M42 lenses on Leica M body

[darkosaric]

I got as a gift M42 30mm Pentacon wide angle lens.
I have read on the net that it works just fine on M body with an adapter (on his way to me already).
Nice thing is that this lens is pretty small, even it was designed for SLR (see below).

My question is - will any M42 lens work on M body? Never mind which focal length?

Thanks.

 

[Huss]

How will you focus it? It does not have a rangefinder ramp coupling.

 

[BMbikerider]

Oh dear. That lens does not have a good reputation. I believe it was a simple 3 element construction that originated in the DDR and come up frequently mounted on the Ihagee Exa. A simplified lens on a simplified Exacta. As it has a M42 thread it originally may have been a budget lens fitted to one of the Prakitca cameras also made in the DDR.

An M42 thread lens on an M series adapter would probably work with any lens, but of course there will be no rangefinder coupling and I doubt very much if one could be made, so it is down to pure guesswork or a separate rangefinder providing of course, the focussing scale is correct.

 

[darkosaric]

I am planning to use it on M1 anyhow. With 30mm wide - range finder is not a must have. I will post results when I get an adapter, it will be interesting to see how good/bad it is.

 

[Dali]

Pentacon 30mm = Meyer Lydith? A fine lens but I don't know if it can be suitable for a M camera.

 

[darkosaric]

Pentacon 30mm = Meyer Lydith? A fine lens but I don't know if it can be suitable for a M camera.

On the lens is only Penacon 3.5 30mm, Made in G.D.R.
Also I got 135mm f2.8 Orestor, Mayer Optik Gorlitz, with beautiful 15 leafs f stop = this will be also interesting to test.

If it will not work on M body - Practika's are so cheap nowadays - almost for free .

 

[Dali]

Is it a preset lens?

 

[darkosaric]

Yes, preset.

 

[faberryman]

Use the lens on an M42 body it was designed for. M42 bodies are cheap and plentiful. Your images will not be any better using a Leica body. And you won't have to guess at focus. There is nothing special about either of the lenses. They are ordinary at best.

 

[darkosaric]

Use the lens on an M42 body it was designed for. They are cheap and plentiful. Your images will not be any better using a Leica body. And you won't have to guess at focus. There is nothing special about either of the lenses. They are ordinary at best.

The thing is that I have M bodies, and I don't have M42 camera. And to have wide angle on M body for free is a great thing, I cannot justify buying Summicron 28mm - as I use 50mm most of the time on my M's.

 

[faberryman]

The thing is that I have M bodies, and I don't have M42 camera. And to have wide angle on M body for free is a great thing,

You can buy a M42 body for the same cost as a lens adapter and you won't have to guess focus.

 

[narsuitus]

Back in the early 1970s, I had a Leica M1 that I used primarily on a microscope. During that same time period, I was using Nikon lenses. When I needed an extra body, I would use adapters to mount my Nikon wide-angle lenses on my M1.

Today, I mount Nikon wide-angle lenses on my M6.

Since the M1 did not have a rangefinder and since my Nikon lenses to not connect to the M6 rangefinder, I use zone focusing. For example, on my 18mm lens, I set the focus distance to 1 meter and the f/stop to f/11 so that everything from about 1/2 meter to infinity is in focus.

I am pretty sure the same zone focusing technique could be used with Pentax wide-angle lenses.


Nikkor on Leica by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[Pioneer]

Fire away. If it all fits it should be fun.

Not too sure why having or not having in camera focus is necessary. Convenient for sure, but not necessary. I use hyperfocal focusing for my agfa isolette folder all the time.

 

[AgX]

My question is - will any M42 lens work on M body? Never mind which focal length?

Yes. As long the adapter not only fixes the lens, but also provides the necessary extention from the LTM flange-to-film distance to that of the M42 mount.

Actually I am quite surprised that you asked at all. Or did I overlook anything substantial?
The scale focusing thing should be obvious. Though in theory one might design a rangefinding adapter for each lens, that would let you use your M's rangefinder with such lens.

 

[darkosaric]

Yes. As long the adapter not only fixes the lens, but also provides the necessary extention from the LTM flange-to-film distance to that of the M42 mount.

Actually I am quite surprised that you asked at all. Or did I overlook anything substantial?
The scale focusing thing should be obvious. Though in theory one might design a rangefinding adapter for each lens, that would let you use your M's rangefinder with such lens.

Thanks! I have asked only to be sure that there are no limit to focal length, like shorter/longer than Xmm you will not have the whole negative coverage.
Scale focusing is not a problem at all, I have used Rollei 35 and many other cameras with scale focus only - not a problem at all. I don't focus often even with my M3/M6 - just putting estimated distance according to the focus tab position.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I don't why people are still asking on forums. It takes under 20 seconds to google and find product.
https://www.amazon.ca/Fotodiox-Adapter-Thread-Camera-M-Monochrome/dp/B0073AC3PU

I guess it is more about chat . No RF Leica and no RF lens makes sense to me for price reason.
Another good alternative could be 21 mm lens. I almost did it, but I have no problem to get EOS film camera for EF lens and take pictures with it.
70 bucks for UWA to 55 zoom and camera with eye AF focus .

 

[darkosaric]

I did search on the net, and I ordered the adapter. My question was not is it working or not, my question was is it limited to certain focal length or not.

 

[AgX]

Oh dear. That lens does not have a good reputation. I believe it was a simple 3 element construction that originated in the DDR and come up frequently mounted on the Ihagee Exa. A simplified lens on a simplified Exacta.

Not quite, the Pentacon 30mm F3 is a re-named Lydith and they have been made by Meyer for 28 years, thus a major lens. It is of 5-elements design.
There was never a 3-element wide angle lens in GDR production.

 

[Pieter12]

Back in the early 1970s, I had a Leica M1 that I used primarily on a microscope. During that same time period, I was using Nikon lenses. When I needed an extra body, I would use adapters to mount my Nikon wide-angle lenses on my M1.

Today, I mount Nikon wide-angle lenses on my M6.

Since the M1 did not have a rangefinder and since my Nikon lenses to not connect to the M6 rangefinder, I use zone focusing. For example, on my 18mm lens, I set the focus distance to 1 meter and the f/stop to f/11 so that everything from about 1/2 meter to infinity is in focus.

I am pretty sure the same zone focusing technique could be used with Pentax wide-angle lenses.


Nikkor on Leica by Narsuitus, on Flickr

Do you you use a viewfinder?

 

[faberryman]

Do you you use a viewfinder?

The M1 doesn't have a viewfinder.

 

[AgX]

Well, I even see it in the photo of Darko's camera...

The only 35mm cameras that got no viewfinder are registration cameras at meters, scopes, microscopes etc.


I guess we got a terminology issue. The definition by Focal's encyclopedia for instance is any kind of sighting/framing aid.
I'm not sure what you both are hinting at.

 

[Pieter12]

The M1 doesn't have a viewfinder.

The photo is on an M6.

 

[darkosaric]

M1 has viewfinder, but no rangefinder.

 

[Pieter12]

What angle/focal length does the viewfinder cover? Obviously not the 16mm shown on the M6.

 

[faberryman]

What angle/focal length does the viewfinder cover? Obviously not the 16mm shown on the M6.

35mm and 50mm. I was confusing the M1 with the MDa.