M42 lenses on Leica M body

darkosaric · Oct 26, 2018

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 · Oct 26, 2018

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

BMbikerider · Oct 26, 2018

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 · Oct 26, 2018

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 · Oct 26, 2018

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

darkosaric · Oct 26, 2018

Dali said:
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 · Oct 26, 2018

Is it a preset lens?

darkosaric · Oct 26, 2018

Yes, preset.

faberryman · Oct 26, 2018

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 · Oct 26, 2018

faberryman said:
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 · Oct 26, 2018

darkosaric said:
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 · Oct 27, 2018

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 · Oct 27, 2018

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 · Oct 27, 2018

darkosaric said:
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 · Oct 27, 2018

AgX said:
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. · Oct 27, 2018

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 · Oct 27, 2018

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 · Oct 27, 2018

BMbikerider said:
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 · Oct 27, 2018

narsuitus said:
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 · Oct 27, 2018

Pieter12 said:
Do you you use a viewfinder?

The M1 doesn't have a viewfinder.

AgX · Oct 27, 2018

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 · Oct 27, 2018

faberryman said:
The M1 doesn't have a viewfinder.

The photo is on an M6.

darkosaric · Oct 27, 2018

M1 has viewfinder, but no rangefinder.

Pieter12 · Oct 27, 2018

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

faberryman · Oct 27, 2018

Pieter12 said:
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.

M42 lenses on Leica M body

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