Hin's Photo Corner

My genuine adapter is loose when mounted on Lens Turbo. But once the M42 lens such as a SuperTakumar 55mm f/1.8 or other similar m42 lens is mounted on the Lens Turbo K adapter, my setup works really well without any play. However, the same setup doesn't work with one of my lens with the Industar 50-2 50mm f/3.5 as the lens is too small to get tighten up with the M42 to K adapter. Please do check on various M42 lens and you may find out what works and what does not.

If any of you are interested in using M42 lens on NEX directly. I have a blog post that may be of some interest to you especially if you have a Konica AR mount

http://www.techtheman.com/2013/08/how-to-adapt-m42-lenses-on-nex.html

The premise is the smaller size on the Konica AR to NEX adapter and together with the silver screw mount adapter for M42 to Konica AR, one can use the M42 mount lens with a smaller setup. Not that it shorten the overall length but it will look smaller due to the smaller AR adapter






more detail in blog post

When using Lens Turbo, here is my setup with genuine M42 adapter mounted inside the Lens Turbo adapter.

DSC05464 by hin_man, on Flickr

with nex 5n, LT, Super-Tak 35mm f/3.5

1/60 sec, 35mm, f/3.5, iso 320, -0.3 Ev 

DSC05482 by hin_man, on Flickr

1/60 sec, 35mm, f/3.5, iso 1000, -1.3 Ev

The above are not good pictures to show as the lens has better image quality when used without the LT but I like the 37mm FOV with the adapter.

I always prefer the genuine m42 adapter, if you have loose stopping plate or the screw on the 3rd party adapter, you can easily get your camera/lens stuck. I wrote about my bad experience with Bower adapter in m42 nightmare article with 3rd party adapters in which I was scrambling to free a stuck adapter from an adapter with loose stopping plate and screw.

Related

#1 Brick Wall with FLT

Helios 44M-4, Lens Turbo, nex 5N

I am the wrong person tasked to take test shots. I never enjoy any type of shooting aimed for getting a comparison. I enjoy shooting photos to show how a lens can work with me on the field. Maybe I am not a science or nerdy guy who like to compare numbers but rather someone who goes with instinct, the artistic sense and the overall feeling of a lens.

In my short time with the Helios, it is a great bargain but I prefer the Super-Takumar over it as I love everything about the build in the Takumar from the small size, to the finest manual focus ring there is for me to appreciate continuously and the friendly God sent 49mm filter size. With the Helios, I am absolutely lost on the filter size and lens hood, I can't fit 58mm, 55mm, and 52mm lens hood. If you know the Helios lens hood size, please clue me in.

My film counter is onto the 3rd photo on my Spotmatic -- a shame.  I don't even know what model that my Spotmatic actually belong.   My copy is neither the ES version or the ES II version.  And it does not have the hot shoe and the SP signature.
In getting the LBA flu (lens buying addiction flu that I get after every new year or the silly new year resoluiton), I get hooked with a SuperTakumar 35mm f/3.5. Everyone who does not mind slower lens has to give the Super-Tak 35mm f/3.5 a try, it is my most awesome M42 lens that is around $60 a piece with outstanding condition and with the original lens hood.

I absolutely go non-stop on the Super-Takumar (or SMC) and please don't embarrass me to list all the takumar related lens that I have secretly accumulated. It goes roughly in every apertures that you can find from 28mm to 150mm and the only thing that place a stop for me in getting the rarer super-Tak 200mm f/3.5 or the takumar 35mm f/2.3 are the joel-blow who outbid me in evilBay.

So there it goes my side-track story in my break-promise on the Spotmatic and 135 films. But in all honesty, I am so thankful to have bumped into the Spotmatic family because of my LBA flu on SMC (super)-Takumar lens series.

I love Dwayne Photo in Kansas as I think they are one of the most reliable in film development but I have a hard time with the low resolution scanning and hence I want to find an alternative place with good development like DWayne Photo but with good quality scanning. These three places are mentioned in my earlier thread with Black Spotmatic Beauty. I heard good thing in North Coast Photo and will try out a scan and report back hopefully soon.

