The Mirror Lens Club!

Martina Stoecker · 10-19-2017, 04:40 AM

Is there any chance to buy/use an adapter?

**marcusBMG** · 10-19-2017, 06:39 AM

That most certainly is NOT a PK mount. Interesting - I would have said it's old olympus OM mount looking at the square black plastic release button on the side, but what's that large lever on the side? Exacta's (and Topcon) have those...
In any case I think you are a bit SOOL, you are not going to find an adapter for this to PK (easy adaption to canon, mirrorless..). OM's can be modded a little by shaving the bayonet flanges to squeeze on to a pentax and that works reasonably because the registration distances are just about the same. Exacta however has a much shorter registration distance, so you will never be able to focus to infinity. The only alternative is a diy mount swap, normally not worth the effort - best to just look for another example of the pens with the right mount - however if you want to try, a mirror lens is the easiest type of lens to try with because the aperture is fixed, no iris or aperture connections. Acquire a pk mount off a junk lens and figure out removing the current one and attaching the pk.

**goatsNdonkey** · 10-19-2017, 11:24 AM

Originally posted by Martina Stoecker

Thank you..... I have attached an image from the mount...... It just does not want to "grab"

If there is a notch in one of those three wider sections, it could be a Konica AR mount. I could tell you for sure if the picture was straight at the mount end, and not from the side. The Konica AR system has a different film to flange distance than Pentax. It could be a Nikon (F?) mount. They are said to fit on K-mount bodies, but not latch. The film to flange distance is nearly identical to Pentax, and some people have used them.

FilmORbitz · 10-19-2017, 08:39 PM

I will also confirm not K-mount. A while back a gentleman on this forum was looking for the K-mount adapter for a Sigma 500/8 mirror that I happened to also own (mine was complete--his didn't have half of the TWO PIECE K-mount adapter). Sigma used a nonstandard circular tube to which any number of different mounts OF THEIR manufacture could be attached. None of the dimensions they used corresponded to any other mounting system (C-mount, etc). The only solution was to fabricate an adapter, and that required a metal lathe plus the dimensions of the missing piece I own.
Bottom line--more cost/effort than the questionable image quality warranted. Some times, a good deal isn't. And I'd not want you to damage your K-3 with "kinda-fits" kluges.

Last edited by FilmORbitz; 10-19-2017 at 08:44 PM.

cooltouch · 10-21-2017, 01:24 AM - **1 Like**

Your Sigma should have an abbreviation on the mount or the body close to the mount, which indicates what it fits.

I just looked at several Tamron Adaptall-2 mounts I have, which included Pentax K, Minolta MD, Fuji Bayonet, Nikon F, Olympus, and Contax. It sure doesn't look like Pentax K, and almost looks like Fuji bayonet. The closest I found was Olympus. But Oly has those buttons on the side of the mount that you press to dismount the lens.

Ah! I just found it on your lens! The button that you push to dismount it is visible at the bottom of the photo. That's Olympus, definitely. You'll probably find an abbreviation that includes "OM" somewhere at the base of the lens.

Martina Stoecker · 10-21-2017, 09:47 AM

Thanks to all of you for your comments.

Guess I better go and try to find another one that mounts my K3.

Just haven't been lucky lately. My Sigma 170-500mm got fungus which obviously is not repairable (what I can't understand) and this one .....

**marcusBMG** · 10-21-2017, 11:42 AM

Don't worry about a few tendrils or spots of fungus, it normally takes a pretty pervasive fungus infestation to affect results. In any case fungus normally cleans off pretty readily. If they're saying its not repairable, maybe they just don't know how to disassemble the lens.

cooltouch · 10-22-2017, 09:43 PM

What Marcus said. Also, sunlight kills fungus. So don't be bashful about leaving your lens out in the sun for a while. Maybe take a bunch of sunset photos with it or something.

The Sigma 600mm mirror is a fairly common sight on eBay. The one I bought for Canon FD years ago was an exceptionally sharp lens. So it might be worth your while to keep your eyes open at eBay for P-K mount Sigma mirrors. Another excellent mirror that gets routinely high marks is the Tamron 500/8 -- in either of the two flavors it was made. Good thing about Tamron is all you'll need for it is a P-K Tamron adaptall-2 mount.

