Kipon M-M 2X Optical Extender Review

Leica enthusiasts have something new to celebrate—Kipon has introduced its latest innovation, the M-M 2x Extender. Designed specifically for the Leica M mount camera and lens system, this accessory is a game-changer for photographers seeking extended reach.

This expander uses 7 elements in 4 groups and is priced at $900 USD.

Kipon M-M 2X Optical Extender – Kipon

Is it a worthwhile investment? Who would benefit most from using it?

In this review, we’ll take a detailed look at those questions.

Pros: Extends lenses 2x, giving 180mm capabilities to the M system, small and light, great build quality

Cons: Loses a little more than a full stop of light, needs sharp lenses, ghosting in harsh lighting.

Kipon often sends me or lets me borrow lenses and accessories for review, but I do not receive payment, and my opinions are my own. I bought more than half of my Kipon lenses because I like them. I also just got the 24mm f2.4 and the 90mm f2.4, which I’ll be reviewing in the coming months. So far I really like them, especially that 24mm. The 90mm is great too, but I still think I like 75mm more.

Kipon M-M 2X Extender: What’s It For?

Kipon offers a range of 2x extenders and focal reducers, but this particular one stands out due to Leica’s limited production of long telephoto lenses.

Recently, the longest lens Leica crafted for the M mount was 135mm, which was available until the late 1990s, while the longest currently available option is the Leica APO-Summicron-M 90mm f2 ASPH. Leica has made longer lenses, like the Leica Telyt-M, which was 400mm, but they don’t make these lenses anymore.

This extender, therefore, serves as a valuable complement to the Leica M system, particularly with the ease of shooting via digital screens or the Visoflex 2.

How Does It Work?

Designed for digital camera systems, the extender is positioned behind the lens, optically narrows the field of view, and boosts image magnification by 200%, meaning the camera’s sensor is not cropped.

Using 7 elements does introduce a slight dip in clarity and micro-contrast, and you also lose a little more than a full stop of light from my measurements.

This extender proves more practical for those working with lower resolutions—say, a video camera with a sensor purposely configured for 4k, 6k, or even higher resolutions like 8k, or even a photo camera like the Leica M10 with only a 24MP sensor.

Naturally, you’ll need exceptionally sharp lenses with strong contrast to achieve optimal results.

Here is a sample taken with the Zeiss 50mm f2.

My Zeiss 50mm f2 is one of my favorite lenses to use with this extender because it has amazing coatings, tons of contrast, great micro-contrast, and is sharp.

Why is the Kipon M-M 2X extender useful?

This is a relatively specialized product, but it opens up new possibilities for those using Leica M lenses on cinema or digital cameras. A 2x extender allows you to double the lens focal length, expanding the optical range to 180mm with the current Leica 90mm lens.

This was primarily designed for cinematographers in mind who don’t want to or can’t crop the sensor. This gives them a practical in-camera 2x optical extension.

What’s cool about this adapter is that I can bring one lens, like the Zeiss 50mm, crop it to 1.3x or 1.8x in body, throw on the extender, and have another 2x optical magnification. I end up getting a ton of range from 1 lens plus this small extender.

I’ve also been bringing my Leica to my kids’ school events lately, where my Leica could never be used because of the lack of reach. Now, I can carry this small “just-in-case” extender in my bag instead of bringing an entirely different lens, and if I need more range, I can slap it on real quick, and I’m good to go for those far-away shots. Like here at my son’s kindergarten graduation, where I was stuck in the very back of the room.

And yes, kindergarten graduations in Japan are a very formal event.

It also can be great for those longer lens portrait shots.

There are multiple ways to use something like this, but ultimately, it was designed to expand the system’s reach beyond 75mm and 90mm.

Image Quality

The image quality varies a lot from lens to lens.

Ideally, using high-contrast, very sharp lenses with good coatings is best. The optics in the expander cause additional light scattering and can reduce the micro-contrast and clarity if you’re using lenses without great coatings and shooting in harsh lighting. Zeiss lenses seem to work great, but some Voigtlander lenses flare more. I’m sure the Leica lenses are also great for this.

I ran a few resolution tests.

Kipon 90mm f2.4 200% Crop

To get a baseline, I first tested the Kipon 90mm f2.4 with a 200% crop.

Here is the Kipon 90mm f2.4 with a 200% crop. It’s a nice lens for 4 elements, although we see a bit of CA at those faster apertures.

