Re the mamiya I'd go with previous comment and take back off to remove pin.. Word of caution: As previously commented by Zan Will You may find that your aperture ring sits 0.5-1mm proud of mounting area so when M42 mount is screwed on tight your aperture ring will not move. I encountered this with a auto Mam/Sek 200mm f3.5.. Another forgotten gem of a lens. I am lucky to have access to a lathe so first removed 2mm from outer edge of M42 adapter plate but found it wouldnt mount snug to camera without light leaks.. I eventually got a steel washer with 40mm inner diam hole, turned it out to 42.5mm and thinned it down from3mm thickness to 0.8mm (Yes a lot of messing about), put that on lens first then new m42 adapter.. Great job, No light leaks and lens is fantastic for 30 odd years old.. Another possibility if you have any old scrap lenses I seem to recall seeing some 40mm ish spacer rings (Alloy) in certain old lens barrels may save all the machining etc.. Hope this helps someone out there.. : )
Hi Nigel, thank you for you videos. Just picked up the Mamiya 50mm 1.2 today and looking forward to getting it out. Always enjoy your videos. Mike from Mississippi
Hi Norman Great informative video as always. I have three of the lenses you featured including the Mamiya and Chinon both of which I bought a couple of years ago with camera for under £30 each. I purchased the Mamiya DSX to relive my youth. I originally bought a Mamiya 1000 DSX .in 1975 after my Zenit E packed up after my misuse. The Mamiya was traded in for. Pentax MEF which I still have. When I started collecting cameras I decided to seek out a Mamiya again hence the ‘new’ purchase. The SX lenses were unique to this camera body, I hadn’t realised that the lens had a pin preventing it mounting the adapter to enable aperture adjustment until you raised it. I agree with some of your other commentators..do not butcher the lens…have a play with altering the adaptor mount it shouldn’t be that difficult. We need to preserve the stock of vintage equipment in its original format. I thoroughly enjoy your videos including the recent reviews of digital equipment keep them coming.
Just so you know that yellow ting to the Takumar lens is not coating. The glass itself is actually radioactive and has a fairly high concentration of those elements causing the yellow ting. they are a truly amazing lens given the time frame they were made.
indeed. i believe it was the main reason why there was radioactive lenses back then.. that haze that is produced on he lens had an esthetic.. in a sense it was a coating however more of a natural form of. at least from what i remember in the late 70s and such.
You are correct about the radioactive thorium glass however the coating on many of Super Takumars does also have a yellow-ish/ golden colour. I have a 50mm f1.4 which is not radioactive with this golden looking coating. In the later radioactive versions of this lens (later 8 element and 7 element versions), only the rear elements use thorium in the glass and it usually presents itself as a brown/ yellow darkening within the lens where the lens elements are thickest.
@@DIGIHENDRIX300the addition of Thorium in optical glas had absolutely nothing at all to do with creating any kind of hazy esthetic, it was to increase the refractive index of the glass, the coatings likewise were applied to make for a sharper more clearly resolving lens. People today have it all backwards woth there fascination with the flaws and failures of classic equipment. Flares, Chromatic Abberation, Coma, Haze were all faults, not intentional character introduced for any "Asthetic".
@@bigshooter461 I def know that for sure. As a person from the 80s it def wasn’t a aesthetic till later. Or regarded as one as one until various artists would implement it into their projects.
True story. Walking into a magazine store in San Francisco in the 90's, and since I was collecting cigars back then, I went to the counter and asked if he had Aficionado. (Short for Cigar Aficionado) The guy looks me straight in the eye and says, "Sorry, we don't have Fish and Auto."
The Takumar 55's actually come in three versions, the 1.8, the 2 and the 2.2. I have all three and actually tend to favor the 2.2 version. It seems to do something special with color. None of them are very expensive, at least they weren't when I was collecting, and I would recommend trying one out if you get the chance. "Simon's Utak" on Flickr first made me aware of the lens with a beautiful photograph of a bicycle wheel and tire, or tyre if you prefer. I think it's one of his favorite lenses. Thanks for the video, Nigel. I'd file the pin down.
The 55mm Takumars are all the same lens with aperture limiting internal rings enabling the f2 and f2.2 versions to be marketed at different price points.
Chinon lenses are totally underrated. I have a 55mm F1.7 that is a great lens. Nice color rendition and it is sharp. Tomioka design with the flat back element. Nice bokeh.
Nigel, love your videos. For the Mamiya, I found a solution where you remove the inner M42 mount ring of the adapter (Fotasy ones for both Sony and Fuji) with the set screws. Grinded/sanded the outer ring down (orbital sander bit for a drill) to just above the set screws holes. Reset the inner ring which then sits up the distance to accommodate the outer lip and pin of the SX lens body. Have infinity focus, aperture rotates and is still engaged by the inner ring and have amazing images from the set up. Have a 28/2.8, 55/1.8, 105/2.8 and 135/2.8. All work perfectly with the mod adapters. Could send pics if you'd like. Cheers!
Today I was gifted a Chinon CE-4 with the 50/1.9 lens and I am very encouraged by your opinion. I have to say that all Chinon lenses I have seen are quite pretty, so I hope it shoots as well as it looks. Another cracking video!
Mamiya 35mm lenses were often manufactured with little oddities (extra pin, extra long pin, ridges, etc.) that play havoc with use on other cameras. Please don't modify the lens, modify the adapter. I've used several m42 mamiya lenses (50mm f1.4, f1.8, 135mm, 200mm), all were very good to excellent. The SX lenses were supposed to have the best coatings, so the colors may be better, but I'm sure like the colors I get with earlier lenses! Yashica lenses are nice as well (at least the 50mm ones I have), but mine are a bit subdued color-wise compared to the mamiyas but are really, really sharp, amazing little lenses! Thanks for you video, excellent!
The only 50mm lens in my kit is the Industar 50-2 50mm F/3.5 lens so I'm always keeping an eye out for a faster vintage prime to compliment it. Lots of great choices among this selection here by the looks of it. Thanks for making this video. You've given me some options to think about.
@@williamkazak469 I tried the Tak 50mm f/1.4 with my Olympus OMD EM1 and it makes a very good combination. Wide open. Sharpness, oh my God... can't believe it, and it gives some magic to the Oly... Voilà, my opinion...
✋🏼😁 Hi Nigel, thank you for sharing your videos with us all. Regarding the Mamia lens solution i would try to mod the adapter instead if the lens. Adapters are quite cheap so… 😘📸 Please don’t butcher the lens!
The lens and camera from Mamiya has retained its perfect appearance, and functionality obviously that's the only reason why you should keep it! It is better to break off the pin notch on the adapter than to compromise the authenticity of the photographic equipment....
I'm having fun with a Rodenstock enlarger lens on bellows. Amazingly it focuses to infinity and has has a built in aperture which goes from 5.6 to 32. Very sharp in macro work and fun to play with scheimgflug on my PB-4 bellows.
Hello. Just discovered your Channel and I am loving it ! I have a thing for 50mm. When I began my photography hobby 15 years ago I had no idea what I was doing. I had a Pentax SF1n with a cheap kit lens attached. Within weeks I discarded that lens and shot exclusively with a SMC M 50mm 1.7 for a whole year and a roll of film per week no less. Anyways I digress. I have a tak 50 1.4, smc tak 55 1.8, smc M 50 1.7, smc A 50 2.0, and a Rikenon P 50 1.7. They all have their characteristics and I like em all. The one that always surprises me the most is the Rikenon. Incredibly sharp. And $5 thrift stores buy. Cheers 🍻
Hello Nigel. I did some ebay shopping this winter on some -20c days that were a bit too cold for my liking to leave the house. I picked up a Mamiya Secor and decided to give it a new life in the digital world. With the aperture ring off I used a Dremel to file the pin and rim off. I also placed a wedge behind the mechanism the aperture pin is connected to disable it making the lens manual. The wedge makes the aperture a little slow above f11, since I will be using it between f2 and f8, not a problem. Just a couple of pictures so far and agree it is sharp with true colors. I also picked up a Jupiter 8 from the Ukraine to use on a Lumix I have. The Lumix colors are very cool and pale so I am trying lenses known for character and punchy colors. Cheers.
