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05-26-2011, 04:05 PM   #1
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HSM or SDM mount

I've been hearing a lot about this mounts but never really saw one looking towards the mount side head-on.
I have never seen photos of the mount too.
How does it differ from the regular screw mount?
Does the hole for the screw mount just disappear?
What about the contacts of the HSM or SDM mount, how does it look like?
Can anyone post a photo?

05-26-2011, 06:09 PM   #2
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..so I guess nobody is using this type of lens..
05-26-2011, 06:28 PM   #3
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I don't have an HSM or SDM lens, but I do know they re-used the old power zoom contacts (some of the FA series lenses had an additional zoom motor, and Pentax introduced specific contacts for those lenses on bodies back in the film days). Starting with the K10D 1.30 firmware update, those power zoom contacts double as SDM (and in the case of Sigma HSM) power contacts. Some early model SDM lenses have a screw drive as well to have AF operation on Pentax bodies without SDM capability.

Any particular reason for your curiosity?
05-26-2011, 07:02 PM   #4
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I have read again of the SDM being not reliable and maybe this was the cause why not so many of this lenses/mounts are also in use or in circulation.
I just dawned on me that of all the mounts I have seen even those ones being sold on the Marketplace, is that all of them are screw drive!
So, this made me curious too as to what contacts where actually in use for these SDM mounts.
I also have the K100D super, and it is the first Pentax DSLR supposed to be compatible with the SDM lenses but I also have never tried one on it.
I'm not even really sure it my K100D super would be compatible or if it really works on SDM lenses.
In any case, I guess I just have to Google more.
Thanks Nater. It really isn't that important, it just got me curious so what better way to find out about something than to ask here at the forums..and by the responses to this post, it would seem that the SDM isn't really that popular.

05-26-2011, 07:51 PM - 1 Like   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by GerryL Quote
I have read again of the SDM being not reliable and maybe this was the cause why not so many of this lenses/mounts are also in use or in circulation.
I just dawned on me that of all the mounts I have seen even those ones being sold on the Marketplace, is that all of them are screw drive!
So, this made me curious too as to what contacts where actually in use for these SDM mounts.
I also have the K100D super, and it is the first Pentax DSLR supposed to be compatible with the SDM lenses but I also have never tried one on it.
I'm not even really sure it my K100D super would be compatible or if it really works on SDM lenses.
In any case, I guess I just have to Google more.
Thanks Nater. It really isn't that important, it just got me curious so what better way to find out about something than to ask here at the forums..and by the responses to this post, it would seem that the SDM isn't really that popular.
I think a decent number of SDM lenses are in circulation, however there are a few factors:

- SDM (and HSM) motors are used on higher-end lenses, and only in the last 5 years, so in the secondhand marketplace they will constitute a minority for some time to come

- Some SDM lenses have had motor failures for some fraction of people both in and out of warranty. There have been some posts about it here, however it is hard to gauge actual percentage failure rates since it is not information that Pentax has released and people who haven't had any problems don't necessarily post about it.

- For what it's worth I haven't seen any posts about Sigma HSM lenses having motor failures, however Sigma brought HSM to Pentax mount later than SDM, and in some cases has released some lenses for Pentax with screw drive that have had HSM on other camera bodies, so it's a pretty small fraction of Sigma lenses. Also I'd assume there are fewer Sigma HSM lenses sold for Pentax than there are Pentax SDM lenses sold, so the number of Sigma HSM lenses in the secondhand marketplace is an even smaller fraction.

- There has been some recent anecdotal evidence of a revised motor being used when failed SDM lenses are repaired, so it's possible that going forward SDM failures could be even more uncommon than they have been.

- Pentax recently introduced a new motor in their DA 18-135mm lens that they call DC (so a new sub-type of SDM lens)

Your K100D Super definitely does support SDM lenses, and while it was the first Pentax body to ship with SDM support out of the box, the K10D like I said supported SDM lenses with firmware update 1.30 (and the K10D did technically come out a year before, so it could be argued it was the first SDM body).

