Best m42 camera?

[Lucius]

I have been fond of my Mamiya 1000 DTL for many years. The spot and average metering work really well, I'm still impressed with what it is considering it's age. I was young guy in the 60s when my dad had it, remember using it back then.

There's also apparently a DTL 2000 model, but these seem to be pretty rare.

 

[schyter]

d'not preemptively trash the Zenit 19

 

[Lucius]

d'not preemptively trash the Zenit 19

Noted!

 

[Bill Burk]

Nice! I tried to take off the top plate on a Spotmatic to replace its broken focussing screen, but couldn't unscrew one of the pieces, and what's worse, I pushed the rewind shaft in (after unscrewing its nob), so can't open the film compartment any more...

There’s a right-hand threaded nut over the counter dial shaft and it helps to make a special tool for it because it’s usually pretty tight.

And you can bend the tip of a paper clip to reach in and pull up the rewind

 

[Bill Burk]

@Lucius how many of your M42 lenses are “SMCT”? If most are not, then I would recommend Spotmatic II

Spotmatic F has an annoying habit of automatically turning off its meter when the light is low. So you might ruin your first shot in the morning of the sunlight beaming through early campfire smoke because the meter shows null at the current setting.

 

[mrosenlof]

I had a Yashica TL-Electro X bought new in 1973. I worked all summer for that camera. I had the f/1.7 (maybe 1.8) Yashinon 50. The camera worked well for me until the mid 90s when it just died. I still have the 50 and use it mostly on a Pentax K-01 digital with the M-K adapter. It's a good lens.

The Yashica is as noted in the OP, a stop-down metering camera. It had an electronic copal shutter. Two LED -- or maybe light bulb arrows in the VF. All fairly basic, but it got me through a year as high school newspaper photographer, several backpacking trips around California, lots of photos of my (now) wife when we first met in college in 1978.

 

[Lucius]

There’s a right-hand threaded nut over the counter dial shaft and it helps to make a special tool for it because it’s usually pretty tight.

And you can bend the tip of a paper clip to reach in and pull up the rewind

Thanks for the tip! I did manage to reopen the film compartment.



The piece I got stuck on is the nut (?) just inside the black disc (sorry for blurred focus). I bent my lens spanner's tips over it. Is it the one that has a right-hand thread?

 

[ags2mikon]

I made a tool for that from a wide flat blade short screwdriver. I used a cutoff wheel on my grinder to cut the slot and shape it to fit.

 

[Lucius]

@Lucius how many of your M42 lenses are “SMCT”? If most are not, then I would recommend Spotmatic II

Spotmatic F has an annoying habit of automatically turning off its meter when the light is low. So you might ruin your first shot in the morning of the sunlight beaming through early campfire smoke because the meter shows null at the current setting.

Most of my Takumars support OA metering, but I have quite a few other m42 lenses as well. But that's a good point about SP-F's lightmeter - it also only switches off with the lens cap on.

 

[Lucius]

I made a tool for that from a wide flat blade short screwdriver. I used a cutoff wheel on my grinder to cut the slot and shape it to fit.

I wish I had the tools to do that!

 

[Bill Burk]

Thanks for the tip! I did manage to reopen the film compartment.



The piece I got stuck on is the nut (?) just inside the black disc (sorry for blurred focus). I bent my lens spanner's tips over it. Is it the one that has a right-hand thread?

That’s right-hand threaded

 

[Bill Burk]

While you are at it. The two-dot screw on the film speed dial is the first place to show tool marks of an amateur. It’s normal thread but slip marks always tell a tale.

Try to make a tool dedicated to that part that can remove it without slipping or scratching. I made one with a couple nails in a small piece of wood, and filed the nail tips until they just fit

 

[Lucius]

While you are at it. The two-dot screw on the film speed dial is the first place to show tool marks of an amateur. It’s normal thread but slip marks always tell a tale.