Hello once again Nigel, The Prakticar 1.8 lens you reviewed is a re-badged, and re-worked, Meyer Optik Oreston. Lots of re-badging went on during the later years at VEB Pentacon, no doubt to improve sales. The first Pentacon version of the lens was virtually a straight Oreston copy, but the version you tested was reduced in size, and plastic added, in what seemed to be a cost cutting exercise. Unfortunately, during all this, the lens seems to have lost some of it earlier qualities.
Almost sold my brownish metal Mamiya Sekor 55mm f/1.8 Chrome front. Thanks for this video and I kept it. Btw, got it for USD 2 at an auction. Same with my Auto Rokkor Minolta 58mm f/1.4 Chrome front and iris lever on the right. Love vintage lenses.
Use a cheap M42/M42 Chinese helicoid, it practically always works. It works like a variable register M42 to M42 adapter. You must then attach to it a very thin your com’era mount into M42 adapter. You can also reuse in future the helicoid for other particular mounts.
Sometimes your videos have impeccable timing for me. I actually have a Mamiya DSX1000 in the repair shop with a 135mm SX lens (the lens came with original box and lens caps!) that I am hoping to soon use for the first time. I agree with others, don't grind the pin or take the lens apart. These SX lenses were made specifically for the Mamiya's DSX and MSX cameras for their way of open aperture metering. For those of us who use these really underrated cameras, these lenses are of great value. Modify an adapter or maybe try one of the little bit older Mamiya lenses without the SX marking. Those older Mamiya lenses were intended for the DTL line, which did not have open aperture metering at all. As to who actually made the M42 Mamiya lenses, that seems to still be a debate. Or the give the lens to someone that would greatly appreciate a 50mm SX lens for their DSX1000 camera. 🙃
Hmmm... I must admit I'd probably look into taking the back plate off the Mamiya lens and removing the locking mechanism. You can always keep it safe should you want to sell it. It's got to be usable, and if you can use it on other cameras all the better.
Maybe you can manipulate a cheap adapter (m42 to ef) for example and use it as a fixed adapter between? Sorry for my english, i am not a native speaker.
Ah, Super-Takumar 55/2 was my first ever SLR lens (with a Spotmatic back in 1969). I don't still have that one, but I do have another that I got a few years ago in excellent condition. It's a beauty.
The cure for the problem with the MSekor pin and its' inability to fully seat on the adapter is easy. You need a stepped flange adapter which for instance comes with old version K&F /xy pro. I believe the latest versions the bulky kanted ones all feature a stepped flange. I was luck to find the so called K&F M42-FX "pro" adapter which cosmetically comes in the std. design. I felt like it suits my Fujifilm X-E4 better than the modern bigger ones they're currently selling
I believe the Mamiya sx lenses were for the Mamiya MSX/DSX cameras which offered open aperture metering and transmitted the aperture values from lens to camera. That's where the locking pin maybe comes in action - it makes sure the lens is sitting correctly for the aperture transmitting. But that's guesswork based on a tiny bit of general research.
@@GeorgeK356 Thanks for helping me out here with 1st hand knowledge. I have quite a few M42 lenses and at the end of the production circle of that mount there were quite a few "unique" ideas to incorporate exposure automatic. I liked the Chinon approach better because it allowed the use of most M42 lenses for their aperture priority AE. Everyone baking their own cake was contra-productive for a universal mount. In the end everyone but Zenit ditched it, even Praktica.
In my opinion, if you intend to keep and use that Mamiya lens, there is no harm in doing that. But if you think you may end up selling it in the future, maybe consider using the dremel to cut a slot in your M42 adapter so that it accepts the locking tab instead. It may serve for alignment of the lens for the metering system of the Mamiya cameras, so having the tab would be very important for a potential next owner.
@@zenography7923 My thoughts exactly too. I do enjoy the EBC Fujinon system, for example, which is somewhat similar to the Mamiya there. An M42 mount with a few extra tabs and slots what interfere with most non Fujica cameras and serve for metering. It has been a bit of a struggle to find lenses with those features intact lately.
Hi Nigel. Having used my £14 Chinon 50mm 1.9 a few times now on both my A6500 & Oly EM5 I’m also delighted with the sharpness and colour rendition. What a bargain! Thanks.
I remember back in the day when these were new, Amateur Photographer magazine discovered another issue with the Mamiya's locking pin: It can catch in the cross head machine screws of some camera's lens mounting flanges (many had them back in the day) and jam the lens solidly onto the camera. It was a heck of a job getting them of if this happened ... and while sometimes a 'feeler gauge' could be squeezed in to lift the pin ... sometimes the whole camera had to be stripped to get the lens off.
@@zenography7923 Probably a narrow-flange M42 adapter will work (not reaching out the pin on the Mamiya mount lens). Like the Konica Praktica lens adapter, it has a very narrow M42 adapter, and it is cheap to get on Ebay (about U$30 ~$50). If you have already a Konica-to-mirrorless adapter maybe worth the try.
Absolutely. I had real trouble getting my SMC Takunar 28mm f3.5 off the front off my Zenit 11 and 12. I forced it in the end. I then undone the screw a little bit to align the pin with the slot on the head
No. The person who gave the info that the 50mm f1.8 B mount Prakticar was actually the Pancolar got it completely the wrong way round. In actual fact, the Zeiss Jena Prakticar branded B mount lens is really the Oreston/Pentacon lens. It was rebadged for the Zeiss AM-1 and AC-1 cameras. The only true Zeiss 50mm lenses in Praktica Bayonet are the very rare f2.8 Tessar and the 50mm f1.4 that IS a Pancolar - there's also the 55mm f2.8 Macro-Prakticar.
I realise this video is 2 years old so my advise may be a bit late, I would suggest simply machining a reciever groove in the adapter, similar to the mount on the camera. This would serve to make the adapter more versatile and permit the preservation of the lens.
I have seen the Mamiya camera lens plus pin on e bay for about £65, so you were fortunate with that price...the pin is interesting from an engineering standpoint.... Great Video again Nigel cheers mate....
About time you looked at a Chinon lens. I have a few, 28mm, 35mm and that 50mm 1.9 which is a shocker all right!… The quality never fails to blows me away!… great reviews!
For the cost to yourself of appropriately £7.50 , I would be tempted to remove that locking pin + use the lens unhindered on your mirrorless cameras! I have several Takumar lenses you may be interested in , the 28mm 3.5 + 35mm 3.5 Hope yor well Derek
I have searched and bought by chance the same mamiya camera and that same lens at a very low price, I will tell you how that lens turns out with my xt3 and of course with the original mamiya camera, good video solves many doubts.
Ken, you are correct. I just modified my lens with a Dremel and cutoff wheel. Both the pin and the rim of the Mamiya lens must be ground flat. Now the lens mounts to my adapter. Also it looks like I can use it with my Spotmatic F using stop down metering.
The Mamiya 50mm f2 SX is a steal. Cut the pin and forget it. It is capable of something you did not mention! Great, classic cinema flares! Better fkares than any of those on the table. The non SX version may be different.
I have read a thread somewhere that the Mamiya 55mm f1.8 and the Yashinon 5.5cm f1.8 are identical with interchangeable parts. I have the Yashinon and that lens is just simply superb. I'd recommend you to get either and go for a spin. They are not as common but don't demand a high price usually. My key point is that these two companies might have shared production for the 35mm lenses at some point in time. By looking at your Mamiya 50mm f2, compared to my two copies of the Yashica 50mm f2 DX lenses, they also seem very much alike. I'd bet that they are indeed the same construction with different branding. My Yashinons mount on adapters with no problem and if you don't want to dismantle the Mamiya, just keep it as-is for your film cameras. Meanwhile, you could possibly get a Yashica 50mm f2 DX for your digital. Yes, the Yashinons are quite stunningly sharp and pleasant as well, superbly built and cheap to own. That's why I got two copies. Thanks for these wonderful videos. They are truly soothing and inspiring at the same time.
