Fifteen Of The BEST M42 and L39 Screw Mount Lenses - For Peanuts! 

Good for you dispelling the myth that eastern bloc lenses are wildly variable. That's not been my experience either, and they're far and away the best value glass on the market. I smile when I think how little they've cost me over the years, and while the Leica/Voigtlander etc glass is glorious, it's not the x10 improvement cost premium they command. Super Takumar 50mm f2 is indeed an absolute delight, as is the Fujinon 55mm f2,2. Both these 55,s are like mini telephoto lenses.

The recent "obsession" with 1.4 50ies leaves us with tons of affordable 1.8s and 2.0s which is great. I dont't mind half a stop slower with digital. The 50mm Pentax "half" macro should be nice for digitizing negs on a Micro 4/3 camera - it just fills the sensor with one negative. The Jupiter 11 is also available in M 39 (Zenit SLR mount) and M42.

I have to tell you that I appreciate your down-to-earth and real view on solid and honest lenses! Thanks!!

I picked up a couple of fast Vivitar Series 1 zoom lenses recently, and am loving the soft, glowy images with saturated color and iridescent bokeh in the right lighting.

Haven't watched yet, but wanted to say THANK YOU for all the great and informative videos you so kindly share with the World and the "Brother/Sister hood" of PHOTOGRAPHY! I have been enjoying your presentations for quite a while, please keep it up.

The Fujica lenses seem to be forgotten about and because of that, the prices are great! I have the old screw Fujica and X mount and would not trade them for anything!

M42 mount: the Tair-11A 135mm f2.8; I got my copy in July of 2021. It was manufactured 12/12/1990. Came with leather (?) clad case, user manual and 3 screw on filters. Really came in "like new" condition. The focus ring turns like butter. Glass is perfect. No oil on aperture rings ( all 20 ;) ) Paid US $264.95. Probably not a "bargain" price; but, I really am pleased. I do use it as a street lens. Easy to get people in frame with the 135mm. Love the bokeh ! Have also used it for long exposure captures at night. It makes beautiful starbursts of street lamps ! Thanks for your hard work. Buying glass is fun if I can control myself ( hahahahah )

I very much enjoy the way you do your videos! Lots of facts, no fillers in between, and - as mentioned by others - you have a very pleasant voice to listen to! Keep it up!

The Volna 9 50/f2.8 is a great lens with really useful macro focussing too. Wierd aperture blade shapes give interesting (?) bokeh at mid-f-stops. For some reason, I keep going back to this lens for video.

I believe the M42 mount is actually German from the early 50s (Contax, or Praktica, or a mix of the two). Pentax first used it for it for its 1957 'Asahi Pentax' (AP) SLR as opposed to the weird m37 mount it has used previously on the 'Asahiflex' (Praktiflex copy)

I would add, to your excellent list of M39 and M42 lenses, the Meyer Optik Gorlitz Domiplan 50mm f/2.8, the Carl Zeiss Jena Triotar 135mm f/4, and the Auto Sears or Auto Rikenon or Tomioka 55mm f/1.4. The Domiplan is tiny, and its Cooke triplet design gives wonderful onion-ring bokeh; the aperture blades often get slow, but they are easy to access and clean. The Triotar is another Cooke triplet design, generally very cheap, and its 15 aperture blades produce almost perfectly round bokeh balls, as well as great sunstars. I like my Auto Sears 55mm f/1.4 better than the 7-element Takumar 50mm f/1.4, but not as much as my 8-element Takumar 50mm f/1.4; the Tomioka design produces buttery-smooth bokeh, although wide open it is a bit softer and has a bit more glow than the 8-element Takumar 50/1.4. A cheaper and slightly lighter alternative to the Helios 40 is the Cyclop 85mm f/1.5. It has the same optical formula as the Helios 40 (and swirls like crazy), but the coatings may not be the same. Its two biggest drawbacks are the lack of any aperture control and a minimum focus distance of about 1.1 meters. Mine came with an amplifier for night vision (nothing special), but the lens, itself, has M42 threads and focuses at infinity with no adjustments. To get maximum swirl, I use a speed booster adapter with my Fujifilm X-T2; the electronic shutter is essential in bright daylight.

your voice makes these reviews easier on the eyes when we finally get out to shoot with the lenses you recommend. Thank you thank you thank you!

