Mamiya 500DTL m42 compatibility.

[redstarjedi]

Hello, i have a beautiful and working mamiya 500DTL on it's way. I currently don't have any M42 lenses, but i will be getting two.

I plan on getting a Yashinon DX 35mm 2.8, and a russian helios 44-2 lens. My questions apply to both lenses.

Would those lenes work with the mamiya 500DTL the same way if they were mamiya sekor m42 lenses? I know that M42's should work across all cameras, but that's only a theory. My attraction to the 500DTL is based on the dual metering, and the winder stopping down the lens. I assume that the metering and stopping down of the lens should work with the two lenses mentioned.

Am i correct in that?

 

[wiltw]

A Mamiya M42 would certainly work on a Pentax Spotmatic or a Yashica TL, and a Pentax or Yashica M42 would certainly work on a Mamiya 500DTL.

Back when I was in high school, I had fellow photography staffers on the newspaper and yearbook, with all three of those cameras.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Not all versions of the Helios are automatic. The Helios that I have is a PS (preselect) and not automatic. The use of PS lenses takes a bit of getting used to. I would recommend getting the Mamiya lens that was made for the camera. It is a fine lens. I personally am turned off by "frankenstein" camera and lens mismatches. Check for the step down pin at the back of M42 lenses before you buy. It can be clearly seen in the illustration in the following article.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M42_lens_mount

 

[redstarjedi]

Not all versions of the Helios are automatic. The Helios that I have is a PS (preselect) and not automatic. The use of PS lenses takes a bit of getting used to. I would recommend getting the Mamiya lens that was made for the camera. It is a fine lens. I personally am turned off by "frankenstein" camera and lens mismatches. Check for the step down pin at the back of M42 lenses before you buy. It can be clearly seen in the illustration in the following article.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M42_lens_mount

So I need a automatic Helios lens to use the winder to stop down the lens, and a Helios with a pin would do that ?

 

[wiltw]

The M42 is a verrrrryy simple mechanism. The automatic diaphram is stopped down to the taking aperture, which has been set on the aperture selection ring of the lens. At the lower portion of the camera mount opening is a metal plate (seen in this photo)
http://www.pentaxforums.com/camerar...ct=82&bigimage=Spotmatic_II_front_pf_x800.jpg

which actuates the pin on the lens when the shutter is actuated, or when the TTL stopped-down metering is switched on, or when the DOF preview is actuated.
Preset aperture lenses lack the pin on the lens, so you have to actuate the present control of the lens to get it to stop down, before you meter and/or before you press the shutter release.

 

[dynachrome]

Different M42 lenses have different quirks. You need to be careful about using Pentax S-M-C-T or SMC M42 lenses with the 500DTL. Why? The lens mount on the Mamiya is attached by screws from the front. The back of the S-M-CT or SMC lens has a small square tab on the back. That tab can get stuck in the slight depression between the top of the screw and the face of the lens mount. It can also get stuck in the screw slots.

 

[elcabezagrande]

The Yashinon DX lenses might cause the mirror to hang up at infinity focus on the DTL.

 

[Zathras]

Different M42 lenses have different quirks. You need to be careful about using Pentax S-M-C-T or SMC M42 lenses with the 500DTL. Why? The lens mount on the Mamiya is attached by screws from the front. The back of the S-M-CT or SMC lens has a small square tab on the back. That tab can get stuck in the slight depression between the top of the screw and the face of the lens mount. It can also get stuck in the screw slots.

I was going to warn about using the lenses that Dynachrome mentions above, but he/she got here first. I was unable to get my Super Multi Coated Takumars, AKA SMC Takumars, to mount properly on a 100DTL body. However, the older Super-Takumars and the Auto-Takumars and earlier pre-set lenses will mount without a problem. The older Takumar lenses are great lenses, but they're starting to go up in price because digital shooters have discovered them. I was lucky, I got most of my Takumars when nobody wanted them and they were cheap.