A little late to the party but I would modify the adapter if that's possible. Those tend to be inexpensive for M42 so no biggie if it gets messed up first try. Grind out enough for the pin to avoid hitting it when screwed down.
I just found yesterday in a charity shop the chinon 50mm f1.9 in good condition for 8£ now I am waiting to come home the adapter to test this lens, I can't wait.
I'd want to take the pin off the Mamiya, but then I probably wouldn't actually do it. What might be better is to see if you can remove it from inside the backing, then at least you can keep the pin and reattach in future. But that may not be a possibility.
Lucky I have 3 of these.... : ) If you have EOS camera you will get infinity with M42, NK and OM on ring adapter.. If you have Nikon DSLR and find Takumar 55 wind out rear element a few turns to get infinity...
I enyoyed this video much, and just like to mention two things. First: The Super-Takumar is a child of the Sixties, and in its design not much younger than the Leica-Lens. Mechanically spoken the Taks are often thought to be the pinnacle of Japanese craftmenship and in this as the closest to the likes of Western Germany Zeiss and Leica. Second: The Pentacon 50/1,8 indeed is a design by Eastern Germany Company Meyer Görlitz and thus a brainchild of the Sixties. first called the "Oreston". Aside from Macro-Lenses it has the closest near-focussing distance of all normal-primes at just over 1ft., which was retained by later versions.
Buy a cheap M42 adapter and send it to a machine shop to file/scrape the edge of the adapter deep enough to accommodate the ring base and wide enough to accommodate the locking pin. I did that for my M42-FX adapter.
Nigel - re the Mamiya MSX500 and Sekor lens I actually bought back in the day , and still have, that very camera and lens combo, and shot a load of weddings with it. The body and lens on my camera are pristine. I think I paid around £50-£60 for it. It has more than paid me back. As to using it on a mirrorless body I have never tried, but as far as I can see the aperture ring will foul the adapter body before the meter setting pin touches the adapter mounting ring. The MSX body mounting ring has a small step in it allowing the flange on the aperture ring to clear the body mount. I have tried my lens on a number of M42 adapters after watching your video and they all jam the aperture ring. I'm going to buy a cheap M42 to Fuji adapter and have a play about on my lathe to see if I can sort a work around. If I can solve it I will get an adapter of your chouce and do the same for you, so you don't have to disable that great lens. Thank you again for another great Zenography episode, Nigel. Now I'm off to trawl Ebay for a cheap M42-FX adapter.
I so wished I had a lathe when trying to adapt this lens - if you could mod a dumb adaptor for me (covering your costs of course) that would be fantastic! I'll be interested to hear how your experiment goes!
@@zenography7923 Well, I've found an adapter for the Fuji that will be easy to grip in the lathe chuck (mine are all tapered, this one iasn't) so when it comes I'll do a bit of "fettling" and see how it goes. If it all goes well I'll buy a M42-NEX adapter, modify it and donate it to your channel, Nigel.
On the Mamiya, it seems the locking pin can be removed or twisted/broken off using needle-nose pliers while muttering appropriate expletives. You may ALSO need to file down the overhang on the aperture ring. I don't have one (yet), so this is not from personal experience.
@@zenography7923 Actually Mamiya was way ahead of competition. I don't get why the did not succeed as Nikon and Canon did. You should explore more of Mamiya lenses if u want some bubbly bokeh and sharp lenses. Even 28mm have great bokeh
I have been downsizing my lens collection. Ironically, I just sold my Mamiya Sekor 50mm over the weekend. It is a good lens but nothing exceptional. I did not really feel a need to hold onto it. I went ahead and purchased a Konica Hexanon 50mm 1.8 lens to replace it. However, it has the most flare of any lens I have ever used bar none. I used it on my Fujifilm X-E3 with an AR adapter.
I’m wondering what modle M/S the body is. I have several 500/1000 TL/DTLs and sold some new, but don’t recall a locking pin version. I appreciate your vlog.
25:00 I don't know why so many people try to find the producer of Chinon lenses. My friends, name the producer is written on the lens, that's Chinon. Chinon produced both lenses, and cameras and that is why Kodak bought it. Vivitar was not a produced. It was a US based importer of photo equipment. Their lenses were produced by different Japanese producers, ranging from Kine, to Komine and others. Their cameras were mostly produced by Cosina and their flash units were made by National, today's Panasonic. Thanks for the review.
Re the 55mm f2. Super Takumar I have noted on e bay...if they have yellow writing "55mm F2" some claim these are rare and we're for special export orders and are asking at the moment up to £200 for these...anyway without rambling on my point is I have one such and paid less than £15 for it on e bay and suspect it was from a house clearance or similar.. Anyhow love your videos so informative cheers Nigel..
I have a Mamiya 50mm f1.4 and the 1000MXB it was paired with. They were sold and branded as Sears products here in the US. But I ran into a similar conundrum, I love using vintage lenses on digital, but I don't want to butcher a lens to make it work. So I currently don't use it. I was thinking about modifying an adapter ring as opposed to the lens itself, but I'm switching to RF soon so I'll be seeing if it works any better on an RF M42 adapter as opposed to an EF ring.
Far better to modify an adaptor rather than the lens - mine was very kindly machined by a viewer who has a lathe, it was actually a pretty simple mod. Doubt it could be done easily without a lathe though.
Thank you very much for another great video Nigel. I always know they are very interesting and look forward to the next one. I use only vintage lenses (except for my Laowa 2x macro) because I like the workflow and it slows me down.
Hi, thank you for your response re my classes. I will be in touch. Just by the by, I can’t agree with you more about Pancolar, I have that lens too it’s my favourite too, bar none.
I believe you can find a specific adapter for the Mamiya lens but you have to do a little search. There is a Rare Adapters site that has almost anything you can think of. I got one for my Praktina(not Practica) mount to Fuji X from them.
could you get the adapter for the Mamiya turned on a lathe so there is a small channel where the locking pin makes contact, that way you have just altered the adapter, other way might be to use an appropriate helicoid and lock it off at the correct distance and use it as a static adapter.
Regarding the Mamiya lens, the question I would ask is what does the locking pin bring to the table from a usability perspective. Is it positive? Then I'll leave it. Is it negative? Then I'll delete it (whilst trying my best to do so in a reversible way if possible). If it is indeed such an excellent performer as you say, then that pin does nothing for it - in fact it detracts from it's usability on all your devices. It's all well and good to try and preserve where we can, but if the lens is compromised as-is I don't see a practical reason for owning it (even if it is special). Cracking video Nigel, thanks for all your hard work!
I grinded a groove into one of my m39 adapters to make the little pin on the FED 50mm f3.5 collapsible lock into infinity. Maybe you could do something similar to a m42 adapter as I myself wouldn't mind butchering one of those.
i use a Tamron Adaptall 2 35-70mm f/3.5 (17A) with my older canon 300D. Got this old lens from my Grandad and im so impressed what i get out of it. You can pick it up for next to nothing these days.
I have a 55 and it is a TOMIOKA lense. I bet yours is too. Are there any other adapter types out there? This sounds similar to the SMC lenses with their pins. I have a Auto Chinon Multi Coated 55mm f1.4 (with a TOMIOKA lens). This Chinon and my Auto Mamiya Sekor 55mm f1.4 are my best lenses of my 24. They allow you to be very creative and a Art Lens way.
I have a Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/2 lens which is a honey..very sharp images and great color rendition. Another great lens is Pentax Super Takumar 55mm f/1.8..it came with a Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic camera I recently picked up and I was amazed at shots taken easily one of my best 'normal' lenses. Both of those lenses can be had at quite reasonable prices.
