Nightmare M42 adapter

**hjoseph7** · 12-27-2015, 04:13 PM

My Pentax M42-K adapter got stuck on my Takumar 200mm F 3.5 lens, so I figured that I might as well leave it there and purchase another one. So as I searched the web , I noticed that the price for the M42 adapters had shot up by $25 - $30 on B&H and Amazon. I tried Adorama, but could not find the Pentax original M42 adapter so I opted for a third-party brand, a Kipon (made in China) for $17.79. Knowing fully well of the horror stories people had with these third-party adapters, I ordered one anyway based on the excellent reviews for this adapter listed on the Adorama website.

When it the Kipon adapter came in the mail, I decided to try it with all my Takumar lenses. Everything seemed OK until I tried to take the adapter off the camera, but could not. I tried everything, but the adapter would not come off no matter what I did. I searched the fancy box the adapter came in for instructions, but there weren't any ! By then I was in panic mode !! I was seriously thinking about calling Adorama and give them a piece of my mind, but it was too late, the store was closed.

My only hope was to remove the front metal lens mount on my K-5IIs to see if I could remove the adapter this way ? The front metal mount on the K-5 IIs is held by 4 screws that are pretty easy to take off, but you have to be really careful that you don't scratch or drop anything into the camera while doing this. Behind the metal mount is a flexible thin copper plate that is attached by a really thin wire to the camera with solder, not sure what purpose it serves ? Unfortunately, while I was trying to remove the adapter I separated the thin wire from the flexible thin copper plate ! I did mange to remove the adapter from the metal mount though...

I figured oh no ! I ruined my beloved K-5 IIs and after the holiday season did not really have the funds to get it fixed. While I was seething in anger and despair, I decided to re-install the flexible copper plate and the metal mount back on the camera after some trial and error. To my surprise the camera still worked ! I tried all my DA/FA lenses and everything seemed to be working fine. Also all the functions seemed to be working as far as I knew. So then what is the purpose of the thin wire attached to the flexible copper plate ? If it is an important function maybe I can try to solder it back, or have it repaired sometime in the near future since the camera works and there is no rush.

To make matters worse after reinstalling the front Metal Mount and flexible copper plate the best I could, I found the tool that is supposed to be used to remove the Kipon adapter from the camera ! It was sitting under a pillow on my living room couch. Since the adapter came with no instructions I didn't know it came with one... Regardless, I'm too afraid to ever put that adapter back on my camera. I immediately ordered the original Pentax M42 adapter that was listed on the Adorama website, but which I could not find the first time I searched for it ?

To make a long story short, now my only problem is the separated thin wire from the inner flexible copper plate that goes behind the Metal K-Mount. Maybe I can solder it back myself. Does anybody know why that wire is attached to this copper plate and what function does it perform ?

Last edited by hjoseph7; 12-27-2015 at 06:35 PM.

Not a Number · 12-27-2015, 05:28 PM

Usually the best course of action with 3rd party M42 adapters is to take a screw driver and remove the screw and the spring clip.

I couldn't tell you exactly what the wire and plate are for but I would suspect it is the ground for the K-mount - lens circuitry. That it seems to work now is probably because there is physical contact with the wire and the plate with pressure from the mount ring. This may become intermittent as time goes on as the wire compresses or oxidation occurs on the wire and plate.

**UncleVanya** · 12-27-2015, 06:13 PM

If you can find a Kalt adapter I've had as much luck with that as my Pentax one. It does use a tool but it is an easy one to use.

kmurphy220 · 12-27-2015, 06:46 PM

The fotodiox one on Amazon has served me very well so far. I works well with my 3 takumars and my other M42's. And it only cost me $12!

jkomp316 · 12-27-2015, 07:17 PM

i have a couple of these cheap adapters and one genuine pentax one. both work the same aside from the aperature ring is not centered on the cheap ones. i removed the locking clips on all of them.

**gordon_l34** · 12-28-2015, 12:15 AM

Hi,
I had a hard job removing a genuine M42/K Asahi Pentax adapter from a teleconverter the other night.
I finished up with a very small screw driver beneath the lock tag. In future this will be removed before I refit it to any thing. Just glad that it was not the K3!
Regards.

tim60 · 12-28-2015, 01:45 AM

I have found the genuine adapter works perfectly with the spring clip. Why would anyone want to remove the clip because then there would be nothing to stop accidental lens rotation leading to the lens falling off, which would be a disaster: broken lens and uncovered lens mount. It is fine that removal is a two stage process, lens then adapter.

blende8 · 12-28-2015, 02:48 AM

Agree with tim60.
If one knows what to do, it is easy. I do it with my fingernail.

manntax · 12-28-2015, 02:59 AM

Originally posted by hjoseph7

To make a long story short, now my only problem is the separated thin wire from the inner flexible copper plate that goes behind the Metal K-Mount. Maybe I can solder it back myself. Does anybody know why that wire is attached to this copper plate and what function does it perform ?

