Best SLR with M42 mount ?

santino

santino

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Hi all

Whats in your opinion the best camera with M42 mount ?

Is it the Bessaflex because it's the most recent, Yashica, Praktica etc...

I personally like Prakticas but dislike the match needle metering.
 
santino said:
Hi all

Whats in your opinion the best camera with M42 mount ?

Is it the Bessaflex because it's the most recent, Yashica, Praktica etc...

I personally like Prakticas but dislike the match needle metering.
Click to expand...

What are your criteria? What is "best"?

You do not have to fit a battery to many Prakticas which only require them to power their light metering. So if you don't like their meters, you don't have to use them. There are various M42 cameras which never had built in metering in the first place, but the fact you've mentioned it, at all, implies that perhaps you may meter using a built in meter? Certain meterless M42 cameras I might use could, hence, be completely unsuitable for you and not "best" (to you, anyway).

Production of M42 cameras covered a period of sixty-odd years if you take it as beginning from the first camera to use the Zeiss 42mm thread mount, the Zeiss Ikon Contax S, to the Bessaflex you mention. Covers a lot of ground.
Cheers,
Brett
 
There are really a lot of models and many good cameras.
What Brett said - most automatic cams have electronic shutters and need
batteries.
And there are models like the Revue AC1 that came with various names under
various brands. Made from Chinon and Cosina, mostly plastic.
 
I really liked my Bessamatic, but have not gotten around to having it repaired since its mirror shattered on me (in use with a Pentax 24mm lens). But I also think that the Fujica line is great, such as the mechanical 705W, with a big viewfinder and clear needle matching metering or the 801 with LEDs for metering. Mamiya Sekor also has a nice variable spot /center metering and is quite solid, but is also really bulky.
 
I'd go for a Pentax Spotmatic. They're indestructible, inexpensive and easy to have repaired, last forever, and are plentiful and cheap to buy.
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
I'd go for a Pentax Spotmatic. They're indestructible, inexpensive and easy to have repaired, last forever, and are plentiful and cheap to buy.
Click to expand...
So true! My Pentaxes, Spotmatic is the best, never needing a service or "care" like my money sucking Leica M models..
The lenses of Takumar a joy in look and flare fighting capabilities..
One of my Spotmatic was borrowed by other pro photographers.
My dad took it around Europe a number of times..
At a Olympic type games, South African Press corps. borrowed it, as their SLR had jammed! Hundreds of rolls a week..

The Spotmatic is smooth, the viewfinder very good but not overbrite.
A screen easy to focus on..
I still use them.
 
santino said:
Hi all

Whats in your opinion the best camera with M42 mount ?

Is it the Bessaflex because it's the most recent, Yashica, Praktica etc...

I personally like Prakticas but dislike the match needle metering.
Click to expand...


The Pentaxes are hard to beat. If you don't like the meter configuration you might consider one of the meterless bodies like SL, SV, or S3, and just use a handheld meter.
 
Sarcophilus Harrisii said:
What are your criteria? What is "best"?
Click to expand...

1. What M42 lenses do you already have or are you planning to use?

-- Are they very old (no automatic diaphragm)? Then you have to be very careful e.g. if the camera's mirror is very large.

-- Do they have some open aperture metering feature or pin? (Carl Zeiss Jena electric, some Fuji, some Pentax, etc.) Then only the matching camera is a good advice, IMHO.

2. Does your camera need

-- exchangeable finders? Then there are some Praktica, Miranda/Soligor (and to an extent one very cumbersome Ricoh), AFAIK.

-- TTL metering? Electronically timed shutter? Brett (Sarcophilus Harrisii) already addressed the battery problem.

-- open aperture metering? See above.

-- average metering plus spot metering? I guess there's a Mamiya having that feature.

-- Mirror Lock Up? I would know of one Yashica having that feature.

