[timw4mail]

I have an old Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar lens in M42 mount. The problem is that the lens extends a fair bit beyond the mount threads into the mirror box, which makes it useless on most M42 cameras, as it won't mount all the way.

So, I've been thinking about finding a non-auto-aperture M42 camera. In a perfect world, I'd probably go for a Pentax AP or S, but both are rare, and rarer in usable condition. I do have a Zenit E, which would seem like a good body for that lens...but what an awful viewfinder .

So, what other options exist in the world of M42 cameras, without auto aperture?

[g026r]

A number of the earlier Prakticas should work, being the cameras the Tessar was intended for, but I'm not 100% certain as to which models. And while their viewfinders are better than the Zenit's, that's not much of a compliment.

That said, I'm going to suggest trying something a bit different than an m42 camera, and probably a bit easier to find than a non auto-aperture one: a Canon FD-mount camera with the "Lens Mount Converter-P" m42-to-FD adapter.

This adapter is the most commonly available one for FD cameras, so it should be cheap, and since the FD mount was one of the shortest of the 35mm SLR mounts1, you should have plenty of clearance for the lens once you put the adapter on.

My CZJ Tessar mounts but hits the mirror on my Spotmatic, but works just fine when mounted onto my Canon.

1. At 42.00mm, there's almost 3.5mm difference between it and the m42 mount. Only Konica had a shorter mount.

[Ranchu]

I have this lens also, I think, the 50/3.5. Praktica FX2 and FX3 (no prism) and IV (prism) stop down mechanisms can be switched to activate or not. These are the best solution I've found, decent cameras. Mike's Praktica Home (not my site though!)

[timw4mail]

A number of the earlier Prakticas should work, being the cameras the Tessar was intended for, but I'm not 100% certain as to which models. And while their viewfinders are better than the Zenit's, that's not much of a compliment.

That said, I'm going to suggest trying something a bit different than an m42 camera, and probably a bit easier to find than a non auto-aperture one: a Canon FD-mount camera with the "Lens Mount Converter-P" m42-to-FD adapter.

This adapter is the most commonly available one for FD cameras, so it should be cheap, and since the FD mount was one of the shortest of the 35mm SLR mounts1, you should have plenty of clearance for the lens once you put the adapter on.

My CZJ Tessar mounts but hits the mirror on my Spotmatic, but works just fine when mounted onto my Canon.

1. At 42.00mm, there's almost 3.5mm difference between it and the m42 mount. Only Konica had a shorter mount.

I don't have a problem using the lens on any adapted cameras, It does work on Canon FD (even with a 3rd party adapter), Minolta SR (with the Minolta M42 adapter), Pentax K, etc. I was just thinking it would be nice to have a camera with the appropriate native mount.

[g026r]

I don't have a problem using the lens on any adapted cameras, It does work on Canon FD (even with a 3rd party adapter), Minolta SR (with the Minolta M42 adapter), Pentax K, etc. I was just thinking it would be nice to have a camera with the appropriate native mount.

I understand. I'd expect Prakticas or other '50s cameras are probably going to be your best bet then.

[timw4mail]

I understand. I'd expect Prakticas or other '50s cameras are probably going to be your best bet then.

Do you happen to know which Praktica models don't have auto-aperture?

[Ranchu]

The FX doesn't have any, but the others I mentioned work just as well, and you can use the auto aperture facility with other lenses too.