Super-Takumar M42 screw mount compatibility with Canon 30D or Nikon D80 type bodies?

[Chas]

OK, this is my first thread on this fine forum so be gentle with me (besides, my cat has very sharp teeth ....). I just ran a search on this subject and it was no more productive than my searches on other forums usually are - no surprises there! Said search picked up only my own post of this morning (made in the wrong subforum really ..), so here I am folks.

My eyes still moist over a bit when I fondle my Asahi Super-Takumar 50 mm f/1.4 and Super-Tak 28 mm f/3.5 screw mount lenses that I got in the late 60's (Pentax Spotmatic body). But, I haven't actually made an exposure through one in at least 20 years. My.. how.. time.. flies! I won't bore you more with my intervening cameras (film SLR and digital P&S) - besides I already did that in another post - but I'm seriously in the DSLR market looking at the K10/D80/30D (to-be-announced 40D ..?) type of body. Hope I've got that all correct, I'm still a bit shaky with the nomenclature ....

All very well BUT, a big factor in my choice will be the ability to use my beloved Takumars, albeit in manual focus mode of course. I understand that the K10 will do it fine, with an adapter, but how about the Canon and Nikon DSLR's? Do they also have adapters for the classic screw-mount lenses of yore? And will the metering systems work properly? (though I could use my Pentax spotmeter or the Goosen incident at times, like I used to do with B&W 4X5 work in the Good Old Days). Naturally I would want to have the full advantage of all those zones and whatnot in whatever body I decide on, but if not so be it.

I very much have an open mind and very greatly respect all three camera makes that I mentioned (not that there aren't other fine companies out there but I'm down to those three most likely at this point). Besides the trusty and bullet-proof (indeed, elephant- and rhino-proof ....) Spotmatic, I own the Canon A2 and it fully lived up to expectations for many years but my EOS-mount Sigma 28-200 can't be re-chipped (way too old). I have always respected Nikon greatly, having used many Nikon microsopes for cell culture work in the lab for one thing.

If there's another thread that addresses this specific topic I've missed it and I apologize - we can shut this puppy down right away then. Hate to see my rep go south so soon after joining this here fine forum ........

Charles.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

Perhaps this link could help you... http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-manual-lenses/

 

[Mike_E]

Hello,I have an M 42 screw mount to Nikon adapter that I bought via eBay for about five dollars plus shipping. I bought it for a Mamiya lens that I wanted to use on my D200.

The only problem with the adapter is that I cannot focus to infinity.

I hope this helps.

Mike

 

[Don Simon]

Yes it's a spacing thing. M42 lenses can fit on Pentax, Minolta/Sony, Canon or Olympus dSLR mounts and focus on infinity... with Nikon it just can't be done. To retain infinity focus with an M42 lens on a Nikon body, you'd need an adapter with optical elements... but it would also act as a teleconverter, reducing image quality and making the lens slower, so it would pretty much defeat the point.

 

[Chas]

Welcome to the forum.

Why thank you. Actually, ZaphodB has already done a marvellous job of doing so, by quickly replying in detail to my first and second posts, in another thread. Indeed he suggested I repost in a more suitable subforum - ergo the present thread. But enough about me ..... you guys are good! I'm going to be picking your brains for quite a while so get used to it ....

I've decided to take the day off from my usual consulting work (pharma), largely to think more about the DSLR purchase issue, fondle my Takumars and spend some serious time reading stuff on this forum. Financially rather painful, but photographically sound thinking I'm sure you agree. Besides, I'm finding it highly therapeutic - what would 8 hrs with a shrink cost again?

It really does feel good to be back in the photography game (mentally) after all these years - and good to know that the passion never goes away completely. Some of my most memorable moments were with Spotmatic/Takumar in hand, being charged by an angry hippo between ponds (very short-sighted beasts they are too) or an even angrier female elephant (protecting her young) - who was to know she'd react like that in the circumstances? Honest, I don't go around molesting wild animals, but a 300 mm lens (X 1.5) with VR (or IS) would be very handy sometimes. Boy, what I could have accomplished with a modern AF/AE camera, back in those days .....

Now, NOT focusing the Takumars to infinity, that would be a major problem, as I plan to do quite a bit of aerial photography from maybe 500 to about 10,000 feet with the new DSLR as I now do with a Canon P&S. You can open the side window of a Cessna in flight (say 70 knots (80 mph), 20 degrees of flap - gets the engine cowling down a tad) and shoot straight out, banking her a bit as necessary to get the wing out of the FOV. See my Avatar, which the wife took actually above the extinct volcano on the Big Island of HI while I was concentrating on not hitting one of the blue helicopters hovering about the place. Note the right main wheel to the bottom left - now that's what I call depth-of-focus!