I haven't tried the Nikon, but the Tak 55 1.8 (or f2 - same lens) is a firm favourite. A very nice lens indeed - nicer in my opinion than the Takumar 50mm f1.4!
On my version - without the SX designation - there is no hint of a locking-pin. It mounts completely flat. Haven't shot it digitally yet. On Your recommendation - I will soon do. See if it can rival our beloved Pancolar :-) Keep the Mamyia-combo prestine, and get a non-SX version ;-)
In the US, Mamiya/Sekor products were frequently rebadged and sold through Sears department stores. Don't overlook that possibility as a source of Mamiya SX glass. Usually cheaper now too. Perhaps you would not feel as badly if you ground the pin off a Sears/Sekor lens? I have one around here that was laughably cheap at a sketchy local junk shop.
I have the Mamiya 50mm f2 sx and the older lens (not the SX) which doesn’t have the pin. I have filed the pin down and it is absolutely fine. I didn’t concern myself with it because I don’t have the Mamiya body. Also, I’m more interested in getting the most out of this wonderful lens with my new Fuji x-t5. If we all started worrying about compromising lenses authenticity where would we be. Anyway, it’s not as if the lens is worth €1000.
My dad has a lens with a similar locking pin problem. On his lens, the aperture ring also had a little lip which was deeper than the flange of the lens, preventing infinity focus. It looks like that lens does too. He had to grind both the pin and the aperture ring flush to the flange
Hello Nigel, Another great video, as always, but I must admit that I was hoping that the results you obtained with my 50mm f2 Pancolar, and the 50mm 1.4 Zeiss Prakticar that you tested, might have been included with this excellent lens line up!.
@@zenography7923 I'll see if I can't get one of those to try! Another interesting SMC Takumar that I do own and enjoy is the 50 f4 macro. There are numbers around the front perimeter that I am still wondering what they mean. Quite sharp with brilliant color.
Thanks for another great video, i love the Autochinon 50/1.9 it's very sharp indeed, i got a Mamiya Sekor SX 50/1.8 but mine is very soft the bokey is very smooth though, thanks again for sharing you passion !!
When considering the excellent Takumar lenses remember there are Super Takumars and the later Super Multi Coated versions. Regarding Leitz lenses I think it's safe to say the Summar, Summitar and Summicron early versions all had soft glass and are often sold with ' polishing marks'. I have a suspicion there are two slightly different versions of the Summitar depending on the number of iris blades there may be even early uncoated ones. A bit of internet research might reveal this, as my comments do need verification.
A couple choices beyond removing the pin which evidently would make it fit improperly on the film body if removed - modify a M42 adapter with a grove for the pin. Or drill out the pin and put in a spring and replacement pin so when pushed on a regular m42 you could do so; or you could make a hole for the pin in an M42 so it also locks, if the hole goes through, you can remove the lens by pressing it in after removing the adapter and lens from the camera.
@@zenography7923 I got curious and went and looked at several Chinon models CS C4 etc; and non of the mounts have a grove cut in the mount to accommodate the pin. So I now think your pin was suppose to recess but is frozen. There is a place in the body mount that appears to be where the pin would pop in; and a little lever which would be used to push it back up into the lens in order to unscrew the lens. If I am correct some penetrating oil may loosen it and let it work properly.
I have the Mamiya 50f. I was able to find a Mamiya specific M42 to EF adapter that allows infinity focus for about $19 USD (eBay shipping from Taiwan I believe). It is very thin (it's sharp edged be careful) and I stack it with my EF to EF-M adapter for my M50. It seems to be correctly focused at infinity, but I've never critically tested it. I love that lens and it's definitely showing swirly bokeh (better on my full frame cameras) with gorgeous colors - it matches to Canons, maybe even nicer than native lenses. Resist the urge to grind the tab. I do believe that you can find the specific (Mamiya only) adapter to deliver infinity focus.
the pin on my mamiya 55mm SX 1.4 was just press fitted. I just took some pair of pliers and ripped it out . so it is still in one piece and i think i can put it back in if i want to.
All later Pentax SMC Super-Multi-Coated Takumar lenses have a pin (locks the auto/man switch) that will drop into the screwheads, especially on the fabulous Zenit M42 cameras.
3:20 How about modifying a cheap adapter instead of butchering that vintage Mamiya Sekor to make it fit properly? One might try ( ... and error ...) using some really cheap Chinese made adapters to give it a try. Instead of installing a release mechanism grinding a slot or step in the M42 part of the adapter might work. I'm just guessing without having looked at the technical details, though.
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Re the mamiya I'd go with previous comment and take back off to remove pin.. Word of caution: As previously commented by Zan Will You may find that your aperture ring sits 0.5-1mm proud of mounting area so when M42 mount is screwed on tight your aperture ring will not move. I encountered this with a auto Mam/Sek 200mm f3.5.. Another forgotten gem of a lens. I am lucky to have access to a lathe so first removed 2mm from outer edge of M42 adapter plate but found it wouldnt mount snug to camera without light leaks.. I eventually got a steel washer with 40mm inner diam hole, turned it out to 42.5mm and thinned it down from3mm thickness to 0.8mm (Yes a lot of messing about), put that on lens first then new m42 adapter.. Great job, No light leaks and lens is fantastic for 30 odd years old.. Another possibility if you have any old scrap lenses I seem to recall seeing some 40mm ish spacer rings (Alloy) in certain old lens barrels may save all the machining etc.. Hope this helps someone out there.. : )
That sounds like a very nice solution - thanks for sharing!
Hi Nigel, thank you for you videos. Just picked up the Mamiya 50mm 1.2 today and looking forward to getting it out. Always enjoy your videos. Mike from Mississippi
Have fun!
Hi Norman
Great informative video as always. I have three of the lenses you featured including the Mamiya and Chinon both of which I bought a couple of years ago with camera for under £30 each. I purchased the Mamiya DSX to relive my youth.
I originally bought a Mamiya 1000 DSX .in 1975 after my Zenit E packed up after my misuse. The Mamiya was traded in for. Pentax MEF which I still have. When I started collecting cameras I decided to seek out a Mamiya again hence the ‘new’ purchase. The SX lenses were unique to this camera body, I hadn’t realised that the lens had a pin preventing it mounting the adapter to enable aperture adjustment until you raised it.
I agree with some of your other commentators..do not butcher the lens…have a play with altering the adaptor mount it shouldn’t be that difficult.
We need to preserve the stock of vintage equipment in its original format.
I thoroughly enjoy your videos including the recent reviews of digital equipment keep them coming.
Just so you know that yellow ting to the Takumar lens is not coating. The glass itself is actually radioactive and has a fairly high concentration of those elements causing the yellow ting. they are a truly amazing lens given the time frame they were made.
And it can be cured by setting the lens out in the sun or by using a UV light. Some people actually like the yellow tint, though.
indeed. i believe it was the main reason why there was radioactive lenses back then.. that haze that is produced on he lens had an esthetic.. in a sense it was a coating however more of a natural form of. at least from what i remember in the late 70s and such.
You are correct about the radioactive thorium glass however the coating on many of Super Takumars does also have a yellow-ish/ golden colour. I have a 50mm f1.4 which is not radioactive with this golden looking coating. In the later radioactive versions of this lens (later 8 element and 7 element versions), only the rear elements use thorium in the glass and it usually presents itself as a brown/ yellow darkening within the lens where the lens elements are thickest.
@@DIGIHENDRIX300the addition of Thorium in optical glas had absolutely nothing at all to do with creating any kind of hazy esthetic, it was to increase the refractive index of the glass, the coatings likewise were applied to make for a sharper more clearly resolving lens. People today have it all backwards woth there fascination with the flaws and failures of classic equipment. Flares, Chromatic Abberation, Coma, Haze were all faults, not intentional character introduced for any "Asthetic".
