M42 Lenses on Sony A6000 - 6 CHEAP Vintage Lenses You Can Adapt to Your Mirrorless Camera
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 22 июл 2024
- In this video you will learn about 6 vintage M42 lenses that you can get for $150 or less. These M42 lenses can be used on modern mirrorless cameras, like the Sony A6000, using an adapter.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHOP M42 LENSES ON KEH (affiliate)
shrsl.com/189ul
SHOP M42 LENSES ON EBAY (affiliate)
bit.ly/m42lenses-ebay
Download the FREE Sony A6000 Lens Picker Guide
danbullman.com/store/
BUY FOTODIOX M42 TO SONY NEX ADAPTER ON AMAZON (affiliate)
geni.us/fotodioxm42tosony
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 OF THE BEST CHEAP M42 LENS OPTIONS:
1) Buy Auto Chinon 55mm f/1.7 on eBay (affiliate)
bit.ly/autochinon55mm
2) Buy Auto Chinon 35mm f/2.8 on eBay (affiliate)
bit.ly/autochinon35mm
3) Buy Pentax 50mm f/1.4 on eBay (affiliate)
bit.ly/pentax50mmm42
3A) Buy Pentax 50mm f/1.4 on KEH (affiliate)
shrsl.com/189us
4) Buy Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 on eBay (affiliate)
bit.ly/helios44-2-58mm
5) Buy Aetna Rokunar 28mm Macro on eBay (affiliate)
bit.ly/aetna-rokunar-28mm
6) Buy Pentacon 135mm f/2.8 on eBay (affiliate)
bit.ly/pentacon135mm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When it comes to exploring vintage lens options for your Sony A6000, the amount of choices can be staggering and overwhelming.
It can also get very pricey if you're trying to collect highly demanded classic lenses or use expensive speed booster adapters.
M42 lenses are very affordable vintage glass that you can start using on your A6000 today. They are easy to find on sites like eBay, and many cost less than $50 per lens, with some as low as $5-20.
M42 is a lens mount that was popular amongst Soviet and Eastern European cameras from about 1949 until the 1980s. It was common on old Pentacon and Praktica cameras, as well as some Pentax cameras like the Spotmatic.
The mass production of M42 lenses and lack of brand name recognition have made them very affordable and often overlooked.
Now there is a big variance in quality amongst these lenses. Not all m42 lenses are created equal. So it’s important to do your research.
1) AUTO CHINON 55MM F/1.7
Now when it comes to getting the most value for your money, Auto Chinon lenses are the way to go. These lenses, made by a Japanese company named Tomioka, are very solid and usually cost around $20-30.
The 55mm f/1.7 is a great starter portrait lens if you are shooting on a crop sensor camera like the A6000.
2) AUTO CHINON 35MM F/2.8
If you need to score a cheap 35mm lens, the Auto Chinon 35mm f/2.8 is definitely worth a look. You can grab one for as little as $10-35.
Is it the most fantastic lens on the market? Nah, of course not. But it’s like $20, so what do you expect?
The build quality is pretty solid and the aperture / focus rings move nicely when the lens is in good condition.
3) PENTAX SUPER TAKUMAR 50MM F/1.4
This is probably one of the most underrated 50mm vintage lenses. And it’s fairly cheap for a f/1.4 lens (though prices have been trending upwards thanks to bloggers and RUclipsrs like me spreading the good word about Takumar lenses. Sorry fam.)
You can get really sharp photos and great bokeh with this lens.
4) HELIOS 44-2 58MM F/2
I’ve got two words to say about the Helios 44-2 58mm lens: swirly bokeh.
The Helios 44-2 is great if you wanna get dreamy photos. It’s not so great if you’re looking for maximal sharpness. If you want a sharper lens, check out the Helios 44-4, which is a later version of the lens. It’s a bit sharper but has less swirl to the bokeh.
Link to Ade Torrent Review
• Helios-44-2 M42 Lens |...
5) AETNA ROKUNAR 28MM F/2.8 MACRO LENS
When I was doing research for this post, I couldn't find much information on the Aetna Rokunar lens.