Try to make a tool dedicated to that part that can remove it without slipping or scratching. I made one with a couple nails in a small piece of wood, and filed the nail tips until they just fit

Right. I hadn't unscrewed this - probably the holes are too narrow (and too narrowly placed) for my spanner, or I just hadn't come that far... The right-hand nut seems stuck, and I don't want to risk breaking the spanner tips altogether. Will have to leave it till I have better tools at hand.

On closer inspection, it seems to be the pentaprism rather than the focussing screen that's broken, so would need a Spotmatic donor (I was hoping I could fit in a split-prism screen from a Fujica ST605, which probably wouldn't fit anyway). Pity as it's in a pretty good shape (if only an SP1000) - probably broke early on and never saw much use.

 

[Bill Burk]

Is it broken? Or just has an ugly black line? That’s the damage of rotted foam. A donor would be a good idea. 20 bucks plus shipping should get you a good donor body

 

[Cholentpot]

I've got a handful of M42 cameras and the Spotmatic II is my go to. It's a great all around camera. Praktica MTL3 isn't too bad although it's nowhere near as smooth. And you can take basically any K mount camera and turn it into an M42 camera. I did it with a Promaster branded K mount camera.

 

[Lucius]

Is it broken? Or just has an ugly black line? That’s the damage of rotted foam. A donor would be a good idea. 20 bucks plus shipping should get you a good donor body

You're right, the ugly black line looks like foam. But the real issue is that the image is quite blurry, and it's impossible to focus at all. Maybe it's just the focussing screen (or the pentaprism?) having shifted out of its place? There also seems to be oily condensate inside the viewfinder.

With some luck, for £20 I could get a functioning body - but I don't really need another Spotmatic! (Except, maybe, an ESII.) I just wanted to see if I could take this one apart, ideally fix it, but at least see if I could learn how it's done - some of my working Spotmatics have some dirt inside the viewfinder which it would be nice to clear out, but I don't want to experiment on those.

 

[Lucius]

I've got a handful of M42 cameras and the Spotmatic II is my go to. It's a great all around camera. Praktica MTL3 isn't too bad although it's nowhere near as smooth. And you can take basically any K mount camera and turn it into an M42 camera. I did it with a Promaster branded K mount camera.

I like SPII too, but I don't want to lose the auto-diaphragm function with the K mount. Preset lenses though are a different story, and today I tried for the first time putting them on a Pentax ME Super, which I think went rather well!

 

[Lucius]

I had a Yashica TL-Electro X bought new in 1973. I worked all summer for that camera. I had the f/1.7 (maybe 1.8) Yashinon 50. The camera worked well for me until the mid 90s when it just died. I still have the 50 and use it mostly on a Pentax K-01 digital with the M-K adapter. It's a good lens.

The Yashica is as noted in the OP, a stop-down metering camera. It had an electronic copal shutter. Two LED -- or maybe light bulb arrows in the VF. All fairly basic, but it got me through a year as high school newspaper photographer, several backpacking trips around California, lots of photos of my (now) wife when we first met in college in 1978.

If I remember right, the TL Electro-X has an electronically controlled shutter, and unlike all-mechanical shutters which get increasingly inaccurate, these just stop working altogether at some point.

 

[Les Sarile]

I guess it must be a combination of me overcompensating for the meter and underrating film degradation. One was ORWO 27, some 30 years old, which I rated at ISO 160, but probably that was too optimistic. The other was Ilford XP2, which was just past its expiration date, so I shot it at its nominal ISO 400. I guess I need to try again with a more reliable camera.

I also have a 100ft spool of Konica VX 400, some 25 years old - I shot one roll, and it came completely black, or rather dark grey (including the perforated sides). The lab swear they didn't mess it up, so it must be an extreme case of degradation.

Thanks for the tip - an angle viewfinder probably does make better sense than getting another camera just for the purpose. Is the Olympus one better than others, or just any would do (there seem to be similar finders from Pentax, Mamiya and Yashica around)?