Great video as always! I think it's worth pointing out that in addition to the collapsible and non-collapsible rangefinder versions of the Industar 50, the Industar 50-2 has the same optics in an M42 mount- and in fact its body looks very much like the non-collapsible rangefinder version but without the empty cylindrical portion behind the focus scale. It does take a different filter size (35.5mm) though, and all the samples I've seen have been painted black. Mounted on a M42 camera, the 50-2 is extremely portable, being practically a pancake lens, and you can get them for very little even when the original packaging and manual are included.

I picked up a czj 50mm f2.8 and 135mm f3.5 as well as a broken praktica mtl3 for only £30 from a cash generator of all places. Fantastic lenses, I'm using them adapted onto my micro 4/3 cameras and praktica bx20. Fantastic and incredibly useful lenses. Also love how you mix things up with the background every now and again, not on the sofa anymore :)

Screw mount lenses unscrew easy too, when you are focusing the lense.

The f4 / 50mm 'macro' from Pentax (go to 8:30) is a great all-round lens. I bought one on your recommendation. As you say, it's amazingly sharp too and produces lovely Pentax colours to boot. Not a true macro, but half life size. With an extension ring, you can copy 35mm negs and trannies and edit them in post. Buy one while you can.

The ugly industar 50 actually has an adapter screwed onto it allowing it to be used on a rangefinder, if you remove it ,it is an m39 slr lens for a zenit. M42 mount was first used on contax s of 1949, and a few years later on a praktica fx. Thanks

I see you do love the Pancolar 50mm f/1,8. I had at least 3 copies of that lens, it's a fantastic lens but have you ever tried the Zeiss Ultron 50mm f/1,8? I own this lens and I can assure you that beats to the sant the Pancolar. It's just amazingly sharp with a lot of character. I would love to see you review the Ultron lens!

Thanks Zeno for the thorough rundown on all these interesting lenses. I have a couple of nice M42 mount lenses but the adapters I got for my Nikon F and Canon EF DSLRs are crap: they don't sit tight but have a bit of wiggle which I can't stand (the EF one is usable, which is just as well as it's the only lens I have for the Canon camera, but the F mount adapter is useless). I'd be grateful if our host or anyone else could advise on what adapter I can get (in the UK) that will firmly lock in place (and won't cost more than the lenses themselves).

I was looking for a Canon film body so I could shoot some of my Canon FD lenses on film and found a seller with an almost perfect FTBn - just needed light seal attention, but it fulfilled my one criteria for vintage film cameras, BLAT, Built Like A Tank. It has a lightmeter operated by a battery, but you don't need a battery to shoot it, it is completely mechanical and will last a lifetime. It cost me £38 and I was the only bidder. The seller also had an Avanar 28mm f2.8 for £12 so I took a punt on that too. The Avanar lens is one I've never heard of before, but in looks and images it makes it is, to all intents and purposes, a Chinon, even the fonts on the bezel are Chinon-esque. Great episode, Nigel, looking forward to your extended review of the Mamiya Sekkor 50mm SX, I modified an adapter for my own use at the same time that I did yours but I haven't had a chance to shoot it on my Fujis yet. George

Nigel, when discussing Takumar lenses it would be helpful if you specified which line of Takumars you’re speaking of (Takumar vs Auto-Takumar vs Super Takumar vs Super Multi-Coated Takumar vs SMC Takumar). Some with the same focal length and maximum aperture have different optical designs and coatings.

I just recieved an Industar 50 (black collapsible in great shape) for 22 bucks U.S., It came to $32 w shipping. I'm a total novice... I do love vintage tech (mostly audio and guitars and drums)...Anyway I got excited and had a gas attack... When I regained conciousness I had ordered 7 Russian lenses... 3 Helios 44's, a Jupiter 8 and 3 Industar's (a 26m and a 50 and a 61) ...most of them will a few weeks from Ukraine but I have got two here...the 44m and the Industar 50... compared to the featherweight plastic Lumix lenses they feel impressively solid. Also - apart from the passive adapters I also ordered a Pixco speed booster. It especially nuts since my camera is a Lumix G7. Anyway, great channel you have...It's fun to get into something new and I recon I can sell the lenses if I don't find use for them...Thanks