North Coast Photo appears to offer $5.75 C-41 develop and $6.95 for budget scans. Printing looks to add another $5-6.5, and then shipping on top of everything.

The Darkroom does $10 process and scan, $5 for prints and $4 for shipping.

Photographic Works (who I've used for 4x5" in the past) in Tucson does C-41 for $3.5, scans for 30 from an uncut roll ($10ish), apparently no option for typical 4x6" prints. Plus shipping.

Related: 

I want to share with you a way that I find more pleasing in adapting M42 lenses on NEX. Here is a picture of two adapters



Left: regular M42 to NEX
Right: Konica AR to NEX + M42 to Konicar AR adapter

The two may end up to be about the same height but I find the Konica AR setup to be much handy in NEX and the setup match well for my focusing style with small m42 lenses as in takumar and Russian pancake.  In preparation with Lens Turbo, I just got my SuperTak 35mm f/3.5 and here is how it looks







And a similar setup with Russian Industar 50-2 50mm f/3.5, an M42 pancake





The M42 to Konica AR adapter can be found in ebay but I just take a look in ebay it is priced crazily in the $80. I paid about $30.00 and it turns M42 lenses for Konica AR mount allowing me to use the smaller Konica AR to NEX adapter.


Konica Praktica M42 Lens Adapter 2 AR


Related:

• Sony NEX 5N
• Konica AR 40mm f/1.8
• Industar 50-2 50mm f/3.5 pancake
• Hin's Camera Gear

I got this old zoom lens knowing that it is a auto-only M42 lens. I had the previous experience in altering an auto-only diaphragm into manual diaphragm m42 lens. It is equivalent to switching to M in most of the M42 lens with A/M switch. For manual stop-down, one has to use M setting as most of the current digital bodies don't have the mechanics to depress the aperture pin for the proper stop-down.

Every lens is different and this one does not come as a surprise in terms of difficulty. I first found the aperture pin not working even upon full depress into the lens. I later found a stuck linkage between the pin the aperture diaphragm. Once I get the pin to work properly, I added a little hollow insert using a fragment of a pen refill tube to make the pin pressing on the aperture diaphragm control at all time.



But once I get the stop-down mechanics working with manual diaphragm opening with the aperture ring, I found another issue and it is something that I have not dealt with before. The old M42 lens leaks oil likely from the helical housing in the focus and zoom compartments.

The lens has potential and I start liking its strong build and unique character that little is known about it.



It works quite well when stop downed properly. And here are some test shots done with Pentax K20D












Impressions & Notes

• It is a bummer to be able to fix a lens with aperture issues and stop short in fixing it completely due to the oil leaking from the lens helical to aperture blades
  
  
• The oil and wet blades don't affect the lens performance immediately as I find no issues in the test pictures but it is something to be less desirable
  
  
• The zoom lens has internal moving part for the zooming. Upon changing from 80mm to 200mm or vice versa, the lens does't extend or retract to a different length.
  
  
• Bokeh and sharpness are found decent. The lens perform quite evenly across the range though I prefer to shoot in 180mm instead of 200mm as I think sharpness is better in 180mm.
  
  
• This M42 zoom can work straight in Av mode in my Pentax K20D from f/4.0 to f/11. In wide open shot in f/3.5, I usually dial in +0.3 to +0.7 Ev.
  
  
• Contrast is sometimes low when I shoot into objects with harsh lighting. It seems lacking on coating like the SMC in Pentax. The contrast is usually a easy fix in post processing.
  
  
• I have decided to move on and sell it for cheap to others with full disclosure on the wet blade with oil issues
  

Related:

• Soligor 200mm Tele-Auto f/2.8 m42
  
• Pentax genuine M42 adapter
• Pentax K-x and M42 lens
• M42 adapter with inner ring for Auto-only M42 lens
  
• Pentax K20D
• Hin's Camera Gear
  

I have been trying out different M42 lens on my Pentax K-x. Results in the final images are good but I find that K-x does have some minor glitches with M42 lens when compared to Pentax K20D.