Been there done that

I had *exactly* the same problem with my K10D back in the day.. the wire was separated and I ended up soldering it myself but the work was terribly difficult. With wire separated all my lenses would shot only wide open

( Even if you change the aperture (in AV mode for example) your lens would still shot at wide open value. This applied to my DA lenses, not sure if other P/KA lenses would be ok because at the time I didn't have other lenses than DA.

Good luck with soldering but if you are not proficient at it I *strongly* suggest you give it to do somebody who really is ( and have a thin, precision soldering iron )

Originally posted by tim60

I have found the genuine adapter works perfectly with the spring clip. Why would anyone want to remove the clip because then there would be nothing to stop accidental lens rotation leading to the lens falling off, which would be a disaster: broken lens and uncovered lens mount. It is fine that removal is a two stage process, lens then adapter.

Originally posted by blende8

Agree with tim60. If one knows what to do, it is easy. I do it with my fingernail.

+1 - never have any issue with *genuine* Asahi Pentax adapter and the springy tab is actually very useful for some lenses which are not sitting tightly against the mounting plate

**hjoseph7** · 12-28-2015, 01:23 PM

Originally posted by manntax

Been there done that

I had *exactly* the same problem with my K10D back in the day.. the wire was separated and I ended up soldering it myself but the work was terribly difficult. With wire separated all my lenses would shot only wide open

( Even if you change the aperture (in AV mode for example) your lens would still shot at wide open value. This applied to my DA lenses, not sure if other P/KA lenses would be ok because at the time I didn't have other lenses than DA.

Good luck with soldering but if you are not proficient at it I *strongly* suggest you give it to do somebody who really is ( and have a thin, precision soldering iron )

+1 - never have any issue with *genuine* Asahi Pentax adapter and the springy tab is actually very useful for some lenses which are not sitting tightly against the mounting plate

Bummer, I'll have to retest all my lenses again to see if they shoot wide-open. You are right the wire is very thin and very delicate looking. If that wire breaks it's all over.

**hjoseph7** · 12-28-2015, 09:43 PM - **1 Like**

I retested all of my lenses and was able to stop down at will in AV mode. In "P" mode the camera works as usual...

---------- Post added 12-29-15 at 12:34 AM ----------

Apparently the name for the flexible copper plate I mentioned is called a "Mount Spring". You can see the part in this exploded view of the K7 (Fig. 4 Part # A105) . You can also see it in Fig. 5 at the top center. http://www.mab3d.com/TOtaxians/k7parts.pdf I could not find an exploded view of the K5 but the part looks identical to the one on the K7. Notice how its connected to the camera by a wire (Fig 5 ).

manntax · 12-29-2015, 01:14 AM

Originally posted by hjoseph7

I retested all of my lenses and was able to stop down at will in AV mode. In "P" mode the camera works as usual...

interesting.. it must be different then to what the function is in K10D. I recall all my shots stopped down to be overexposed because lens would stay wide open. One of the reasons your still might be working is that wire is somehow still touching the mount spring. I also was resorting to this before soldering, and it would stay in place for some time. If yours is working I wouldn't touch it though...

tim60 · 12-29-2015, 01:16 AM

I think it is more likely it works because it happens to be resting in contact. One day it might fall away and need a proper fix.

**hjoseph7** · 12-29-2015, 10:12 AM

Funny I called "Precision Camera" and the guy I spoke to did not even know what the part was. He didn't even try to look it up, just said to send my camera in and they would look at it after they billed me several hundred dollars...

panoguy · 12-29-2015, 11:06 AM

Originally posted by hjoseph7

Apparently the name for the flexible copper plate I mentioned is called a "Mount Spring". You can see the part in this exploded view of the K7 (Fig. 4 Part # A105) . You can also see it in Fig. 5 at the top center. http://www.mab3d.com/TOtaxians/k7parts.pdf I could not find an exploded view of the K5 but the part looks identical to the one on the K7. Notice how its connected to the camera by a wire (Fig 5 ).

Huh. I totally forgot I put that service diagram up on my site! Glad it was of some use - maybe Precision Camera should take a look at it!

That almost certainly looks like a grounding element for the lens contacts (little pins on springs that bounce away so easily). If it works, don't mess with it, but if it stops working, it shouldn't be a big deal to re-solder with the proper tools. I'd be more concerned about the lens contact pins, myself!