(Another) excellent commentary. I have lots of M42's and a few L39's. Cannot think of one of these that I don't like. A "favorite" ? .... ohh.... too hard, but the Helios 58mm jumps to mind ($40USD) as well as every Pentax I own.

man your voice is so relaxing

My best bargains so far? 135mm 3.5 CZJ Sonnar zebra version and Jupiter 21m 200mm F4, €10 each, and 5 Helios with 5 working Zenit, €10 for each body+lens. I won't mention some K mount SMC Pentax lenses because it may be ot. Other great M42 lenses in my collection are the Cosinon 55mm 1.4 (same design as Tomioka), Industar 50 pancake, Jupiter 37A, Industar 61 LZ, Fujinon 55mm 2.2, Meyer Lydith/Pentacon 30mm 3.5

Great info, very well informed. I'm a lot wiser as to what I'm looking for now. Thank you

I used Nikkor 50mm 1.4 lenses for many years and with hindsight I think I was a bit too eager to use it at maximum aperture. To me the biggest advantage of fast lenses on SLRs is the brighter viewfinder image.

Thank you for another great video. Your suggestions for particular lenses are always useful! 📸

13:20 exactly. I recently got the Helios 40, Jupiter 9, Tair 11A and a couple Industar 50-2s. these are the sharpest M42 lenses I had my hands on yet. even the Helios 40 at 1.5. And I tried a lot of lenses from Zeiss, Revuenon, Pentax, Soligor, Porst, Meyer-Görlitz, Exaktar.. just to name a few 🖤 the Industar costs ~4-5€ in Russia and 50€ here in Germany. the others about 50% compared to Ger.

A word about the Super Takumar 50mm 1.4. While the 7-element version sells for about $50-75, the 8-element version sells for about $275-300.

I have a Vivitar series1 28mm 1.9 m42 lens which is has excellent sharpness and mad swirly bokeh at full aperture. A real surprise bargain for £25. I have a Pentax Spotmatic with a 55mm f 1.8 super Takumar that I have had since the early 1970s. My favourite camera and lens combination. The lens has a wonderful colour rendition and beautiful bokey. I have a Nikon FE with the 55mm 2.8 Micro Nikkor lens. The sharpness of this lens is great. I don't have a mirrorless camera, but I use the micro on my Nikon D300s with great success.

i got myself an enlarging lens for 20€. The Schneider Componon Durst 50/4. Its primary use is for makro work but it can be adapted to focus at infinity. Pros: Very high contrast, natural colors, very sharp, 15 aperture blades, almost none chromatic aberation, flat image. Contra: not resistant against bright lights, no focusing system, slow (but there is a 2.8 variant). I will experiment with Film scanner lenses soon...

Regarding the 4.0 macro, I have never wanted wide open 1.4 or 2.0 apertures for macro anyway. That gives you about a 1/4 inch depth of field, which is just about useless. You HAVE to stop down with macro.

Great! I have the Praktica MTL-5B with the Pancolar 1.8 50mm. Very nice combination.

Thanks for mentioning the Mamiya/Sekor mount variation.

I got 2 days ago a Pentax Super-Multi-Coated Macro-Takumar 100mm F4 Macro for $ 150.- and I am very, very happy.

Nigel-the m42 mount was created by Carl Zeiss ( at the Jena plant) in 1938 by request for the Praktica cameras.

I scored a Helios 40, recently for AU$155, about 82Pounds. It's a black 10 blade version, chuffed!

I picked up a Pentax 50mm f3.5 M42 lens in excellent condition for dirt cheap. Ordered an FX adapter and mounted it on my X-E3. I'm surprisingly pleased with the image quality and the look of the images.

Yeah, yeah! People tend to be very concerned about lenses with thorium, especially while eating burgers and fries at McDonalds ;-)

Thanks for this! Another fascinating journey in vintage lenses.