@@bigshooter461 I def know that for sure. As a person from the 80s it def wasn’t a aesthetic till later. Or regarded as one as one until various artists would implement it into their projects.
True story. Walking into a magazine store in San Francisco in the 90's, and since I was collecting cigars back then, I went to the counter and asked if he had Aficionado. (Short for Cigar Aficionado) The guy looks me straight in the eye and says, "Sorry, we don't have Fish and Auto."
If it were my Mamiya sekor lens, I would grind down the pin. Thank you for sharing this information. I really enjoy your excellent videos.
The Takumar 55's actually come in three versions, the 1.8, the 2 and the 2.2. I have all three and actually tend to favor the 2.2 version. It seems to do something special with color. None of them are very expensive, at least they weren't when I was collecting, and I would recommend trying one out if you get the chance. "Simon's Utak" on Flickr first made me aware of the lens with a beautiful photograph of a bicycle wheel and tire, or tyre if you prefer. I think it's one of his favorite lenses. Thanks for the video, Nigel.
I'd file the pin down.
Simon Utak is also a great reference for lenses...
They also came in a 1.4. :)
@@Big_Sierra The Takumar 50 came in a 1.4, not the 55.
@@williambolton5679 You’re right, William, I had a brain fart. Thought you were talking about the Mamiya for some reason.
The 55mm Takumars are all the same lens with aperture limiting internal rings enabling the f2 and f2.2 versions to be marketed at different price points.
Chinon lenses are totally underrated. I have a 55mm F1.7 that is a great lens. Nice color rendition and it is sharp. Tomioka design with the flat back element. Nice bokeh.
The Tomioka made Chinons are quite sought after now - with good reason I think!
I have this lens too with a Chinon SLR... Nice lens truly...
Nigel, love your videos. For the Mamiya, I found a solution where you remove the inner M42 mount ring of the adapter (Fotasy ones for both Sony and Fuji) with the set screws. Grinded/sanded the outer ring down (orbital sander bit for a drill) to just above the set screws holes. Reset the inner ring which then sits up the distance to accommodate the outer lip and pin of the SX lens body. Have infinity focus, aperture rotates and is still engaged by the inner ring and have amazing images from the set up. Have a 28/2.8, 55/1.8, 105/2.8 and 135/2.8. All work perfectly with the mod adapters. Could send pics if you'd like. Cheers!
Oh, and finally got the 50/2 which I agree is amazing!
could you send photos of your modification. Thank you...Mark
Today I was gifted a Chinon CE-4 with the 50/1.9 lens and I am very encouraged by your opinion. I have to say that all Chinon lenses I have seen are quite pretty, so I hope it shoots as well as it looks. Another cracking video!
Regarding the Mamiya Sekor 50mm f2 M42 mount, you just need to buy the right adapter. There are two types.
Mamiya 35mm lenses were often manufactured with little oddities (extra pin, extra long pin, ridges, etc.) that play havoc with use on other cameras. Please don't modify the lens, modify the adapter. I've used several m42 mamiya lenses (50mm f1.4, f1.8, 135mm, 200mm), all were very good to excellent. The SX lenses were supposed to have the best coatings, so the colors may be better, but I'm sure like the colors I get with earlier lenses! Yashica lenses are nice as well (at least the 50mm ones I have), but mine are a bit subdued color-wise compared to the mamiyas but are really, really sharp, amazing little lenses! Thanks for you video, excellent!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
The only 50mm lens in my kit is the Industar 50-2 50mm F/3.5 lens so I'm always keeping an eye out for a faster vintage prime to compliment it. Lots of great choices among this selection here by the looks of it. Thanks for making this video. You've given me some options to think about.
SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.4 is very well respected. PK mount. I have one now yet to use it for myself. There are reviews out there.
@@williamkazak469 I tried the Tak 50mm f/1.4 with my Olympus OMD EM1 and it makes a very good combination. Wide open. Sharpness, oh my God... can't believe it, and it gives some magic to the Oly... Voilà, my opinion...
✋🏼😁 Hi Nigel, thank you for sharing your videos with us all. Regarding the Mamia lens solution i would try to mod the adapter instead if the lens. Adapters are quite cheap so… 😘📸
Please don’t butcher the lens!
That seems like the best solution, thanks!
@@zenography7923 - 🙏🏼 Please show us the result of the finished modded adapter and adapted results on fujifilm! 😆😇
The lens and camera from Mamiya has retained its perfect appearance, and functionality obviously that's the only reason why you should keep it! It is better to break off the pin notch on the adapter than to compromise the authenticity of the photographic equipment....
I'm having fun with a Rodenstock enlarger lens on bellows. Amazingly it focuses to infinity and has has a built in aperture which goes from 5.6 to 32. Very sharp in macro work and fun to play with scheimgflug on my PB-4 bellows.
Hello. Just discovered your Channel and I am loving it ! I have a thing for 50mm. When I began my photography hobby 15 years ago I had no idea what I was doing. I had a Pentax SF1n with a cheap kit lens attached. Within weeks I discarded that lens and shot exclusively with a SMC M 50mm 1.7 for a whole year and a roll of film per week no less. Anyways I digress. I have a tak 50 1.4, smc tak 55 1.8, smc M 50 1.7, smc A 50 2.0, and a Rikenon P 50 1.7. They all have their characteristics and I like em all. The one that always surprises me the most is the Rikenon. Incredibly sharp. And $5 thrift stores buy. Cheers 🍻
That Rikenon was a pretty good buy - well done!
Hello Nigel. I did some ebay shopping this winter on some -20c days that were a bit too cold for my liking to leave the house. I picked up a Mamiya Secor and decided to give it a new life in the digital world. With the aperture ring off I used a Dremel to file the pin and rim off. I also placed a wedge behind the mechanism the aperture pin is connected to disable it making the lens manual. The wedge makes the aperture a little slow above f11, since I will be using it between f2 and f8, not a problem. Just a couple of pictures so far and agree it is sharp with true colors. I also picked up a Jupiter 8 from the Ukraine to use on a Lumix I have. The Lumix colors are very cool and pale so I am trying lenses known for character and punchy colors. Cheers.
Hello once again Nigel,
The Prakticar 1.8 lens you reviewed is a re-badged, and re-worked, Meyer Optik Oreston. Lots of re-badging went on during the later years at VEB Pentacon, no doubt to improve sales. The first Pentacon version of the lens was virtually a straight Oreston copy, but the version you tested was reduced in size, and plastic added, in what seemed to be a cost cutting exercise. Unfortunately, during all this, the lens seems to have lost some of it earlier qualities.
Almost sold my brownish metal Mamiya Sekor 55mm f/1.8 Chrome front. Thanks for this video and I kept it. Btw, got it for USD 2 at an auction. Same with my Auto Rokkor Minolta 58mm f/1.4 Chrome front and iris lever on the right. Love vintage lenses.
Use a cheap M42/M42 Chinese helicoid, it practically always works. It works like a variable register M42 to M42 adapter. You must then attach to it a very thin your com’era mount into M42 adapter. You can also reuse in future the helicoid for other particular mounts.
Thanks for the tip!
Sometimes your videos have impeccable timing for me. I actually have a Mamiya DSX1000 in the repair shop with a 135mm SX lens (the lens came with original box and lens caps!) that I am hoping to soon use for the first time.
I agree with others, don't grind the pin or take the lens apart. These SX lenses were made specifically for the Mamiya's DSX and MSX cameras for their way of open aperture metering. For those of us who use these really underrated cameras, these lenses are of great value. Modify an adapter or maybe try one of the little bit older Mamiya lenses without the SX marking. Those older Mamiya lenses were intended for the DTL line, which did not have open aperture metering at all. As to who actually made the M42 Mamiya lenses, that seems to still be a debate.
Or the give the lens to someone that would greatly appreciate a 50mm SX lens for their DSX1000 camera. 🙃
The consensus seems to be to leave the lens intact, and modify an adaptor - I think that's the best solution!
