Help please identifying an adapter.

[Ian Grant]

This side is female threaded M44, and the outer bayonet is 50mm

The rear has male M44 thread. The only marking is Japan, and a flat spot with a small red dot for alignment.

Ian

 

[Donald Qualls]

I found reference that M44 fits (at least some) Zeiss telescopes. The bayonet might be for a Miranda?

 

[cowanw]

Miranda Extension Tube

Miranda Extension Tube Extension tube set made for Miranda mount SLRs. Metal body available in black. It is in great working condition!

kamerastore.com

Miranda extension tube part

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

Looks like M42 to Miranda.

 

[BMbikerider]

I found reference that M44 fits (at least some) Zeiss telescopes. The bayonet might be for a Miranda?

Some Miranda models also had a M44 thread and also a bayonet on the same camera! Odd I know but I had one way back in the 1970's. Actually Miranda's were quite nice cameras to use. I think they used lenses made under the Soligor name, but I only had a prime 50mm F1.9 with the bayonet fitting. The others were Soligor with a interchangeable thread mount, usually called a T2 with a manual stop down ring

 

[Ian Grant]

Looks like M42 to Miranda.

Very definitely not M42, it's larger, I tried an M42 lens, it's M44.

Some Miranda models also had a M44 thread and also a bayonet on the same camera! Odd I know but I had one way back in the 1970's. Actually Miranda's were quite nice cameras to use. I think they used lenses made under the Soligor name, but I only had a prime 50mm F1.9 with the bayonet fitting. The others were Soligor with a interchangeable thread mount, usually called a T2 with a manual stop down ring

Usually the male part of camera lens flanges have 3 projecting edges that fit a corresponding Bayonet female mount, or breech lock. This adapter has 4 projecting edges to the flange.

Ian

 

[BMbikerider]

The Miranda flange was different I know but cannot remember the exact reason. 3 flanges on a bayonet mount were common place, maybe they chose 4 to get around possible design patent Infringements. After all the there was also the 44mm thread to take into account.

 

[BMbikerider]

The Miranda series of 35mm SLR cameras featured a unique lens mount that incorporated a 4-claw bayonet, as well as a 44mm screw mount for compatibility with older lenses.
Specific Miranda models known to have this 4-claw bayonet mount include:

• Miranda A II
• Miranda Fv
• Miranda Sensorex EE (and other Sensorex models)
• Miranda T

Another camera system that used a 4-claw bayonet was the Leica M mount, introduced in 1954, though this was for a rangefinder camera system, not an SLR.

There you have it. Surprising what the internet can throw up.

 

[Petrochemist]

The Miranda series of 35mm SLR cameras featured a unique lens mount that incorporated a 4-claw bayonet, as well as a 44mm screw mount for compatibility with older lenses.
Specific Miranda models known to have this 4-claw bayonet mount include:

• Miranda A II
• Miranda Fv
• Miranda Sensorex EE (and other Sensorex models)
• Miranda T

Another camera system that used a 4-claw bayonet was the Leica M mount, introduced in 1954, though this was for a rangefinder camera system, not an SLR.

There you have it. Surprising what the internet can throw up.

The shape of tabs is quite wrong for LM, which has highly chamfered tabs. LM has seen a lot more use in past years due to Techart pro

As well as the Miranda Labortec (thread only) & BM (dual thread & bayonet) systems which had a M44x1 thread I believe Hanimex tried their own T2 variant with a M44 thread.

Other 4 prong bayonet systems I'm aware of (but have little detail on) are:
Nikon Z
Arri PL
Panavision PV
Michel BNC
PSK (lomo)

Most of these are larger format movie mounts.

From the male screw thread, (all screw mount lenses I know have male threads on the lens) I suspect the 4 prong section may be from a breech lock system rather than a bayonet one. I've not yet gathered much info on breech systems.

I've known cheap screw together extension tubes to have a wide variety of threads in seemingly random orientation but these all seem to have much finer pitched threads than this adapter.

 

[Ian Grant]

The Miranda series of 35mm SLR cameras featured a unique lens mount that incorporated a 4-claw bayonet, as well as a 44mm screw mount for compatibility with older lenses.
Specific Miranda models known to have this 4-claw bayonet mount include:

• Miranda A II
• Miranda Fv
• Miranda Sensorex EE (and other Sensorex models)
• Miranda T

Another camera system that used a 4-claw bayonet was the Leica M mount, introduced in 1954, though this was for a rangefinder camera system, not an SLR.

There you have it. Surprising what the internet can throw up.

Thanks, now I know it's a Miranda AU Adapter.

Miranda also sold an M42 mount SLR branded as Soligor TM. Becuse Miranda camera were thinner with a 41.5mm flange to film distance they could focus at Infinity with adapters with some other mount lenses.

Ian

 

[cowanw]

Sigh; see post three and look at the website pictures.

 

[Sharktooth]

Just a heads-up for anyone using Firefox. With the latest versions of Firefox, if you right-click on any image the pop-up menu now shows an option to "Search image with Google Lens". Choosing that option does a Google AI search of the image. I did that on the first image, and the result said it was a Miranda M42 adapter. That's a pretty good result, considering there was no way to determine the thread size from the image. It was bang-on with the Miranda mount, however.

I only noticed this feature in the last few days, but have found it extremely useful. It looks like there is also a Google lens app for phones. You can also search an image on the Google site, but it's awkward to get the image loaded into Google. The integration into Firefox makes it much easier.

 

[Ian Grant]

Sigh; see post three and look at the website pictures.

Unfortunately, the link doesn't bring up the pictures, and it appears the AU adapter was also sold separately. Apologies though, I overlooked your post.

The adapter came in a cheap job lot with some other items that the seller didn't identify. I took a guess and was right.

Ian

 

[cowanw]

My apologies. When I looked there were 4 pictures of the extension kit, two of which were your part. Rather clever of Miranda to have two mounts. and a variety of adaptors.
Shows a clever way to offer backwards compatibility of older lenses perhaps.

 

[Ian Grant]

Shows a clever way to offer backwards compatibility of older lenses perhaps.

I read somewhere that was how Miranda hoped to expand sales, as far as I can't remember any other company to offer a range of adapters for other mount lenses. In Miranda's case this was Nikon, M42, Eacta/Topcon, plus adapter to use their own lenses on rangefinder cameras, Contax/Nikon, and Leica/Canon

I never saw advertising to that effect, when I s first looking at buying a new SLR. Maybe a marketing mistake.

Ian