Thank you! This is very interesting and informative! I am just starting out experimenting with vintage lenses on my Fuji mirrorlesses (X-T3 and X-E2) - looking for some "character" that I find most modern lenses are lacking. But as the APS-C sensor effectively multiplies the focal length by 1.5, I find it very hard to find vintage lenses with a wider field of view. I like my 18 mm pancake on the X-E2 very much, as I did the 20 mm on my previous Sony A6000. I would find it very interesting if you made an episode on affordable vintage lenses wider than 28 mm.

Great video. I'm always intrigued with the Jupiter 3, I don't need another 50 but maybe one day...

An excellent episode, Nigel, one can clearly see how you enjoy the juwelstore of screw mount lenses, and rightly so. Do correct me if I'm wrong, you say, so I will! The M42 mount were extensively used by Pentax, but invented by Zeiss Ikon, and used on Contax S and Praktica cameras from 1949 onwards. You asked for bargains; my latest screw mount find was a Zenit TTL with a Helios 44 for 7.50 euros in a thrift shop. At home I was going to put film in it, but I cannot find any tracesvof wear, so it seems I've now got a brand new, 40 year old camera in the cabinet!

I used the following M42 lenses on Fuji screw-mount bodies: Fujinon 50mm f/1.4 M42 (49mm filter) Fujinon 50mm f/1.4 EBC M42 (49mm filter) Fujinon 55mm f/1.8 M42 (49mm filter) Fujinon 135mm f/3.5 EBC M42 (49mm filter) I used the following M42 lenses on Pentax screw-mount bodies: Asahi 28mm f/3.5 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar (49mm filter) Asahi 35mm f/3.5 Super Takumar (49mm filter) Asahi 50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar (8-element) (49mm filter) Asahi 50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar (7-element) (49mm filter) Asahi 105mm f/2.8 Super Takumar (49mm filter) Asahi 135mm f/3.5 Super Takumar (49mm filter) Asahi 200mm f/5.6 Super Takumar (49mm filter) Asahi 300mm f/6.3 preset Tele Takumar (58mm filter) All were great lenses. The 50mm f/1.4 8-element Takumar was my personal favorite. The 105mm f/2.8 Takumar was my personal second favorite.

I have a Helios-44 lens which I bought together with a Zenit camera for about 20 Euro plus shipping. It was made by Valdai which is said to be the weakest of the manufacturers. But I learned that not before much later. Nevertheless, the image quality is fairly decent.

Excellent video I bought my industar 22 in the mid 2021 for approx £33 in truth though haven't used it enough... but the colour saturation is very interesting indeed.......

"Optomax Auto 28mm f/2.8 Wide Angle Compact Prime Lens Mint Condition" 30quid with original box bag and caps and stuff. Also does macro, I use it for down onto desk view video , it's the fancy back up for my beaten up version of the same lens, that spent 10 years in a welding and paint workshop sat on a shelf (no caps ) getting covered in everything,one continuous colour of filth ,no light could get through, when I serviced it it was touch and go, the helicoid siezed during cleaning enough to disassemble, some other threads have issues, it works now but I'm sure it's troubles ate not over. Oh and finally found a flecktogon 20mm f4 for about 150 exa mount with button! no returns , Italian seller near zero feedback and nothing else for sale. and did I mention italian postal service, i gave it about 60% chance of being evaporated cash. Arrived on time with caps and original leather case, in a condition of looks like new ,wow what a lens, anything on the viewfinder looks wonderfully composed and generally excellent lol.

Hi I adapt m39 collapsible lens on M42 adapter. I collapse it for infinity shot, and extend it for macro shot, it can focus real close that way

Thank you for making this video. I just find a pentax 55mm f1.8 for around 50 pounds

M42 and LTM screw mount lenses I have and like, that were all bought rather inexpensively include: Industar 61, Jupiter 8, Jupiter 12, Canon 135mm f/3.5 LTM, Super Takumar 35mm f/3.5, Helios 44-2, CZJ 50mm f/2.8 Tessar, and Vivitar Auto 135mm f/2.8.

I bought a Photax-Paragon 35mm f3.5-f22 lens. Not a super sharp lens, but certainly sharp enough. Makes some great images although not necessarily anything to blow your mind. I bought mine for £15. It goes from there abouts to about £40 on the buy it now tab. A fine lens imho. Also has some nice blur and bokeh if used correctly. Made I believe for a UK high street chain named Dixons, the lens will surprise you by doing it's job well for next to nothing.

