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Where to start? (M42)
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PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 12:30 am    Post subject: Where to start? (M42) Reply with quote

Hi guys. I just ordered a couple different EF-m42 adapters, but I don't know where to start as far as lenses go. There are so many choices!

I'd like to start with something affordable. A decent normal or wide angle lens. I'd also like a 200mm or so prime to pair with extension tubes.

I've been browsing ebay for a few days, but I have no idea if anything at all is a good deal or a ripoff.

Thanks!


PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 12:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pentax 55/2 normal lens. SMC or Super-Takumar. Very, very affordable.


PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 1:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Try something cheap to get a start. The normal Takumars are a good choice, if you don't insist on the 50mm f/1.4, which are getting expensive.

You may also look for a Ricoh, Chinon, Cosina or Mamiya 50-55mm f1.7-f/2
Most of these are really very good, and often very cheap. Or Russian Helios 58mm I suppose, many here like them.

Sometimes these are sold under store brands or distributors brands - in the US, Sears, Argus, etc.

These can also often be found on an SLR body, which, oddly, often go for less than the lens on its own.


PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 1:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I work on what price I am willing to pay for a lens on ebay then I Google the lens to find some more info on it...that is how I found this great site Very Happy
What lenses have you been looking at? Put a link to it here and may be those in the know can assist further.


PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 2:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Resist the temptation to buy other than M42 lenses; converting mounts can be a nightmare.


PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 6:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

FF (1D-5D) or crop (7D-550D)?

For a crop normal Mir-1B or some other 35mm.


PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 6:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Any of the Helios lenses (I prefer the earlier ones). SMC Takumar 55mm F1.8 or F2. Those would be my suggestiions for a 1st normal prime.

Pentacon/Meyer 200mm preset for longer.


PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 6:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Helios 44-2 or Takumar 55/1.8 or 55/2 ( Super, S-M-C or SMC ) 55/1.8 or 55/2 cheap but very good and satisfying lenses!
and the f1.4/50, a great lens, often not so cheap any more, but there is one for 65 USD, a real good price, at the market place: http://forum.mflenses.com/fs-smc-takumars-and-spotmatic-sp-ii-updated-t27880.html#1027544

for a cheap 35mm ( making a 'normal lens' on APS-C ) Takumar f3.5/35 or Mir f2.8/35

I personally had started with Takumars because they are also known for their great build which can not be said for the russians and east germans, there is a real chance to get a lemon with those. They are a joy to use and I had found out that on most focal lenghts there hardly is any upgrade to my Taks Wink


PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 8:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

kuuan wrote:
Helios 44-2 or Takumar 55/1.8 or 55/2 ( Super, S-M-C or SMC ) 55/1.8 or 55/2 cheap but very good and satisfying lenses!....

Agree. For 50mm section, both SMC Taks or Helios are good and easy to get thru biding site. Mike


PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 1:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

For a 200mm prime in M42 mount I would recommend a Auto Chinon f3.5. I bought one recently on eBay for £17 stg. I'm very happy with its performance when stopped down a couple of stops but it's only drawback is it's close focusing distance of 2.70 metres!


PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 3:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

helios 44-2....
maybe a tair-11, i've heard good things from it.


PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 4:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Also the industar 50-2, the cutest lens ever!!
Any of the tomiokas 55 1.4, like sears, chinon, porst(some only APS-C)
Any Fujinon EBC
A cyclop 85/1.5 (an helios 40-2 in disguise)
Pentacon 30mm Lydith, very sharp, 10 blades(APS-C)

I find my self manual focusing teles more dificult to use, I had a 135mm and a 200mm. Now the longuest manual lens I own is 85mm (Helios 40 and Cyclop 1.5/85)


PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 5:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Awesome, i'll keep my eye out on ebay.

As for what cameras I have, I have an EOS 3 and a 40D. I also have a couple FD mount cameras, do you think its worth it to get an adapter for that too?


PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2010 6:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

kansalliskala wrote:
FF (1D-5D) or crop (7D-550D)?

For a crop normal Mir-1B or some other 35mm.


Actually, MC Mir-24M (35/2.0) is a surprisingly great lens. Available multicoated, it's very usable even wide open. For about extra $50 you pay compared to the price of Mir-1B, you'll be getting a vastly better lens: one full stop faster (and really usable at f/2); sharper at all apertures; won't hit the mirror of full-frame cameras; much better colors and contrast thanks to multicoating; better build quality (we're talking KMZ vs. Vologda).


PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2010 5:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

How much should I be bidding on these lenses? I'm really weary to not over bid, so I am losing all these auctions. Though I'm not in a hurry. Still, not knowing what is a fair price is bugging me.


PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2010 6:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

stregone wrote:
How much should I be bidding on these lenses? I'm really weary to not over bid, so I am losing all these auctions. Though I'm not in a hurry. Still, not knowing what is a fair price is bugging me.


Super-Multi-Coated and SMC Takumar 55/1.8 should be about $30-40, 55/2 around $25-35. Super-Takumar (single coated) versions sell cheaper, but you'll need a hood to get the most out of them (actually, a matching hood is always a good idea with any lens).

MC Mir-24M (35/2) can be had for about $85-100. Helios-44 in its various versions can fetch anywhere from $5 to $40, depending on exact model number (MC Helios 44M-7 are among the best, 44-2 is the oldest), MC or no MC, condition, etc.

A good 100 or 105mm f/2.8 lens can cost $40-70 (I would pass on Super and SMC Takumars in this focal length; these are not worth the hype IMO). Fujinon (especially the EBS version) 100/2.8 is a very nice one.

