M42 Lenses

The Greek

The Greek

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Chris
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Anyone using M42 Lenses on a Canon 40D.Are they worth buying and any recommendations.

If its no trouble, please post pictures you've taken using a M42 lens.


Thanks

Chris.
 
Chris

There's some real crackers about...my faves are:

Carl Zeiss Jena Flecktogon 35/2.4 or 35/2.8 for close ups (though they are now pricey!)
Carl Zeiss Jena S (Sonnar) 135/3.5 (superb sharpness and 3D effect)
Jupiter 37A 135/3.5 (Russian clone of the Sonnar, nearly as good and MUCH cheaper)
Jupiter 11 / 11A 135/4 (Earlier Russian clone of the Sonnar, also good and VERY cheap)
Jupiter 9 85/2 (nice portrait lens)
Pentacon preset 135/2.8 (for buttery bokeh)
Pentacon 50/1.8 (for a fast, cheap prime)
Pentacon 300/4 (it's a beast though...great bokeh either way!)
Helios 44 / 44-2 / 44M / 44M-4 etc. (for a fast, cheap prime with swirly bokeh)
Asahi Super / SMC / Super-Multi-Coated Takumar (any - all brilliant)
Mayfair Sankor 105/2.5 (brilliant for portraits)
Vivitar 28/2.8 (nice wide angle with 28xxxxxx serial number)
Tamron Adaptall 2 lenses - 24/2.5, 28/2.5, 80-210/3.8-4 (103A), 80-250/3.8-4.5 (104A), SP 17/3.5, SP 60-300/4.2-5.4, SP 70-210/3.5-4, 350/5.6, 500/8 etc.

There's a few to get you started... ;)

P.s. Loads of samples on my flickr site, check out the earlier sets...
 
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My understanding is that you will get better results by hunting down some older Nikon mount lenses (Nikkor or 3rd party) where the optical glass won't degrade image quality. Tamron Adaptall lenses can be mounted by way of a Nikon AI mount and T-mounts for Nikons can be found for a large number of lenses which utilise the T-mount system (many older Soligor lenses for example).

Watch out for the Nikkor 135/3.5 pre-ai lens...it's actually based on the Carl Zeiss Sonnar design and produces very nice results!
 
Most of the main M42 lenses have been mentioned, except for the Pentax Super Takumar range. Many of these lenses - 55 f1.8, 55 f2, 135 f3.5, 200 f4, will cost under £30 and represent great value.
 
manualfocus-g said:
Chris

There's some real crackers about...my faves are:

Carl Zeiss Jena Flecktogon 35/2.4 or 35/2.8 for close ups (though they are now pricey!)
Carl Zeiss Jena S (Sonnar) 135/3.5 (superb sharpness and 3D effect)
Jupiter 37A 135/3.5 (Russian clone of the Sonnar, nearly as good and MUCH cheaper)
Jupiter 11 / 11A 135/4 (Earlier Russian clone of the Sonnar, also good and VERY cheap)
Jupiter 9 85/2 (nice portrait lens)
Pentacon preset 135/2.8 (for buttery bokeh)
Pentacon 50/1.8 (for a fast, cheap prime)
Pentacon 300/4 (it's a beast though...great bokeh either way!)
Helios 44 / 44-2 / 44M / 44M-4 etc. (for a fast, cheap prime with swirly bokeh)
Asahi Super / SMC / Super-Multi-Coated Takumar (any - all brilliant)
Mayfair Sankor 105/2.5 (brilliant for portraits)
Vivitar 28/2.8 (nice wide angle with 28xxxxxx serial number)
Tamron Adaptall 2 lenses - 24/2.5, 28/2.5, 80-210/3.8-4 (103A), 80-250/3.8-4.5 (104A), SP 17/3.5, SP 60-300/4.2-5.4, SP 70-210/3.5-4, 350/5.6, 500/8 etc.

There's a few to get you started... ;)

P.s. Loads of samples on my flickr site, check out the earlier sets...
Click to expand...





Thats really helpful Thanks :thumbs:

You havent mention the Hanimex MC Auto f/2.8 135mm Lens, one sold for £20!

Im bidding on a couple on ebay so fingers cross.
 
@Charlatan
Ebay adapter - Nikon

Now, I have yet to process the pics that this, plus the Hoya 135/f2.8 I bought (whole lot 35ukp all in) as I intend to process those tonight. Really hard to get a good shot... took me back to my first forrey (sp?) way back in the film days... where I didn't get any good shots lol!

Still want to get one more lens at the 28mm ish area but not really wanting to spend more than 20ukp.

Anyway... Those shots posted are reallllly good :) I hope I can get close...
 
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ecniv said:
Anyway... Those shots posted are reallllly good :) I hope I can get close...
Click to expand...

I'm sure you could do just as well or better, manual lenses just need a little more thought when used :)

There's plenty more examples on my flickr site, some with the 40D too.
 
The Greek said:
Look what iv got :D



http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....ee-All-Categories&_fvi=1&_rdc=1#ht_500wt_1156
Click to expand...

Nice! Sure you'll love it...although i'm not sure if you're aware that the auto version that you have just bought is the later version with 6 aperture blades and not the earlier preset "bokeh monster" that has 15 (although that usually goes for twice the price!)

there is also...

