[pepperberry farm]

[eddiebarclay]

I recently got into photography when my son bought me a Canon 250D for my 50th birthday. His thought was me taking lots of pics while hiking. I couldn't venture far curing lockdown so instead started getting into arty depth of field and out of focus stuff. I naturally turned to vintage lenses and have gathered a few. I love it. I stick to M42 mount because they easily adapt to my Canon (and pretty much anything else I buy in the future).

The reason for posting today is to impart my experience with something really old. I spotted lots of old bellows type cameras for sale online and tried to find some details online on how to adapt them. I couldn't. I decided to take a chance and see if it could be done. I found an old Voigtlander Folder for a mighty £12 and bought it. It must be close to 100yrs old - I don't know enough to be sure. It is a gorgeous thing, but I didn't buy as an ornament. The lens was very easy to remove, just a threaded ring to spin off and it came free. There was no damage and the lens could be put easily back in the camera, good as new.

I’m using an EOS to M42 adapter and M42 extensiontubes - a 31mm and 21mm so 52mm in total. I had an M42 camera cover which I dremeled out the correct size ofhole for the lens block to drop into. Much easier than I expected it tobe. The lens is so simple that it was easy to clean. I had to drilla couple of indentations to get purchase to get the front element locking ringto spin. That was the only fight, and it was over in the first round. Only had toput a thin spacer (black card) behind the lens block to get spot on infinity focus. I got lucky. The minimum focus is about 5ft but that’s not the end of theworld.

The Voigtlander must have been tricky to useback in the day with only two shutter speeds. Paired with a modern DSLRthough, with full control over ISO and shutter speed, it’s a differentstory. It’s really easy to focus and a delight to use. My only criticism is the focal lenghth of 105mm on my crop sensor is effectively around 170mm which isn't very useful. I'll try with another old folder lens, maybe around 75mm, for something more usable.

I wanted to share the story because there are loads of these old cameras which simple triplet lenses that could be put to good use, and still take great pics. I will take the camera out over the weekend and really put the lens through its paces. Test pics were very encouraging. It's quirky, a bit different, and still very usable.

[cyberjunkie]

To forget about the fifty or so objectives I have left in Thailand more than seven months ago, in a house that is a fungus nursery, and that I can't access because of a very strict travel policy that still prevents me from flying there, I have decided to organise the Pentax manual focus lenses I have in Italy, finding them a rotating piece of forniture with glasses and led lights that allows to keep them exposed (and I also find pleasing to the eye).
I found the strange floor display second hand, very dirty and kind of stinky. I guess it was used for years in a dancing club bar, as a display for liquor bottles. I cleaned it thoroughly, added two led strips per side, and now it looks super nice as a lens display
I already had a separate display for Pentax AF lenses. Now I have another display for MF lenses. One side is for Pentax 35mm MF lenses, at least those I have here, and the other side is for a selection of the most loved third party manual PK objectives. Next in line will be the most loved M42's... but the vintage wooden display that's big enough for this use is currently being restored. I's a perfect project in case of another lockdown

I'm starting with the Pentaxes. Of course the big bazookas are missing, there is no space for them in the display.
The arrangement is not definitive and most lenses were not dusted. The illumination is also not definitive... but the sight of most of my beloved Pentax manual focus lenses, purchased over the course of 45 years, lightens my heart. Took such a long time to find some of them!












If anybody got curious, the lenses pictured in the five photos are, left to right, back row first:

SMC Pentax-A Star 1:2.8 200mm ED; SMC Pentax 1:3.5 28mm Shift; SMC Pentax-A 1:3.5 15mm
SMC Pentax-A Star 1:1.4 85mm; SMC Pentax-A 1:2.8 20mm (original hood on the right)

SMC Pentax-A 1:4 28-135mm; SMC Pentax-A 1:3.5 35-105mm; SMC Pentax-A 1:4 70-210mm
SMC Pentax-A 1:2.8 24mm; SMC Pentax-A 1:2.8 135mm

SMC Pentax 1:2 35mm; SMC Pentax 1:2.5 135mm; SMC Pentax 1:2.8 105mm
SMC Pentax 1:2 28mm; SMC Pentax 1:1.2 50mm