Wide angles are expensive. Mir-10A can be more than $100, Zeiss Jena Flektogon is currently way overpriced.


PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2010 11:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

martinsmith99 wrote:
Any of the Helios lenses (I prefer the earlier ones).


+1

I have two 44-2s and a 44M and they are fun lenses to play with.


PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2010 9:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Awesome, thanks for the info. it looks like I'm going to pick up an industar 50-2. There's a million of them available pretty cheap. And then keep my eye open for something faster and/or wider.

Where can I find lens hoods if I can't get one with the lens? Are there generic ones available?


PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2010 9:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The 50-2 has a small filter thread, If I remember right it is 35.5mm.
Yo can get a 35.5-37 step up ring and a 37mm lens hood. It will look awesome Wink


PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2010 10:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Where to start???

I think that the biggest worry is WHERE to END ? Smile

Once you've started, you want to have more, of course ...

affordable solutions are definitely Helios 44 and Jupiter 11-A (4/135) black - it's a killer for small money!!!

These two guys are still in my collection ....

tf


PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2010 6:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DON'T BUY ANY TAKUMARS! LEAVE THOSE FOR WE PENTAX OWNERS! EVERYBODY IS TAKING OUR LENSES! KICK MY DOG, KISS MY WIFE, BUT LEAVE MY LENSES ALONE!!

[/rant]

Do not avoid non-big-name brands. I have some fine M42 glass branded Lentar, Hanimar, Albinar, Suntar, Sears, Focal (K-Mart), Porst, Makinon, Zykkor etc. Many such can be had for under US$20. Good optics to look for would include: 24/2.8, 28/2.8, 35/2.8, 50-55/2 (or faster), 85-100/2.8 (or faster), 135/2.8, 200/4. Sometimes slower lenses are very sharp, and quite cheap; some of my favorites are 21/3.8, 50/3.5, 135/4 and 200/5.6. NOTE: M42 zooms can be problematic -- newer designs are generally better.


PostPosted: Mon May 24, 2010 7:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ok, so I received a tamron 35mm 2.8, and a soligor 135mm 2.8 lens over the last two weeks, but just got my adapter from the slow boat from china the other day So, now I can actualy play with them! I'm still waiting on an industar 50-2 from russia, and also a pair of non chipped adapters also coming from china.

Manual focusing is very very hard through the 40D viewfinder. The focus confirmation chip doesn't seem to be very useful. I have compensated pretty quickly be getting quite good with focusing with liveview, even handheld. Here's a couple test shots with the 35mm lens, both handheld.





The 135mm seems to perform pretty decently as well, but I'm pretty disappointed by its 6ft minimum focusing distance, is that normal with 135mm lenses? I may just be a little spoiled by my canon 100mm 2.8 macro lens (My favorite lens).

Also, metering is a little funky, except in live view. It tends to overexpose more and more the smaller the aperture.


PostPosted: Mon May 24, 2010 8:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

trifox wrote:
Where to start???

I think that the biggest worry is WHERE to END ? Smile

Once you've started, you want to have more, of course ...

affordable solutions are definitely Helios 44 and Jupiter 11-A (4/135) black - it's a killer for small money!!!

These two guys are still in my collection ....

tf


This man speaks the truth. I would definitely start with a Takumar as they are easy to find in a pawn shop (they're usually attached to a Pentax 35mm camera) and they are reasonably to very fast depending on what you get.

Where to stop? That's the real question and a great topic for discussion.


PostPosted: Tue May 25, 2010 5:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

stregone wrote:
Ok, so I received a tamron 35mm 2.8, and a soligor 135mm 2.8 lens over the last two weeks, but just got my adapter from the slow boat from china the other day So, now I can actualy play with them! I'm still waiting on an industar 50-2 from russia, and also a pair of non chipped adapters also coming from china.

Manual focusing is very very hard through the 40D viewfinder. The focus confirmation chip doesn't seem to be very useful. I have compensated pretty quickly be getting quite good with focusing with liveview, even handheld. Here's a couple test shots with the 35mm lens, both handheld.





The 135mm seems to perform pretty decently as well, but I'm pretty disappointed by its 6ft minimum focusing distance, is that normal with 135mm lenses? I may just be a little spoiled by my canon 100mm 2.8 macro lens (My favorite lens).

Also, metering is a little funky, except in live view. It tends to overexpose more and more the smaller the aperture.


your beautiful samples show me that you did a perfect job focusing and that the lens must be very good too, congrats!


PostPosted: Tue May 25, 2010 8:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

stregone wrote:
Ok, so I received a tamron 35mm 2.8, and a soligor 135mm 2.8 lens over the last two weeks, but just got my adapter from the slow boat from china the other day So, now I can actualy play with them! I'm still waiting on an industar 50-2 from russia, and also a pair of non chipped adapters also coming from china.

Manual focusing is very very hard through the 40D viewfinder. The focus confirmation chip doesn't seem to be very useful. I have compensated pretty quickly be getting quite good with focusing with liveview, even handheld. Here's a couple test shots with the 35mm lens, both handheld.





The 135mm seems to perform pretty decently as well, but I'm pretty disappointed by its 6ft minimum focusing distance, is that normal with 135mm lenses? I may just be a little spoiled by my canon 100mm 2.8 macro lens (My favorite lens).

Also, metering is a little funky, except in live view. It tends to overexpose more and more the smaller the aperture.


Hi.

COngrat. This 35 mm seems to be a real good one.

Have you pics of both lenses? There are several versions of the tamron and the soligor. Which do you have?

Rino