[puderse]

I've about 20 M42 Takumars and looking for a compatible digital (any brand)

Been shooting film since Ektachrome was 3 and own I cheap digital for eBay posting.

Please advise digital cameras (new or no longer made) that you find meet your needs (any price).

I've yet to be convinced that digital camera results are better than quality film scans. Own a Coolscan, print 2 1/4, sometimes have color & 120 transferred to a disk at time of processing.

Want the strait poop.

[photoptimist]

The obvious answer is any Pentax DSLR with an inexpensive M42-to-Kmount adapter. If all you plan to do is use the M42 lenses, you can try to find a cheap camera with a broken aperture actuator.

But if you want to get the highest image quality, then get the Pentax K-1 (36 MPix, full frame).

[timw4mail]

Almost any digital camera system with interchangeable lenses will have have some adapter for M42 lenses (Nikon being the exception that proves the rule).

In my mind, the primary advantage of digital is that you can capture images in lower light without as much quality degradation as high speed film.

[farhagh]

I've about 20 M42 Takumars and looking for a compatible digital (any brand)

Been shooting film since Ektachrome was 3 and own I cheap digital for eBay posting.

Please advise digital cameras (new or no longer made) that you find meet your needs (any price).

I've yet to be convinced that digital camera results are better than quality film scans. Own a Coolscan, print 2 1/4, sometimes have color & 120 transferred to a disk at time of processing.

Want the strait poop.

My 'personal' pick would be:
FF DSLR? Pentax K-1
Crop DSLR? Pentax K-5 IIs
FF MILC? Sony A7Riii
Crop MILC? AnyNothing!

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Last edited by farhagh; 01-24-2018 at 09:15 AM.

[zjacreman]

I have a (smaller) pile of Takumars and other M42 lenses that I use on my Pentax K-1. I bought the camera specifically for that purpose and I have zero regrets. Some images from the K-1/Takumar combo: Red Light (Super Tak 85/1.9), Kiss Kiss (Super Tak 50/1.4), Skyline (Super Tak 200/4 on a Pentax K-7). My 500px profile also has some K-1 portraits with Soviet M42 glass.

Any Pentax DSLR ever made will adapt m42 lenses perfectly. If you have wide Taks you probably want full-frame to take advantage of their focal lengths without cropping, which means the K-1. Sony full-frame mirrorless is another option, and a very good one if you're interested in adapting any other mounts' legacy glass. You can put damn near anything on a Sony with cheap adapters.

Are the results "better" than good film scans? It depends on what you're looking for. Film has a look all its own, but: Film can't shoot at 6400 ISO with grain that doesn't show up in prints. Film doesn't offer the same kind of creative post-processing options that raw files do. Film doesn't offer instant processing and feedback. M42 lenses aren't image-stabilized on film.

There's a place for both, but I can take photos on the K-1 that would be much, much more difficult to capture with film, and a lot more of them.

[AstroDave]

I've yet to be convinced that digital camera results are better than quality film scans. Own a Coolscan, print 2 1/4, sometimes have color & 120 transferred to a disk at time of processing.

I essentially quit using film when DSLRs got to 6-8 megapixels, and haven't regretted it a bit. The ease of use is much better, both in getting the right exposure and in looking at your results. You do tend to get sloppy, though, since the next click is free (unlike slides, at maybe 50 cents a shot, back in the days). In 40 years of slide shooting, I took on the order of 7000-8000 shots. In just 10 years of digital, I'm approaching 100,000 shots!

The K-1 that photoptimist recommends (and with which I heartily agree - I have one) essentially provides the equivalent of around 5000 dpi scanning for a 35mm frame. I doubt your scanner is that good!

[boriscleto]

Any Pentax DSLR ever made will adapt m42 lenses perfectly.

With the exception of certain M42 lenses made for open aperture metering...Like the Mamiya SX series...

Certain versions of the Helios 44-3 won't mount either because the focusing ring protrudes too far to the rear.

[timw4mail]

With the exception of certain M42 lenses made for open aperture metering...Like the Mamiya SX series...

Certain versions of the Helios 44-3 won't mount either because the focusing ring protrudes too far to the rear.

So, Canon, then?

[boriscleto]

So, Canon, then?

Konica Autoreflex

[jatrax]

I've yet to be convinced that digital camera results are better than quality film scans.

I think that was decided rather emphatically once digital exceeded 10 to 12 MP. But there are still a few folks who enjoy shooting film. And if you have a good scanner then good results can be obtained. it's just that it requires a lot more steps to end up with (at best) the same result.

Anyway, as others have stated ANY Pentax DSLR will work with the inexpensive adapter. The flange distance is identical for M42 and K-mount. I suggest getting the official Pentax adapter rather than the cheaper ebay ones. Some people have had issues with the cheaply made ones.

As to which camera, if price is not an issue and you want the same angle of view as a film camera then get the K-1. It will be a learning curve from film but the results are amazing. Otherwise, any of the APS-C cameras from the k-5 on will be just fine.

