These are ” simply ” blocks of metal that provide no electronic communication between lens and camera.
These are in few words the Vintage lenses adapters, necessary and indispensable to use VINTAGE lenses on modern digital cameras.
These notes are VALID for APS-C / FULL FRAME / 4-3rd cameras.
WHY DO WE NEED LENS ADAPTERS ?
There are TWO main reasons why we need lens adapters for vintage lenses.
FIRST is that different camera manufacturers use different mounts for their lenses and bodies, as shown above.
SECOND is they tend to design their gear to have different distances between the lens and the sensor or film in the camera.
The latter means the size of your lens adapter will vary depending on what lens it’s for and what camera it’s to be used on, and isn’t something you can change or avoid.
The former means you need to ensure you’re buying the right adapter to use your vintage lens on your camera.
Put together, they mean lens adapters serve two main purposes – to adapt different mounts to each other, and to ensure the distance between lens and sensor is correct.
The adapter you need to shoot a vintage lens on your digital camera depends on the following:
What type of camera you have
What type of lens you want to use on it
Once you know that, you can use the numbers and letters on the adapters to figure out which you need.
These numbers and letters specify the order for using the adapters with the lens and camera body. First the type of lens mount, then the camera mount. However, they will often use codes rather than spelling out the full name.
For example, an M42 lens to Sony E-mount adapter will be labelled M42-NEX, while aPentax K-mount lens to Fujifilm X-mount adapter will be PK-FX.
Because I use Sony cameras (Alpha 6000 and Alpha 6400), I’m showcasing adapters related to Sony NEX.
Lens adapter M42 to Sony E-mount (NEX)
One of the most used for the vintage lenses is:
M42 mount, it’s basically a screw attachment.
Upper side (photo) it’s the attach of the lens to adapter.
Down side (photo) it’s the attach to camera. In this case Sony E-mount (NEX).
So you uniquely need to screw the lens to the adapter, screwing it. RED DOT will help you to find the right position on the front of the camera.
Than mount the adapter to camera front attach.
M42 Facts and History
It was first used by the East German brands VEB Zeiss Ikon in the Contax S of 1949, and KW in the Praktica of the same year. In 1959, VEB Zeiss Ikon and KW merged to create the Pentacon brand, along with several other East German camera makers. Like example: Carl Zeiss Jena, Meyer Gorlitz, Revuenon, Takumar, Zenit, etc…
The M42 thread mount cameras gained initial recognition under the Praktica brand, leading to the designation of the M42 mount as the Praktica thread mount Many other manufacturers used the M42 mount since it had no proprietary elements. As a result, it is commonly known as the Universal thread mount or Universal screw mount by many. Pentax also used the M42 mount, so it’s commonly referred to as the Pentax thread mount, even though Pentax wasn’t the originator.
M42 – NEX red dotM42 – NEX lens attachM42 – NEX attach to cameraM42 (various LENS producers) ADAPTER to Sony NEX Cameras
This type of attack was widely used in the 1970s. There are therefore many vintage lenses that use this mount. Of many brands/producers and of good and excellent quality.
MD – NEX Red DotMD – NEX lens attachMD – NEX attach to cameraMINOLTA MD ADAPTER to Sony NEX Cameras
As long as you don’t change your camera, the second half of the code will of course remain the same for any adapter you buy. I’d recommend making very sure you’re getting the right adapter for each different lens you buy, though.