Lovely video, but I still miss an early Jupiter 3 review, mine is from 1951. Regards Ulf

Thanks for the overview of those others. I seem to have accumulated a little collection of the Soviet ltm lenses especially lately. I do love the compact combination with my Fuji bodies. Jupiter 8 is a winner, and I'm starting to enjoy the industar lenses in the 50+ range. I just modded an Industar 69 and am excited to take that out for a spin. Perhaps the only questionable purchases I've made are a triplet 4/40 and the Jupiter 3. The latter I suppose can be considered an art lens...I think for everyday use the Jupiter 8 makes more sense b/c I end up stopping Jupiter 3 down to f2+ virtually all of the time anyway.

I found a Pentacon 50 f1,8 attached to a Praktica camera, my grandfather brought it from a Polish ship... And I thought, maybe I can use it in my new fuji?? It was just the start, and right now I own over 30 m39 and m42 lenses. If I have to choose only one... Buf, difficult choice!! I guess the helios are the most interesting lenses, they are really, really, really cheap, and they really look "vintage". They have this personality in the images they produce. And I really love the 135 from Carl Zeiss. Actually I have three different versions and It's really nice for street, they are really small, sharp, and the bokeh is wonderful. I think that I want to add a macro lense to the collection, I think I will look for the takumar macro :-)

your accent is just perfect. What part of the UK are you from?

A handy phrase I have come up with for lenses like CZJ Olympus Pentax the list goes on sort of in colour saturation mode is "signature spectrum" It's who they are and where they belong.......???

I got a Cyclop (military version of 85mm f/1.5 Helios 40) for about $150.

I like my Praktica. It's a solid, albeit very basic M42 SLR from the early 80's. Nothing you don't need, nothing that distracts the Photographer. Just the needed basics, nothing more - nothing less. Albeit the problem is, to get a PX-625 alternative battery (1.35 volt), i'm using a so called MR-9 battery adapter, with a zink air hearing cell battery, it works fine.

Nigel just bought a lens think the seller was a little confused they weren't sure if it was OM or M42 fit... Cant find much data about it it was M42 in the end It was a Sun Optical zoom 60mm-150.mm f4 constant aperture macro....very nice condition and multicoated... Got it on e bay for around £8...so a bargain needs some lubrication but I can do that.... General condition good has not been chucked around.... tell me what you think oh and built in lens hood you can pull out too.......

My Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 55mm f1.8 is Radioactive 750 CPM.

Picked up a Super Multicoated Takumar 28mm f/3.5 in a antique mall for $80 back in 2020

Have you tried the Helios MC 77m-4 50mm f1.8? I just got one and its really nice.

There are a lot of very good m39 lenses around intended for Braun Paxette cameras. They will require another adapter or modification with a larger flange distance

that was very interesting. thank you.

🖤🖤 Continue with this content

the john cooper clarke of rangefinder lenses! :)

all you would need is an extension to make it full macro

So, I started adapting vintage lenses because o couldn't afford, or didn't want to pay, the huge prices for modern primes. Like everyone I now own way too many lenses, many of which I will never use. Would you please give us an indication of which prime lenses you would have in your bag if you only kept one of each focal length - 24, 28, 35, 40, 50, 55, 58, 85, 100/105, 135 and 200mm. And please exclude the vintage lenses that have made their way into the price range of modern digital primes.

Dear Zenograph, I love my Nikon fm2 camera and I cant live without it. I was only using Nikkor lenses to this camera but on your channel I was hooked on Carl Zeiss M42 mount lenses. Do you have a perfect solution to mount M42 lenses on nikon f mount? Which adapters should i buy to have all benefits of Carl Zeiss perfection?

Vintage lens, whether in West Europe, ie early Leica screw or m lens, occupied East Germany, Soviet Union, tend to have swirling bokeh. Can you introduce the lens, whether in West Europe, Soviet, East Germany, which can highly correct the turning background, with affordable price? (From Honge Kong)

Great informative videos!

my all aroud is the jupiter-8, perfect fit on my x-e1. special mention on pentacon 135 2.8 my weapon of mass destruction

I used to have a Fed 3 with that collapsible lens. Is it f3.5? Can't remember! Only used it once or twice with FP4 I think. I agree with you about the vintage look of the uncoated version, they have a real 1930s feel which would be almost impossible to simulate.

