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Manual Focus Lenses Forum

Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.
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Pentax K10d and Manual focus lenses
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 5:30 am
Post subject: Re: Best body for m42 and focusing screens
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 5:30 am
Post subject: Re: Best body for m42 and focusing screens
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I HAVE A K10D AND IT WORKS OK WITH M42 LENSES BUT I MUST CONFESS THAT USING THEM STOPPED DOWN FOR METERING IS A PAIN AND I GET JUST AS GOOD RESULTS WITH MY PANASONIC L1 (ALBEIT WITH A X2 CROP FACTOR) BUT WITH THE IMMENSES ADVANTAGE OF A HIGHLY MAGNIFIED LIVE VIEW FOR FOCUS ACCURACY WHEN REQUIRED...

DOUG

(CAPS LOCK JAMMED) I AM NOT SHOUTING!

AsahiFujicaTokina wrote:
I have a collection of M42 lenses that I started 40 years ago, upgraded over the years, and never made the switch to bayonet. After my Mamiya bodies wore out I used these with Fujica ST and AX series bodies with an AX adapter. Now I want to use them on a digital body.

In reading so far, it would appear that the Pentax K10D suits my interest and budget the best. I have no interest in using any other than M42 manual focus lenses on my future digital body.

Q1 - Is the Pentax the "best" body in the sense that it allows the least cumbersome use of these lenses (switching between open aperture for focusing and stopped down for metering and taking???)

Q2 - What are people doing about changing the viewscreen to make manual focusing a little easier?

Q3 - What options on the adapter ring are there?

Q4 - Is there any reasonably appropriate body for these lenses with a full size chip?

Here are my lenses:
28mm f3.5 EBC Fujinon-SW
35mm f2.8 Flektagon (aus Jena)
55mm f1.8 Fujinon
50mm f1.4 SMC Takumar
105mm f2.8 SMC Takumar
135mm f2.5 SMC Takumar
200mm f4.5 EBC Fujinon-T
400mm f5.6 RMC Tokina
35-105mm f3.5-4.5 RMC Tokina

I also have extension rings, Asahi bellows and slide copier, Asahi microscope adapter, and an Asahi reversing ring.


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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:01 am
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:01 am
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One of the reasons I never got rid of my screw mount lenses and bought into Nikon or Cannon (or Yashica/contax) is because I am cheap. The L1 is far outside my comfort zone price wise.

But you bring up a good point - are there non-slr cameras that screw mount lenses can be attached/adapted to? Really, the optical viewpath and mirror are pretty un-necessary when you can have a real live view on a good sized screen.

Doug H.


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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:24 am
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:24 am
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Any of the micro 4/3 will do just nicely.. but the L1 is really really cheap now - I saw a body only go for 210 on fleaBay.. unusually cheap but by no means unheard of!

Doug A. (lol)

AsahiFujicaTokina wrote:
One of the reasons I never got rid of my screw mount lenses and bought into Nikon or Cannon (or Yashica/contax) is because I am cheap. The L1 is far outside my comfort zone price wise.

But you bring up a good point - are there non-slr cameras that screw mount lenses can be attached/adapted to? Really, the optical viewpath and mirror are pretty un-necessary when you can have a real live view on a good sized screen.

Doug H.


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Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 8:22 pm
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Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 8:22 pm
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but Doug, I don't get it why live view is the reason to go m4/3, a Pentax K7 or K-x with 'crop' x1.5 do have live view with magnification too


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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 7:47 am
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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 7:47 am
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So is the Kx just as user friendly as the K10 with screw mount lenses? Is it the same chip size as the K10?


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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:14 am
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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:14 am
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AsahiFujicaTokina wrote:
So is the Kx just as user friendly as the K10 with screw mount lenses? Is it the same chip size as the K10?


Yes.

BTW: I have the K-7 and it has a very good Live View. I use it almost exclusively when using MF lenses, because focusing is 100% accurate and the light is metered from the sensor. So in Av mode you almost always have an exposure that is spot on.


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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 12:20 pm
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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 12:20 pm
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If using M42 screwmount I'd recommend Pentax without any slight hesitation, think is the best choice: image stabilisation, good viewfinder, 'crop' of x1.5, double focus confirmation being surprisingly precise on K-x, and the live view of the K-x is decent too.
Metering in Av mode on K-x I found very unreliable though, as much as useless really ( and it worked very fine with my old Pentax *istDs ) On the K-x I use M mode and press the 'green button' to meter and that works very well, even slightly better than Av mode does on the *istDs.