**marcusBMG** · 10-23-2017, 07:10 AM

I haven't had the chance to compare the sigma 600mm to the tamron 500's. But given that on apsc you are already at a FoV equiv to 750mm on full frame, is there any need for 600mm? Every time the focal length notches up so does the difficulty of taking good pics (due to ever reducing depth of field/more ticklish focus; and magnification of vibrations, shake etc).

tim60 · 10-23-2017, 09:46 PM

The answer depends on what you want to do. In the old days there was a market for lenses out to 2000mm, very rare though they were.

cooltouch · 10-24-2017, 08:12 PM

Well, I did all my shooting with my Sigma 600 using Canon FD cameras -- FTb and F-1s mostly. The FTb was annoying to use because the focusing aid was useless at f/8, so I had to use the periphery of the viewfinder. Often I'd use an eyepiece magnifier with my FTb. But with my F-1s, I got into the habit of shooting with plain matte screens because I had a few slow telephotos, and I got to be pretty good with my Sigma as a result. Most of the time I was using at least a monopod, which helped a lot. But one thing that really helped with the Sigma and that helps with my Tamron is the focusing throw is almost 360 degrees. This very long throw makes an otherwise touchy focus easier to handle. l've tried to use mirrors that had focusing throws as short as 90 degrees and they were a giant PITA.

When I had the opportunity to do so, I'd use a tripod with the Sigma, and often mirror lock up. My post number 805 in this thread -- the one of the ship and boat at sunset -- was taken with an FTb on a tripod with the mirror up. The shot of the drilling rig was actually taken with an A-1 on a tripod, and the remainder were taken with an F-1 on a monopod. The racing shots I managed to get in focus by using an old trick of mine -- I prefocused on a spot on the track, then tripped the shutter when the racecar entered that point of focus.

pentaxpete · 01-24-2018, 03:20 AM - **5 Likes**

I held my Russian MTO 500 over the lens mount of my 6x7 Mk II and used the 'Spot Metering' and got a good result on 09/2002 dated Fuji Provia F

Thagomizer · 02-01-2018, 08:15 PM - **8 Likes**

Oh, deer.

After owning it for several months, I finally gave my Tamron 55BB a good workout today. A local cemetery has a resident herd of whitetail deer. While used to people, they are still skittish with sudden movements. I got as close as about 5 meters. Some of the younger ones were quite curious and got a bit closer to have a look. It was a sunny day with snow on the ground. All shots handheld, using the optical viewfinder. My K-S2 was set to manual, 1/1000 sec., ISO 800. Focusing was tricky, even with good light.

All have had levels tweaked and sharpening applied. Some are cropped.

I'm quite pleased with the results. Enjoy!

cooltouch · 02-01-2018, 10:23 PM

Outstanding! Some people can't stand the sort of bokeh that mirrors generate, but I personally don't mind them and in some cases I think they can actually add to the composition.

I have a 55BB and your shots are reminding me that I need to get out more with mine.

redpit · 02-01-2018, 10:35 PM

Originally posted by Thagomizer

Oh, deer.

After owning it for several months, I finally gave my Tamron 55BB a good workout today. A local cemetery has a resident herd of whitetail deer. While used to people, they are still skittish with sudden movements. I got as close as about 5 meters. Some of the younger ones were quite curious and got a bit closer to have a look. It was a sunny day with snow on the ground. All shots handheld, using the optical viewfinder. My K-S2 was set to manual, 1/1000 sec., ISO 800. Focusing was tricky, even with good light.

All have had levels tweaked and sharpening applied. Some are cropped.

I'm quite pleased with the results. Enjoy!

Great pictures! Congratulations. Knowing how dificult it is to focus with such a lens, your work is beautiful!