So, there is really no *best*, it depends... :)
 
WJJ3 said:
The Pentaxes are hard to beat. If you don't like the meter configuration you might consider one of the meterless bodies like SL, SV, or S3, and just use a handheld meter.
Click to expand...
I absolutely love my Pentax SV, except for the mirror lock-up function. If you partially press the shutter button (similar to DSLRs when you want to focus) the mirror will lock-up and there is nothing you can do to put it down. I've accidently bumped it multiple times putting it into my bag and had to waste a frame because I couldn't see anything. The SL is also really nice and doesn't have that problem, but the SV looks much cooler.
 
I've got a bit of a thing for my Bessaflex TM.

P1070907.JPG


Mike
 
Sumarongi said:
1. What M42 lenses do you already have or are you planning to use?

-- Are they very old (no automatic diaphragm)? Then you have to be very careful e.g. if the camera's mirror is very large.

-- Do they have some open aperture metering feature or pin? (Carl Zeiss Jena electric, some Fuji, some Pentax, etc.) Then only the matching camera is a good advice, IMHO.

2. Does your camera need

-- exchangeable finders? Then there are some Praktica, Miranda/Soligor (and to an extent one very cumbersome Ricoh), AFAIK.

-- TTL metering? Electronically timed shutter? Brett (Sarcophilus Harrisii) already addressed the battery problem.

-- open aperture metering? See above.

-- average metering plus spot metering? I guess there's a Mamiya having that feature.

-- Mirror Lock Up? I would know of one Yashica having that feature.

So, there is really no *best*, it depends... :)
Click to expand...
Some good points above. Permit me to add to them please.
Interchangeable finders:
The Zeiss Ikon Icarex 35 offers interchangeable viewfinders also. In both the proprietary bayonet mount version and the "TM" or thread mount (M42) model. A waist level finder, un-metered pentaprism finder and uncoupled CdS pentaprism finder was offered, and these are all still to be found on Eg. eBay with a little looking. I have thread mount versions of the Icarex 35 and Icarex 35S (with fixed, integral pentaprism) and although the internal build quality is not as good as older model Voigtländers (it was a Voigtländer project originally, picked up and marketed as a Zeiss Ikon as part of the Zeiss Ikon/Voigtländer merger, I believe), they are beautifully finished externally, solid, and a delight to photograph with.

Mirror Lock Up:
People frequently conflate the terms "mirror lock up" with "mirror pre-fire" or "pre-release". The latter two can be helpful to minimise vibration when, for example, doing macrophotography or when using very long lenses, (particularly with a tripod that may not be as heavy duty as you might prefer). It's usually activated with a 35mm camera that features it by releasing the shutter via the self timer (although certain cameras such as some early Prakticas, the KW Praktina, and some ALPA SLRs, to name a few, may also let you pre-fire the mirror simply by gently, and slowly depressing the shutter release part way). But pre-release is not the same as mirror lock up.

This was a feature traditionally fitted to some professional or better quality 35mm SLRs, when the use of retrofocus-type wide angle lenses in conjunction with SLRs was still uncommon. Yashica, Zeiss, Nikon and several other manufacturers produced wide angle lenses in their SLR mounts which protruded so far into the mirror boxes of their cameras that mirror damage would occur when these were fitted, unless the reflex mirror was first retracted and locked up mechanically. The mirror was locked in the raised position, and would then remain so, regardless of film advance status, rewinding exposed film, or even releasing the self timer (if fitted). "Lock up" meant precisely that--the mirror would not descend at any time, for any reason, until it was unlocked. Obviously, these cameras were incapable of reflex focusing when used with such lenses, which were generally supplied with accessory viewfinders. (Essentially the SLR involved became a scale focus camera in this condition, however with the substantial depth of field offered by these short focal lengths this was not usually an issue.)

There are certain M42 cameras that will pre-release the reflex mirror when the self timer is utilised. The Chinon Memotron is, I believe, one such, and is sometimes cited as having a mirror lock up (it doesn't), as is the Yashica TL Electro X (which does, more on that in a moment).

