-mount?
Yes. Because the adapter restores the native 40.5mm register, infinity focus is preserved and the full focus scale on the lens stays accurate. Adapters machined slightly short let the lens focus past infinity by a small margin, which is harmless; adapters machined long stop short of infinity, so buy from a maker with tight tolerances.
What focal length does a Konica AR lens become on L-mount?
On full frame L-mount bodies (Leica SL series, Lumix S series, Sigma fp) the focal length is unchanged: a 50mm lens frames as a 50mm. On APS-C (1.5x) L-mount bodies (Leica CL, TL, TL2) a 50mm lens frames like a 75mm lens on full frame; the aperture and depth of field at a given distance do not change.
More on this mount: Konica AR mount reference