Here is a link to the help text on using M42 or other fully manual lenses on a modern camera: Using Manual Lenses (M42 Screwmount, M , K) on Pentax DSLRs F-- - PentaxForums.com

And here is a link to the Takumar Club thread: Takumar club - PentaxForums.com It contains 1,000s of images taken using Takumars on digital cameras.

[pathdoc]

I essentially quit using film when DSLRs got to 6-8 megapixels, and haven't regretted it a bit.

Me too, though I went back to it for fun shots. For professional work (particularly in my case, for medical photography where you may not get another chance to repeat the shot because the clinical picture changes or you're about to disassemble the specimen in the histo lab or the autopsy suite), digital has so many advantages it just isn't funny.

Post in the Wanted section and see if there's anyone wanting to get rid of their aperture-block-failed K30 or K50 at a discount - if you want a capable Takumar-dedicated body at a bargain price, that would be hard to beat. You could then mount the adapter permanently.

Ultimately it depends on how comfortable you are with film and which cameras you are using currently. The workflow for shooting and metering is different, as M42 Pentax cameras will let you set aperture, shutter speed, and close down the aperture automatically, so you can focus and compose at widest aperture (even if you need to close down briefly to meter). DSLRs require you always to stop down for the correct exposure as they lack the flapper plate to actuate the aperture... so if you have to refocus or recompose, that can be an issue in lower light. On the other hand, aperture priority mode will adjust the exposure automatically on the fly for you.

[stevebrot]

I've about 20 M42 Takumars and looking for a compatible digital (any brand)

My first suggestion is to leverage the lens' features and continue to shoot film on a native M42 body. That failing...here is a partial list of digital for which non-glass adapters are available with high compatibility...

• Pentax K
• Pentax Q
• Canon EOS (crop-sensor*)
• Canon EOS M
• 4:3
• M4:3
• Sony A
• Sony E
• Leica M
• Leica L
• Fuji X
• Fuji GFX (!)
• Nikon 1
• Samsung NX

Most (all?) require full manual aperture and may not allow features such as focus confirmation.

Steve


* While most will work with EOS FF bodies, there are potential issues with mirror and aperture pin clearance with some M42 lenses.

[BigMackCam]

@stevebrot has given a good list of compatible bodies...

I'll add to that by saying that manual focus lenses are best used in Live View on DSLRs, or with mirrorless cameras, due to the improved focus accuracy both provide.

Furthermore, if you want to have the same field of view with those lenses that you got with 35mm film cameras, you need to choose a digital body with a "full frame" (i.e. 35mm film equivalent) sensor. If that's going to be Pentax, the K-1 is a great choice. Consider budgeting for an LCD loupe if you want to use the screen like a viewfinder. It's not quite the same shooting experience as an OVF or dedicated mirrorless EVF, and doesn't make for the most compact setup, but it works well. APS-C and smaller sensor cameras are fine too, of course, but the field of view will be cropped accordingly, so your lenses may not be applicable to their original use cases.

My personal preference for using manual focus lenses (of any mount, including M42) is the Sony A7 MkII mirrorless, which I find to be ideal (for me) in this application. It's inexpensive for a full frame camera and very capable, and there are adapters available for lenses with every common mount (and some less common ones too). As Steve points out, you'll still need manual control of aperture on your lenses to use them fully on this camera, though many auto-only lenses can be easily (and reversibly) modified if necessary.

One notable advantage of using mirrorless cameras is that you avoid potential problems with mirror to lens clearance, which can be a problem with certain wide angle lenses (the Soviet MIR-1 is a case in point here)...

[lytrytyr]

One notable advantage of using mirrorless cameras is that you avoid potential problems with mirror to lens clearance, which can be a problem with certain wide angle lenses (the Soviet MIR-1 is a case in point here)...

This is why I use a K-01 for my M42 lenses.

I have a very nice ISCO plastic-fantastic version of a Schneider Curtagon 35/2.8
that would hang up on the mirror of my Spotmatic.

The native live-view of the K-01 is ideal for precise focusing,
and for framing at the taking aperture.

Metering is automatic.

It doesn't get any better than that!

[reh321]

I've about 20 M42 Takumars and looking for a compatible digital (any brand)

Been shooting film since Ektachrome was 3 and own I cheap digital for eBay posting.

Please advise digital cameras (new or no longer made) that you find meet your needs (any price).

I've yet to be convinced that digital camera results are better than quality film scans. Own a Coolscan, print 2 1/4, sometimes have color & 120 transferred to a disk at time of processing.

Want the strait poop.

I still have the Super Program I purchased in 1984. I mounted the "A" 50mm f/1.7 kit lens from that camera on the K-30 I now own, and the resulting pictures were much better than the pictures I got with that lens mounted on the Super Program {using Kodachrome 25 in it}. Digital is much better than any 35mm film ever was!!


I don't have very many Takumars, but they work fine on the K-30.