The M42 bodies that I am aware of which definitely do have a mirror lock up are:
Yashica TL Super;
Yashica TL Electro X (which will also pre release the mirror, via its self timer when this is set); and
Pentax Spotmatic with Honeywell MLU conversion.

The latter is somewhat rare, and uses an additional switch similar to the standard stop down/metering switch that is fitted to the front wind side of the mirror box. They can command a substantial price premium over standard unmodified versions, although, occasionally, if a seller does not know what they have, one might go cheaply online if the listing images don't encourage the extra switch to be noticed. I'm still looking for a cheap one of my own...
Cheers,
Brett
 
med_U51033I1531409466.SEQ.0.jpg


My vote is for the Fujica ST801, smaller than the Spotmatic (better in every way as far as I am concerned), all mechanical and will work even without the battery, much quieter, the viewfinder is significantly brighter and has a split-screen for focusing, top shutter speed of 1/2000, ISO up to 3200, and a LED metering system. Bessamatic is probably nicer, but you can get a ST801 for $50.
 
vytasn said:
My vote is for the Fujica ST801, smaller than the Spotmatic (better in every way as far as I am concerned), all mechanical and will work even without the battery, much quieter, the viewfinder is significantly brighter and has a split-screen for focusing, top shutter speed of 1/2000, ISO up to 3200, and a LED metering system. Bessamatic is probably nicer, but you can get a ST801 for $50.
Click to expand...
You can get a Bessamatic for $50, too, and they are a gorgeous SLR with some good lenses, but it will probably need some work before you can use it at that price, and even then it won’t mount M42 lenses.

I’d possibly buy an ST801 myself for $50 if I found one at the price, but I have looked at what they fetch online and it seems to be a bit more than that in recent times. Where I live they rarely appear for sale locally but perhaps you have better odds in your location?
Cheers
Brett
 
I am astounded at the love for The Fujica ST 701 and 801. Most of the time when I have posted something here at RFF about my ST 901, I don't even get a comment, as if not worth it.

In my case, I have used the Pentax SV. I liked it. I have used the Fujica ST 801. I never used the 1/2000 except to experiment. It was nice as well. My first SLR, a Yashica TL Super was fun, and if I inadvertently let the battery run down, I still had my mechanical shutter.

I know there are many good M42 mount SLR. But the question was one of opinion. In my opinion, it would be the Fujica ST 901. When I got it it was because I already had some M42 lenses, although at that time, not any Fujinons. I wanted AP auto, and it has that. What I really learned to love was the set of shutter speeds by leds in the viewfinder (but speeds were stepless), the aperture in the viewfinder (not by leds), and the EV -3 to 18 meter. It also has mechanical speeds from 1/60 to 1/1000 in case yu let the battery run down. Mine has run since about 1975, never needing servicing (hope that continues). I can only guess at about 10,000 to 14,000 photos. I have used a couple of Contax cameras (139Q and 167mt) which I really enjoy, especially the incredible dedicated flash, which is right on. But I still love my Fujica ST 901. When ebay prices were low, I purchased two more as a hedge against its age.

med_U50I1182913014.SEQ.0.jpg


That is my opinion.
 
Scottboarding said:
I absolutely love my Pentax SV, except for the mirror lock-up function. If you partially press the shutter button (similar to DSLRs when you want to focus) the mirror will lock-up and there is nothing you can do to put it down.
Click to expand...

I had a Nikon F that would do this. I could flip the mirror back down with a finger on the bottom edge.
 
A camera with lots more features than any mentioned so far, very reliable

is a Canon T90 with the M42 to FD adapter.

you lose auto diaphragm, but gain so much more its well worth the trade

lots of interchangeable screens

not only averaging, center, spot metering but also
MULTI SPOT METERING as well

5 FPS motor

wonderful bright finder with GREAT readouts

great TTL flash even with adapted lenses

also mounts Canon FD lenses and Nikon lenses (via adapter)
 
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