6) PENTACON 135MM F/2.8
This is the bokeh monster.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Download the FREE Sony A6000 Lens Picker Guide
danbullman.com/store/
Gear That I Use (Amazon affiliate links):
CAMERA (Sony A6000): amzn.to/2ef4bDq
FAVORITE LENS (35mm f/1.8): amzn.to/2kmdNPJ
AUDIO KIT: amzn.to/2km1frG
SD CARD: amzn.to/2l5gTf9
LIGHTING: amzn.to/2kXSDt9
TRIPOD: amzn.to/2kXZWBb
TRIPOD HEAD: amzn.to/2lzlg2M
JOBY TRAVEL TRIPOD: amzn.to/2khPsiI
Connect with Me:
WEBSITE: danbullman.com/
INSTAGRAM: @danbullman
FACEBOOK: / danbullmanphotography
TWITTER: @danbullman
Email - danbullmanphotography@gmail.com
Disclaimer: This video contains affiliate links, which means if you click on one of the product links I may receive a small commission. 
Кино
I'm always looking to try different lenses. What M42 lenses have you shot with and recommend?
You are a nice guy, so please do not EVER quote that hateful troll Ken Wheeler. M42 was a near universal lens mount started by Zeiss so it wasn't just there for cheap lenses. In fact in its time some of the best lenses were m42 lens mount. The original 58mm f2 Carl Zeiss Biotar is a great lens. As are the Asahi Pentax Takumars - the 50 1.4 or even 1.8 render beautiful colours.
It was thrown in as a joke. And yes there are a wide variety of M42 lenses. I just focused on the more budget friendly ones for this video. I could make a bunch of videos about these lenses.
pentacon 100/2.8
I can tell you right now that all the radiation coming from a thorium element lens is completely harmless.
It's a thin coating meaning it actually has very little thorium plus it's thorium oxide, a much more stable isotope.
That guy talking about the alpha particles kind of has a point... if it was pure thorium, not thorium oxide.
TL:DR: yes it's safe but don't go licking your elements (but if you are the type that licks the front of your lenses it's just natural selection at that point)
It's thoriated glass, not a coating.
Eastern European here, these lenses are awesome and very easy to find here. You can meet the shady guys in person, no shipping fees, yay! Not too many people use them on digital cameras, though.
I have the Helios 44 you mention, a Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm and 3 Pentacons (29, 50, 135mm). The 50mm is 1.8 and my main lens. Used it for more than a decade in both photo and video, first on its original Praktica 35mm camera, then on Canon 550D, and now my new Sony A6400 is on its way and I'm shopping for an adaptor. Made short films with them. Even used them on a RED once that had EOS mount.
I dropped one once and it broke a floor tile.
Oh and manual focus is not so difficult, the more you do it the easier it comes. Personally I hate to have anything on the lcd other than the actual image, but it takes practice to nail the focus manually like that. Especially in event photography.
These lenses really have a personality of their own, which is harder to find with modern lenses. Too much perfection and accuracy can kill an image. Only downside with M42s is you can't find any at, say, 14mm.
You are the man after putting that free guide up. Thank you. Hope your continued success.
I'm a huge fan of the Helios 44M-4! Excellent sharpness at the center and still maintains its signature swirly bokeh. Highly recommend that lens, as it only runs about $50 on eBay.
Nice video! My favorite vintage lens is the canon fd 50mm 1.4 + lens turbo ii, it basically makes it a 35mm f1.4 with f1 in terms of light gathering capabilities. Sharpness is not bad wide open and gets razor sharp by f2.8. It's also my most compact setup and it's really light weight because of the plastic but it's still very sturdy. The focus ring feels much better than any other lens I've tried. My two other ones are the takumar 200mm f3.5 (18 aperture blades!) and the mir 1 37mm f2.8(bubbly swirly bokeh somewhat like the helios but sharp as hell and contrasty)
Wow, man. Thanks to this video, I immediately ordered a Helios with an adapter from eBay. Supposedly a US seller with high ratings. We’ll see. I’m looking forward to getting dreamy bokeh in pics of my kids. Thanks for the tip!
