Best m42 mount lenses

[jb_bb]

Not long ago my pentax spotmatic broke. So i was left with two very nice lenses a 55 mm 1.8 and a35 mm 3.5 takumars. Then i found

out that these could be used in any m42 mount cameras ecxept that they would only work in stop down mode at least in my new mamiya

500 msx. I dont realley care bacause it dosent seem to be a problem for me at least. Sp now a hole new world of m42 mount lenses and

cameras has opende up for me..hurray..So i was wondering which m42 mount lenses could be the best combo for my two cameas: the

maiya 500 msx and the praktica mtl3 ( im getting next week). ( In konw that mamiya sekor lenses would work in full aparture mode but as

i said ..i dont mind stoping down ). What im looking for my self is: pentax takumar, pentacons, fujinons or mamiya sekor...any combo

better than others?

[darin_cozine]

Did you have the spotmatic F?

What happened to it?

 

Basically the only lenses that

will work in full aperture mode

are the ones dedicated to that

system. There is a linkage

required to tell the patent

camera what aperture the lens is

set to.

 

The spotmatic F, es, and es2 will

work in full aperture mode with

the super multi coated takumars.

 

That little 35mm f3.5 is a

fabulous lens. I have not tried

the 55mm f1.8 yet but it has good

reputation

[jb_bb]

Thanks darin. It was an spotmatic sp and the mirror would close now and then so i ditched it. Ok so only dedicated

lenses works full aparture! Any experinces with fujinon lenses? I can buy some really cheap fujinon 55 mm 1.8 and a 200

mm 4.5. ( it comes with a fujica st801 which i dont know if it is any good - i think i can at least use the lenses on my

mamiya msx as it has m42 mount)

[User_502260]

<p>The Mamiya SX series lenses were made for your MSX500. They provide full aperture metering. In the common focal lengths (28-200) they are reasonably priced and are also decent performers. </p>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>The Fujica ST801 is one of my favourite Fuji cameras, <strong>Jb</strong>; it's the last Fujica with a mechanical shutter and has a M42 screw mount. Fujinon lenses are among the best, but some of the M42 mount Fujinon lenses for this camera won't mount on other M42 mount cameras, as there's a little lug on the Fujica mount that allows open-aperture metering on the ST801. Other lenses without the lug will mount on the camera but you have to use stop-down metering, and if you want to use the lenses on other M42 mount cameras you can file the lug off.</p>

[tony_lockerbie]

<p>The real beauty of the M42 cameras is the vast range and affordability, you can just get so much for so little.<br>

The Mamiyas are nice to use, as is the various Fujicas suggested by Rick...we all have our favourites and I always tend towards the Pentax. Your 55mm 1.8 and 35mm 3.5 are both top lenses, and Asahi just didn't really make a bad one...except maybe for the old 20mm.<br>

Lenses that you can get for not much and I highly recommend are the 135mm 3.5 Takumar, 28mm 3.5 Takumar, and my favourite, the 50mm 1.4. That's just a couple of what is a vast collection of fine lenses, so have fun.</p>

[michael_linn]

<p>I think that the advantages of M42 cameras are well known. </p>

<p>For starters, I doubt that the OP's Spotmatic "broke". That's unlikely. What likely happened was that the forty year old lubrication finally failed. It's a problem which will dog all of the M42 cameras he has mentioned, if they have not been recently serviced.</p>

<p>Yes, there is a whole new world of M42 lenses and cameras available today for a pittance. The lenses are likely in better shape than the camera bodies, but that is not saying much. E-bay is full of little heart breakers at low cost. Without figuring in the cost of refurbishing a camera to normal specs, we'll have yet another thread wailing about the cost of failed film cameras.</p>

<p>Be prepared to pay for something that works. Almost all of the classic M42 cameras and lenses can be restored to original performance. Try to buy from a seller who has a history of selling stuff that is accurately described and which <em>works</em>.</p>

[SCL]

<p>A number of other SLR cameras can use the versatile M42 lenses in stop down mode via inexpensive readily available adapters, the older SLR ones I own are a Minolta (S mount) and a Canon (FD mount),a Contax and a Yashica (C/Y mount). FWIW I also use them on a mirrorless micro 4/3 body. Great lenses.</p>

