Where to buy M42 lens?

[kreuzberg]

Hey

A little while ago I got into film photography and I was wondering where is the best place to buy M42 mount lenses? In particular I'm looking for a wide angle lens around 20mm but I'm not sure where I can buy lens. Are there any specialist websites that would stock them?
I've tried ebay but they all seemed to be priced around £150-200 pounds which I cannont afford. Are these lenses priced high or are they just what they cost and they'll be this high no matter where I look?

Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Steph]

Older 20mm M42 lenses are quite rare and therefore expensive. They were also expensive when new because it is quite difficult to design and build a good quality 20mm lens for a 35mm camera. The Mir-20M 3.5/20 might be a cheaper alternative but I am not sure about the optical quality. I guess a Google search could turn up some reviews and Flickr some sample shots.

 

[Overread]

Ebay is probably going to be your best bet - but try going to local carboot sales, garage sales and the auction rooms - sometimes you can pick up some really good deals there for very little money. Get there really early so that you have the best chance to find the good stuff. Its tricky as a lot of people do sell through Ebay now as they tend to get a better price, but a few people are just cleaning out attics, old hobbies and also dealing with handouts from other family members.

 

[kreuzberg]

Thanks for the help guys.

I did a search for the MIR lens and I found this gallery. I think the pictures look ok, what do you guys think?

MIR-20M 20mm f/3.5

Are there any other sites/lenses that anyone knows about?

When I first began looking I saw a 18mm lens on ebay that was $125 dollars and I thought it was a bit expensive, really regretting not buying it now

edit: just found this review http://reviews.ebay.com/Mir-20M-Wideangle-Lens_W0QQugidZ10000000003213199 which seems to suggest its pretty good

Also found this too http://www.rugift.com/photocameras/lens-mc-mir-47m.htm would this lens be better?

 

[compur]

I've used the Vivitar 20mm f/3.8 and it's pretty good. It was also sold under other brand names -- Soligor, etc.

 

[kreuzberg]

I've used the Vivitar 20mm f/3.8 and it's pretty good. It was also sold under other brand names -- Soligor, etc.

That was one of the lenses i was looking at on ebay. Where did you get yours? are there any specialist online shops that deal with 2nd hand camera lenses?

 

[compur]

^ I got it some years ago at a camera show and I've since sold it when I
bought a Nikkor 20mm. The Vivitar is a nice lens though.

I see them on eBay in various mounts pretty regularly. The M42 seems to
be a more desirable mount to more people (and pricier) these days.

It looks to me that M42 prime lenses have gone up somewhat in value
recently now that there are many adapters available for DSLRs and the
prices on new AF prime lenses have gotten so high.