Hmmm... I must admit I'd probably look into taking the back plate off the Mamiya lens and removing the locking mechanism. You can always keep it safe should you want to sell it. It's got to be usable, and if you can use it on other cameras all the better.
I'll investigate, thanks for the suggestion!
Ah, I should have known somebody would have suggested this before me.
Maybe you can manipulate a cheap adapter (m42 to ef) for example and use it as a fixed adapter between? Sorry for my english, i am not a native speaker.
I removed a locking pin from a similar lens. It was extremely simple, I had never taken a lens apart before, and haven’t since, but I had no issues.
Ah, Super-Takumar 55/2 was my first ever SLR lens (with a Spotmatic back in 1969). I don't still have that one, but I do have another that I got a few years ago in excellent condition. It's a beauty.
A fine lens, no doubt about it!
The cure for the problem with the MSekor pin and its' inability to fully seat on the adapter is easy. You need a stepped flange adapter which for instance comes with old version K&F /xy pro. I believe the latest versions the bulky kanted ones all feature a stepped flange. I was luck to find the so called K&F M42-FX "pro" adapter which cosmetically comes in the std. design. I felt like it suits my Fujifilm X-E4 better than the modern bigger ones they're currently selling
I was very lucky in that a very kind viewer made me an adaptor on his lathe - for both Sony e and Fuji x mounts!
I believe the Mamiya sx lenses were for the Mamiya MSX/DSX cameras which offered open aperture metering and transmitted the aperture values from lens to camera. That's where the locking pin maybe comes in action - it makes sure the lens is sitting correctly for the aperture transmitting. But that's guesswork based on a tiny bit of general research.
Absolutely correct, Martin, see my post above
@@GeorgeK356 Thanks for helping me out here with 1st hand knowledge. I have quite a few M42 lenses and at the end of the production circle of that mount there were quite a few "unique" ideas to incorporate exposure automatic. I liked the Chinon approach better because it allowed the use of most M42 lenses for their aperture priority AE. Everyone baking their own cake was contra-productive for a universal mount. In the end everyone but Zenit ditched it, even Praktica.
How about the ones made from 66 to 70 without the pin is that lens just as good
I have a mamiya 55mm 1.8 SX on its way, it needs work, but that's part of the fun!
Indeed it is - good luck!
In my opinion, if you intend to keep and use that Mamiya lens, there is no harm in doing that. But if you think you may end up selling it in the future, maybe consider using the dremel to cut a slot in your M42 adapter so that it accepts the locking tab instead.
It may serve for alignment of the lens for the metering system of the Mamiya cameras, so having the tab would be very important for a potential next owner.
I do know what you mean - seemed a shame to spoil it really!
@@zenography7923 My thoughts exactly too. I do enjoy the EBC Fujinon system, for example, which is somewhat similar to the Mamiya there. An M42 mount with a few extra tabs and slots what interfere with most non Fujica cameras and serve for metering. It has been a bit of a struggle to find lenses with those features intact lately.
Hi Nigel. Having used my £14 Chinon 50mm 1.9 a few times now on both my A6500 & Oly EM5 I’m also delighted with the sharpness and colour rendition. What a bargain! Thanks.
I remember back in the day when these were new, Amateur Photographer magazine discovered another issue with the Mamiya's locking pin: It can catch in the cross head machine screws of some camera's lens mounting flanges (many had them back in the day) and jam the lens solidly onto the camera. It was a heck of a job getting them of if this happened ... and while sometimes a 'feeler gauge' could be squeezed in to lift the pin ... sometimes the whole camera had to be stripped to get the lens off.
It's certainly a troublesome little thing, no doubt about it!
@@zenography7923 Probably a narrow-flange M42 adapter will work (not reaching out the pin on the Mamiya mount lens). Like the Konica Praktica lens adapter, it has a very narrow M42 adapter, and it is cheap to get on Ebay (about U$30 ~$50). If you have already a Konica-to-mirrorless adapter maybe worth the try.
Absolutely. I had real trouble getting my SMC Takunar 28mm f3.5 off the front off my Zenit 11 and 12. I forced it in the end. I then undone the screw a little bit to align the pin with the slot on the head
There is a final Pancolar version in Praktica mount and it is very easy to identify, it says Carl Zeiss Jena Prakticar on the front ring.
No. The person who gave the info that the 50mm f1.8 B mount Prakticar was actually the Pancolar got it completely the wrong way round. In actual fact, the Zeiss Jena Prakticar branded B mount lens is really the Oreston/Pentacon lens. It was rebadged for the Zeiss AM-1 and AC-1 cameras. The only true Zeiss 50mm lenses in Praktica Bayonet are the very rare f2.8 Tessar and the 50mm f1.4 that IS a Pancolar - there's also the 55mm f2.8 Macro-Prakticar.
I realise this video is 2 years old so my advise may be a bit late, I would suggest simply machining a reciever groove in the adapter, similar to the mount on the camera. This would serve to make the adapter more versatile and permit the preservation of the lens.
I have seen the Mamiya camera lens plus pin on e bay for about £65, so you were fortunate with that price...the pin is interesting from an engineering standpoint....
Great Video again Nigel cheers mate....
About time you looked at a Chinon lens. I have a few, 28mm, 35mm and that 50mm 1.9 which is a shocker all right!… The quality never fails to blows me away!… great reviews!
For the cost to yourself of appropriately £7.50 , I would be tempted to remove that locking pin + use the lens unhindered on your mirrorless cameras!
I have several Takumar lenses you may be interested in , the 28mm 3.5 + 35mm 3.5
Hope yor well Derek
I have searched and bought by chance the same mamiya camera and that same lens at a very low price, I will tell you how that lens turns out with my xt3 and of course with the original mamiya camera, good video solves many doubts.
Ken, you are correct. I just modified my lens with a Dremel and cutoff wheel. Both the pin and the rim of the Mamiya lens must be ground flat. Now the lens mounts to my adapter. Also it looks like I can use it with my Spotmatic F using stop down metering.
You found a solution - well done! Check out tomorrow's episode for a custom made adaptor!
The Mamiya 50mm f2 SX is a steal. Cut the pin and forget it. It is capable of something you did not mention! Great, classic cinema flares! Better fkares than any of those on the table. The non SX version may be different.
I didn't realise this one would make nice flares - I'll have to re-visit it!
I have read a thread somewhere that the Mamiya 55mm f1.8 and the Yashinon 5.5cm f1.8 are identical with interchangeable parts. I have the Yashinon and that lens is just simply superb. I'd recommend you to get either and go for a spin. They are not as common but don't demand a high price usually.
My key point is that these two companies might have shared production for the 35mm lenses at some point in time. By looking at your Mamiya 50mm f2, compared to my two copies of the Yashica 50mm f2 DX lenses, they also seem very much alike. I'd bet that they are indeed the same construction with different branding. My Yashinons mount on adapters with no problem and if you don't want to dismantle the Mamiya, just keep it as-is for your film cameras. Meanwhile, you could possibly get a Yashica 50mm f2 DX for your digital.
Yes, the Yashinons are quite stunningly sharp and pleasant as well, superbly built and cheap to own. That's why I got two copies.
Thanks for these wonderful videos. They are truly soothing and inspiring at the same time.
Thanks, glad you're enjoying the videos! I'll certainly look out for those 55 1.8s, thanks for the tip!
afaik Mamiya 55mm f1.8 and the Yashinon 5.5cm f1.8 and the Mamiya 55mm f1.4 as well are Tomioka Lenses
Some adapters (I use Canon) have a flange that will push the pin in.
I have a specially modded adaptor arriving soon - stay tuned!
A little late to the party but I would modify the adapter if that's possible. Those tend to be inexpensive for M42 so no biggie if it gets messed up first try. Grind out enough for the pin to avoid hitting it when screwed down.
I just found yesterday in a charity shop the chinon 50mm f1.9 in good condition for 8£ now I am waiting to come home the adapter to test this lens, I can't wait.
