This M42 to K adapter ?

These things are pretty rare in NZ.
Does this one look like a goer ?
$43 plus
cheers
Pete[/img]

That's ver interesting as it looks as though there is a flange that extends proud of the mount and locks into the lens release pin. This would mean that the lens release would be operable, unlike the Pentax Adapter K.

However, this is not really very useful on two counts.

Firstly, the lens will be mounted further away from the film/CCD so infinity focus will be lost.

Secondly, whilst it's tempting to think that oone of these would convert a lens to K bayonet and mean it could be attached and detached more easily, I suspect the lens will tend to unscrew rather than the bayonet turn. So we would be no better off.

IMHO you would be better off buying a Pentax Adapter K, available new for about £15 GBP and probably on eBay for similar prices.

Hope that helps.

OK thanks for that John.
It was the focus issue I was wondering about.
Does the pentax one permit the adapter to stay on the lens?
cheers
Pete

Unfortunately not. Think of it as an adapter to convert a K mount body into a screw thread one. Then you can attach and detach screw thread lenses in the usual way.

The actual technique is to screw the adapter onto a lens and then bayonet this combination onto the body. Then you remove and attach lenses as you wish, but the adapter stays in the K mount on the body.

When you wish to remove the adapter you press a small spring with a small screwdriver or similar item, rotate it gently and then let it drop out into your hand. The Pentax adapter works perfectly in this way but other makes may not fit quite so beautifully.

Hi,
I live in the UK and have some M42 lenses with aperture pin. Do you know any adaptor that can push the pin in as the lens screwed in?
It's very impractical to shoot wide open all time.
Thanks
Duc

If you set the lenses to "M" or "MAN" which is the manual setting, then turning the aperture ring will close down the aperture.

There is no auto adapter, so all aperture setting has to be done manually. Metering is still possible and is called "stop down metering" when done in this way.

Thanks, and to be specific, I own a number of Voigtlander and Carl Zeiss M42 lenses. As such, stop down metering has been with me since my Canon days.

On a Canon body, there is adaptors with a secondary flange to push the aperture pin down. The following link shows it clearly:
http://www.goshotcamera.com/product/LAD003M42EOSBLCONFIR
Hopefully the rim is shown clearly enough to demonstrate my point.

I also found this adaptor for Pentax:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270102958853&sspage...

The seller of this Pentax adaptor claim that it is compatible with Voightlander M42 lenses (and all Voigtlander lenses are designed with an aperture pin) so I suppose it is the one I was looking for.

However, at 45 pounds I still want to make sure before I purchase it. Has anybody used this Kindai adaptor before.
Cheers
Duc

If you read the small print, it says manual aperture adjustment only and also says the lens flange distance is altered. This means manual adjustment of aperture and also no infinity focus, as I described above.

The pin is common to all M42 lenses and is activated by a plate in the camera body on screw mount cameras. There is no such plate on K mount cameras, which use a different method to stop down.

Hence it's going to be stop down metering anyway. The advantage to the adapter you linked to is that you can put an adapter on every lens and use the K mount as a bayonet mount, but for me the lack of infinity focus would outweigh that. It would be OK if you only take close up and macro images.

I suppose the Pentax claim that the new cameras can use all old lenses is true but its a shame they didn't put more effort into the adapter situation ?
I spose I can find a nice way to screw on a lens while holding the camera face down...
blowed if I'm going to let my f1.4 50mm lanquish on the Spotmatic !

Hi, I bought some very nice Takumar lenses and bellows all at M42. I bought an M42 adaptor, shipped from China, but because of its poor quality ended locked in my camera. I had to unscrew the bayonet from my brand new K10D after trying to force the mount out. It was locked so much I had to finally cut it free with a cutting pliers.

I have now bought an M42 adaptor with a key, made in Japan and this is working very well. It is important you buy it with a key or you will find it difficutl to get it out because the first thing that comes off is the lens, the adaptor will stay flash in the bayonet. With this one I am able to focus to infinity:
M42 Adaptor