Customer Reviews

Fotodiox Chrome Lens Mount Adapter, M42 (42mm x1 thread Mount) Lens to Pentax K-x/PK Adapter, for Pentax K200d, K20d, K100D Super, K10D, K110D,K100D, *ist DL2, *ist DS2, *ist DL, *ist DS, Samsung GX-20, GX-10

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have a few lenses from my film kit that I wanted to use with my Pentax K20D, so I picked up this adapter.

Tried it on my Sigma zoom lens, and with a little effort managed to get it working. I detached the lens, which left the adapter still attached to the camera body - not ideal, but the torque applied whilst turning the lens overcame the threaded lens-adapter coupling rather than the adapter-camera coupling. The adapter was pretty tight but I eventually managed to remove it with the releasing tool (the flat object seen in the item picture).

I put the adapter on one of my prime lenses hand-tight, but for some reason the adapter would no longer attach to the camera. I have examined in every-which way to figure out why - even removing the spring clip, but it won't attach. What's worse is that the adapter is now stuck to my prime lens - making it useless! I have tried penetrating oil, locking it in a vice etc. but nothing has worked. The ring has very little purchase on it when you want to remove it by hand.

Disappointing, and I put it down to poor engineering rather than my ineptitude.

I attached this adapter to my camera (not to my lens) using the included tool, and it clicked right into place. I was then able to mount my M42 lenses to it without any problems. The adapter isn't supposed to come off with the lens, it's supposed to stay on the camera when you remove the lens. The spring clip on the adapter needs to be pressed in using the included tool for the adapter to come off, it has nothing to do with the K-mount release button. It's unfortunate that a previous reviewer got this wrong.

The first couple times putting this adapter on the camera were a little tough, but it wore in quickly and now works flawlessly. The adapter mounts flush with the camera's body, so all my M42 lenses can focus to infinity. The M42 threads are smooth and solid, I've never had a problem removing or installing lenses. This is everything I was looking for in an adapter, and I didn't have to pay $50 for the Pentax-branded one.

These screw mount adapters do the job they were intended to do. They enable you to use old M42 screw mount lenses on a modern digital camera. Since I have an adapter for each M42 lens I own I leave them permanently mounted to my lenses. This way I can remove the spring clip on each adapter an not have to worry about using the key that comes with it. Since they are so inexpensive it makes it much easier to just leave them on the lens. I just remove them from the camera like I do any other lens. It also allows the lens to focus to infinity since it is flush with the flange on the cameraThe Camera Hunter Pentax K Mount Camera to M42 Screwmount Lens Adapter Ring

I was disappointed in this adapter. It comes with no instructions whatsoever, and like another reviewer I had great difficulty getting it off my Pentax film camera once I had gotten it on. I eventually found advice on the web, but only after I had done some minor (I hope only cosmetic) damage to the camera. The little wrench-like tool provided can be inserted so that it goes over or under the leaf spring; it must go over it, so it pushes the spring inward (towards the optical axis). Moreover, if the wrench is inserted fully into the slots the wrench itself will prevent the adapter from turning. You have to get it *just right*; it's not intuitive and there are, as I say, no instructions at all.

With my Pentax digital camera (K100D) I had the opposite problem; the camera's locking mechanism is different and the adapter WILL NOT LOCK into position; when I try to unscrew the lens the adapter tends to come out with it and is difficult to remove from the lens; also the whole lens-adapter assembly tends to come loose when I try to adjust the aperture ring on the lens.

Bottom line, I think I would have been better to pay the extra $$ for a genuine Pentax/Asahi adapter instead of this cheap knockoff.

The lens adapter works on my K10D without a problem. Be aware there are no aperature-arm or mounting data points on this. The removal tool is a weak piece of metal that poorly fits the spring access notches. (Unfortunately, I have not seen anything different out there.) Having had this in my bag for over a year, my adapter removal tool is already bent at the edges and I'll need to take some pliers to it soon.

I bought this hoping to use some of my old screw mount lenses but it turned out to be a real bust. No instructions on how to mount it or get it back off. I've just ordered the genuine article from Pentax through Amazon. According to those reviewers the Pentax adapter works just fine, just like all the other Pentax gear I've owned in years past.If you thinking about getting an adapter,dont think about this one !!!

If you have a set of old M42 thread mount, manual focus Asahai, Takumar, or Vivitar lenses, and a newer Pentax digital camera like a K10 or K20, this little ring will allow you to mount your lenses in the KAF bayonet mount camera body. There are good and bad points to this mount adapter. First the good:
1. The machining is not great, but adequate to the task. It's a little rough looking, but the threads and the bayonet do fit properly.
2. The price is reasonable, in that it does allow you to continue to use obsolete lenses that you may have originally paid hundreds of dollars for.
3. This mount is a true "internal" adapter ring with no surface flange, so you can acheive infinity focus. Some other M42 to KAF adapters on the market have a 1 mm thick flange that offsets the lens just enough that you cannot focus it at infinity.

The bad points:
1. This adapter has a spring loaded tab that locks it into place in the camera body. If you lose the little tool that comes with the adapter, you will probably not be able to remove the ring from the camera body. I recommend removing the locking tab (it's attached to the ring with a tiny screw), which allows you to leave the ring attached to the lens instead of the camera. Removing the locking tab also means that you no longer have to use the key-tool to remove the ring, so it's not a disaster if you lose or misplace it. In my K20, the adapter ring's bayonet tabs are a fairly tight fit, so little or no danger of the ring backing out by itself.
2. I don't think that this ring is made of a very wear-resistant alloy, so I feel that there is a possibility of the threads or bayonet jamming at some point. Use this ring with caution, and for heaven's sake don't force it the first time; If you feel an undue amount of friction at the first-time use, either in the threads or the bayonet, back off and see if the threads or bayonet are simply dirty or if they are rough and badly machined.
3. Acheiving sharp focus with these old lenses in the viewfinder of a modern DSLR camera, can be an exercise in frustration, especially at wide open aperture. If your camera has a zoom-able Live View mode, like the K-7, and you are shooting from a tripod, you will get better results with live view.

Recommended only if you have a really nice or expensive (specialty M42) lens that you can't afford to replace with an auto-focus lens. I use mine with an old Asahi 50mm f1.4 "M" lens.

No I did not buy one of these and would not. Cameras and lenses cost too much to experiment on with junk. Read the other reviews out there. I would fear trying this item on my cameras or lenses after reading the reviews. I have an old Asahi Pentax brand screw mount M-42 lens adapter that works fine on all my Film and Digital Pentax cameras. It is not the easiest of things to use but I can get it both on and off both the lenses and cameras with out any tools other than my fingers. There is a trick to it. It is funny the advertised item does not work properly for many people as it looks a lot like the authentic Pentax model. Go figure.