Kipon M-M 2x + Kipon 90mm f2.4 100% Crop

Next, I put the adapter on that lens.

Immediately, you’ll notice all the additional aberrations at those faster apertures—a lot more CA. Strangely, my Voigtlander 75mm does get some of that ghosting, but not the CA. So, I think some lenses perform differently than others, as the Kipon here really got funky at f2.4 and f2.8. But my Zeiss is perfectly fine, wide open.

However, sharpness holds up at around f4 to f8. It’s not bad if you stick to those apertures from all the other lenses I tested. But this was the only lens I had time to put through the resolution chart.

I think part of the issue with the ghosting here is that the resolution test board I use at this house uses untreated bright wood that reflects a lot of light (I’ll paint it matte grey soon). The brighter board I’m using here always seems to cause issues on lenses with third-party coatings. The coatings inside the adapter are also not Zeiss T* or Fujifilm Super EBC coatings, so they can cause additional scatter in these reflective situations.

Ideally, you’ll need to be careful with your lighting and environment with these types of adapters. If you’re shooting on more vintage lenses, you’ll likely want to stick to controlled lighting or environments with calmer lighting. Throwing on a good UV filter can sometimes help as well.

Bottom line

Some lenses work well wide open, and some don’t. You’ll have to experiment, and it’s not only heavily lens-dependent but also very environmentally dependent. I can shoot with my Kipon 90mm wide open fine just around the house, just not against these bright reflective surfaces.

Kipon M-M 2x Extender – Build Quality

If you haven’t used one of the more recent Kipon lenses or adapters, they are well-built.

They just sent me the latest 24mm and 90mm, and the build quality is so good compared to where it was 10 years ago.

With the M-M 2x expander, you can use lenses with an aperture as wide as f1.4. But you get more aberrations and ghosting, even with my Voigtlander 75mm f1.5. It prefers f4-f8 with the longer lenses I own. My Zeiss 50mm f2 does a little better wide open, but you really want to use the sharpest apertures since it is doing an optical magnification on the image circle of the lens attached.

There are 7 elements in 4 groups.

The adapter is designed for lenses 75mm and longer because it needs a lens without a protruding rear element, but as mentioned earlier, wide lenses can still work if the dimensions are correct.

Important Notes

IMPORTANT: You’ll want to ensure your lens’s rear element recedes at least around 4-5mm past the mount’s contact point to prevent it from making contact and destroying the front element of this extender or real element.

I measured it at 4mm, but to be safe, make sure any lens you try has more than that.

Another thing to consider when using your Leica M11 with the built-in digital stabilizer is that it won’t be able to stabilize your viewfinder properly because you won’t configure the right focal length for these longer lenses.

Tolerances are very tight, so getting lenses on and off is a little stiff, but nothing dangerously stiff like I’ve had before with a Zeiss lens. You’ll want to ensure you get the click when putting lenses on.

Kipon M-M 2x Extender Review – Bottom Line

These types of adapters aren’t for everyone. If you’re shooting 60MP, it is probably better just to crop your sensor. However, this adapter can work for you if you want those 60 megapixels and have good sharp lenses. The sweet spot on most lenses will be f4 to f8, but every lens behaves differently, and it also renders the nicest in calmer lighting.

For videographers and cinematographers with 4-8k cameras that can’t crop and who are already using Leica M lenses, this is a great way to expand the system’s reach for those occasional long-lens shots where you might not want to invest thousands of dollars buying or adapting different lenses. At f4 to f8, the adapter definitely gets the job done.

Kipon M-M 2X Extender Sample Images

These are all shot on the Leica M11; I usually shoot at 36 megapixels. I’ll walk you through the lenses and the shots. Colored with my presets.

Voigtlander 75mm f1.5 Samples

Here are some samples with the Voigtlander 75mm f1.5. I tried to push f2.8 on some of these, but it gets a little ghosty and just likes f4 or f5.6.

For the shots of the city, I’m shooting up in the tower, maybe through an inch of glass.

Zeiss 50mm f2

I shot this set using the Zeiss 50mm f2. These actually look great. This expander works really well with this lens.

I’ll keep testing some more lenses and post as I go. I have the Kipon 50mm f2.4, the 75mm f2.4, and a Voigtlander 50mm f1.5 Nokton I still need to try out. I haven’t tested that one yet, if it even fits.

Kipon 90mm f2.4