M 42 adapter for Z6

I have K&F Concept (Kent-Faith) adapters for my Sony cameras. They're well-made and reasonably priced.

Having said that, they're (mostly) just a tube with different mounts at each end. So not much to go wrong.

WRT adapted M42 lenses: be prepared for disappointment. IME there are very few of them with image quality that makes them worthwhile using on a high-res digital camera.

Old Pentax Super-Takumars? Mostly below average performers on digital.

CZ-Pentacon lenses?

Better, but not great, and heavy and clumsy-looking on a MILC body.

Others?

A Chinon 55mm f/1.4 was a pleasant surprise. Again though, it's a hefty lump that makes the camera front heavy.

rodeo_joe has very high standards, and that's fine;, but your experience, like mine, may not be the same.

Many M42x1 lenses are superb, and work as well as any film camera lenses on modern digital.

rodeo_joe has very high standards, and that's fine;, but your experience, like mine, may not be the same.

 

Many M42x1 lenses are superb, and work as well as any film camera lenses on modern digital.

I'm not saying all M42 lenses are bad. Just suggesting a lowering of expectations.

There seems to be an Internet meme of praising almost any old lens to the heavens, among a certain section of photographers. And I'm just trying to add a bit of realism and balance to that view.

You might want to browse this thread I started for a wider review of adapted lenses.

I have K&F Concept (Kent-Faith) adapters for my Sony cameras. They're well-made and reasonably priced.

 

Having said that, they're (mostly) just a tube with different mounts at each end. So not much to go wrong.

 

WRT adapted M42 lenses: be prepared for disappointment. IME there are very few of them with image quality that makes them worthwhile using on a high-res digital camera.

 

Old Pentax Super-Takumars? Mostly below average performers on digital.

CZ-Pentacon lenses?

Better, but not great, and heavy and clumsy-looking on a MILC body.

Others?

A Chinon 55mm f/1.4 was a pleasant surprise. Again though, it's a hefty lump that makes the camera front heavy.

I guess it might depend on what you call a high-res digital camera. I find generally there's little to no need for such things at all & 24MP is ample resolution (no longer considered high-res).

Many of my legacy lenses are perfectly capable of producing excellent images on any of my mirrorless bodies (3 sensor sizes with 12-24MP).

Personally I prefer LTM lenses to M42 ones for moderate focal lengths these are very much lighter than the native options.

Some of my M42 lenses are heavy & clumsy looking the Takumar 300mm f/4 is the only one that springs to mind.

I avoid M42 zooms as the very early zoom designs are generally somewhat questionable quality, with primes this isn't a factor that's noticeable unless you go right back to pre WW2 lenses.

Modern native glass is often characterless in comparison to legacy lenses, also in my experience modern lenses are often bulkier & tend to cost quite a bit more, it's not all loss as they tend to be significantly faster :).

Most of my adapters are cheaper models than K&F, sometimes they prove a little too short (if short focal lengths are being used) but this can usually be corrected if necessary using some simple shims. Most of my M42 adapters have helicoids built in giving improved close focusing capabilities over more basic adapters. Even with these there little to go wrong!