I'm new to the whole world of interchangeable lenses having recently bought a Sony 6300. Thanks to your video I now have two M42 lenses, the Helios 44m-4 (£40) and a Sigma 80-200 F1.4 (£20) and am really enjoying experimenting with them and am super surprised how good some of my photos are, especially considering the price.
WHAT? 80-200 F1.4? youre kidding right?
@@rcepter5485 must be f4. As in 1:4. The fastest zoom is a 1.8 by sigma
I have a small collection of manual focus lenses for my A6500. Several are M-42 mounts such as the Helios 44-4, best used on full frame cameras for the unique swirly bokeh and the Auto Sears 55mm f/1.4 (Tamioka) which is a nice portrait lens on a crop sensor camera. In addition to the M-42 lenses I also have a Carl Zeiss 135mm f/3.5 Triopar in an Exaxta mount which also produces a vert unique bokeh. Finally, I have two "C" mount lenses, an 80mm f/1.7 NightHawk and a 35mm lens both of which were designed for surveillance cameras. The Nighthawk is a great portrait lens on either a crop or full frame camera and the 35mm produces a crazy jumbled image that is sometimes fun to shoot with. These lenses are fun to shoot, produce unique imagery but, none (with the possible exception of the Auto Sears) can match the quality of todays 50mm f/1.8 lenses from virtually any manufacturer.
BTW: As far as manual focus lenses go, The Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 in a Sony e mount is a super lens at a relatively decent price (I paid about $250 new for mine)...
Can't go wrong with the pentacon 50 1.8 and 29 2.8. Similar look to both, with awesome smooth bubble bokeh, good color and saturation, though not amazingly sharp. The 29mm 2.8 is a sleeper IMO. Also a good focal length for crop sensors, where 50's can be pretty long sometimes. I haven't got the pentacon 28mm, but I would guess it shoots about the same. All of those focus close too, which is awesome. Auto Takumar 50/f2 with the silver front ring and flippy lever- killer bokeh. Super takumar 135 3.5- super sharp and killer for black and white, awesome build quality. I have lots of M-42 lenses, and those are probably my favorites. So many to choose from though.
Great informative video thanks
Nice video. I also want to know about L39 lenses, too.
Just be careful with the Pentacon 2.8/135 (#6) - there are two major versions: older with 15 blade apperture (also sold under Meyer Optic Goerlitz before Pentacon brand was established), and newer with just six blades... and you IMO want to go for the older one of course :) the easiest way to recognize them is of course by counting the blades ;) but for quick reference the older goes to f/32, while the new to f/22 only
The link has expired to the lens guide. Any chance I could still get it? :)
Can vintage lens for making cinematic video and what's effect to the camera?
Sorry for my bad english
I'd add in the "what to watch out for" area that it seems like some lens seem more prone to specific issues as they age. For instance the focus mechanisms on some Helios seem prone to stickiness and wear out faster. I have a 44 2/58 that looks in good shape but is unusable for these same reasons and after some research I found others experienced the same issues. Takumar's seem to tend to get more oil on the aperture blades and can become sticky to the point they are unusable. These are just examples from my own experiences, I'm sure there are many more. The point is when buying these lenses on the cheap, which is kind of the point, if you happen to get a "bad" copy do a little research. If others have had the same issues with that lens you may just need to take the lose and consider buying another copy before you get a good one.
I am somewhat surprised you didn't mention any Mamiya m42 lenses. I would put Mamiya into the same "best bang for buck" and "under rated" categories as Chinon and Pentacon. For example, I have a Mamiya 200mm f3.5 as well as a Takumar 200mm f4 (which is supposed to be one of the best) and I actually think the Mamiya is a better lens in every way. Super sharp, easy to focus, great handling and more attractive. It even has a built in retractable lens hood which is just too cool and very functional. Only "negative" I found was the filter size of 67mm which is less common than the 58mm found on the Takumar but that is a real hair splitter.
