[kenhreed]

Just as the title states...I purchased a k42 adapter from our local camera shop. It came with a wrench and no instructions. The salesman told me it could only go one way. It went on smoothly, but does not want to come off. I don't want to force it off as it went on easily. Help!

[ytterbium]

Bruteforce.
Oh wait - does it have that spring still in place and removal tool (wrench?)?
Then use that to pull the spring away from the camera - to the adapter and turn the ring. If i remember correctly, simply inserting the wrench in openings puts it "behind" the spring - pushing it against camera (into blocking position) when you start turning.
I've used pliers to remove some adapters that turned too far. Fortunately that was cheap film camera, but nothing bad happened.

From the first time i realy scared myself with my first adapter and brand new k100d now i always use them without springs.

[kenhreed]

Not sure about "pull the spring away from the camera" Am I pulling it away from the lens area towards the outside of the camera, am I pulling it away from the camera itself (as if I was pulling a lens off the camera) , or? I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just worried that I'll do the wrong thing. Thanks.

The original adaptor, you pull the spring away from the body towards the lens. I imagine the copy adaptors have to be the same.

With the original I just use my fingernail and pull the spring to the inside edge of the adaptor and spin it off.

[stevebrot]

I feel for you man!

The brand-x adapters with the removal tool have a tendency to get stuck on the cameras. I bought one and spent over three hours attempting to remove it from one of my film cameras. That is why queries on this site regarding adapters are usually met with a chorus of comments suggesting the genuine Pentax item. It costs about twice as much, but the savings in frustration are worth it.

I wish I could tell you a magic formula for getting it off, but I don't know one. I just fiddled with it for several hours and when it finally released, it slipped off quite nicely with no effort. Did I put it back on? No!

Assuming that you are eventually successful in removing the thing and are interested in redeeming it, here are two methods of how it might be done:

#1
Remove the offending spring clip with a fine-tip screwdriver. This will defeat the locking mechanism so the adapter will be free to rotate off the lens. Some forum users have used a Dremel tool or a small drill on the mount face of their M42 lenses to engage the k-mount retaining pin to avoid the lens falling off.

#2
It is possible to modify the contour of the bayonet "ears" so that they more closely resemble those of the genuine Pentax adapter. This is done with a small file or Dremel tool and is supposed to make removal more consistently possible. There are instructions elsewhere on this site on how this is done. With any luck, one of the people with experience on this will weigh in their comment on this thread.

Edit:
I found the thread for fix #2

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/camera-studio-accessories/53064-m42-adapt...s-generic.html

Steve

[kenhreed]

I tried moving the spring and rotating/pulling/twisting/cursing and no success. I'll take it back to the camera store tomorrow and have them do it. I honestly believe that it'll take them 30 seconds, three seconds to remove it and twenty-seven seconds to lecture me on how I really could have done it myself. Fun!

Sorry about this but it's taking me about twenty seconds to lecture you on how sometimes it's worth investing in the accessories provided by Pentax even if they are more expensive.

[kenhreed]

Ever hear the phrase "Preaching to the choir"? Had I known the difference before this fiasco there is no way I would have tried to save $$$ on the adapter. I tried to support the LCS with hopes they would offer a Pentax adapter for a Pentax camera. Lesson learned.

Here is the link to the original from the Pentax Usa store

PentaxWebstore Mount Adapter B (35mm Screwmount to Bayonet)


Good luck at the camera store...


Ps the clip still pulls in towards the center not out towards the body

[kenhreed]

Thanks for the link and you KNOW that's going to be my next camera related purchase. Hopefully the camera store will let me return the adapter for $$$ or store credit. I feel the need to try "one more time" so.... Quick question, after I pull the clip towards the center is it more of an unscrewing motion with the wrench or a twist and pull or? Appreciate all of the help.

if the clip is all the way against the inside of the adaptor then it should just be a counter-clockwise turn to get it off... The clip fully against the inside at approx 10 oclock postition and turn toward 8 oclock... boom! in a perfect world it comes off.

fingers crossed

Here is a pic of the orig clip and adaptor



so the bottom part of the clip (right below the red dot) gets pulled all the way to the inside and then the ring turns down... Is that making any sense?

[kenhreed]

Thanks igilligan, your instructions and illustration were both rock solid. I used the wrench, cranked it, and no go. I think I'm doing it correctly but the fear of breaking anything is keeping me from using full force. I'll let you know what the LCS says tomorrow. Appreciate the skilled advice to an unskilled newbie.

back to the camera store... It is not worth you breaking something.

They sold it to you, so I am sure they will help you.

[Mile High]

Hi Ken,
I almost bought one of those adapters. If I remember correctly, the trick to getting it off, was to insert the wrench only far enough to release the spring, as it get's hung up if you insert it too far and you won't be able to turn it. Hope this helps.

[noblepa]

When I first got my third-party adapter, with the wrench, I had a hard time removing it, too. Look closely at Igilligan's photo (I'm sure you have).

I found that what I was doing was slipping the wrench on the wrong side of the spring tab. The wrench should go on the outboard side, between the clip and the body. I was putting it on the inboard side, between the clip and the adapter. I learned to put the wrench into the side with the clip first, paying close attention to getting it between the clip and the camera, then putting the other side into the slot on the opposite side.

The wrench is supposed to retract the spring clip. It can only do this if it is on the outboard side. The clip prevents the adapter from making that 1/8 turn counter-clockwise.

The clip on my adapter fell off, and I don't miss it. Friction is more than enough to keep the adapter from turning too freely and disengaging the lens. But then, I only use my 50mm, f/1.4 Super-Takumar lens. If I were using an old 500mm lens that weighed five pounds, it might be different. I usually leave the adapter on the fifty, essentially turning it into a k-mount lens.

One advantage of removing the clip, even with the genuine Pentax adapter, is that you no longer have the two-step process of unscrewing the lens and then removing the adapter from the camera. I simply turn the lens and pop it off. Out of habit, I usually press the lens-release button, but that isn't necessary.