SMC Pentax-A 1:2 35mm; SMC Pentax-A 1:1.7 50mm; SMC Pentax-M 1:2.8 100mm; SMC Pentax 1:1.8 55mm
SMC Pentax-M 1:1.4 50mm; SMC Pentax-A 1:2.8 28mm; SMC Pentax 1:2.2 85mm Soft

SMC Pentax-M 1:1.7 50mm; SMC Pentax-M 1:3.5 28mm; SMC Pentax 1:4 100mm Bellows; SMC Pentax-M 1:2.8 40mm

There is a little of room left for the lost ones, that I hope will sooner or later be reunited with their relatives. I especially miss the 3.5/28mm series K, the 4/200mm series A, the 4/100 Macro series A, the 75-150mm series M, and a couple of screwmount lenses like the 8-elements Super Tak 50mm and the Auto Tak 1.8/85mm.
Arghhh, forgot a newcomer that instantly became one of my favorites: 3.5/24mm series K. I hope to lay my hands on them before the end of the year

I hope the family portraits of my beloved Pentaxes would be fetish enough to qualify for this thread

Cheers
Paolo

[Wasp]

I hope the family portraits of my beloved Pentaxes would be fetish enough to qualify for this thread

Cheers
Paolo

Thanks for sharing. I feel a little unworthy but on the other hand my GAS is not that bad. I only have fourteen (had to count them) manual focus SMC Pentax lenses.

1. M 20/4
2. A 24/2.8
3. M 28/2.8
4. M 28/2.8 (yes, two)
5. K 50/1.2
6. M 50/1.4
7. M 50/1.7
8. M 50/2
9. A 50/2.8 macro
10. M 100/2.8
11. K 135/3.5
12. K 200/2.5
13. M 200/4
14. A 400/5.6

[pepperberry farm]

just arrived:

[edom31]

Well, I took this shot (and made a list) before seeing the post above. Note that my list does not have A+ lenses, limiteds or * lenses... So the photo will do I'm just happy I finally got to organize them!

[cyberjunkie]

Thanks for sharing. I feel a little unworthy but on the other hand my GAS is not that bad. I only have fourteen (had to count them) manual focus SMC Pentax lenses.

You have time
It's a good start though.
I started with Pentax in the late seventies. I sold a Nikkormat and bought a second hand, almost new, Pentax MX.
So I had plenty of time to get my lenses. I even had enough time to forget about a couple of them, and to enjoy the thrill of re-discovering them

I'm still finding a way to expose my Pentax lenses, plus my most loved third party ones, either PK, M42 or adapted.

In the meantime, here are some (17 of them) Pentax AF objectives, in their temporary display. In the clear box in the background there are some PKA or AF converters (including two "-S", two "-L", and the AF 1.7x).

---

Last edited by cyberjunkie; 09-29-2020 at 07:58 PM.

[edom31]

Rokkor-PF 58/1.4

[pepperberry farm]

Rokkor-PF 58/1.4

nice.... on what camera?

[edom31]

nice.... on what camera?

Scored a mirrorless MicroFour-Thirds for under $50; could not pass on it. With battery and charger...


Olympus E-PM1 - not the best out there, no focus peaking which is a must without a viewfinder I believe. But it works well. Smaller than a mobile phone. The Controls are not so user friendly, but on day 1 and I already got the gist of it.

[pepperberry farm]

Scored a mirrorless MicroFour-Thirds for under $50; could not pass on it. With battery and charger...


Olympus E-PM1 - not the best out there, no focus peaking which is a must without a viewfinder I believe. But it works well. Smaller than a mobile phone. The Controls are not so user friendly, but on day 1 and I already got the gist of it.

excellent!

with that MFT mount, you could adapt nearly anything you want to it...

[JensE]

just arrived:

How do you shoot/adapt Practica-B? Never seen the macro for real, my favorite was the 1.8/80.

[edom31]

with that MFT mount, you could adapt nearly anything you want to it...

