General MF lens discussion

jwicaksana wrote in post #10848862
here in indonesia, couple of guys can modify those old lenses, so there's no need for an adaptor, the job costs around US$30-40, depending on the difficulty level, and it includes optics cleaning..

Wow, that's very cheap.

colormaniac wrote in post #10844352
I bought my M42 adapter from this guy: suddenawk
http://cgi.ebay.com …&ssPageName=STR​K:MEWNX:IT

The chip on the adapter with the function of programming (focal length, aperture and micro-adjustment)? The chip Lushnikov?

Waleriy wrote in post #10856982
The chip on the adapter with the function of programming (focal length, aperture and micro-adjustment)? The chip Lushnikov?

Em... sorry, I don't understand what you would like to say. What's Lushnikov? I'm quite new to MF lenses and the related terminology.

Oh, yes, they look like this.

Сalled a chip - "oduvanchik" (Dandelion)...

Thanks! I guess I got some bad versions of Lushnikov adapters made in China. I would try the more trusted seller mentioned earlier, or just an adapter without chips. But for now, since I would like to take pictures of things close by, like flowers, with the MF lenses, and I sometimes find it hard to see clearly whether it is in focus or not when the object is too far away, I guess I can live with my bad adapters for a while.

colormaniac wrote in post #10862065
I guess I got some bad versions of Lushnikov adapters made in China

Oh, yes... Adapter with chip, made in China, I never buy - very bad production. Do not complied with the size, of the chip no program..

cptrios wrote in post #10844278
I bought a cheapo one on eBay (no af-confirm)...I don't remember which store it came from. I'd actually be interested to see which one you bought...I feel like it's got to be really really thick.

hpulley wrote in post #10844298
I got my M42 from some place in Hong Kong, I can see if I bothered to save the seller if you're interested. Mine was quite plain, just a metal ring with a hold for the lock, no confirm chip or anything.

Ballen Photo wrote in post #10844406
There has been a lot of research already done by manual focus aficionado's in the past on adapter thickness, etc, so I will simply refer to some of their findings here. http://forum.manualfoc​us.org/viewtopic.php?i​d=3097
-Bruce

OK, I followed the suggestion in the link and ordered a plain M42 adapter and a plain EXA adapter for my manual lenses from a recommended Hong Kong seller Roxsen. However, today when they arrived and I checked them out, again I couldn't focus to infinity. I tried them on my 7D and XSi. None of them could focus on infinity. Now I don't know what to do. It's not a matter of life and death that I must be able to focus to infinity. But what's wrong?

Not focusing to infinity means you aren't getting a short enough back focus. Either the adapter is too thick or you aren't seating the lens completely. Are your M42 lenses all the way 'down'?

The two M42 adapters are pretty thin. And one of the EXA adapter is so thin that I am afraid I would cut myself with it. I don't kow. Let me try the out more when I have more time.

By the way, what is "all the way 'down'"?

Screwed all the way down. If an M42 lens isn't screwed all the way down it won't focus to infinity. They don't really lock. You don't want to overtighten them but make sure they're fully mounted.

I screwed all the way down but it is still like that. Anyway, I have another question. Today with my new sturdy tripod, I did an experiment of my three manual lenses, Pentacon 135mm 2.8, Helios 44M f2 and Carl Zeiss Jena 85mm 2.8. Then I also took picture of the same object with Canon 85mm 1.8. In order to get the best focus, I used Live View with 10x zoom. However, somehow the CZJ picture is just unclear. Does anyone have any idea?

Here are the samples. Click to see bigger pictures. The only pp I did was adjusting the exposure and "blacks" in LightRoom. (The CZJ needs more blacks somehow.)

1. Pentacon

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Look at the spine for Prose and Poetry in the CZ J pic - the focus is in front of the angel.

WhyFi wrote in post #11092020
Look at the spine for Prose and Poetry in the CZ J pic - the focus is in front of the angel.

So, even manual lens needs microadjustment?