Love your review of vintage glass for mirrorless cameras. I do have a question however.. I’ve looked on various sources and the Super Takumar 55mm 1.8 and 2.0 lenses are listed as being radioactive. Is it possible that those lenses do actually contain thorium in their elements? Thank you and keep up the good work.

Can i achieve infiniy on Nikon DSLR using m42 adapter (without glass correction) with 35 mm Flektagon 2.4 ?

He has a Christopher walken esk vibe 😂and I mean that as a compliment

I've seen Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm F/2 lens in Exakta mount. How do these compare to the M42 mount 50mm F/1.8?

Pentax absolutely did NOT invent M42, that's simply not true. It was developed by Carl Zeiss in Jena in 1938, for use by KW in their Praktica range, but because of WW II, it was actually first used in the Contax S in 1947. As an aside, Pentax didn't actually invent the K bayonet, either - that was again a Zeiss development, although in this case, it was the result of research intended to lead to Pentax making Contax cameras before the partnership with Yashica/Kyocera. That partership with Pentax never went ahead, but it left Pentax with two new advantages - the K bayonet, and the SMC coating, basically a variant of Zeiss' T* coating.

I have the 'original' version of the Jupiter 11 135mm f4 - Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar, with Exakta mount on EF adapter. In M42 mount a Rubinar 500mm f5.6 Mirror lens, amazingly good a mirror lens. I also have a 'Pentacon 6' CZJ Sonnar 300mm f4. Do you know where I can find a service diagram for that? It has fungus inside so I want to strip it down and clean it.

I have a question concerning m42 , I got my hands on a Carl Zeiss pentagon F with 50mm sonnar,. I also have 2 lenses a Typonar 135mm f2.8 and a Soligor 35mm f3.5 both are M42 but don’t fill my camera. They screw on only partially and don’t allow infinity focus, the Soligor also protrudes too far in the camera that it might interfere with the mirror. Am I right in to thinking that not all m42 lenses are equal? There are differences in the mount?

Could I not use a step up adapter ring to put an m39 onto my m42 fujifa slr film camera? Why wouldn’t this work?

I picked up an Auto Chinon 55mm f1.4 Tomioko Lens and a Sigmatel 135mm f1.8 M42 mount. However I have not been able to find an appropriate adapter for my Nikon D850 .I would like to see the out put of both lenses but since I do not own a mirror less camera that will have to wait . If anyone has a camera to mount the lenses on let know .I would like to see the results . Thank you.

Just a quick question. Is there a difference between M39 and L39 thread mounts? Do they require different adapters? Thank you for making these videos. They are very great sources of information for someone new to this world!

Well someone had some extra caffeine this morning 🌄😂 Screw it!!!

Planters 🥜 would like to sponsor you.

Could it be that prices will rise due to these excellent reviews. You should buy shares in eBay 😆

I got a Voigtlander Dynaret Vitessa T mount 100mm f4.8, which I believe is a 1950’s lens, for FREE. Awaiting an adaptor for my Sony and looking forward to trying it out. Any info on this lens?

Hi I have a auto focus 70mm-120mm f4.5 5.6 pull zoom lens and the only markings on the lens is kazuman with matching kazuman lens cap dose anyone know made this lens

I use a hairband on my collapsibles - on mirrorless.

What abous a carl zeiss sonnar 1:2 f=50mm Contax RF mount ?

Just got 2 50mm 1.8 pentacons on 2 MTL 5B cameras for £35 today.

Yeah solid summary

Well done, is l39 and m42 interchangeable?

I always count the lenses these days😺

What I hate about Pentax lenses is they are so easily adaptable to other systems. I wish that was not possible. If so, the prices shouldn't go so much up.

And the one lens shown in the thumbnail never moves..

everytime you talk about sharpness i don know if you talk about lpm or contrast/microcontrast

I got a m42 soligor 35mm 2.8 for 1$

Please don’t wear dark shirt I can’t see the lens 😊