12-27-2015, 04:13 PM	#1
hjoseph7 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2014 Location: Minnesota Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,047	Nightmare M42 adapter My Pentax M42-K adapter got stuck on my Takumar 200mm F 3.5 lens, so I figured that I might as well leave it there and purchase another one. So as I searched the web , I noticed that the price for the M42 adapters had shot up by $25 - $30 on B&H and Amazon. I tried Adorama, but could not find the Pentax original M42 adapter so I opted for a third-party brand, a Kipon (made in China) for $17.79. Knowing fully well of the horror stories people had with these third-party adapters, I ordered one anyway based on the excellent reviews for this adapter listed on the Adorama website. When it the Kipon adapter came in the mail, I decided to try it with all my Takumar lenses. Everything seemed OK until I tried to take the adapter off the camera, but could not. I tried everything, but the adapter would not come off no matter what I did. I searched the fancy box the adapter came in for instructions, but there weren't any ! By then I was in panic mode !! I was seriously thinking about calling Adorama and give them a piece of my mind, but it was too late, the store was closed. My only hope was to remove the front metal lens mount on my K-5IIs to see if I could remove the adapter this way ? The front metal mount on the K-5 IIs is held by 4 screws that are pretty easy to take off, but you have to be really careful that you don't scratch or drop anything into the camera while doing this. Behind the metal mount is a flexible thin copper plate that is attached by a really thin wire to the camera with solder, not sure what purpose it serves ? Unfortunately, while I was trying to remove the adapter I separated the thin wire from the flexible thin copper plate ! I did mange to remove the adapter from the metal mount though... I figured oh no ! I ruined my beloved K-5 IIs and after the holiday season did not really have the funds to get it fixed. While I was seething in anger and despair, I decided to re-install the flexible copper plate and the metal mount back on the camera after some trial and error. To my surprise the camera still worked ! I tried all my DA/FA lenses and everything seemed to be working fine. Also all the functions seemed to be working as far as I knew. So then what is the purpose of the thin wire attached to the flexible copper plate ? If it is an important function maybe I can try to solder it back, or have it repaired sometime in the near future since the camera works and there is no rush. To make matters worse after reinstalling the front Metal Mount and flexible copper plate the best I could, I found the tool that is supposed to be used to remove the Kipon adapter from the camera ! It was sitting under a pillow on my living room couch. Since the adapter came with no instructions I didn't know it came with one... Regardless, I'm too afraid to ever put that adapter back on my camera. I immediately ordered the original Pentax M42 adapter that was listed on the Adorama website, but which I could not find the first time I searched for it ? To make a long story short, now my only problem is the separated thin wire from the inner flexible copper plate that goes behind the Metal K-Mount. Maybe I can solder it back myself. Does anybody know why that wire is attached to this copper plate and what function does it perform ? Last edited by hjoseph7; 12-27-2015 at 06:35 PM.

12-28-2015, 09:43 PM - 1 Like	#11
hjoseph7 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2014 Location: Minnesota Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,047 Original Poster	I retested all of my lenses and was able to stop down at will in AV mode. In "P" mode the camera works as usual... ---------- Post added 12-29-15 at 12:34 AM ---------- Apparently the name for the flexible copper plate I mentioned is called a "Mount Spring". You can see the part in this exploded view of the K7 (Fig. 4 Part # A105) . You can also see it in Fig. 5 at the top center. http://www.mab3d.com/TOtaxians/k7parts.pdf I could not find an exploded view of the K5 but the part looks identical to the one on the K7. Notice how its connected to the camera by a wire (Fig 5 ). Last edited by hjoseph7; 12-28-2015 at 10:41 PM.

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12-27-2015, 05:28 PM	#2
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	Usually the best course of action with 3rd party M42 adapters is to take a screw driver and remove the screw and the spring clip. I couldn't tell you exactly what the wire and plate are for but I would suspect it is the ground for the K-mount - lens circuitry. That it seems to work now is probably because there is physical contact with the wire and the plate with pressure from the mount ring. This may become intermittent as time goes on as the wire compresses or oxidation occurs on the wire and plate.

12-27-2015, 06:13 PM	#3
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,401	If you can find a Kalt adapter I've had as much luck with that as my Pentax one. It does use a tool but it is an easy one to use.

12-27-2015, 06:46 PM	#4
kmurphy220 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 235	The fotodiox one on Amazon has served me very well so far. I works well with my 3 takumars and my other M42's. And it only cost me $12!

12-27-2015, 07:17 PM	#5
jkomp316 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 227	i have a couple of these cheap adapters and one genuine pentax one. both work the same aside from the aperature ring is not centered on the cheap ones. i removed the locking clips on all of them.

12-28-2015, 12:15 AM	#6
gordon_l34 Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 779	Hi, I had a hard job removing a genuine M42/K Asahi Pentax adapter from a teleconverter the other night. I finished up with a very small screw driver beneath the lock tag. In future this will be removed before I refit it to any thing. Just glad that it was not the K3! Regards.

