m42 fit lenses. who has them?

lexie

lexie

Suspended / Banned
Messages
952
Name
keith
Edit My Images
Yes
i've just discovered the hidden treasure trove of m42 fit lenses on ebay, and i have a suspicion that i might be buying a couple of them to experiment with. at the price some of them go for it would be rude not to buy at least one to play with.

which are the main brands to watch out for? i've seen brands like helios, carl zeiss, pentacon. the helios 44-2 58mm f2 seems to get decent reviews, and from what i've seen it produces remarkably sharp images for a lens of its age!

i know i'll need an adaptor ring for fitting to my sony but they are cheap as
chips anyway. i assume one adaptor ring will suffice for all m42 lenses i purchase?

due to the age of these lenses autofocus seems to be out of the equation but i'm looking to get one to learn with so that won't be much of an issue. after all i'm bound to hit the odd lucky shot :lol:
 
I use a couple - I've got the Helios one you mention which is very sharp. Not sure about on the Sony but on my GF1 i often use old manual lenses in AP mode.
 
grum said:
I use a couple - I've got the Helios one you mention which is very sharp. Not sure about on the Sony but on my GF1 i often use old manual lenses in AP mode.
Click to expand...

i think i remember reading that aperture or fully manual modes are best for these.

how do you find the helos to use?
 
Yup it's good - amazing for the price I paid. I have to say I haven't used it for a while.

Here's a few pics taken with it

4679208264_c98f805965_b.jpg


4678543615_e55c5427f8_b.jpg


4678535069_6cf57ff670_b.jpg


4679259078_641d66198b_z.jpg
 
I have a bunch of M42s, £5 or so each. Great fun. One exception to the £5 rule, the best lens I own is also an M42, an 85mm Takumar. This is so well regarded in Pentax circles that there's a secret handshake to use it.
 
Almost all my shots are taken with MF lenses, and I have some cracking M42s :)

I would definately recommend a cheap Helios 44M or 44-2 (Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58/2 copy) for your Sony to start with (pay about £10.00). Another good one in that range is the Super Takumar 55/2 or 55/1.8 (actually the same lens, the the f2 version is slightly slower due to the f2 circle built in to allow Pentax to sell a cheaper version).

Also look for a decent 135/2.8 Pentacon preset for butter smooth bokeh or the Carl Zeiss Jena 135/3.5 for sharpness and 3D sonnar image rendition. Quick tip - if money is tight, grab a Jupiter 11A 135/4 (same design, slightly slower) or Jupiter 37A (same design). These are the Russian equivalents of the Carl Zeiss and superb (and cheap!).
 
manualfocus-g said:
Almost all my shots are taken with MF lenses, and I have some cracking M42s :)

I would definately recommend a cheap Helios 44M or 44-2 (Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58/2 copy) for your Sony to start with (pay about £10.00). Another good one in that range is the Super Takumar 55/2 or 55/1.8 (actually the same lens, the the f2 version is slightly slower due to the f2 circle built in to allow Pentax to sell a cheaper version).

Also look for a decent 135/2.8 Pentacon preset for butter smooth bokeh or the Carl Zeiss Jena 135/3.5 for sharpness and 3D sonnar image rendition. Quick tip - if money is tight, grab a Jupiter 11A 135/4 (same design, slightly slower) or Jupiter 37A (same design). These are the Russian equivalents of the Carl Zeiss and superb (and cheap!).
Click to expand...

thanks for such a detailed reply dude, i really appreciate it. i'm a child of the digital age so manual focus is a little scary to me, but i really want to get to grips with it
 
I believe some of the Super Takumar and Super MultiCoated Takumar m42 jobbies are very good. II have some m42 lenses, but I am not sure whether the adapters I have will clear the full frame mirror.
 
yeah the Super Tacks are sharp, I have a 200 f/4.
Yashica Yashinon 50 f/1.4
Jupiter 11 135 f/4 and this Tair 11A 135 f/2.8 which has gorgeous bokeh


iw7t6t.jpg


5d8myh.jpg
 
can i ask if you guys came up through film cameras with no autofocus, and as such had to learn how to manual focus from the start? or did you begin using autofous and then learn how to use manual focus afterwards?

i found it strange to begin with people were using £10 lenses on £1000+ cameras, but the results speak for themselves. is there a bit of snobbery that people want shiney new lenses instead of these ones which are, lets face it - a bit old hat. i only found out about them by chance, and like i already said for the price i'm willing to give them a shot.

for the price of one new budget lens it looks like you could pick up a collection of older lenses if you're prudent with your cash.