10-19-2017, 06:39 AM	#917
marcusBMG Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: North Wales Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,868	That most certainly is NOT a PK mount. Interesting - I would have said it's old olympus OM mount looking at the square black plastic release button on the side, but what's that large lever on the side? Exacta's (and Topcon) have those... In any case I think you are a bit SOOL, you are not going to find an adapter for this to PK (easy adaption to canon, mirrorless..). OM's can be modded a little by shaving the bayonet flanges to squeeze on to a pentax and that works reasonably because the registration distances are just about the same. Exacta however has a much shorter registration distance, so you will never be able to focus to infinity. The only alternative is a diy mount swap, normally not worth the effort - best to just look for another example of the pens with the right mount - however if you want to try, a mirror lens is the easiest type of lens to try with because the aperture is fixed, no iris or aperture connections. Acquire a pk mount off a junk lens and figure out removing the current one and attaching the pk. Last edited by marcusBMG; 10-19-2017 at 06:46 AM.

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10-19-2017, 04:40 AM	#916
Martina Stoecker Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mannheim, Germany Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 48	Is there any chance to buy/use an adapter?

10-19-2017, 11:24 AM	#918
goatsNdonkey Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Fulton County, Illinois Posts: 3,727	Originally posted by Martina Stoecker Thank you..... I have attached an image from the mount...... It just does not want to "grab" If there is a notch in one of those three wider sections, it could be a Konica AR mount. I could tell you for sure if the picture was straight at the mount end, and not from the side. The Konica AR system has a different film to flange distance than Pentax. It could be a Nikon (F?) mount. They are said to fit on K-mount bodies, but not latch. The film to flange distance is nearly identical to Pentax, and some people have used them.

10-19-2017, 08:39 PM	#919
FilmORbitz Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Maryland Photos: Gallery Posts: 144	I will also confirm not K-mount. A while back a gentleman on this forum was looking for the K-mount adapter for a Sigma 500/8 mirror that I happened to also own (mine was complete--his didn't have half of the TWO PIECE K-mount adapter). Sigma used a nonstandard circular tube to which any number of different mounts OF THEIR manufacture could be attached. None of the dimensions they used corresponded to any other mounting system (C-mount, etc). The only solution was to fabricate an adapter, and that required a metal lathe plus the dimensions of the missing piece I own. Bottom line--more cost/effort than the questionable image quality warranted. Some times, a good deal isn't. And I'd not want you to damage your K-3 with "kinda-fits" kluges. Last edited by FilmORbitz; 10-19-2017 at 08:44 PM.

10-21-2017, 01:24 AM - 1 Like	#920
cooltouch Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Houston, Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 982	Your Sigma should have an abbreviation on the mount or the body close to the mount, which indicates what it fits. I just looked at several Tamron Adaptall-2 mounts I have, which included Pentax K, Minolta MD, Fuji Bayonet, Nikon F, Olympus, and Contax. It sure doesn't look like Pentax K, and almost looks like Fuji bayonet. The closest I found was Olympus. But Oly has those buttons on the side of the mount that you press to dismount the lens. Ah! I just found it on your lens! The button that you push to dismount it is visible at the bottom of the photo. That's Olympus, definitely. You'll probably find an abbreviation that includes "OM" somewhere at the base of the lens.

10-21-2017, 09:47 AM	#921
Martina Stoecker Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mannheim, Germany Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 48	Thanks to all of you for your comments. Guess I better go and try to find another one that mounts my K3. Just haven't been lucky lately. My Sigma 170-500mm got fungus which obviously is not repairable (what I can't understand) and this one .....

10-21-2017, 11:42 AM	#922
marcusBMG Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: North Wales Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,868	Don't worry about a few tendrils or spots of fungus, it normally takes a pretty pervasive fungus infestation to affect results. In any case fungus normally cleans off pretty readily. If they're saying its not repairable, maybe they just don't know how to disassemble the lens.

10-22-2017, 09:43 PM	#923
cooltouch Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Houston, Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 982	What Marcus said. Also, sunlight kills fungus. So don't be bashful about leaving your lens out in the sun for a while. Maybe take a bunch of sunset photos with it or something. The Sigma 600mm mirror is a fairly common sight on eBay. The one I bought for Canon FD years ago was an exceptionally sharp lens. So it might be worth your while to keep your eyes open at eBay for P-K mount Sigma mirrors. Another excellent mirror that gets routinely high marks is the Tamron 500/8 -- in either of the two flavors it was made. Good thing about Tamron is all you'll need for it is a P-K Tamron adaptall-2 mount.

