What M42 adapters allowing infinity focusing?

[Ralph Javins]

Minolta.

Good morning, Tony;

It may be that any adapter to go from an M-42 lens to the Minolta SR mount will require some glass in the optical path to achieve focus at infinity. Both of the Minolta Adapters for the M-42/Contax/Pentax/UTM lenses and the Leica M-39 lenses are simple machined adapter rings without any glass, and specifically state in the instructions that they are for use in close-up work only, and will not achieve focus at infinity.

The lens registration distance for the Minolta Maxxum/Dynax AF lens mount and the later Sony DSLR AF lens mount is longer than the Minolta SR lens mount, so the same comments will apply there also.

[Oren Grad]

There's a nice table here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lens_mount

The mount registers of Minolta SR/MC/MD and Minolta AF are both shorter than that for M42. I've used M42 lenses via adapter with infinity focus preserved on a Minolta AF-mount camera.

[zk-cessnaguy]

Good morning, Tony;

It may be that any adapter to go from an M-42 lens to the Minolta SR mount will require some glass in the optical path to achieve focus at infinity. Both of the Minolta Adapters for the M-42/Contax/Pentax/UTM lenses and the Leica M-39 lenses are simple machined adapter rings without any glass, and specifically state in the instructions that they are for use in close-up work only, and will not achieve focus at infinity.

The lens registration distance for the Minolta Maxxum/Dynax AF lens mount and the later Sony DSLR AF lens mount is longer than the Minolta SR lens mount, so the same comments will apply there also.

Hmmmmm nope, both the Minolta SR and AF mounts focus to infinity with plain non-glass adapters. I use a large number of Pentax Takumar lenses with both and have no issues.

[Pumalite]

I have all kind of adapters for Nikon, Canon and Olympus OM and all focus to infinity without a glass.

[Andrew Moxom]

My contax camera has no issues with M42 lenses at infinity.... no glass in the adaptor either.

[Ralph Javins]

There's a nice table here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lens_mount

The mount registers of Minolta SR/MC/MD and Minolta AF are both shorter than that for M42. I've used M42 lenses via adapter with infinity focus preserved on a Minolta AF-mount camera.

Thank you, Oren and ZK-CessnaGuy;

It is a good thing that you guys are out here keeping me on my toes.

Yes, the M-42 mount registration distance is about 2mm longer than the Minolta SR mount, and it is about 1 mm longer than the Minolta AF mount. The M-42 lenses will go onto a Minolta. This is something that I am really happy to know, because there are some M-42 lenses here that can go onto something other than just my Vivitar 450/SLD camera body. Guys, there are a lot of Minolta SR mount bodies around here, and I do have those adapters. Thanks.

Also, in actually going back into the boxes and finding the literature for the Minolta Camera Company Limited manufactured threaded lens mount adapters for the Pentax and the Leica lenses, yes, the Pentax version does work. The Leica adapter instruction sheet is the one that says that they cannot focus to infinity when a Leica lens is screwed into the adapter.

Well, for a 40 year old memory on this subject, it looks like I was only half right.

Thanks, guys.

Enjoy;

Ralph
Latte Land, Washington

[waynecrider]

Are there any at all bodies that can meter without stopping down or is it pretty universal.

[Oren Grad]

Are there any at all bodies that can meter without stopping down or is it pretty universal.

Sort of not, but it's complicated. See the section "Evolution and automation" in this article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M42_lens_mount

[Rol_Lei Nut]

Are there any at all bodies that can meter without stopping down or is it pretty universal.

The Rolleiflex SL35-E and SL2000/3000 series will meter and work in automatic *immediately after* you've pressed the Depth Of Field Preview button.
Not really the same thing as FA metering, but can be very fast in practice.

[Steaphany]

I know Sigma SLR's with their SA mount can adapt to a M42 Lens and focus to infinity.