M42 Zooms?

Got to thinking about old zooms, so I went to the Pentax Time Line, and looked at M42 Special lenses.

They have 5 Screw Mount Zooms listed - none lasted beyond 1976 of course, but many only lasted 1 yr.

All were incredibly ambitious, with tons of glass, and weighed in at about a kilo average. None were brighter than f4. Three of five were SMC - 1971 through 1976.

I've never come accross any in my limited experience on eBay, and wonder if that many were sold?

Were any of these M42 Screw Zooms worthy of notice?

(One small inquiring mind wants to know ... please?)

The Takumar screw thread zooms were very, very heavy....

However, I understand that they are commendable performers. I think the downside is the size and weight. I personally wouldn't use them because of that.

Yes, they do appear on eBay from time to time.

Hi Mac,
It may not come as a complete surprise but I do happen to have a couple of the M42 Zooms. The first "series" were very big and heavy. The second series were just big and heavy. As to performance, you have to remember they were introduced right at the start of zoom technology. As usual Pentax did not compromise with the performance which is why they are so big and heavy and they compared very favourably with other zooms of the time. However, they contain a lot of elements and have several moving groups. Because of all this, there is a large performance difference between these and the Pentax primes of the period which some say are the best that Pentax produced. If you want a user friendly lens for regular use, I would get a later third party one in M42 such as the Vivitar series 1 lenses. These will balance much better on the camera and will give a comparable performance. If you want to collect a Pentax one, it will give give good results but you had better sign up for a weight lifting course

Kim

Kim

I tried to win a K series zoom on eBay, but failed dismally because I didn't think it was worth a hige amount of money. It was basically a 80-200mm but the size was just phenomenal.

When you compare it to a modern zoom, it is in such a different world...

Do you actually use the M42 zooms or are they more collector's items?

Hi John,
I would put the M42 Zooms into the "collector" catagory. The 75-150 is huge, weighs nearly 3lbs and is a 4.5! The 85-210 is lighter but very long and doesn't balance that well. The 45-125 is usable but still large and heavy in comparison to what most people expect from a zoom. I won't mention the 135-600!

I have used the M42 Zooms, (75-150 and 85-210) but only because I could. I wouldn't take them out other than for the sake of using them. I have also used the K version of the 45-125 and 85-210. A good, properly working Spottie with primes in the middle region (28-200) is a delight to use and capable of very good results. These will get a fairly regular outing but the zooms are more akin to the Asahiflex's. They are better considered as fun to use occasionally rather than working tools.

Kim

Kim and John,

Thank's for your input. I guess the idea of a zoom is that you have a prime lens most of the time that can serve as a telephoto when necessary.
But a 3 lb prime on a heavy Spotmatic is a bit much.

Kim, your collection shelf must be one heck of a strong piece of furniture!