I have a Mamiya 1.8/55mm m42 lens mount that i love. its sharp, great color and i picked it up for $5
That sounds like a real bargain!
Great, thanks. Each has it´s one character. The Pancolar is so beautifull, but the Mamiya is very strong indeed!
I'd want to take the pin off the Mamiya, but then I probably wouldn't actually do it. What might be better is to see if you can remove it from inside the backing, then at least you can keep the pin and reattach in future. But that may not be a possibility.
Lucky I have 3 of these.... : ) If you have EOS camera you will get infinity with M42, NK and OM on ring adapter.. If you have Nikon DSLR and find Takumar 55 wind out rear element a few turns to get infinity...
I enyoyed this video much, and just like to mention two things.
First: The Super-Takumar is a child of the Sixties, and in its design not much younger than the Leica-Lens. Mechanically spoken the Taks are often thought to be the pinnacle of Japanese craftmenship and in this as the closest to the likes of Western Germany Zeiss and Leica.
Second: The Pentacon 50/1,8 indeed is a design by Eastern Germany Company Meyer Görlitz and thus a brainchild of the Sixties. first called the "Oreston". Aside from Macro-Lenses it has the closest near-focussing distance of all normal-primes at just over 1ft., which was retained by later versions.
Buy a cheap M42 adapter and send it to a machine shop to file/scrape the edge of the adapter deep enough to accommodate the ring base and wide enough to accommodate the locking pin. I did that for my M42-FX adapter.
Thanks for another interesting video! As for the Mamiya: just use it on the equally nice Mamiya body.
I'm kind of inclining that way!
Nigel - re the Mamiya MSX500 and Sekor lens
I actually bought back in the day , and still have, that very camera and lens combo, and shot a load of weddings with it. The body and lens on my camera are pristine. I think I paid around £50-£60 for it. It has more than paid me back.
As to using it on a mirrorless body I have never tried, but as far as I can see the aperture ring will foul the adapter body before the meter setting pin touches the adapter mounting ring.
The MSX body mounting ring has a small step in it allowing the flange on the aperture ring to clear the body mount.
I have tried my lens on a number of M42 adapters after watching your video and they all jam the aperture ring. I'm going to buy a cheap M42 to Fuji adapter and have a play about on my lathe to see if I can sort a work around. If I can solve it I will get an adapter of your chouce and do the same for you, so you don't have to disable that great lens.
Thank you again for another great Zenography episode, Nigel. Now I'm off to trawl Ebay for a cheap M42-FX adapter.
I so wished I had a lathe when trying to adapt this lens - if you could mod a dumb adaptor for me (covering your costs of course) that would be fantastic! I'll be interested to hear how your experiment goes!
@@zenography7923 Well, I've found an adapter for the Fuji that will be easy to grip in the lathe chuck (mine are all tapered, this one iasn't) so when it comes I'll do a bit of "fettling" and see how it goes.
If it all goes well I'll buy a M42-NEX adapter, modify it and donate it to your channel, Nigel.
Picked up a Chinon 50mm f1.9 today, it is a beautiful lens. It goes well with my Chinon 35mm and 135mm.
On the Mamiya, it seems the locking pin can be removed or twisted/broken off using needle-nose pliers while muttering appropriate expletives. You may ALSO need to file down the overhang on the aperture ring. I don't have one (yet), so this is not from personal experience.
Mamiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa finally somebody mentioned it :) Grossly underrated system
It's a beautifully engineered camera, if a little large. I'll explore more of their gear, it seems very interesting!
@@zenography7923 Actually Mamiya was way ahead of competition. I don't get why the did not succeed as Nikon and Canon did. You should explore more of Mamiya lenses if u want some bubbly bokeh and sharp lenses. Even 28mm have great bokeh
I have been downsizing my lens collection. Ironically, I just sold my Mamiya Sekor 50mm over the weekend. It is a good lens but nothing exceptional. I did not really feel a need to hold onto it. I went ahead and purchased a Konica Hexanon 50mm 1.8 lens to replace it. However, it has the most flare of any lens I have ever used bar none. I used it on my Fujifilm X-E3 with an AR adapter.
Nice to see you! Allways with value information! Grettings from sweden
Hi Gustavo, hope all's well! Thanks for looking in.
I’m wondering what modle M/S the body is. I have several 500/1000 TL/DTLs and sold some new, but don’t recall a locking pin version. I appreciate your vlog.
25:00 I don't know why so many people try to find the producer of Chinon lenses. My friends, name the producer is written on the lens, that's Chinon. Chinon produced both lenses, and cameras and that is why Kodak bought it.
Vivitar was not a produced. It was a US based importer of photo equipment. Their lenses were produced by different Japanese producers, ranging from Kine, to Komine and others. Their cameras were mostly produced by Cosina and their flash units were made by National, today's Panasonic.
Thanks for the review.
And thank you for the info, very helpful!
Re the 55mm f2. Super Takumar I have noted on e bay...if they have yellow writing "55mm F2" some claim these are rare and we're for special export orders and are asking at the moment up to £200 for these...anyway without rambling on my point is I have one such and paid less than £15 for it on e bay and suspect it was from a house clearance or similar..
Anyhow love your videos so informative cheers Nigel..
i pulled the pin out with needle nose pliers. it's just pressed in (via the backside of the mount), but comes out with relative ease.
I have a Mamiya 50mm f1.4 and the 1000MXB it was paired with. They were sold and branded as Sears products here in the US. But I ran into a similar conundrum, I love using vintage lenses on digital, but I don't want to butcher a lens to make it work. So I currently don't use it. I was thinking about modifying an adapter ring as opposed to the lens itself, but I'm switching to RF soon so I'll be seeing if it works any better on an RF M42 adapter as opposed to an EF ring.
Far better to modify an adaptor rather than the lens - mine was very kindly machined by a viewer who has a lathe, it was actually a pretty simple mod. Doubt it could be done easily without a lathe though.
Thank you very much for another great video Nigel. I always know they are very interesting and look forward to the next one. I use only vintage lenses (except for my Laowa 2x macro) because I like the workflow and it slows me down.
Hello again: from Dennis Laney`s Leica Collector's Guide the Summitar serial number (78 78 1) indicates production year 1950
Hi, thank you for your response re my classes. I will be in touch. Just by the by, I can’t agree with you more about Pancolar, I have that lens too it’s my favourite too, bar none.
I've been putting off getting a super takumar for a long time. Finally got around to it today.
I believe you can find a specific adapter for the Mamiya lens but you have to do a little search. There is a Rare Adapters site that has almost anything you can think of. I got one for my Praktina(not Practica) mount to Fuji X from them.
Pentax/Takumar great vintage glass my favorite 50mm1.4 Seven blade, the Takumar 55mm 2.8 is also a great lens
The 50 1.4 is nice for sure, but of the Pentax 50s I've used, the 55 f2 is the nicest!
I think I would go for Vanadse's idea - grind the adapter rather than the lens. I did that with a L39 adapter and it worked.
I'm thinking modding an adaptor would be the ideal solution - thanks for the suggestion!
could you get the adapter for the Mamiya turned on a lathe so there is a small channel where the locking pin makes contact, that way you have just altered the adapter, other way might be to use an appropriate helicoid and lock it off at the correct distance and use it as a static adapter.
I have an adapter that can take both Fujinon and Mamiya m42 lenses. I highly recommend getting one instead of grinding.
Do you have more details about where to buy one?
Regarding the Mamiya lens, the question I would ask is what does the locking pin bring to the table from a usability perspective. Is it positive? Then I'll leave it. Is it negative? Then I'll delete it (whilst trying my best to do so in a reversible way if possible). If it is indeed such an excellent performer as you say, then that pin does nothing for it - in fact it detracts from it's usability on all your devices. It's all well and good to try and preserve where we can, but if the lens is compromised as-is I don't see a practical reason for owning it (even if it is special). Cracking video Nigel, thanks for all your hard work!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! A special adaptor is on the way, modded by a viewer with a lathe - stay tuned!