12-28-2015, 01:45 AM	#7
tim60 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 8,743	I have found the genuine adapter works perfectly with the spring clip. Why would anyone want to remove the clip because then there would be nothing to stop accidental lens rotation leading to the lens falling off, which would be a disaster: broken lens and uncovered lens mount. It is fine that removal is a two stage process, lens then adapter.

12-28-2015, 02:48 AM	#8
blende8 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bremen, Germany Photos: Albums Posts: 1,521	Agree with tim60. If one knows what to do, it is easy. I do it with my fingernail.

12-28-2015, 02:59 AM	#9
manntax Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,972	Originally posted by hjoseph7 To make a long story short, now my only problem is the separated thin wire from the inner flexible copper plate that goes behind the Metal K-Mount. Maybe I can solder it back myself. Does anybody know why that wire is attached to this copper plate and what function does it perform ? Been there done that I had exactly the same problem with my K10D back in the day.. the wire was separated and I ended up soldering it myself but the work was terribly difficult. With wire separated all my lenses would shot only wide open ( Even if you change the aperture (in AV mode for example) your lens would still shot at wide open value. This applied to my DA lenses, not sure if other P/KA lenses would be ok because at the time I didn't have other lenses than DA. Good luck with soldering but if you are not proficient at it I strongly suggest you give it to do somebody who really is ( and have a thin, precision soldering iron ) Originally posted by tim60 I have found the genuine adapter works perfectly with the spring clip. Why would anyone want to remove the clip because then there would be nothing to stop accidental lens rotation leading to the lens falling off, which would be a disaster: broken lens and uncovered lens mount. It is fine that removal is a two stage process, lens then adapter. Originally posted by blende8 Agree with tim60. If one knows what to do, it is easy. I do it with my fingernail. +1 - never have any issue with genuine Asahi Pentax adapter and the springy tab is actually very useful for some lenses which are not sitting tightly against the mounting plate

12-28-2015, 01:23 PM	#10
hjoseph7 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2014 Location: Minnesota Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,047 Original Poster	Originally posted by manntax Been there done that I had exactly the same problem with my K10D back in the day.. the wire was separated and I ended up soldering it myself but the work was terribly difficult. With wire separated all my lenses would shot only wide open ( Even if you change the aperture (in AV mode for example) your lens would still shot at wide open value. This applied to my DA lenses, not sure if other P/KA lenses would be ok because at the time I didn't have other lenses than DA. Good luck with soldering but if you are not proficient at it I strongly suggest you give it to do somebody who really is ( and have a thin, precision soldering iron ) +1 - never have any issue with genuine Asahi Pentax adapter and the springy tab is actually very useful for some lenses which are not sitting tightly against the mounting plate Bummer, I'll have to retest all my lenses again to see if they shoot wide-open. You are right the wire is very thin and very delicate looking. If that wire breaks it's all over.

12-29-2015, 01:14 AM	#12
manntax Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,972	Originally posted by hjoseph7 I retested all of my lenses and was able to stop down at will in AV mode. In "P" mode the camera works as usual... interesting.. it must be different then to what the function is in K10D. I recall all my shots stopped down to be overexposed because lens would stay wide open. One of the reasons your still might be working is that wire is somehow still touching the mount spring. I also was resorting to this before soldering, and it would stay in place for some time. If yours is working I wouldn't touch it though...

12-29-2015, 01:16 AM	#13
tim60 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 8,743	I think it is more likely it works because it happens to be resting in contact. One day it might fall away and need a proper fix.

12-29-2015, 10:12 AM	#14
hjoseph7 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2014 Location: Minnesota Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,047 Original Poster	Funny I called "Precision Camera" and the guy I spoke to did not even know what the part was. He didn't even try to look it up, just said to send my camera in and they would look at it after they billed me several hundred dollars...

12-29-2015, 11:06 AM	#15
panoguy Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Washington, D.C. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,327	Originally posted by hjoseph7 Apparently the name for the flexible copper plate I mentioned is called a "Mount Spring". You can see the part in this exploded view of the K7 (Fig. 4 Part # A105) . You can also see it in Fig. 5 at the top center. http://www.mab3d.com/TOtaxians/k7parts.pdf I could not find an exploded view of the K5 but the part looks identical to the one on the K7. Notice how its connected to the camera by a wire (Fig 5 ). Huh. I totally forgot I put that service diagram up on my site! Glad it was of some use - maybe Precision Camera should take a look at it! That almost certainly looks like a grounding element for the lens contacts (little pins on springs that bounce away so easily). If it works, don't mess with it, but if it stops working, it shouldn't be a big deal to re-solder with the proper tools. I'd be more concerned about the lens contact pins, myself!