M39 and M42 Adapters for Canon EOS 350D?

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I've been looking for information on this matter but all I can find is unclear or outdated.</p>

<p>I learned about the M39 and M42 Adapters with AF Chip confirmation. Some reviewers say that infinity focus will be lost, others say that infinity focus is there...</p>

<p>These are the lenses that I have to use:<br>

<strong>M39 mount:</strong></p>

<ul>

<li><em>Jupiter 12 2,8/35 Wide Angle</em></li>

<li><em>Helios 44 2/58</em></li>

</ul>

<p><strong>M42 mount:</strong></p>

<ul>

<li><em>Carl Zeiss Jena - Biotar 1:2 f=58mm T(red)</em></li>

<li><em>Meyer-Optik Görlitz Primagon 4.5/35</em></li>

<li><em>Meyer-Optik Görlitz Domiplan 2.8/50</em></li>

<li><em>Industar-50-2 3,5/50</em></li>

</ul>

<p>I would like to know which of these lenses work with the <em>Canon EOS 350D</em>? Is the infinity focus an issue? How can one get around that?<br>

Which adapters shall I get? Is this worth the trouble?</p>

<p>Please note, I am not a photographer and do not seek to get professional results out of this "<em>crossbreeding</em>".</p>

<p>Does anyone out there have already tried these tricks and would be kind enough to share some insights?</p>

<p>Thanks!<br>

Rui</p>

<p>M39 lenses won't work to any useful degree on any Canon EOS DSLR.</p>

<p>Almost all M42 lenses will work on a Canon EOS DSLR camera with a suitable adapter such as <a href="https://www.jackthehat.co.uk/canon-lens-adapter-p-803.html">this</a>.</p>

<p>My advice would be to avoid the adapters with AF confirm chips. They can be troublesome and can drop off and fall into the camera body. You also run the risk of frying the electronics of your camera in extreme cases. </p>

<p>Use your camera in aperture priority mode (A) to get automatic exposure. You'll need to focus and adjust the aperture manually on the lens. </p>

<p>In addition to my previous comment, your M42 lenses are all fairly similar in focal length and will seem especially similar when used on a 350D. Instead of mucking around with adapters and manual focus you'd be better just buying the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens. It's cheap, has great image quality and has autofocus and the usual electronic aperture control.</p>

<p>Hello Jamie,</p>

<p>thanks for your answer.</p>

<p>I will also have a look on the lens you suggested.<br>

<br>

Thanks,<br>

Rui</p>

<p>The Helios was made for the Zenit 3/3m SLR. It should be able to achieve infinity, like the M42 lenses. The other one, I think, was made for a Leica RF clone (Zorki etc) and won't.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Lens+Fitting+%28Female%29_Pentax+Universal+%28M42%29&ci=3420&N=4077634486+4289371108+4115199782">EOS body to M42 lens adapters</a>.</p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

<p>You may find useful information here - http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/eosfaq/manual_focus_EOS.html</p>

<p>M42 lenses will be no problem. They will focus to infinity. Don't trust the infinity mark on the lens though since adapters may vary slightly in thickness. You can get adapters with a focus confirmation chip attached which may help (though a few people have reported camera problems after using a focus confirmation chip)</p>

<p>M39 lenses designed for Leica M series cameras won't be much use. They will only focus very close when mounted on an EOS body. However as James points out, some M39 lenses weren't designed for Leica rangefinders and can be adapted to EOS without focus issues. I think all the Helios series would be compatible as I don't think they were ever made in a Leica rangefinder mount. They were made for Zenit SLRs.</p>

<p>The M39 registration distance is the same as M42. Sometimes L39 is used to designate the LTM (Leica rangefinder) mount lenses.</p>

<p>You'll find hundreds of adapters on eBay, pretty much anything to anything!</p>