Very true... The small sensor has always been stopping me from the acquisition (but at the price, I had to do it). I took some shots today that I'll be working on tonight - one of my favorites from today is a shot with one of the camera's many funky "filters" or "modes". I just love how it came out, albeit very unrealistic, still love it.


The Non-WR pentax body is still in the works; but getting this Oly might make me reconsider something better than the K-X I was eyeing.


I officially will retire and get rid of my EOS 450D. I eyed using it as a main M42 body, but shots I took recently just did not cut it. Hence, I want to get something "newer" than what I already have.

[pepperberry farm]

How do you shoot/adapt Practica-B? Never seen the macro for real, my favorite was the 1.8/80.

wait for an adapter from China and put it on a Fuji X-T2; I never found a Praktica B adapter for k-mount that didn't have glass in it....

I wouldn't be lying just a bit if I said that I bought the X-T2 almost just for this lens alone....

[ivanvernon]

I am up to about 112 nowadays, but do not plan to collect any more lenses except maybe two or three. I may pick up a few more medium format lenses, particular some of the long telephotos, the FA 25 to complete my P645 collection, as well as perhaps a few Zeiss ZK lenses I would like to try out on the K-1.

My lens collection:

I. MEDIUM FORMAT LENSES

Pentax 67 (16):
SMC Pentax 6x7 45mm f 4.0
SMC Pentax 67 55mm f 4.0
SMC Pentax 67 Zoom 55-100mm f 4.5
SMC Pentax 67 75mm f 2.8 AL
S-M-C Takumar 6x7 75mm f 4.5
SMC Pentax 67 90mm f 2.8
SMC Pentax 67 Zoom 90-180mm f 5.6
SMC Pentax 67 100mm f 4.0 Macro 1:2 (1:1 with adapter)
S-M-C Takumar 6x7 105mm f 2.4
SMC Pentax 67 Soft 120mm f 3.5
S-M-C Macro Takumar 6 x 76 135mm f 4.0
SMC Pentax 67 150mm f 2.8
SMC Pentax 67 165mm f 2.8
SMC Pentax 67 165mm f 4.0 LS
SMC Pentax 67 200mm f 4.0
SMC Pentax 300mm f 4.0

Carl Zeiss Jena/Pentacon 6 (6):
CZJ Biometar 80mm f 2.8
CZJ Bm 120mm f 2.8
CZJ Sonnar 180mm f 2.8
Arsat 30mm f 3.5 fisheye
Arsat B, 250mm, f 5.6
Pentacon 500mm f 5.6, M42 mount

Mamiya 645: Not adaptable to Pentax 645 cameras, so used on K-1 (11)
Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm f 2.8
Mamiya-Sekor C 55mm f 2.8
Mamiya-Sekor C 70mm f 2.8 LS
Mamiya-Sekor C 80mm f 1.9
Mamiya-Sekor A 80mm f4.0 M 1:2 Macro (1:1 with Auto Macro Spacer)
Mamiya-Sekor C 120mm f 4.0 1:1 Macro
Mamiya-Sekor C 145mm f 4.0 Soft Focus
Mamiya-Sekor C 150mm f 3.5
Mamiya-Sekor C 210mm f 4.0
Mamiya-Sekor C 300mm f 5.6
Mamiya-Sekor Reflex C 500mm f 8.0



Pentax 645 (24):
SMC Pentax-FA 645 35mm f3.5 AL (IF)
SMC Pentax-A 645 35mm f 3.5
SMC Pentax-A 645 45mm f 2.8
SMC Pentax-FA 645 45mm f 2.8
SMC Pentax-FA 645 ZOOM 45-85mm f 4.5
SMC Pentax-A 645 ZOOM 45-85mm f 4.5
SMC Pentax-D FA 645 55mm f 2.8 AL (IF) SDM AW
SMC Pentax-A 645 55mm f 2.8
SMC Pentax-FA 55-110mm f 5.6
SMC Pentax-FA 645 75mm f 2.8
SMC Pentax-A 645 75mm f 2.8
SMC Pentax 645 LS 75mm f 2.8
HD Pentax-D FA 645 90mm f 2.8 Macro SDM ED AW SR
SMC Pentax FA 645 ZOOM 80-160mm f 4.5
SMC Pentax-FA 645 MACRO 120mm f 4.0
SMC Pentax 645 LS 135mm f 4.0 (2 copies)
SMC Pentax-FA 645 150mm f 2.8(IF)
SMC Pentax-A 645 150mm f 3.5
SMC Pentax-FA 645 ZOOM 150-300mm f 5.6 ED (IF)
SMC Pentax-FA 645 200mm f 4.0 (IF)
SMC Pentax-A 645 200mm f 4.0
SMC Pentax-FA* 645 300mm f 4.0 ED (IF)
SMC Pentax-FA 645 400mm f 5.6 ED (IF)
Pentax Rear Converter-A 645 2X

