[Eaglerapids]

...on a K-500/4.5 on the bay Wednesday evening. It sold for $542 but the shipping was $47 which really turned me off. But it was so tempting. I really want a long telephoto but ultimately I'm reluctant to drop this kind of money right now. After seeing Tom's picture this morning I'm kinda glad I've waited. I don't really want to spend a grand on a Bigma, if I'm going to spend that much money, I'd rather have a F* or FA* 300/4.5. The zoom would be nice compositionally but I like primes for their IQ. I want the best, daggone it.

So I might have done a dumb thing. I've been wanting a bellows setup. I don't know why, but I have. Well there was a Novoflex Automatic Double Rail Bellows with Novoflex 60mm f4.0 Auto Macro Lens in M42 pentax Screw Mount on the Bay this morning with a starting price of $125. Nobody bid on it and I got it for the $125. Now if it had been a K-mount I would feel much better about it because I could then use my Vivitar 105/2.5 on it. But it's the screw mount. It does come with the lens but I know very little about this lens and I'm having a very hard time finding any info about it or the bellows unit itself for that matter. A copy of this lens did sell for 58 Euros($85) on the German Ebay recently but I haven't come up with any info on the lens itself, the seller said he believes it's a Schneider. I know the "auto" part will do me no good because I don't have a screw mount body to take advantage of it but this unit does have the focusing rail component which will be handy, I like that. I've tried my Super Tak 28/3.5 with extension tubes and it really takes some great macro shots but man is the subject close to the lens! But I'm not sure how well it will work because as far as I can tell the rear standard on this bellow is fixed so I'm not sure if I will be able to close enough to the subject to use the 28/3.5, but I'm sure I can use the S-M-C 135/3.5.
Well one reason I've wanted a bellows is to try to get some captures of my old negatives from my film days. I will still need a holder for this and I hope there is something compatible with this unit. I have a scanner but it is way worse than dismal for scanning negatives, with slides it's kinda ok but negatives really suck. I know I will not get great captures with the bellows either but it has to be better than my scanner. If I find a negative with great potential, I could then get it professionally done.
The dumb question of the day:
Is there an adapter to go from the K-mount to the screw mount?
I've never seen that question asked, lol.
If I'm lucky this lens will be so good that I don't need anything else but what fun would that be?:-)

[blpphoto]

There are several (understatement) on the market. I bought the Pentax one from the Pentax site. It was a little more expensive but I was sure it'd work.

[Canada_Rockies]

Your 28/3.5 would be great on the bellows. You need a reverse adapter M42. This is basically a little ring with the M42 S/M male threads on one side and male filter threads on the other. There are also reverse adapter K for the K mount. Now your lens to subject distance is exactly the rear focus of the lens. Without bellows, the 28 gives about 2 x magnification. On the end of the bellows, WOW.

Mount Adapter K clips into the camera so that you can mount a screw mount lens, or in your case, a bellows. My advice is to hold out for the Pentax one. Some of the others have big problems. The price difference just isn't worth the hassle of trying to get the thing off a camera body if it gets stuck.

[Eaglerapids]

I wasn't very clear with my question.
I have the pentax adapter to be able to mount my Takumar screw mount lenses to my K10D. I will be able to mount the camera to the bellows.
Now I also have the Vivitar Series 1 105/2.5 macro lens which, of course, is a bayonet mount. I was wondering if there is an adapter to allow me to screw the Vivitar into the bellows unit? I would think I could get some magnification with that setup. The weight of the Vivitar hanging off the end of the bellows might be an issue, though.
But I understand where you're coming from C_R, I think. If I'm understanding my research correctly, you can get greater magnifications with wider angle lenses. So you're pointing me to an adapter that screws into the bellows and then the 28/3.5 would screw onto the adapter by it's filter ring? Cool, I'm checking that out.

I'm a dummy, I just got it! I only need another M42 to K adapter. I put it on the Vivitar and screw the durn thing into the bellows, duh.

A link to the unit I bought:
http://captjack.exaktaphile.com/Pentax/Novo60Bell-1.jpg

[Eaglerapids]

If anyone is looking for the screw mount adapter the Pentax webstore has them in stock for $30.95 right now.
PentaxWebstore Mount Adapter B (35mm Screwmount to Bayonet)