• I can't use Av mode on M42 lens like K20D. I found myself under-expose by a big factor as in 2 to 3 stops. I have not found if the difference is consistent so that a simple +Ev compensation will make K-x work with M42 lens in Av mode.
  
• For consistent metering, I have to use M mode together with either green button or (+/-) button for metering. I prefer the use of (+/-) button as K-x's green button location is awkward to access in the field. The (+/-) button is more natural for me to use.
  
• Ev compensation is omitted in K-x. This is unlike K20D which allow Ev compensation even in manual mode. I get spoiled with Ev compensation so that I can set a preset compensation adjustment for consistency with an M42 lens.
• I do miss the red focal point overlay for focus reference
• It is difficult to see bottom of viewfinder especially in bright daylight setting. The green hexagon is not bright enough to view in K-x. I rely mostly on the beep which is unsettling in the shooting.
  

Results are quite good when I tried my Pentax K-x with Vivitar 70-150mm f/3.8 from Kiron in M42 mount. In some of the close up, I used the Cosina 1:1 matched macro adapter which works like diopter with +3 to +4 magnification.












Impressions & Notes

• The Kiron zoom lens is great in terms of sharpness. It is not too big and works well in K-x.
  
• The close up works in the 70mm end and I think it is about 1:4 in magnification. With the diopter, it is roughly around 1:3
• The catch-in focus is absent like many M42 lens.
  
• Metering is center weighted and I have not tried the trick with aluminum foil to see if matrix metering and catch-in focus can be resumed in this m42 zoom on K-x
• As mentioned, I used M mode and green or (+/-) button for metering.
  

Related

• Vivitar 70-150mm f/3.8 from Kiron
• Pentax Genuine M42 to K Adapter
  
• Kiron 2x matched multiplier
• Cosina 1:1 matched macro adapter
• Pentax K-x White Arrival
• Hin's Camera Gear

I have several versions of the Vivitar 70-150mm f/3.8 made by Kiron and I like the two touch zoom the best out the three that I have owned in the past. I sold all but kept the last one in M42 mount in 2 touch zoom design as I like Av mode with M42 lens without the extra step in stop-down metering.

• Vivitar 70-150mm f/3.8 in K mount -- one touch zoom
• Vivitar 70-150mm f/3.8 in K mount -- two touch zoom
• Viviar 70-150mm f/3.8 in M42 mount -- two touch zoom is my current one

It is relatively smaller and should not be considered as a big lens when compared to the DA* zoom or the Vivitar series 1 zoom. It covers a useful range for portrait and candid shots that require a longer reach. Combined with the 2x Kiron multiplier, you have a range of 70-150 in f/3.8 and 140 to 300mm with lost of 2 stops close to f/6.3 to f/7.1. I have not used the multiplier on this lens as I find the focal length 70-150mm really fit my needs as in DA* zoom. It is smaller and lighter than DA* making it an easy candidate to bring along.

I tried it out over the weekend with some candid shots in f/3.8 indoor, results are quite reasonable and when stopped down to f/5.6 and more, the lens is really sharp and the 1:4 close up in the 70mm is quite useful for flowers











Impressions & Notes

• Lens is relatively small with a good focal range from 70-150mm.
• With multiplier, it can go to 140 to 300mm
  
• Constant aperture in f/3.8 is quite useful
• Wide open aperture is a touch soft but which lens is NOT at wide aperture. With the candid test shots on my boys, I am very impressed already, more use will tell.
  
• Very sharp overall for this lens
• A great street performer that is not intimidating and heavy to bring as an alternative to bigger lens as in DA* 50-135mm.
• Close up focus happens in 70mm end and it is roughly 1:4
• Filter size is 52mm
• The built in hood is not nice but I find it too small to be reall useful
  
• Color tend to have a blue cold tone
• I like the two touch zoom design, as any focusing will less likely move the zoom position
• Very nice and decent lens to get on a budget
  
• Best strength in this lens is all the sharpness and smooth and quick focusing ring that is good with fast action shot. I would love to get back focus trap, I will experiment on slipping a piece of aluminum foil in between the K-mount and the lens rear to enable focus trap
• A value and inexpensive lens not to be missed

