[pointandshoot]

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Old time film guy and now full frame Canon shooter here. Sorry about the later.
Trying to help a friend that has the following film camera and lenses.

Camera is a Asahi (Pentax) Spotmatic SP
Lenses:
Takumar 5:6/200 (Asahi)
Super Takumar 1:4/200 (Asahi)
Soliger 1:3.5 70mm-210mm

Would like to find out what mount and series lenses these are and what automation they might have, if any, with the goal of knowing what digital Pentax, if any, might be practical to use them with. Also what series lenses he might use in general. Screw mount I know. Maybe K mount?.
Hopeful and thankful for any information you might be able to provide.
Will read the older related posts too now that I see them.
Walt

[Julie]

Walt, the lens and camera you mentioned are M42 mount- any Pentax DSLR will work with these lens with an M42 to K mount adapter- of course, everything will be in manual.

This is what your friend wants, a genuine Pentax-branded adapter ---> original Pentax M42 PK adapter DS DL K110D K100D super | eBay
It is best just to pay the extra money and get the original because the cheaper off-brand ones are much harder to get on/off.

[Colbyt]

I am fairly sure that the (Pentax) Spotmatic used the M42 screw mount lenses. They will work in manual mode with an adapter on a Pentax digital. There will be no automation. Focus is manual.

Pentax M lenses are the same but require no adapter. The A series lenses will only be missing the auto focus feature. Newer FA lenses will work the same as the current lenses.

[pointandshoot]

Boy that was quick. About the "of course". Adaptor needed for each lens? Adaptor fits to camera, then any lens to adaptor.
Assuming what automation with these lenses?
Now to study which camera.
Thank you very much.
Walt

[Julie]

Boy that was quick. About the "of course". Adaptor needed for each lens? Adaptor fits to camera, then any lens to adaptor.
Assuming what automation with these lenses?
Now to study which camera.
Thank you very much.
Walt

No, you only need to buy one adaptor- and yes, it does go inside the camera.

Here's what it looks like- these are both K-mount cameras (same as all the Pentax DSLRs) and they cannot take M42 lenses without the adapter.
The red camera on your left has the adapter inside it and you can just screw your lens in there, the black on the right doesn't. To remove the adapter, it comes with a little metal tool that helps screw the adapter out, but if you get the original one, it is easy to take out even without the tool.
Just to give you an idea of what it looks like.







And there you have it.

[vladimiroltean]

Yes, the adapter stays on the camera. My own DSLR, a red K-x, is about as close to an old Spotmatic in digital form as you can get: a semi-permanent M42 adapter installed and a Canon Ec-A microprism focusing screen. I like it so much that I almost haven't put film through my Spotties since I got it.

[RioRico]

All those lenses can be mounted on a modern Pentax dSLR with an M42-PK adapter. We only want to use M42s with M/A switches or preset rings etc, not those (such as Fujica and some Meyer|Pentacon) that are 'auto-only'. Without a special adapter (which I haven't found yet) those only shoot with wide-open apertures.

It's common for folks with just a few M42 screwmount lenses to buy just one Official Pentax adapter, a narrow-flange guy that's safe and somewhat tedious and not super-cheap. The narrow flange allows lenses to reach infinity focus. Mount the adapter in the camera and it becomes an M42 camera with no aperture automation.

Those of us with many M42s tend to buy batches of cheap clones of the Official Pentax. These may be marked as Bower or FotoDiox or other brands. These are usually fine, but remove the screw and clip or YOU WILL GO APESH!T as the adapter jams on the camera. We mount these on the lens, not the camera. Use a PK rear lens cap as a wrench to tighten the adapter. I've had adapters on some lenses for so long that I've almost forgotten they aren't native PK.

A third type of adapter has a wide flange that does not allow infinity focus. These are cheap and safe, no possibility of jamming on the camera. I use these with old teles that normally focus past infinity, and for macro and closeup and portrait and other work where infinity doesn't matter. On something like the Takumar 200/4, it pulls the focus range in to about 1.5m-150m.

Of the lenses you mention: I'm not familiar with the Soligor but I have the other two. Both are quite sharp. I really love the little Tele-Talumar 200/5.6, one of the smaller 200s we'll ever see. I think Pentax made that as a backpacker's lens. That is one lens I *won't* sell.

[pointandshoot]

Yes screw mount and understand no automation, manual focus. With the K-10 some acceptable means of metering? Or external meter needed.
Thanks for the M, A and FA info.

[pointandshoot]

Thanks and thanks all. I have plenty to study now. Metering?

[paulh]

This will get you started - https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-beginners-corner-q/110658-using-ma...x-dslrs-f.html

[pointandshoot]

Outstanding!
Thanks

[RioRico]

Metering: A-type and AF lenses have 'A' contacts and can utilize any Auto metering mode. All other lenses, including M-type, screwmounts, adapted and modified lenses etc, work differently. Set the camera to any Auto mode and it will default to Av. I can stick an M42 or other non-A lens on my K20D and set the aperture to wherever, and the camera will automagickally set the shutter speed. Or I can use M(anual) mode, use the Green button for metering and exposures, tweak the shutter as desired by spinning an e-dial. I can also use B(ulb) for long exposures, or X for 180-second exposures. (That's challenging, eh?)

Our modern dSLRs with 'crippled' mounts can also use M-type lenses, like my K50/1.2, M50/1.7, etc. These have a mechanical linkage for stopping-down to the lens setting, but the aperture setting isn't directly controlled by the camera. In any Auto mode, those will only shoot wide-open. In M mode, using the Green button will stop-down the lens for metering and exposures. So to shoot anywhere but wide-open, that extra step of hitting the Green button is needed. M42 screwmounts and other adapted lenses are simpler, because they *will* shoot stopped-down in Av mode. For this very reason, some users avoid M-types and concentrate on M42 screwmounts -- they're just a little easier.

[pointandshoot]

More great stuff!
Thanks all!

[stevebrot]

Strange that no one mentioned that the M42 screw mount lenses adapt quite nicely to Canon EOS as well. (You being a Canon shooter and all...)


Steve

[pointandshoot]

Thanks Maybe there will be a Pentax Canon marrage some day.
Now all I have to do is sort thru all this and see what works with what. I like the aperture priority functioin with one of the combinations. Then make a camera recommendation for him. The latest Pentax looks really great. He is on a bit of a budjet so maybe an older digital model or even used.
Walt