<p>Hello all,</p>

<p>Thanks everyone!</p>

<p>Bob, thanks a lot for your insights, really good information on this subject. I've actually purchased a few days ago an M42 to EOS adapter with AF confirmation chip, (already glued on the Adapter - link <a href="http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B008H2I1M2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00">here</a>) it just arrived...</p>

<p>I am a bit discouraged to put it on the camera and try it out now.</p>

<p>I've purchased through amazon.de and the dealear is XCSOURCE (from Hong Kong). Is this reliable?</p>

<p>Thanks,<br /> Rui</p>

<p>Avoid all m39 and L39 lenses on your Canon. The Jupiter 12 will break the mirror and ruin the camera as the back goes deep into the mirror box. The m and L 39 lenses will not make infinity or even close focus, only macro.</p>

<p>Rui,</p>

<p>Most AF confirm adapters will be OK but in my experience the chips are not all exactly in the same place (they are glued on by hand). Frying the electrics of the camera is rare but it has been reported. You 350D is not worth a lot of money so you could probably give it a go without much worry. If you're still a bit nervous then the AF chip is very easy to remove. You can usually pull them off the adapter using your fingers. An adapter without a chip is safe to use.</p>

<p>I've used there or four different focus confirmation chips/adapters and none of them has given me any problems. There have been a few reports of damage to the camera, but they are rare and there are no details that I've seen regarding which chips were involved, what the damage was or how it occured. I'd be very surprised if a misalaigned chip was the problem. When you put a lens on the camera you swipe across all the pins with the contact pads and that doesn't result in any damage. The chip has no internal power and I'm sure Canon have some sort of protection circuitry so that accidental shorting of pins doesn't do anything nasty. It's possible the camera problems were unrelated to the focus chip. I'm not sure anyone who has had such problems has ever tried mounting the lens adapter on a 2nd camera..!</p>

<p>I'd say the risk is small, but it's your decision. </p>

<p>Paul, there are M39 lenses that are the same as M42 lenses (same registration distance, same optics), but just have a different threaded mount. They were made for early Zenit cameras. They don't protrude into the mirror box and should focus to infinity just fine. See </p>

<ul>

<li>Helios-44 - m39 SLR thread</li>

</ul>

<p>on this page - http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Helios-44</p>

<p>Of course the Jupiter 12 <em><strong>isn't</strong></em> one of them.</p>

 

<p>The only trouble I've directly experienced with an AF chip is it falling off and ruining the shutter blades of a Canon 5D. That's what put me off them.</p>

<p>Jupiter 12 is even worse! Its rear element goes a thumbs with inside the camera and must be almost eskimo kissing the shutter curtains of classic film rangefinders; so it is not even adaptable on the digital ones which have a metal shutter in front of a sensor behind a thicker than film galss filter. - there is AFAIK no digital camera at all that could use this lens at infinity.<br>

Don't worry too much about breaking something. Maybe march i.e. ride the nastily vibrating uncomfy vehicel on pothole alley with something else than your adapter attached to the camera, but I guess the chip is unlikely to fall of if you walk a few steps with the adapter attached.<br>

You can order a m39 to M42 adaprter and stack it with what you have if you are eager to explore the Helios which has the reputation to deliver an unique bokeh and should make a decent female portrait lens.<br>

I don't know your adapter seller / maker but I just got 3 inexpensive "K&F Concept" brand something to Fuji X adapters from Hong Kong and they seem to be working "acceptable". One is a bit too short to hit infinity another stacked with a Leitz might need a wee bit of hyperfocal setting, but for average portraits they seem all doing well enough. <br>

In general I wouldn't question old forum threads about old cameras, if they aren't about "whats the bestest?"</p>

<p>Hello Jochey,</p>

<p>...you can also participate. Thanks chap, I'll take your sensitivity on this subject in consideration next time...</p>

<p>Thanks a lot everyone! I'm ready to get started and have some fun :)</p>

<p>Bob Atkins, you're the man, thanks!</p>

<p>Regards,<br /> Rui</p>