Related:

• Kiron 2x matched multiplier
• Vivitar 70-150mm f/3.8 in m42 mount initial test shots -- 2-touch zoom
  
• Vivitar 70-150mm f/3.8 in K-mount -- 1-touch zoom
  
• Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8
• Genuine Pentax M42 adapter
• Hin's Camear Gear
  

I bought this adapter from my good friend Alex in http://forum.mslenses.com/ and I asked Alex to charge me the regular he charges for his other clients. I got it shipped for $17.00 from Hong Kong, similarly priced like other 3rd party adapters.

This 3rd party adapter has an important function that is not found in all adapters that I have used. Not even the genuine adapter has the added feature: it works with M42 lens that does not have the A/M switch. When one uses an M42 lens, one has to switch the Auto/Manual diaphragm to manual so that the pin on rear is depressed while allowing the blades and diaphragm to close down for the stop-down metering to work in Pentax dSLR or the other K-mount in SLR cameras.

In the K-mount with KAF2 on Pentax K20D or something similar, what is missing is a mechanism to hold the auto-mount diaphragm governing pin in place for the blades to close down in stop-down metering. And this adapter has the extra ring on the back that is designed to depress the pin down, effectively serve as an M switch in a normal Auto/Manual diaphragm switch. I was quite pleased to try it out on a recent LBA purchase of a Lentar 200mm f/3.5 auto-mount m42 lens. You see the pin on the end in photos next to this paragraph. I have another auto-mount m42 lens that is exactly like this with a pin that all of my Pentax K-mount bodies can't handle the stop-down metering without alternation. There are several ways to do the alternation and the most prominent one has been using tube to place under the pin to shorten the pin which allow the diaphragm to go freely upon stop-down metering.

The new adapter from Alex works extremely well for the auto-mount lens that I have just purchased. There is no known label on the adapter and I will share my experience with the adapter when time allow. So far, it has work quite well for me when I mount it on 2 lens: one lighter with a 35mm f/2.8 and one quite heavy with my new Lentar 200mm auto-mount M42 lens. The later one misses the switch for Auto/Manual diaphragm switch. And the adapter comes in handy for my use.


Impressions & Notes

• Mounting is exactly the same mechanics as the genuine and 3rd party adapters
  
  
• The extra inner ring is designed to work with auto-mount diaphragm m42 lens without the Auto/Manual (A/M) switch that are found in most M42 lens. Some older version of M42 lens seem not to have the A/M switch and by default they go into Auto-diaphragm which will yield problems for Pentax dSLR with KAF2 mount.
  
  
• The adapter comes with dismount or removal tool similar to Bower or other 3rd party adapter
  
  
• The machining on the adapter can be improved. I will communicate to Alex to see if the machining on the metal edges on the adapter can smoothed out with finer edges.
  
  
• Though the adapter comes with removal tool, I found myself very surprised that I can actually dismount the adapter using my two fingers as shown in next picture. This is a big feature not to be missed for those auto-only m42 lens that don't have the A/M switch for auto and manual diaphragm settings.
  
  
  I can dismount with two fingers
  similar to genuine m42 adapter
  
  
• I need to test it more. But as of my first impression, the adapter works beautifully for two m42 lenses that I tried. It work well with the auto-mount m42 lens

Links:

• m42 adapter with inner flange -- mflenses forum member hk300
• alexcwyuen@hotmail.com -- email contact
• Disclaimer: I don't endorse the product as I generally recommend the use of genuine Pentax m42 adapter. This adapter has one unique feature with the inner flange that helps to work with auto-mount m42 lenses that lack the A/M switch. The inner flange depresses the aperture pin making it manual diaphragm as in switching to M in the A/M switch.
  

Related:

• Articles labeled M42 Adapter
  
• How to mount and dismount genuine adapter
  
• Pentax M42 Adapters
• Warning on 3rd party adapter
• How to convert M42 lens to K mount lens
• Custom settings on M42 lens
• Informative M42 mounting YouTube video
  
• Hin's Camera Gear