Thanks again Zyphod - doesn't look good for the Nikon then from what you say, if I'm to still use the Takumars. How about the metering question? Naively, I would have thought it wouldn't be an issue since it's all done in the prism area of course but I'm usually wrong when I make assumptions like this .....

 

[avcabob]

I have a Pentax K100D and use old K mount lenses on it constantly. As for metering, it's only stop-down spot metering and only in Manual mode. If you use Av, it will work, but it will be using the largest aperture the lens is capable of and completely ignore what you set on the aperture ring. To get full functionality, all you have to do is be in manual mode, set the aperture you want, and press the AE-L button, the camera takes a meter reading with the lens at the set aperture, and picks a shutter speed. You will notice the change in the viewfinder if set to anything other then wide open. It's not always perfect, but close. And being digital, you can check real fast and try again if necessary.

I'm assuming it's the same with M42 screw mounts but I don't have one so I can't test.

Also, the Pentax has in body image stabilization so with it your old lenses are stabilized.

 

[Chas]

Also, the Pentax has in body image stabilization so with it your old lenses are stabilized.

Yes, this is very cool. As I get older, my need for stabilization increases ....

 

[Chas]

If you use Av, it will work, but it will be using the largest aperture the lens is capable of and completely ignore what you set on the aperture ring. To get full functionality, all you have to do is be in manual mode, set the aperture you want, and press the AE-L button, the camera takes a meter reading with the lens at the set aperture, and picks a shutter speed.

Thanks again for the post. My Spotmatic is so old it doesn't have Av, just the moving indicator needle in the viewfinder view. So, I assume that all I do is put the lens in manual (stopped down) after focusing wide open and then the metering will read accurately - right?

 

[blackdoglab]

Whenever I use another body (non m42) I really miss the stopped down metering. I've been spoiled. hopefully I can get a 16mm zenitar soon.

 

[avcabob]

Thanks again for the post. My Spotmatic is so old it doesn't have Av, just the moving indicator needle in the viewfinder view. So, I assume that all I do is put the lens in manual (stopped down) after focusing wide open and then the metering will read accurately - right?

The camera will hold the lens wide open for focusing, and pushing the AE-L button like I said is what stops down the lens to take a reading.

Also, as one of my ME Supers officially broke beyond me willing to fix it today, I've found out the part on the ME Super, and I'm assuming other K-mount bodies with Av mode, that "reads" the aperture setting is actually missing on the K100D, and that's why using manual lenses is so more involved.

Again, this is my experience with K-mount lenses, it might be slightly different M42 screw mount, I don't have any I can check on. But Pentax's official position is they are compatible.

 

[Don Simon]

With "M" K-mount lenses (the older K-mount lenses without an "A" on the aperture ring) it is as you describe - press a button and it stops down the lens for metering.

However with M42 lenses on an adapter, there is no connection (either mechanical or electronic) between the camera and the lens, so no button can stop down an M42 lens.

So basically...

I assume that all I do is put the lens in manual (stopped down) after focusing wide open and then the metering will read accurately

... correct. Using this method you can shoot in manual mode or aperture priority... but not shutter priority or full program for the obvious reasons.

 

[Chas]

OK you guys, now I've got the Canon 40D and a 17-85 IS lens but I still want to use my old 50 and 35 mm Takumar (Pentax) lenses with the M42 screw mounts. I just love those lenses what can I say .... *sigh* Your posts, and some research on the web (nice link Mike), have explained it all to me. I'll be shooting in Av mode and using the aperture ring with it always stopped down (both lenses have a manual/auto diaphragm switch) and will be focusing manually. I think that I can use LiveView and magnify the image on the LCD screen for manual focusing. The 40D can actually take a different focusing screen that's supposed to be more "accurate" for manual work - I dunno about that.

Anyway, I called Adorama and they seem to be long back-ordered on the adapter. B&H just said they didn't stock them. Not much profit in it I guess. Any suggestions as to a reputable dealer that will sell me two of these at a fair price?

The f/1.4 50mm Takumar should make a very nice portrait lens, thank you very much. For this application, I'm not concerned about the manual focusing.

Thanking you in advance etc etc.

 

[Don Simon]

Because the adapter is fairly simple, a cheap Chinese one from Ebay should be fine. Just confirm when buying that their adapter allows infinity focus.