the in-body image stabilisation in my a390 means i have no need for it in a lens which is a nice bonus too :)
 
Problem is that M42 lenses are now going for silly money on e-bay often far above there true value! A few years ago you couldn't give them away- now everybody wants them- supply & demand I guess. No good for my cameras as even with the correct adaptor they won't focus to infinity.
 
lexie said:
can i ask if you guys came up through film cameras with no autofocus, and as such had to learn how to manual focus from the start? or did you begin using autofous and then learn how to use manual focus afterwards?

i found it strange to begin with people were using £10 lenses on £1000+ cameras, but the results speak for themselves. is there a bit of snobbery that people want shiney new lenses instead of these ones which are, lets face it - a bit old hat. i only found out about them by chance, and like i already said for the price i'm willing to give them a shot.

for the price of one new budget lens it looks like you could pick up a collection of older lenses if you're prudent with your cash.

the in-body image stabilisation in my a390 means i have no need for it in a lens which is a nice bonus too :)
Click to expand...

Speaking for myself, I've been using manual for 30 years and just moved onto digital with autofocus. It's not a particular skill though, it's easy as chips.

In-body image stabilisation is very nice with these. The Pentax platform does it this way too which is why it's such amazing value for money when you use M42 or K mount lenses.
 
manualfocus-g said:
Almost all my shots are taken with MF lenses, and I have some cracking M42s :)

I would definately recommend a cheap Helios 44M or 44-2 (Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58/2 copy) for your Sony to start with (pay about £10.00). Another good one in that range is the Super Takumar 55/2 or 55/1.8 (actually the same lens, the the f2 version is slightly slower due to the f2 circle built in to allow Pentax to sell a cheaper version).

Also look for a decent 135/2.8 Pentacon preset for butter smooth bokeh or the Carl Zeiss Jena 135/3.5 for sharpness and 3D sonnar image rendition. Quick tip - if money is tight, grab a Jupiter 11A 135/4 (same design, slightly slower) or Jupiter 37A (same design). These are the Russian equivalents of the Carl Zeiss and superb (and cheap!).
Click to expand...

What he said!!!!:D I got my Helios for £6.50!

Here are a few Helios 44/2 (with tubes) images from me:





And now for my Zeiss 50mm f1.4 T* Planar (£300+)



 
so is it correct that every one of these lenses needs to be focussed manually? If I used for example a GH1, is it only the kit lens that auto focuses?

edit: Sorry I thought m42 lenses went straight onto the GH1, but I'd still need an adapter it appears. Still at £20 for the adapter is it a well used option? Even if it does lose the AF? Does it increase the sensor crop at all?
 
Last edited:
You have to be careful because there were some real dogs in M42 mount,the 50mm f2.4 Domiplan was rated many years ago as the worst lens ever made but if you stick to the likes of Fuji,Takumar,Pentacon,Vivitar,Tamron and Carl Zeiss Jena there are some absolute gems that will give great results.Having said that Soligor had a bad reputation but I have a 135mm f2.8 that is a real belter and it cost me a fiver.
 
I have a A confirm adapter if you're interested ! ;) and a spare helios. I would give that for not a lot of monies if you're interested.
 
Firstly, some stunning images posted here. I dont have M42 at the moment but have the use of a 300mm F4 Takumar that cost my friend £150.
I do have a couple of K mount lenses, same principle.
nly thin I have heard caution is the mount, the cheap as chips ones mentioned on ebay are a purely mechanical consideration, they physically change the mount to suit you camera but they do not consider the (insert correct technical term here) distance from the sensor to the front element. As pentaxians, we are lucky to be able to get official M42 to K mount adaptors that keep this distance as it should be, not sure if such can be bought for other makes ?
There is a ful listing and review of all the old glass here :-
http://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/index.php
 
I have three, a couple of old Prinzflex's (?) and whatever came with the old camera my step dad gave me as a teenager.
Coincidently I got an M42 to micro four thirds adaptor last weekend, but the old lenses were all pretty useless compared to my Lumix stuff.
I had a look at some old M42 stuff on ebay, and if I see anything interesting for cheap I may buy one, Id like a cheap fish-eye just for fun.
 
lexie said:
can i ask if you guys came up through film cameras with no autofocus, and as such had to learn how to manual focus from the start? or did you begin using autofous and then learn how to use manual focus afterwards?
Click to expand...

I had only ever used compacts with autofocus really before trying it out - it's not that hard and quite satisfying. Manual focus is a lot better on these lenses than newer ones too imo, as they were designed specificially for it.

Great pics Andy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top