SDM has been a bit of a divisive issue on the forums, with some people saying they're avoiding SDM lenses due to the problems some have had. (I simply haven't bought any because they've been out of my price range, or because I've wanted to use a teleconverter, and old Pz-AF teleconverters aren't quite compatible in practice, even though they happen to have the requisite contacts).

I hope this info helps.
05-26-2011, 08:16 PM   #6
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Some of the SDM lenses have both the SDM and the screw drive. My DA* 300mm is like that. However, my K20d and K200d can only use as an SDM. My *istD uses it as a screw drive. The DA 17-70mm/4 SDM lens that I had lacked the screw drive. The DA* 55/1.4 SDM lacks the screw drive as well. The rest of the DA* lenses have both the SDM and screw drive.

Then there is the new DA 18-135mm with the DC thing.
05-27-2011, 03:37 PM   #7
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Thanks Nater and yes as I recall too during the early days of SDM lenses, there was some sort of clamor here at the forums about being able to disable SDM if one wants to use the screwdrive but I guess this feature was never introduced(?)
It's just that I haven't actually tested my camera (K100D super) to these types of lenses in such ay way that I'm thinking that it is the only part of my camera feature I'm not really sure whether is working or not.
And Pentax may not want to admit it that the SDM failed somewhat since they have this new motor that you and Blue pointed out as the DC motor.
By coming out with this new motor is partly admitting to it.

05-27-2011, 06:36 PM   #8
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It's not a mount
IT's an AF system
05-27-2011, 07:30 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by bobmaxja Quote
It's not a mount
IT's an AF system
..and all the while I thought it was a drive motor?
HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) and SDM ( Supersonic Drive Motor)..
05-27-2011, 09:38 PM   #10
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Here you go

The one on the left is the Sigma 18-50 with HSM and the one on the right is the Pentax 18-55 DA L with SDM.

Last edited by VoiceOfReason; 05-28-2011 at 07:45 AM. Reason: to fix a screw up...
05-28-2011, 02:36 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by bobmaxja Quote
It's not a mount
IT's an AF system
That's what I was thinking, e.g. K-mount, F-mount, EOS-mount (which are actual mounts), as opposed to HSM, USM, SDM (which refer to the in-lens motor technology), but the OP is after what the lens mount of a K-mount HSM/SDM lens looks like.

Here's the lens mount of a Pentax FA 35mm F2.0 (screw driven):



Here's the lens mount of a Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM lens:

05-28-2011, 02:43 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by VoiceOfReason Quote
Here you go

The one on the right is the Sigma 18-50 with HSM and the one on the left is the Pentax 18-55 DA L with SDM.
Umm, I think you've got it mixed up; it looks like the one on the left is the Sigma 18-50mm with HSM and the one on the right is the screw driven 18-55 DA L...
05-28-2011, 07:44 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by pop4 Quote
Umm, I think you've got it mixed up; it looks like the one on the left is the Sigma 18-50mm with HSM and the one on the right is the screw driven 18-55 DA L...
You're right. Sick, and in my sleep deprived state last night...
05-28-2011, 02:39 PM   #14
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Here's all 3 in-lens motors available for Pentax:

Pentax SDM (DA* 55):


Sigma HSM (Sigma 18-250):


Pentax DC (DA 18-135):


Screw-drive (DA 15 Ltd):


As you can see, the differentiating features of the in-lens motor mounts are the two electrical contacts on the inner ring around the rear element, as well as the extra pin on the outer ring.

I should also note that all the DA*s except for the 55 still have the screw-drive slot on the mount.

Last edited by Cannikin; 05-28-2011 at 02:51 PM.
05-28-2011, 05:58 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by bobmaxja Quote
It's not a mount
IT's an AF system
It's a mount (KAF3) and an AF system (SDM/HSM). KAF3 mount is currently lens-only (i.e. there are no Pentax bodies that are KAF3, all bodies also have the screw drive, so it's only lenses that are sometimes KAF3, i.e. SDM/HSM only).
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