M42 to Nikon Question

[albertdarmali]

Sorry this is my second M42-related question, but I couldn't find the answer anywhere.

I was just wondering if we have an M42 adapter, does the adapter attach to the camera mount or does it attach to

the lens? So for example, if it's attached to the lens, that means for example, if you wanna switch to different

M42 lens, you have to remove the lens that is attached to your camera, then remove the adapter from the lens,

then attach it to the other M42 lens?

 

Or is the adapter attached to the camera itself? So the adapter is stuck on the lens mount and if you want to

change M42 lenses, you just need to remove the lens and then just attach another M42 lens without having to

remove the adapter?

 

Thanks in advance guys.

[seland]

You could do either way, but the general rule is to attach the adapter on the camera, then the lens. This is a rule for Hasselblad. Since the T42 is a screw bayonette it's the easiest way also, especially on Canon and other, but Nikon is "da links", turning left to detach the lens.

[albertdarmali]

I just bought a Carl Zeiss Jena that comes with an adapter, looks like the adapter is semi permanently attached to the lens itself, because I can see a little screw around the adapter. Is this quite common?

[seland]

I don't know, but I have screws on my M42 adapter, but that's just part of the construction, not for securing to the lens. How does the adapter go off the lens?

[craig_shearman1]

I don't think it matters which you put it onto/into first. If you have several screw mount lenses you're going to use, just leave it in the camera and screw the lenses in and out as if it were a screw mount body. But as I've said earlier, I don't think using this combination of body and lens makes much sense -- you can get used manual focus Nikon-mount lenses nearly as cheap as used screwmount lenses, and if you already have a big collection of screw mount lenses you can pick up a screw mount body for virtually nothing.

[tommyinca]

M42 flange to image media distant is shorter than Nikkor. It does not adapt well to Nikon 35mm camera. Most M42-

Nikkor adapters either have (poor) correction optics or give up some (far side) focus distant. Unlike Pentax K-mount

adapter, these adapters do not require it to attach to the lens first. May be what you have is a custom conversion

which took off 1 mm from the flange. If it is, you can focus to infinity without correction optics. It would be interesting

if

you can show a picture of it.

[wei_who]

Lens to CCD/film distance: Nikon =46.5mm, Leica=28.8mm. No adaptor can make Leica lens "inside" the Nikon body; or damage the Nikon body.

[yuri_sopko]

The best way is to buy multiple adapters so you have for each lens. That is what I do.

 

Any ways, it is true that the film-to-flange focal distance is longer on a Nikon compared to most other cameras. So, if you were to mount a Canon M42 lens on a Nikon you would never get to infinity. However, a lot of M42 lenses allow you to focus past the infinity stop allowing you to focus to infinity.

 

Also, the focus to infinity issue is and only is an issue if you want to focus to infinity. For any shot that is not at infinity it will make no difference. However, on some systems like with a Leica as posted above that 20mm difference will really cut down on your ability to focus. But, staying with SLR M42 mount lenses the difference will be negligible.

 

One last thing, the screws on the M42 mount adapters is so you can align the lens after it is mounted to the camera. As you screw the lens into the adapter and then mount it you will see that the aperture readout may be to the side or upside down. So, you loosen the screws till you can get movement and rotate the lens in the mount to your liking. Then you tighten them back up.

 

Yuri