I do own Pentax super takumar 50mm F/1.4 and I adore it. Funny enough, I only paid about $50 for it.
Recently I did bought Pentacon 135mm f2,8 in really bad shape, filled with dust and god knows what else. But it had cost me only about $25, so I'll open and clean it myself when I got more spare time.
Now I'm aiming at Pentacon 200 and 300mm f4 and also Mir 37mm f2,8.
Would be nice to also get that Helios 44-2 or 44-M4 but in recent years the price has risen dramatically; still hope I'll find one for peanuts like I found that Pentacon...
I just purchased a Pentax Super Takumar lens off of eBay for my Sony Alpha a6000. I got two different adapters on amazon (one of them which you linked on your website) and none of them work. Please help me find the right adapter!
I just bought an prinzgalaxy 400mm for just 16 euros, im really excited if its any good
I was wondering if this would work on the Sony nex 6 I just started the video so maybe you’ll answer that
I found that a Focal Reducer (Lens Turbo II EF -> FX in my case, plus Adapter Rings for M42 and Pentax K) actually increased the image quality of some cheapo lenses quite a bit, at least subjectively, when it comes to sharpness and a bit of color punch. Not to forget the FOV and brightness.
As I'm in Central Europe I think the availability of glass is ideal here, the whole classic western stuff and the USSR stuff as well. Some brand names are different but the lenses are the same, over here Auto Revuenon is one of the easiest to find cheap brands both for M42 and Pentax K, they might actually be the same lenses as the Auto Chinons with some GDR stuff mixed in.
As for GDR (Eastern Germany), everything Praktica and Pentacon is both very cheap and actually of quite good quality, cameras and optics were things the East did really well and they were exported for ridiculously low prices to the west, sold cheap and often rebranded. If you in the US come across a Praktica camera with a 50mm 1.8 lens simply stating "aus Jena" (the standard kit lens), it's actually a Carl Zeiss Jena lens which had to be relabled for export due to legal issues with Zeiss West, and maybe the most bang for the buck you can get in that incredibly cheap area. The other manufacturer hidden under the Pentacon or third party label is Meyer-Görlitz with that famous bubble bokeh (if I'm not mistaken that's the Pentacon 50mm 2.8).
Anyway, get a Pentax K adapter as well, almost the same amount of cheap third party glass plus the absolutely underrated, therefore cheap Pentax lenses.
Great suggestions! Thanks man! So much to explore with vintage lenses
Great video. Inexpensive manual lenses make the Sony a6000 much more fun to work with. Plus, with focus magnification and focus peaking, getting the subject in focus with the Sony is easy. I would like your lens picker pdf, but when I tried to download the pdf, it asked for credit card information. That seems unnecessary and insecure.
Thanks! Yeah it's a lot of fun!
As for the last part, it doesn't charge you when you put in the CC info. I haven't figured out a way to remove that part from the Squarespace store front. Not sure if I can :/
Where is a good place to buy film?
what's the mount name?
You could also have included a MIR-1B 37mm f/2.8, or Super Takumar 28mm f/3.5, or Super Takumar 35mm f/3.5, or Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm f/2.8 tessar, or Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm f/1.8 Pancolar
What is the best m42 lens of all the time?
Can you recommend a filter for the pentax supertakumar 50 mm f1.4 lens? Thank you so much for your free lens recommendation pdf. When you shoot manual on the sony a6000 do you use the focus peaking or the focus magnification more? Do you use the zebra stripes to evaluate exposure when you shoot manually?
I don't typically use lens filters. If you're just looking for a basic UV filter, I would recommend just getting an inexpensive one on Amazon. I like to use focus peaking and MF assist (magnification). The peaking is generally pretty good, but it's not 100% accurate. So I generally will use peaking to get the ballpark and then use MF assist and magnify in on the model's eye to make sure it's in focus. And I do not use zebra stripes.
