Pentax Screw Mount (M42) Lenses |
The M42 mount was brought to the United States by Pentax, and it is also known as the Pentax screw mount. However, Pentax did not invent the mount. It was first used in the Contax S. The M42 thread mount cameras first become known in Japan under the Praktica name. Many other manufacturers used it, and this is why it is termed the Universal thread mount or Universal screw mount by many photophers. Pentax followed this open philosophy again with the K mount, another open standard. There are several iterations of the M42 mount:
Auto Takumar (circa 1958 on): actually a semi-automatic design wherein the lens closes automatically for an exposure but the user is required to manually reopen the lens
Super Takumar (circa 1965 on): Denotes lens capability to fully automatically reopen at the end of an exposure cycle. A very small number of these at the end of lens life cycles had full aperture exposure capabilities and a primitive form of multi-coating.
Super Multi Coated Takumar: Has Pentax proprietary 7-layer design integrated high transmissivity lens coatings that impacted the remainder of the industry. Many of these had full aperture exposure measuring capability.
SMC Takumar (circa 1972): Not to be confused with Super Multi Coated Takumar, though the abbreviation "SMC" does denote the identical meaning. All SMC lenses permit full aperture metering capability with Pentax Electronic Spotmeter, ES, ESII and Spotmatic F models.
We have read accounts of the supposed sequential evolution of full aperture metering capability as a function of these designations. It would appear, however, due to the exceptional cases that we have witnessed that the "SMC" designation appears to occur only on FULL APERTURE METERING capable lenses but that a sprinkling of the later "SUPER-MULTI-COATED" designated lenses have this capability and (since we possess one, a late 55mm f2)) that a very small number of of economy non multi-coated full aperture metering lenses were produced. |
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| Introduced in 1971 first as a regular Super Takumar (incorporating internal multi coated technology elements) and two years later as a Super Multi Coated Takumar with a very advanced and highly corrected rectilinear (no ... |
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$576.24
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| Pentax's Legendary 55mm F1.8
The 55mm f1.8 is arguably the longest lived and witness to the most evolutionary changes SM Pentax lens. It was first introduced as a minimum f22 aperture preset 6 element 5 group Takumar ... |
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From $79.90 to $127.85
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| The 5 element 4 group 85mm F1.9 Super Takumar
Ruggedly constructed extremely sharp near telephoto/portrait lens. The max f1.9 aperture permits excellent DOF control. Legendary in the Pentax line for its sharpness wide... |
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$441.80
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| Odd focal length that never really caught on in popularity. This 5/5 optical formulation is, however, amazingly sharp, even wide open. Optically triumphant though commercially a flop. |
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$150.54
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| Asahi introduced the 50mm f1.4 in 1966 as an 8 element 7 group Super Takumar. Approximately two years later it was replaced by a superior 7 element/6 group formulation which survived in evolutionary improvements until th... |
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| The 55mm f2.0 was introduced in 1958 as a budget version of the 55mm f1.8. It underwent 7 countable execution variations over its lifespan to (as with the f1.8) 1975. Very similar in formula to the 1.8 it is actually a s... |
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| A very successful set of optical parameters that enjoyed at least 5 different incarnations during the nearly two decades that it was offered in the Pentax screw mount line. The earliest embodiments had 4 elements in 4 gr... |
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