II. K-MOUNT LENSES

Zooms: (12)
SMC Pentax-DA 10-17 f 3.5-4.5 Fisheye
Promaster Spectrum 7 19-35mm f 3.5-4.5
Auto Sears MC ZOOM 80-200mm f 4.0
Tamron AF 17-50mm f 2.8 (IF) Aspherical
SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm f 3.5-5.6 AL WR
SMC Pentax-DAL 18-55mm f 3.5-5.6 AL WR
SMC Pentax-DA ZOOM 18-250mm f 3.5-6.3 ED AL (IF)
SMC Pentax-F ZOOM 35-70mm f 3.5-4.5 Macro
SMC Pentax-A ZOOM 35-105mm f 3.5
SMC Pentax-A ZOOM 70-210mm f 4.0
Tamron 70-300mm f 4-6.6 Telemacro 1:2
SMC Pentax-FA 100-300mm f 4.5-5.6

Primes:
Non-Pentax: (22)
Rokinon 8mm f 3.5 Fisheye CS II Aspherical
Auto Chinon Multi-Coated 28mm f 2.8
MC Kiron (Kino Precision) 28mm f 2.0
MC CPC Auto 28mm f 2.8 Macro
MC Vivitar SMS 28mm f 2.8 Close focus (adapted MD-PK)
Auto Sears MC 50mm f 1.4
Auto Sears MC 50mm f 1.7
Auto Sears 50mm f 2.0
Auto Revuenon 50mm f 1.4
MC Auto Chinon 50mm f 1.7
Auto Chinon 50mm f 1.9
Canon-FD 55mm f 1.2 (converted to K mount)
Canon-FL 55mm f 1.2 (converted to K mount)
MC Helios-44K-4 58mm f2.0
Rokinon 85mm f 1.4 Aspherical (IF)
Tokina AT-X 90mm f 2.5 Macro 1:2
Phoenix 100mm f 3.5 Macro 1:2
Kiron 105mm f 2.8 Macro 1:1
Auto Sears MC 135mm f 2.8
Kamero Auto 135mm f 2.8
MC Auto Chinon 135mm f 2.8
Zeiss 120 f 2.0 Planar T* Macro 1:2

Pentax: (16)
SMC Pentax-A 28mm f 2.8
SMC Pentax-FA 31mm f 1.8 AL Limited
SMC Pentax-DA 35mm f 2.4 AL
Pentax-FA 43mm f 1.9 Limited
SMC Pentax-M 50mm f 1.7
SMC Pentax- D FA 50mm f 2.8 Macro
SMC Pentax-A 50mm f 2.0
SMC Pentax-A 50mm f 1.7
SMC Pentax-A 50mm f 1.4
Pentax-FA 77mm f 1.8 Limited
SMC Pentax-FA* 85mm f 1.4 (IF)
SMC Pentax-F 85mm f 2.8 Soft
SMC Pentax-A 135mm f 2.8
PentaxTakumar (Bayonet) 135mm f 2.5
SMC Pentax-M 200mm f 1.4
SMC Pentax-M 400mm f 5.6

III. M42 LENSES

M42 Lenses (all brands): (5)
Auto Mamiya/Sekor 50mm f 2.0
Pentax Super-Takumar 50mm f 1.4 (2 copies)
Pentax Super-Takumar 55mm f 1.8
Tamron 400mm f 6.9

GRAND TOTAL: 112