Just leave the Mamiya lens alone. You have the body it works with, so no reason to adapt it. IMHO
I'd agree. These lenses are best used with film.
I grinded a groove into one of my m39 adapters to make the little pin on the FED 50mm f3.5 collapsible lock into infinity. Maybe you could do something similar to a m42 adapter as I myself wouldn't mind butchering one of those.
A very kind viewer is modding an adaptor on a lathe - stay tuned!
@@zenography7923 Awesome, looking forward to it!
i use a Tamron Adaptall 2 35-70mm f/3.5 (17A) with my older canon 300D. Got this old lens from my Grandad and im so impressed what i get out of it. You can pick it up for next to nothing these days.
I have a 55 and it is a TOMIOKA lense. I bet yours is too. Are there any other adapter types out there? This sounds similar to the SMC lenses with their pins. I have a Auto Chinon Multi Coated 55mm f1.4 (with a TOMIOKA lens). This Chinon and my Auto Mamiya Sekor 55mm f1.4 are my best lenses of my 24. They allow you to be very creative and a Art Lens way.
The Tomioka lenses have a great reputation - I'd love to try one someday, although maybe I already have one!
I have a Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/2 lens which is a honey..very sharp images and great color rendition. Another great lens is Pentax Super Takumar 55mm f/1.8..it came with a Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic camera I recently picked up and I was amazed at shots taken easily one of my best 'normal' lenses. Both of those lenses can be had at quite reasonable prices.
I haven't tried the Nikon, but the Tak 55 1.8 (or f2 - same lens) is a firm favourite. A very nice lens indeed - nicer in my opinion than the Takumar 50mm f1.4!
On my version - without the SX designation - there is no hint of a locking-pin. It mounts completely flat. Haven't shot it digitally yet. On Your recommendation - I will soon do. See if it can rival our beloved Pancolar :-)
Keep the Mamyia-combo prestine, and get a non-SX version ;-)
Thanks - probably good advice!
In the US, Mamiya/Sekor products were frequently rebadged and sold through Sears department stores. Don't overlook that possibility as a source of Mamiya SX glass. Usually cheaper now too. Perhaps you would not feel as badly if you ground the pin off a Sears/Sekor lens? I have one around here that was laughably cheap at a sketchy local junk shop.
Drill a little hole in the adapter, make sure the edge is angled so you still can unscrew the lens
Another fantastic upload. Thank you so much!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
I have the Mamiya 50mm f2 sx and the older lens (not the SX) which doesn’t have the pin. I have filed the pin down and it is absolutely fine. I didn’t concern myself with it because I don’t have the Mamiya body. Also, I’m more interested in getting the most out of this wonderful lens with my new Fuji x-t5.
If we all started worrying about compromising lenses authenticity where would we be. Anyway, it’s not as if the lens is worth €1000.
My dad has a lens with a similar locking pin problem. On his lens, the aperture ring also had a little lip which was deeper than the flange of the lens, preventing infinity focus. It looks like that lens does too. He had to grind both the pin and the aperture ring flush to the flange
Hello Nigel,
Another great video, as always, but I must admit that
I was hoping that the results you obtained with my 50mm f2 Pancolar, and the 50mm 1.4 Zeiss Prakticar that you tested, might have been included with this excellent lens line up!.
Hi Peter, hope all's well. The shots from both of those exquisite lenses will feature in a video soon - stay tuned!
I totally agree with you about the Takumar 50 1.4. Sold mine. I do keep and enjoy my SMC Takumar 35mm 3.5. Quite Good!
The 3.5 35 is very nice, for sure, and the 55 f2 is a particular gem!
@@zenography7923 I'll see if I can't get one of those to try! Another interesting SMC Takumar that I do own and enjoy is the 50 f4 macro. There are numbers around the front perimeter that I am still wondering what they mean. Quite sharp with brilliant color.
Thanks for another great video, i love the Autochinon 50/1.9 it's very sharp indeed, i got a Mamiya Sekor SX 50/1.8 but mine is very soft the bokey is very smooth though, thanks again for sharing you passion !!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
I've never used... ANY of these lenses. I am so tempted to find a Mamiya Sekor lens to try out.
Nikkor 28mm f2 AI is my favorite - i collected around 10 of the f2-s Summicron 50mm i bought years ago with Leicaflex is my fav for fifties
When considering the excellent Takumar lenses remember there are Super Takumars and the later Super Multi Coated versions. Regarding Leitz lenses I think it's safe to say the Summar, Summitar and Summicron early versions all had soft glass and are often sold with ' polishing marks'. I have a suspicion there are two slightly different versions of the Summitar depending on the number of iris blades there may be even early uncoated ones. A bit of internet research might reveal this, as my comments do need verification.
thank you for this video. very interesting, did not know about the optical quality of the Mamiya
also, loved you on Home Alone :)
Thanks :) !
Find a cheep adapter, drill a channel for the pin.
Indeed, thanks!
A couple choices beyond removing the pin which evidently would make it fit improperly on the film body if removed - modify a M42 adapter with a grove for the pin. Or drill out the pin and put in a spring and replacement pin so when pushed on a regular m42 you could do so; or you could make a hole for the pin in an M42 so it also locks, if the hole goes through, you can remove the lens by pressing it in after removing the adapter and lens from the camera.
Thanks for the suggestion - in fact, a very kind viewer has modded an adaptor which should do the trick - stay tuned!
@@zenography7923 I got curious and went and looked at several Chinon models CS C4 etc; and non of the mounts have a grove cut in the mount to accommodate the pin. So I now think your pin was suppose to recess but is frozen. There is a place in the body mount that appears to be where the pin would pop in; and a little lever which would be used to push it back up into the lens in order to unscrew the lens. If I am correct some penetrating oil may loosen it and let it work properly.
I have the Mamiya 50f. I was able to find a Mamiya specific M42 to EF adapter that allows infinity focus for about $19 USD (eBay shipping from Taiwan I believe). It is very thin (it's sharp edged be careful) and I stack it with my EF to EF-M adapter for my M50. It seems to be correctly focused at infinity, but I've never critically tested it. I love that lens and it's definitely showing swirly bokeh (better on my full frame cameras) with gorgeous colors
- it matches to Canons, maybe even nicer than native lenses.
Resist the urge to grind the tab. I do believe that you can find the specific (Mamiya only) adapter to deliver infinity focus.
What you have probably is the 50/f2 M42 used for Mamiya DTL models. The lens described here is the SX version used in DSX models.
the pin on my mamiya 55mm SX 1.4 was just press fitted. I just took some pair of pliers and ripped it out . so it is still in one piece and i think i can put it back in if i want to.
The super Takumar 50f1.4 is my diamond standard len.
Just mod the adapter.....easy and relatively cheap to replace
That is indeed the plan!
My prackticar/pentacon 50mm f1. 8 looks a like the metal bayonet could be stainless steel... not quite sure Nigel.....
My favourite film standard lens was the Fujinon EBC coated 55mm f1.8..
All later Pentax SMC Super-Multi-Coated Takumar lenses have a pin (locks the auto/man switch) that will drop into the screwheads, especially on the fabulous Zenit M42 cameras.
I didn't realise that, thanks for the tip!
Use collapsable lenses with EXTREME caution as some collapse far enough to scratch the sensor.
I should have said - NEVER collapse this lens on a digital sensor!
3:20 How about modifying a cheap adapter instead of butchering that vintage Mamiya Sekor to make it fit properly? One might try ( ... and error ...) using some really cheap Chinese made adapters to give it a try. Instead of installing a release mechanism grinding a slot or step in the M42 part of the adapter might work. I'm just guessing without having looked at the technical details, though.
Is there an error in trying Chinese adapters like K&F?
I had to file off the pin and the lip to get my Auto Sears/ Sekor SX 55mm f1.4 to mount properly.