M42 Lenses - Recommendations?

[Solidpace]

Hello!
Having been bitten by the MF bug last year, I'm looking to purchase some more lenses, preferably M42 mount like my current MF lenses, and would truly appreciate your suggestions.

What I'd most like to find is a lens with an aperture of 1.4 or wider in the 55mm to 70mm range, with a budget of about $250.
Having tried the the S-M-C Takumar 50mm f/1.4, which is a joy to use, I found myself longing after the longer focal length of the Helios-44 I use at the moment.
I realize this is probably a futile search as most lenses are 50mm in length, but it's always worth asking!

I'm also looking into buying a 135mm lens with an aperture of 2.8 or wider, to complement the Jupiter-37A I currently use. There is an endless amount of alternatives available, so I really appreciate any and all suggestions for a lens with reasonable sharpness and 'bokeh' quality wide open. With a budget of around $100 in mind, would the Tair-11A be a good alternative?

I remember visiting a website last year with a very comprehensive and helpful database on old M42 lenses, with the specifications, user comments and (possibly, can't remember for sure) sample photos taken with them. Does anyone know if it's still around? I didn't bookmark it, naturally, and can't find it now despite trying my best.

Many thanks for any suggestions, I often browse here for inspiration and information!
-Solidpace

[Attila]

Tair-11A one of the best fast 135mm lens with M42 mount. ~100 USD good price.

My quick M42 suggestion.

Any Russian ,Takumar, Chinon, Tokina, Vivitar Series 1, Steinheil, Schenider Kreuznach, Carl Zeiss, Carl Zeiss Jena, Meyer-Optik, Pentacon is good choice what you can find and afford. + Pentacon six, Kiev-60 lenses + M42-P6 adapter.

http://www.mflenses.com/gallery/v/mount/m42lens/

[djmike]

[AhamB]

There have only been 54802725 threads about this... Why don't you just browse some of the many many threads about M42 lenses and look at ones about focal lengths that you like to use. There is such a wealth of information here - please make use of it.

[Univer]

Welcome!

The M42 information site you're thinking of is/was M42artlimited.net, most likely. While it wasn't necessarily fully up to date (or comprehensive), I consulted it often. The URL still works, but it seems the M42 lens portion of the enterprise has been dropped.

With respect to your specific question about longer-than-50mm fast normal lenses, there are a few options. For one thing, there's a range of excellent 55/1.4 M42 lenses, all arguably sharing a common design: brand names include Rikenon, Sears, Mamiya/Sekor, and probably a few others. You should be able to locate a nice example at a price well within your budget. (True, they're 55s, rather than 58s, but that might be a compromise you could live with.)

Another option would be to find a 58/1.4 Topcor, and convert the mount to M42 using one of the kits available on eBay. I've done that successfully, as have several other members. The problem there might be bringing everything in under US$250. The adapter is ~US$50, so the challenge would be locating a good user example of the Topcor at or below US$200. Not impossible by any means - I seem to recall a few popping up recently on eBay at good prices, although I had no reason to check the listings closely - but it might require a bit of patience.

I'm sure I'm forgetting many other possibilities, but that's a starting point, in any case.

Beyond that, you've already got some excellent advice. There's a lot of knowledge gathered here; I would search around and absorb it.

Good luck!

Jon

[Solidpace]

Hello again,