[subbarayan_prasanna]

<p>There are a number of fine lenses made by Zeiss Jena and Meyer Optik in M42 mount. Many others are copies of Zeiss design. JDM would have recommended both Meyer and CZJ lenses. This is where we miss him!, sp</p>

[james_elwing]

<p>There are also respectable Carl Zeiss lenses for I forget the camera, but different models were made for bayonet and screw thread & also Rollei/Zeiss lenses for Voigtlander tm SLR</p>

[CoryAmmerman]

<p>The MTL-3 only meters in stop-down, so it's a good thing you don't mind doing it that way. I have a Mamiya 55/1.8 SX and a Pentacon 50/1.8. Both are respectable performers, but neither is likely to be noticeably better, or worse, than the Takumar you already have. </p>

<p>There are a lot of M42 lenses, made by a lot of different manufacturers. Some are pretty good, some not so much. Best to research each on an individual basis before buying. Takumars and Mamiyas seem to be well regarded, in general. If you are interested in zooms as well as primes, Tamron made some nice lenses with Adaptall mounts that can be fitted to pretty much any camera with the correct Adaptall adapter. </p>

[james_elwing]

<p>Re my earlier post; Icarex and Voigtlander VSL1 models with thread mount</p>

[paul_noble]

<p>I may be wrong, but I believe that the only M42 cameras that could meter wide open, were the Pentax Spotmatic F, Pentax ES and Pentax ES-II. I don't believe that any other manufacturer picked up on the SMC Takumar linkage. It was too little, too late, anyway. Shortly thereafter, Pentax gave up and introduced the bayonet style K-mount.</p>

<p>If you had a Spotmatic SP, it never did wide open metering. It ONLY did stop-down metering.</p>

<p>So, unless you buy one of those three cameras, you will not find a camera that meters wide open with your lenses.</p>

<p>And, as far as I know, none of the adapters to allow M42 lenses to be used on later, bayonet mount film cameras, or DSLRs, even support the "automatic" stop down aperture that the Spotmatic did. That means that, not only must you use stop down metering, the lenses must be used in manual mode.</p>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>Mustn't forget the excellent Praktica LLC/ PLC2 /PLC3 cameras that featured wide open metering in the late 1970's. They were ahead of their time, using electronic aperture simulation rather than any mechanical linkage; three contacts on the Pentacon Electric lenses connected with three on the camera mount. These were regular M42 mount lenses apart from the contact areas, and very good they are, too. The cameras operated on stop-down metering for non-electric lenses, and the lenses fitted any other M42-mount camera. Perhaps it's time I re-visited these...</p>

[User_502260]

<p>The Mamiya MSX and DSX cameras have full aperture metering when used with SX series lenses or other SX compatible lenses. </p>

[Mike Gammill]

If you're going to "mix and match" with M42 lenses, I wouldn't worry about whether or not you'll have open aperture metering. Just enjoy the wide variety of (often bargain-priced) lenses that are out there. BTW, I think there were a few nice Yashica Yashinons out there as well.

Nice thing about M42 is that there is a variety of adapters that allow them to fit other systems and still retain infinity focus without utilizing extra optics. I frequently use some of my M42 lenses via adapter on my K-mount Pentax gear as well as my Minolta SR/SRT gear.

[Brad Cloven]

<p>The SMC TAKUMAR 1:1.4/50 is the first lens (among many dozens) where I noticed how beautiful the out of focus areas were. The subject was in perfect focus. The out of focus areas blew out quickly and with a buttery effect. Wow.</p>

<p>I used it on the Spotmatic F, and had a whole roll come back with really great results under tough conditions (in the shade on a hot sunny day).</p>

[User_1172872]

<p>I believe Fuji was one of the first, if not the first, to use a gallium photodiode (is that the correct terminology?) as an alternative to the CDS cell. But I can't remember whether it appeared on their M42 cameras. There was also a Chinon 'Memotron' series that implemented aperture priority auto exposure by setting the shutter speed after the aperture closed. See the link here:<br>

https://www.cameraquest.com/slr42ae.htm</p>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>The Pentax MX also used gallium (I think gallium arsenide?) but it was match diode rather than aperture priority and was K mount rather than M42. But in the Chinon its fast response made stop down metering faster.</p>