Vivitar 50mm 2.8 Macro (also the 90mm/105mm's)
Tamron SP 35-80mm 2.8-3.5 Macro (adaptall 2)
Mir 20mm 3.5
 
just gone and bought something thats been bothering me for a LONG time....Super Takumar 50mm f1.4! hmmmmm next on the list is the samyang...
 
antihero said:
just gone and bought something thats been bothering me for a LONG time....Super Takumar 50mm f1.4! hmmmmm next on the list is the samyang...
Click to expand...


Very Nice! Did you buy at a good price?

Can't wait for mine to arrived and have a little play, good or bad I'm not going to complain at £30.
 
antihero said:
just gone and bought something thats been bothering me for a LONG time....Super Takumar 50mm f1.4! hmmmmm next on the list is the samyang...
Click to expand...

Oh, the 1.4, not that I am envious or anything.:D Here are a few of my latest.

5478145239_50acb18976_b.jpg
 
Got the 1.4 for £75, which is a pretty good price at the moment!

One of the reasons I left the nikon fold is my love of m42 lenses...it's not the same having to use an adapter with an extra bit of glass in!
 
manualfocus-g said:
Most of these are on Sony as I mostly switched to Contax when I moved to Canon, although I kept the really great M42s as use.


More autumn colours (5) by ManualFocus-G, on Flickr

That is a great set of M42 wonderment's, great lenses at the best prices, your Yashinon f1.9 is just brilliant and I love mine as well, better than most Pancolor lenses. Brilliant again,:clap:
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1.4 lens for £75! Wow, that's a bargain.

I Would like to add more M42 lenses to my kit in the near future, but only if its a bit special.

I'm more than happy with manual focus as that's how I started off many years ago
 
I have to tell you that there is a considerable amount of M42 lenses that do not cost a lot, most that do are big brands which sell for lots of money, there are the same amount under OEM names that are just as good(by the same manufactures), which cost a friction of the price.

We have to research our genre.:thumbs:
 
manualfocus-g said:
I'm sure you could do just as well or better, manual lenses just need a little more thought when used :)

There's plenty more examples on my flickr site, some with the 40D too.
Click to expand...

What adapter do you use with the 40D? I have had a look on eBay and there appears to be several to choose from, including ones that focus to infinity and vary greatly in price.
 
killwilly said:
What adapter do you use with the 40D? I have had a look on eBay and there appears to be several to choose from, including ones that focus to infinity and vary greatly in price.
Click to expand...

I've never had a problem with infinity focus with M42 adapters, most actually focus slightly past infinity (which *can* be a problem on the 5D / 1DS models as lenses can then hit the large mirror, but not on a crop body like the 40D).

I've had a few from seller jin_finance and they've always been great, as have those from big_is. Try and get one with an EMF AF confirm chip, as that way you can program in a focal length (for exif data). You also get focus confirm in the viewfinder then, and this can be microadjusted to match your camera body :)
 
well, the 50mm 1.4 arrived yesterday, and sad as it sounds, there's a new love in my life (sorry wifey!)

5534369296_e27650756c_b.jpg


5534369098_f88c0e9140_b.jpg


5534368964_6cb984f33a_b.jpg


that extra speed really makes a difference, as my lounge is really poorly lit but still managed to get some decent shots (although my 3 year old is a less than willing model and won't sit still for love nor money), it might take me a while to used to the super shallow DOF though;

5533787703_ec49986156_b.jpg


5533787831_4574055c31_b.jpg


it suffers from the usual tak yellowing, but a quick white balance tweak sorts that out.

1.4....hmmmmmm....droool
 
I reckon that Tak will be a knockout at f2 - f2.8 Paul, sharp in all the right places, leaving a lovely soft background.
 
antihero said:
well, the 50mm 1.4 arrived yesterday, and sad as it sounds, there's a new love in my life (sorry wifey!)

5534369296_e27650756c_b.jpg


5534369098_f88c0e9140_b.jpg


5534368964_6cb984f33a_b.jpg


that extra speed really makes a difference, as my lounge is really poorly lit but still managed to get some decent shots (although my 3 year old is a less than willing model and won't sit still for love nor money), it might take me a while to used to the super shallow DOF though;

5533787703_ec49986156_b.jpg


5533787831_4574055c31_b.jpg


it suffers from the usual tak yellowing, but a quick white balance tweak sorts that out.

1.4....hmmmmmm....droool
Click to expand...

Quite impressive!
 
will have to keep an eye out!!

anyway, just playing this morning and did a quick bokeh comparison between 3 of my lenses at f2.8....the SuperTak 50mm 1.4, Vivitar 55mm 2.8 Macro and Tamron SP 35-80mm 2.8-3.8, and theres not much in it...all nice and smooth to me (don't look in to sharpness as it was breezy and focus was all over the place!)!!

SuperTak 50 1.4

5538020019_1eb0ab342c_b.jpg


Vivitar 55 2.8 macro

5538020143_2940220b4d_b.jpg


Tamron SP 35-80

5538020347_33e0bec56a_b.jpg
 
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Here's my first attempt using my Pentacon 2.8 /135MM LENS. I'm happy.. ish with lens but need time to get use to it if im honest, it was a bit hit and miss today.

ff756145.jpg
 
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