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Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 6:07 pm
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Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 6:07 pm
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kuuan wrote:
[M42 lenses:] Metering in Av mode on K-x I found very unreliable though, as much as useless really ( and it worked very fine with my old Pentax *istDs ) On the K-x I use M mode and press the 'green button' to meter and that works very well, even slightly better than Av mode does on the *istDs.

I am wondering why there should be any difference.
In both modes the metering is essentially the same, stopped down.

Overall I have found metering with M lenses quite unreliable in all modes.
There are many threads on this in the Pentax forums. It seems that the new screens are not linear (for light transmittance). Metering is roughly ok arround f4, but one gets underexposure at f2 and overexposure at f8 and f11.


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Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 3:28 pm
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Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 3:28 pm
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Hello pentaxians....

I am looking for a little information about using Leica R lenses on the K10D.

A friend of mine had a K10D, and i am trying to find out more about the Pentax bayonet, are they all the same???

Are there and good Leica R to Pentax adapters to suit the K10D??

I look forward to your help....


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Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:55 pm
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Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:55 pm
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maybe i didn´t see it, expected to all the prof´s here to shout: Leitax
so have a look at
http://www.leitax.com/

they will probably have most of the adaptors you need to convert Leica R to Pentax.. i have one for Nikon and can tell you quality is extraordinary compared to the chinese copies


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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 7:56 am
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 7:56 am
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Thanks Thomas,

i was hoping for an adapter to sit in between the R mount and Pentax mount, i guess that the registration differences must be very similar.

He is thinking about getting a Canon body, so he was hoping to be able to use the R lenses on either body, it sounds like that may not be possible.

Thanks for your help.


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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 1:59 am
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 1:59 am
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Pentax K10D
Pentax SMC M 50mm F1.7




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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 2:03 am
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 2:03 am
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Pentax K10D
Pentax SMC M 135mm F3.5




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Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 7:14 pm
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Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 7:14 pm
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Pentax K10D+1980's 50mm f1.7 SMC Pentax-A at f2.8, available light

Burnham Lifeboat Standard Dedication by pentaxpete, on Flickr


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Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 10:32 am
Post subject: Back focus trouble --
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Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 10:32 am
Post subject: Back focus trouble --
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Many times now i am getting 'back-focus' with my manual focus lenses on my K10D -- here is a sample-- carefully focussed as I was at full aperture f4 on my 70=150mm f4 SMC Pentax-M, available light -- Princess Anne is OUT of Focus


HRH Princess Anne visits Brentwood by pentaxpete, on Flickr


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Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 6:43 am
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Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 6:43 am
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Has someone used Pentax digital bodies with genuine Adaptall-2 adapter?
With 28-50?

How does it work: aperture, exposure etc?


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Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2022 3:31 pm
Post subject: Update in 2022
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Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2022 3:31 pm
Post subject: Update in 2022
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I feel the pain of people with M42, M and K lenses

I bought a K3-iii for Xmas and was pleasantly surprised the you can also use the M and K lenses in Av mode.
The camera closes the diaphragm, meters and then shoots; yes it takes a second but I found this awesome.

In this day and age, mechanical components are more expensive than electronic, and that makes an M42-pin more difficult to adapt.

Last edited by titrisol70 on Wed May 11, 2022 3:01 pm; edited 1 time in total


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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2022 7:57 am
Post subject: Re: Update in 2022
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2022 7:57 am
Post subject: Re: Update in 2022
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titrisol70 wrote:
I feel the pain of people with M42, M and K lenses
I bought a K3-iii for Xmas and was pleasantly surprised the you can also use the M and K lenses in Av mode.
The camera closes the diaphragm, meters and then shoots; yes it takes a second but I found this awesome.

In this day and age, mechanical components are more expensive than electronic, and that makes an M42-pin more difficult to adapt.


Indeed, no other SLR camera manufacturer comes to my mind who is still maintaining lens compatibility from the beginning to presence; i.e. in this case more than 50 years.
Furthermore, not many are still in business, besides Pentax there is only Nikon and Canon.
Of course, there is also Leica on the RF side, but that's it.
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