Since you have a lot of the VX400, most definitely shoot an exposure range as I did to determine the current speed.

I got the OM finder since I have some OM's but it turns out it fit practically all the cameras I have with a rectangular frame. For instance Pentax has a different finder for the K and MX lineup and this fits both.

Of course I am not averse to recommending adding another body that can use M42 lenses with an adapter - such as a Pentax LX, with all the viewfinder combinations you may want to use.

LX Viewfinders by Les DMess, on Flickr

One thing to consider when using the Pentax LX for this purpose is that it meters after you fire the shutter. So you could focus wide open and just stop it down and fire the shutter and the LX will determine shutter speed in aperture priority mode. Same applies when using LX compatible TTL flash, the LX will also meter off the film.

 

[Paul Howell]

Still a bargain is the SF 1, it was top of the line and will work with M 42 adaptor and meter stopped down, I do use mine in aperture preferred mode. Metering is pretty good, motor drive is built in but not very fast. Most of the entry to mid level Pentax AF will work with M 42 lens.

 

[Lucius]

Since you have a lot of the VX400, most definitely shoot an exposure range as I did to determine the current speed.

I got the OM finder since I have some OM's but it turns out it fit practically all the cameras I have with a rectangular frame. For instance Pentax has a different finder for the K and MX lineup and this fits both.

Of course I am not averse to recommending adding another body that can use M42 lenses with an adapter - such as a Pentax LX, with all the viewfinder combinations you may want to use.


One thing to consider when using the Pentax LX for this purpose is that it meters after you fire the shutter. So you could focus wide open and just stop it down and fire the shutter and the LX will determine shutter speed in aperture priority mode. Same applies when using LX compatible TTL flash, the LX will also meter off the film.

I'll keep an eye for a good deal on a Varimagni finder, thanks!

Unless the lab did screw it up, the VX400 must be completely fried, because it came almost evenly black, including even the unexposed bits like the perforated edges, with only very faintest traces of what was actually shot. I'll give it try, but it's probably no good...

The LX does look impressive! I'll see how I like my new ME Super with preset lenses, and then perhaps upgrade to an LX.

 

[Helge]

I really like the Icarex 35S tm.
Otherwise the Fujica AZ-1 is underrated. The ST901 is good, but slightly heavier, older and rarer which means you will perhaps have to compromise.
AZ-1 is superb and fully compatible with Fujinon as well as almost all other M42 lenses.

 

[Lucius]

I really like the Icarex 35S tm.
Otherwise the Fujica AZ-1 is underrated. The ST901 is good, but slightly heavier, older and rarer which means you will perhaps have to compromise.
AZ-1 is superb and fully compatible with Fujinon as well as almost all other M42 lenses.

I've heard the Icarex is rather heavy and has reliability issues? It does look nice though!

I recently got an AZ-1 attached to a lens - it turned out to be working, though with a dirty viewfinder, so far I seem to be liking it.

 

[Helge]

I've heard the Icarex is rather heavy and has reliability issues? It does look nice though!

I recently got an AZ-1 attached to a lens - it turned out to be working, though with a dirty viewfinder, so far I seem to be liking it.

The Icarex is very high quality. The VSL 1 version is perhaps not quite the same quality. But I’ve never had problems with my copy.
Everything on the Icarex is high quality. The mechanics feels nice and the body is solid feeling.
Lots of great little details. Top meter needle, finder blind, Judas window, button lock etc.
It’s the last great hurray from Zeiss Ikon.

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

I suggest that by nowM42 cameras are hopelessly outdated. Some are are a bargain (Praktika) but most are low-tech bricks. In today's market You are much better off with a 2nd-hand name-brand prosumer camera such as Nikon, Olympus just to name a couple. Forget M42 and move on!

Fair point, but we're talking about film cameras here so they are pretty much all "hopelessly outdated" today. My Pentax M42 cameras take just as good pictures as my manual focus Nikons do (actually I slightly prefer the images from my Takumar lenses).