20mm Mitakon Zhongyi macro stuck on K1

**stemked** · 08-24-2020, 05:53 PM

Not sure what is going on here but my 20mm Mitakon is stuck on my K1 . No idea what is going on; I've never had a remotely similar issue on any Pentax camera. It seems to be somehow attached near the top of the base (near the Pentax prism). It hasn't received any blows, any ideas?

Doug

awscreo · 08-24-2020, 06:29 PM

Originally posted by stemked

Not sure what is going on here but my 20mm Mitakon is stuck on my K1 . No idea what is going on; I've never had a remotely similar issue on any Pentax camera. It seems to be somehow attached near the top of the base (near the Pentax prism). It hasn't received any blows, any ideas?

Doug

Maybe machining issues on the Mitakon's mount? Never had a lens stuck on a camera either.

Side note - how's that Mitakon? Any good?

**stemked** · 08-24-2020, 06:49 PM

Up until now I would say "pretty good". It is a hard lens to use, of course. I was actually taking photos of milleybugs on my daughters succulents (maybe 2 mm in size and somehow it looks like I may not have set it on correctly. Again, never had a similar issue.

Not a Number · 08-24-2020, 07:06 PM

When the K-1 first came out there was an issue with some Sigma (I believe) lenses. The mount would make contact with the body housing that slopes up towards the bottom of the prism housing. This would leave a scratch on the body. Sigma quickly redesigned the mount and offered a free mount change for a limited time. Ricoh also would repair the cosmetic damage for a limited time for free.

Sounds like this is a related problem with your Mitakon. Perhaps a tiny drop of dish soap or glycerin or some other water soluble lubricant on where the mount contacts prism housing may allow you to turn the lens.

awscreo · 08-24-2020, 07:07 PM

Originally posted by stemked

Up until now I would say "pretty good". It is a hard lens to use, of course. I was actually taking photos of milleybugs on my daughters succulents (maybe 2 mm in size and somehow it looks like I may not have set it on correctly. Again, never had a similar issue.

Is the aperture electronic on that lens? Are you able to control the aperture with the camera? If you can, then the lens should be mounted correctly, since it's aligned at the aperture control contacts.

swanlefitte · 08-24-2020, 09:19 PM

When you say stuck does it turn? Is it loose? Is it locked in place? Is the lens correctly aligned, pentax have a white line, sigma has a white dot that should be centered on top? To mount, a lens turns 45° from NW to N.

**stemked** · 08-25-2020, 08:03 AM

Originally posted by awscreo

Is the aperture electronic on that lens? Are you able to control the aperture with the camera? If you can, then the lens should be mounted correctly, since it's aligned at the aperture control contacts.

It's all manual.

I put the lens on fast (ie I didn't 'line up the red dot). It looks like the lens set 1/4 turn counterclockwise from a normal lens. It almost comes loose (if the red dot on the lens is 180 degrees from the Pentaprism, but it is still catching. It rotates about 1/4th the way along the mount, the red dot will shift from the red dot on the camera Counterclockwise to the bottom of the mount, where it is loosest. Dumb move on my part. But it won't come off. I hope it doesn't need to go to Precision for a repair. I though maybe I could take the lens apart and try it that way?

swanlefitte · 08-25-2020, 11:14 AM

I am sure there are more threads with better info but what to search for? I found this. Help! Lens is Stuck. - PentaxForums.com
I know there was a simple trick like holding or pulsing the lens release button while twisting back and forth or tipping the lens left or right. It will come off like those old puzzles toys.
Good luck.

swanlefitte · 08-25-2020, 11:50 AM

M42 Stuck with flange removed - PentaxForums.com
This is for an adaptor but post #10 has a photo for alignment ideas. With your lens you can't see this but the top of the lens is between the 'n' and "t' in 'pentax'.

**stemked** · 08-25-2020, 05:39 PM

I took it to a local guy. The only way to get it off is to deconstruct the lens. Fun times.

awscreo · 08-25-2020, 07:06 PM

Really sucks, hope it's not too expensive, and the mount is not damaged. Sucks when that happens.. I guess Mitakon won't cough up for repairs?

Not a Number · 08-25-2020, 09:07 PM

I tried mounting a lens without lining up the red dots on my broken MZ-50 but was unable to. I was using a Pentax lens though. A third party lens may not have the same size tabs and make it easier to mount the lens incorrectly. So I am unable to help in finding a "trick" to removing the lens.

noblepa · 08-26-2020, 10:38 AM

I had a similar experience with my K10d and a t-mount 500mm mirror lens. We were about to embark on a seven day cruise, when I put the lens on the camera. I was using a k-mount t-adapter.

It turns out that, since the k-mount has three "lobes", it is possible to insert the lens rotated 1/3 turn. That's what I did. As soon as I put it on, I realized what I had done, but it would not come off.

I took it to a local camera shop in San Diego (who incidentally had Pentax cameras in stock) and with their help and the loan of a few tools, I was able to brute-force it off. I did not have to disassemble either the camera or the lens. Fortunately, it did not damage either the camera or the lens. The t-adapter would have been trivial to replace, and I only paid a few bucks for the lens on ebay.

