here is a site you may find interesting

http://www.markerink.org/WJM/HTML/mounts.htm

it lists the registration distances for more camera mount standards than you could possibly need to know.

If the lens you wish to mount has a registration distance significantly longer than the body you want to mount it to, then an adaptor is relatively easy to make even if it's not commercially made, and someone like John's company above should be able to help you.

If the distances are the same, you might be lucky (M-42 to K is possible and indeed common) but only if the lens mount is small enough to fit inside the mouth of the camera body.

If the body has a longer registration distance than the lens, then an adaptor is only possible either for macro use (it acts as an extension tube and you loose infinity focus) or using optical elements which will inevitably degrade image quality and act as a short teleconverter (usu ~1.25x).

Unfortunately it looks like Contax use exactly the same reg distance as Pentax, and Minolta's is very similar so it's pretty unlikely that you'll be able to get an adaptor which works in an acceptable fasion.

Damn I'm glad I bought mine for £150

So that's where I've been going wrong with the Tamron, I assumed it was for taking pictures THROUGH!

Everyone should have a 50mm prime. Best. Lens. Ever.

conclusive proof that it's the photographer pressing the button who makes the photo!

There are a lot of people out there who "need" better quality lenses/bodies who could learn a lot from looking at what you have achieved here with a 6MP body and the "kit" telephoto.

yes, come on, when are you going to tell us who's right?

I've gone 1-K20, 2-DS

My reasoning is that I find my K10 resolves extremely fine features such as hair rather better than my *istDL2 does. The DL2 packs the same sensor as the DS, and picture 2 looks as I would expect output from my DL2 to look.

Both look really good though, and as said above I very much doubt you'd notice the difference up to ~10x8 unless you were really looking for it.

Indeed it is quite possible to mount certain lenses on our DSLRs which are already well on their way to their first human lifetime.

There are Takumars out there which are old enough to be my dad!

Pentax:

Smaller, lighter, arguably the best of the classic 50mm 1.4s and exhibits almost no distortion.

Sigma: Sharper wide open due to more modern design, but bigger, heavier, more expensive.


For me the beauty of a 50mm prime is they're so small and light that you have to have a good reason NOT to have one in your bag, so I'd go for the Pentax every time.

If you want absolute best possible image quality, consider the sigma in this case.

I get focus confirm on all my M42 lenses, I actually find them easier to use than M series K mount lenses since you have the stop down switch on the lens to allow Av operation at apertures other than wide open.

I love my Zeiss MC Flektogon. I got it and a 135 Sonar, a Praktica camera body, kit bag and tripod for £20. Bargain of the decade for me!

I also use a Tamron 90mm SP macro in Adaptall-2 mount with a KA adaptor, and a Tamron 300mm F2.8 in the same.


There's no way I'll ever be able to afford that kind of glass brand new, so second hand manual focus is my friend!