Another M42 to PK Adapter -


fengwei

New Member
Aug 25, 2004
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Okay, I know quite a few guys here have been looking for M42 to PK adapters, especially the original Pentax ones. But these are hard to find now.

Here what I got is a slightly cheaper (but not dirty cheap) version from China - 黎环. It even comes with a nice gift box:

M42PK_Ring_1.jpg



Inside the box, is of course the adapter, plus a PK mount rear lens cap (I'll show you why later on):

M42PK_Ring_2.jpg



Here are two quick comparison photos between this adapter and the Pentax original one:

M42PK_Ring_4.jpg


M42PK_Ring_5.jpg


The obvious differences you can see here are that this '黎环' is a bit thicker than the original one, and it comes with an extra flange at the bottom.

Why putting an extra flange at the bottom? Here is a photo of the rear mount end of a Takumar M42 lens:
SMCT_135_3.jpg


You can see there is a pin stick out at the bottom, and a knob (the Auto/Manual switch) at the side. BUT many other M42 lenses (like some Yasika/Voigtlander/Meyer M42 lenses) don't come with the Auto/Manual switch. The only way to adjust aperture is to push the pin in all the time. Some users just simply use super glue to glue the pin in, which is of course irreversible. The best is to use some adapter with an extra flange at the bottom to push the pin in when mounted. But those kind of adapters are even harder to find and a lot more expensive than the Pentax ones, like those Kindai adapters which cost 100usd on ebay!

This above mentioned '黎环‘ does the same as the Kindai one, but only at 1/5 of the cost.
 

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Here you can see the difference when mounted both the original adapter (the 1st photo) and the ring w/ an extra flange (the 2nd photo) on a Takumar 135/3.5 lens:

M42PK_Ring_8.jpg


M42PK_Ring_7.jpg


You can see the flange at the bottom does keep the pin pressed when mounted. This is like a life saver for those M42 users who have some lenses w/o Auto/Manual switches :)

Okay, now back to the rear cap. Why there is a rear cap in the box? It's for you to mount and dismount the adapter on the lens so you won't hurt your fingers when trying to put the adapter on or off! I usually use a rear PK mount cap to do this, and I'm glad the adapter seller thought about this too, and even include a cap in the box:

M42PK_Ring_3.jpg


M42PK_Ring_6.jpg


This adapter is very well made out of brass with anti corrosion paint, it fits even better than the original Pentax adapter. The original Pentax adapter still has a little bit play when mounted on camera, so you don't feel very secure. But with this '黎环', you won't feel it's any loose at all.

One thing though, this '黎环' doesn't come with the spring to lock the lens in position when mounted, it only keep the lens in position by friction force. So it's only suggested to use the adapter with shorter focal length lenses (anything below 135mm) or some lenses with very stiff focusing ring. I tried my Takumar 135/3.5, no problem at all, and it of course does not have any infinity focusing problem.

This is something I just bought from China a few days ago. And I feel some guys here might be interested too. Hope this helps.

If you can read Chinese, you can take a look here:
http://www.soupis.com/thread-22071-1-1.html

Cheers!
 

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heard this ring before...
many ppl in HK also buying this brand one...
 

heard this ring before...
many ppl in HK also buying this brand one...

I've used quite some different types M42 to PK mount adapters, this one is one of the better ones, fits even better than the original one :)

They also have one w/ the spring to lock the lens in position, but I prefer the one w/o for easy putting on and taking off.
 

I've used quite some different types M42 to PK mount adapters, this one is one of the better ones, fits even better than the original one :)

They also have one w/ the spring to lock the lens in position, but I prefer the one w/o for easy putting on and taking off.

any chance of a mass order for interested pentaxians? :)
 

But the most important question is, "Does it focus to infinity?"
 

One thing though, this '黎环' doesn't come with the spring to lock the lens in position when mounted, it only keep the lens in position by friction force. So it's only suggested to use the adapter with shorter focal length lenses (anything below 135mm) or some lenses with very stiff focusing ring. I tried my Takumar 135/3.5, no problem at all, and it of course does not have any infinity focusing problem.
 

One thing though, this '黎环' doesn't come with the spring to lock the lens in position when mounted, it only keep the lens in position by friction force. So it's only suggested to use the adapter with shorter focal length lenses (anything below 135mm) or some lenses with very stiff focusing ring. I tried my Takumar 135/3.5, no problem at all, and it of course does not have any infinity focusing problem.

:sweat: Must have skipped that part. Early morning coffee effect worn off already liao. :bsmilie:
 

since it is not expendsive... i would like to have one to keep... i don't have M42 lens yet... haha
 

I can help ordering some in, but can't do mass order as it's against the rule here. Please pm me if you want one, I'll see what I can do to help you guys out. But please make my life easier when you arrange for collection. I don't wanna go around the whole city to pass you such a small item :)
 

any recommendation what :thumbsup: M42 lenses to search?

Make sure you are comfortable with M42 mount, MF and stopped down aperture (ie. the viewfinder gets dark as you stop down).
The SMC Super Takumars are great lenses with resolution that can keep up on even on a FF 5Dmk2.
No real harm getting an adapter 1st to play around, though.


Another thing about the lack of the locking lever on the adapter is that it will be for smooth focusing (all the takumars are smooth) and generally small lenses (ie. not over 135mm). Use this with a stiffer focusing, large and heavy lens and you risk it dismounting due to weight or focus turning and having the whole thing crash to the ground.
 

As I said, they got the spring type too. But to me, I always use those w/o spring, I even took off the spring from my original Pentax adapter for easy on/off. Never had any problem so far. But I've never used any M42 lens longer than 200mm though.
 

hi,every master here .can i get this adapter in ebay?thanks
 

As I said, they got the spring type too. But to me, I always use those w/o spring, I even took off the spring from my original Pentax adapter for easy on/off. Never had any problem so far. But I've never used any M42 lens longer than 200mm though.
i too removed the spring from my cheapo ebay adapter
it makes thing much easier..
 

hi,every master here .can i get this adapter in ebay?thanks

Unfortunately no, so far only available for sale from the original maker - a bunch of M42 lovers :)

i too removed the spring from my cheapo ebay adapter
it makes thing much easier..

That's how the original idea came from for this springless adapter - easy on and off :)
 

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i read from other forum, 黎环 is highly rated also... to china people, looks like it is a higher grade adaptor that they recommended...
 

master master,where can i get this adapter?how much?thanks