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08-24-2020, 05:53 PM	#1
stemked Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Indianapolis Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 527	20mm Mitakon Zhongyi macro stuck on K1 Not sure what is going on here but my 20mm Mitakon is stuck on my K1 . No idea what is going on; I've never had a remotely similar issue on any Pentax camera. It seems to be somehow attached near the top of the base (near the Pentax prism). It hasn't received any blows, any ideas? Doug

08-24-2020, 06:29 PM	#2
awscreo Veteran Member Join Date: May 2016 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,722	Originally posted by stemked Not sure what is going on here but my 20mm Mitakon is stuck on my K1 . No idea what is going on; I've never had a remotely similar issue on any Pentax camera. It seems to be somehow attached near the top of the base (near the Pentax prism). It hasn't received any blows, any ideas? Doug Maybe machining issues on the Mitakon's mount? Never had a lens stuck on a camera either. Side note - how's that Mitakon? Any good?

08-24-2020, 06:49 PM	#3
stemked Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Indianapolis Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 527 Original Poster	Up until now I would say "pretty good". It is a hard lens to use, of course. I was actually taking photos of milleybugs on my daughters succulents (maybe 2 mm in size and somehow it looks like I may not have set it on correctly. Again, never had a similar issue.

08-24-2020, 07:06 PM	#4
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	When the K-1 first came out there was an issue with some Sigma (I believe) lenses. The mount would make contact with the body housing that slopes up towards the bottom of the prism housing. This would leave a scratch on the body. Sigma quickly redesigned the mount and offered a free mount change for a limited time. Ricoh also would repair the cosmetic damage for a limited time for free. Sounds like this is a related problem with your Mitakon. Perhaps a tiny drop of dish soap or glycerin or some other water soluble lubricant on where the mount contacts prism housing may allow you to turn the lens.

08-24-2020, 07:07 PM	#5
awscreo Veteran Member Join Date: May 2016 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,722	Originally posted by stemked Up until now I would say "pretty good". It is a hard lens to use, of course. I was actually taking photos of milleybugs on my daughters succulents (maybe 2 mm in size and somehow it looks like I may not have set it on correctly. Again, never had a similar issue. Is the aperture electronic on that lens? Are you able to control the aperture with the camera? If you can, then the lens should be mounted correctly, since it's aligned at the aperture control contacts.

08-24-2020, 09:19 PM	#6
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	When you say stuck does it turn? Is it loose? Is it locked in place? Is the lens correctly aligned, pentax have a white line, sigma has a white dot that should be centered on top? To mount, a lens turns 45° from NW to N.

08-25-2020, 08:03 AM	#7
stemked Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Indianapolis Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 527 Original Poster	Originally posted by awscreo Is the aperture electronic on that lens? Are you able to control the aperture with the camera? If you can, then the lens should be mounted correctly, since it's aligned at the aperture control contacts. It's all manual. I put the lens on fast (ie I didn't 'line up the red dot). It looks like the lens set 1/4 turn counterclockwise from a normal lens. It almost comes loose (if the red dot on the lens is 180 degrees from the Pentaprism, but it is still catching. It rotates about 1/4th the way along the mount, the red dot will shift from the red dot on the camera Counterclockwise to the bottom of the mount, where it is loosest. Dumb move on my part. But it won't come off. I hope it doesn't need to go to Precision for a repair. I though maybe I could take the lens apart and try it that way?

08-25-2020, 11:14 AM	#8
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	I am sure there are more threads with better info but what to search for? I found this. Help! Lens is Stuck. - PentaxForums.com I know there was a simple trick like holding or pulsing the lens release button while twisting back and forth or tipping the lens left or right. It will come off like those old puzzles toys. Good luck.

08-25-2020, 11:50 AM	#9
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	M42 Stuck with flange removed - PentaxForums.com This is for an adaptor but post #10 has a photo for alignment ideas. With your lens you can't see this but the top of the lens is between the 'n' and "t' in 'pentax'.

08-25-2020, 05:39 PM	#10
stemked Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Indianapolis Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 527 Original Poster	I took it to a local guy. The only way to get it off is to deconstruct the lens. Fun times.

08-25-2020, 07:06 PM	#11
awscreo Veteran Member Join Date: May 2016 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,722	Really sucks, hope it's not too expensive, and the mount is not damaged. Sucks when that happens.. I guess Mitakon won't cough up for repairs?

08-25-2020, 09:07 PM	#12
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	I tried mounting a lens without lining up the red dots on my broken MZ-50 but was unable to. I was using a Pentax lens though. A third party lens may not have the same size tabs and make it easier to mount the lens incorrectly. So I am unable to help in finding a "trick" to removing the lens.

08-26-2020, 10:38 AM	#13
noblepa Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bay Village, Ohio USA Posts: 1,142	I had a similar experience with my K10d and a t-mount 500mm mirror lens. We were about to embark on a seven day cruise, when I put the lens on the camera. I was using a k-mount t-adapter. It turns out that, since the k-mount has three "lobes", it is possible to insert the lens rotated 1/3 turn. That's what I did. As soon as I put it on, I realized what I had done, but it would not come off. I took it to a local camera shop in San Diego (who incidentally had Pentax cameras in stock) and with their help and the loan of a few tools, I was able to brute-force it off. I did not have to disassemble either the camera or the lens. Fortunately, it did not damage either the camera or the lens. The t-adapter would have been trivial to replace, and I only paid a few bucks for the lens on ebay.