These old lenses are pretty fabulous, especially adapted to mirrorless bodies. I picked up a bunch of these lenses for an actual M42 mount Praktica body, but use them more often on my Fujifilm X-T2. I've got two of the funky Helios lenses, and a Jupiter-11, but my favorite is definitely the Jupiter-9, an 85mm f2 that I believe is a copy of the Zeiss Sonnar formula. It's beautifully built and finished, focus and aperture controls are smooth, and the bokeh is superbly round and creamy.
Yeah, that Jupiter 9 lens is an amazing one!
Nice video!
Thanks! 🙌
I started looking for an adapter to use to mount M42 lenses on my Sony A6000, and it looks like there are two kinds: Type 1 and Type 2 (depending on the aperture pin on the lens?) . Which type of adapter would I use to mount the M42 lenses you described in your video?
Hi Bruce! It's going to depend on the lens. Type 2 would work with ones lacking the aperture pin - such as the Auto Chinon 55mm f/1.7 and Helios 44-2.
Type 1 I believe works with the lenses which have an aperture pin, such as the Pentax 50mm f/1.4 and Auto Chinon 35mm f/2.8.
So basically your best bet is to figure out whether the lens has a pin or not before buying, and then buy the appropriate adapter. Or spend an extra $20-30 and get both adapters so that your bases are covered. Let me know if you have any other questions.
nice video
0:26 “now if your looking for budget M42 lenses to adapt and put on your Sony A6000....”
*Looks down at Zenit 12XP with ancient screw mount fitting*
“Errr yeah sure I am...that’s totally what I’m doing...”
Congratulations
DO THEY WORK FOR FULL FRAME SONY ALPHA 7 ?
Yes
Media Division did a in depth review of thorium lenses and yes, the lenses are radioactive but nothing major...a backpack or case stops all the radiations emited by the glass in lenses. Like the man told us: don't sleep with the lens close to your body.
Can I use these vintage lenses on my Sony A7III?
Yes!
silly question, how does the camera meters with these fully manual, non-cpu lenses?
All digital cameras with changeable lenses (as far as I know) will use through-the-lens light metering (TTL). In manual shooting, just adjust the exposure triangle (ISO, Aperture, and shutter speed) until the camera indicators, visible in the viewfinder, show a good starting point. Then you can adjust as needed (manually).
5:42 lol, a slav with Pewdiepie merch
The 55mm f1.8 was the kit lens, not the 50 1.4
The 1.8 goes for 50 bucks
The 1.4 goes for 200.
People really need to learn the meaning of vintage and antique before using them.
i have yet to see any Helios 40-2 for near $150 dollars, nope no way,lol. Those lenses wont go for near that price point because thats a low price, minimum your looking $300 dollars up to $600 dollars. now a helios 44-2 is within the price even $60 bucks for a very good copy, but there are many versions of that lens and some have 8 blades and some i believe have 10 blades. The Takumar 50 1.4 has two versions one being the 7 element and 8 element version..you would have to check the serial number to identify when it changed. I personally dont own any of the lenses you mentioned but i do own some vintage primes that make your eyes melt,lol. Great content but might want to clarify a bit.
Helios 44-2 for m39 mount costs maybe 150$ in germany and it have 13 blades ! the 8 blade Version costs in germany 20 euro maybe 30. My helios is the 8 blade Version and had cost 8 Euro. Little bit oil on blades. Fix it in few minutes.
A ton of M42 lenses are radioactive too!
yes
for a photography vlogger, you really need to work on that background
Isnt possible to adapt to DSLR cameras?
You can adapt some on classic DSLR camera. For example, the Helios is compatible with Canon. If you want to know which mount you can buy, go on this website : labaguephoto.com/ It's in french but you just have to select your camera brand on the right (after clicking on "Bagues & adaptateurs") and you'll see everything. Note : some adaptator are in double as some adaptator have a glass on it. Majority of people advice you to go for the without glass version for more luminosity. And if there are third version, this is without glass, with glass, with electronics. Forget this version too. And if you need, you can order them your adaptator, they are really great ! (my M42 and C mount adaptator came from this guy).
dont say nikon like that. I'm asian