10-23-2017, 07:10 AM	#924
marcusBMG Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: North Wales Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,868	I haven't had the chance to compare the sigma 600mm to the tamron 500's. But given that on apsc you are already at a FoV equiv to 750mm on full frame, is there any need for 600mm? Every time the focal length notches up so does the difficulty of taking good pics (due to ever reducing depth of field/more ticklish focus; and magnification of vibrations, shake etc).

10-23-2017, 09:46 PM	#925
tim60 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 8,742	The answer depends on what you want to do. In the old days there was a market for lenses out to 2000mm, very rare though they were.

10-24-2017, 08:12 PM	#926
cooltouch Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Houston, Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 982	Well, I did all my shooting with my Sigma 600 using Canon FD cameras -- FTb and F-1s mostly. The FTb was annoying to use because the focusing aid was useless at f/8, so I had to use the periphery of the viewfinder. Often I'd use an eyepiece magnifier with my FTb. But with my F-1s, I got into the habit of shooting with plain matte screens because I had a few slow telephotos, and I got to be pretty good with my Sigma as a result. Most of the time I was using at least a monopod, which helped a lot. But one thing that really helped with the Sigma and that helps with my Tamron is the focusing throw is almost 360 degrees. This very long throw makes an otherwise touchy focus easier to handle. l've tried to use mirrors that had focusing throws as short as 90 degrees and they were a giant PITA. When I had the opportunity to do so, I'd use a tripod with the Sigma, and often mirror lock up. My post number 805 in this thread -- the one of the ship and boat at sunset -- was taken with an FTb on a tripod with the mirror up. The shot of the drilling rig was actually taken with an A-1 on a tripod, and the remainder were taken with an F-1 on a monopod. The racing shots I managed to get in focus by using an old trick of mine -- I prefocused on a spot on the track, then tripped the shutter when the racecar entered that point of focus.

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01-24-2018, 03:20 AM - 5 Likes	#927
pentaxpete Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Brentwood, Essex Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 366	I held my Russian MTO 500 over the lens mount of my 6x7 Mk II and used the 'Spot Metering' and got a good result on 09/2002 dated Fuji Provia F

02-01-2018, 08:15 PM - 8 Likes	#928
Thagomizer Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: London Ontario Posts: 2,068	Oh, deer. After owning it for several months, I finally gave my Tamron 55BB a good workout today. A local cemetery has a resident herd of whitetail deer. While used to people, they are still skittish with sudden movements. I got as close as about 5 meters. Some of the younger ones were quite curious and got a bit closer to have a look. It was a sunny day with snow on the ground. All shots handheld, using the optical viewfinder. My K-S2 was set to manual, 1/1000 sec., ISO 800. Focusing was tricky, even with good light. All have had levels tweaked and sharpening applied. Some are cropped. I'm quite pleased with the results. Enjoy!

02-01-2018, 10:23 PM	#929
cooltouch Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Houston, Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 982	Outstanding! Some people can't stand the sort of bokeh that mirrors generate, but I personally don't mind them and in some cases I think they can actually add to the composition. I have a 55BB and your shots are reminding me that I need to get out more with mine.

02-01-2018, 10:35 PM	#930
redpit Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Greece Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,857	Originally posted by Thagomizer Oh, deer. After owning it for several months, I finally gave my Tamron 55BB a good workout today. A local cemetery has a resident herd of whitetail deer. While used to people, they are still skittish with sudden movements. I got as close as about 5 meters. Some of the younger ones were quite curious and got a bit closer to have a look. It was a sunny day with snow on the ground. All shots handheld, using the optical viewfinder. My K-S2 was set to manual, 1/1000 sec., ISO 800. Focusing was tricky, even with good light. All have had levels tweaked and sharpening applied. Some are cropped. I'm quite pleased with the results. Enjoy! Great pictures! Congratulations. Knowing how dificult it is to focus with such a lens, your work is beautiful!