Originally posted by kaseki Ah, I misinterpreted your word "found." I have ordered a set from Japan to experiment with, so I guess it has to be me who has to write something meaningful (in the fullness of time).
Received the parts yesterday morning; this is the shortest time in my experience getting a camera part from Japan, and I do not anticipate surpassing that record in the future.
I will provide here aspects of a review as I get to them. Interested parties may wish to download from one of the Pentax manual sites, e.g.,
ManualsLib - Makes it easy to find manuals online!, the four-page "
58mm Reverse Adapter 645/Reverse Attachment 645" manual, part no. 07031 ENG, dated 5/84. I will be writing as I am learning.
There are two components, one for each end of the lens assembly to be reversed. One part -- the reverse
adapter -- attaches to the lens filter thread, the other -- the reverse
attachment -- to the lens rear mounting flange. The reverse adapter allows the front of the lens to be connected to the camera mount or to extension tubes for greater magnification. The reverse attachment, while providing a thread for a filter at the front of the assembly (rear of the lens), has as its main purpose an interface with the aperture controls such that one can manually open the aperture for focusing, and then manually close it to the desired f/no for taking the image. The lens must not be in the A (automatic) mode for this to work.
With the lens reversed, no electrical contacts or mechanical controls are accessible to the camera. However, TTL functions of stopped-down metering (and I think also analog TTL flash for film cameras) should work. I am less confident about P-TTL on digital cameras. TBD. Flash lamp configurations that achieve one's goal when one is on top of an object to be highly magnified are another issue not addressed here.
It is important to note in this first tranch of information that this device is designed for 58mm filter thread lenses, such as the 75mm 2.8, and adapters will be needed for lenses with different filter threads. For example, the 120mm macro lens uses a 67mm filter thread. I believe the part needed is called a stepping ring, and I will have to order one.
kas