New 6D and M42 lenses capability.

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Hello to those interested in shooting some of the classic (and sometimes great) M42 lenses in the modern world. I discovered the world of M42 while shooting a 60D body and of course crop bodies have no problem with mirror tolerance on almost any M42 lens. I knew when I switched to FF that some of my favorites would not work as well or at all. There are lists out there regarding the 5DC and to a lesser extend, the 5DII.

One of the things I was eager to test when my 6D arrived was the mirror tolerance on my M42 collection. Photos of the build show that it is narrower than the 5DII, and I wondered if that would create less tolerance for mirror fouling. Here is a list of my current M42 kit and my findings:

1) Anything 85mm+ is almost never a problem. There tends to be a fairly deep well in them and nothing fouls the mirror. I have an Image/Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 that is no problem, nor is my Super Takumar 150mm f/4
2) SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8. Works fine at all focal lengths.
3) SMC Takumar 28mm f/3.5. Works fine at all focal lengths (and is a killer lens, BTW).
4) Super Takumar 35mm f/3.5 - still hangs close to infinity. Has been my worse offender on the 5DII and so have only used it on my 60D. Is marginally better on the 6D but still not really an option here.
5) Helios 44-2. I love this old lens, particularly for portraiture, and I was very happy to find that it now works almost to infinity focus without hanging the mirror, which is a big improvement over the 5DII. It is far more of an option through normal viewfinder focus than before.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there seems to be a little more mirror clearance in the 6D, so those lenses that were on the edge with the 5DC or 5DII may be usable with the 6D. I have found that some M42 lenses just work better on a FF body. Some get shown up as being inferior, of course, but for some the narrower depth of field inherit in FF gives them more character. Happy shooting!

 

[Artifex]

Very interesting post, thanks a lot! I have been looking to upgrade to FF for a while now, however, I was concerned about mirror problem that affect the use of manual lens on the 5D Mk II, and if it affects other FF body. Since I am interested about the 6D, this tread couldn't be more welcome!

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Very interesting post, thanks a lot! I have been looking to upgrade to FF for a while now, however, I was concerned about mirror problem that affect the use of manual lens on the 5D Mk II, and if it affects other FF body. Since I am interested about the 6D, this tread couldn't be more welcome!

Those of us who enjoy using some of the old lenses are few and far between, but I figured that this would be helpful to those who are interested, however.

 

[Aglet]

Those of us who enjoy using some of the old lenses are few and far between, but I figured that this would be helpful to those who are interested, however.

I recently had the chance to shoot an old Zeiss M42 lens attached to one of my old Rebels.
The low contrast of this particular lenses added a nice bit of extra atmosphere to an already surreal scene.
I'll be keeping the M42 adapter and adding a few of these interesting old gems to my collection of goodies just for fun.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Try some old Zeiss Hassleblad lenses. They can be found in 50mm and longer focal lengths without costing a arm and a leg... (a few fingers maybe) Hitting the mirror is never a issue, they sit over a inch away, and they have a huge image circle, so very low viginetting. Now, if they were only sharper, they would be perfect. You to want the T* ones that have a anti reflection coating.

I bought Camera, accessories, and set of five lenses locally for $1700. Just the body and the accessories were worth that on the used market.

This is the 50mm lens and was taken with my 5D MK II and a 60mm Zeiss Hasselblad lens and adapter.

BTW, the focus is a dream to use, far better than even a manual focus TS-E or any 35mm Manual focus lens. You can set it to the exact point of focus you want with little effort.
Too bad they are not available in 24mm or 35mm without mortgaging your house.

 

[Dim]

It's mo problem to use M42 lenses on 5D3 or 6D with AF-confirming. Trust me as I'm fan of Helios and Industar. ))

 

[Artifex]

Anybody ever tried the Takumar or Super-Takumar 50 f/1.4 on the 6D? Does it have mirror issues? How good are those lens? Thanks!

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Anybody ever tried the Takumar or Super-Takumar 50 f/1.4 on the 6D? Does it have mirror issues? How good are those lens? Thanks!

I don't have the Super Tak/SMC Tak 50mm f/1.4 anymore because of their clearance issues on my 5DII. I found the SMC 55 f/1.8 offered as good of image quality and had no mirror images. I think the 6D has slightly (perhaps a mm) more clearance than the 5DII. Whether that is enough, I don't know.

One other lens I can verify. I have the newer Helios 44-4 (zenit) 58mm f/2, and unlike the older Helios 44-2, there are no mirror issues at all. It works perfectly. Here's a shot from the 6D/Helios 44-4 combo:

 

[skinkfoot]

I have had no clearance problems with my smc takamar 55mm f2.0, or my super-takamar 50mm f1.4(the first version) on my 5d mkiii. I love both these lenses.

 

[Artifex]

Thanks a lot!
I just ordered the 6D and can't wait to go back to full frame (I started with a Pentax K-1000 film body).
I will be able to see how it handle the SMC Pentax-M 28mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.7 and 50 f/4 Macro. Since I really love working on 50mm lens, I am a bit afraid that the 50mm f/1.7 have mirror issues, that's why I asked this question.

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Thanks a lot!
I just ordered the 6D and can't wait to go back to full frame (I started with a Pentax K-1000 film body).
I will be able to see how it handle the SMC Pentax-M 28mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.7 and 50 f/4 Macro. Since I really love working on 50mm lens, I am a bit afraid that the 50mm f/1.7 have mirror issues, that's why I asked this question.

My SMC Tak 28mm f/3.5 works perfectly, as does my SMC 55mm f/1.8.

 

[Artifex]

This might sound pretty stupid but I rather ask.
I just receive my 6D. I tried to mount different lens, including my Helios 44-2. I was able to focus to infinity with all of them without problem. I am wondering if I understand right. I mounted the lens while on the closest focusing distance, then slowly focus toward the infinity and never notice resistance. Is this how you check for mirror issues? If I take a photo at infinity with the Helios 44-2, will the mirror slam into the back of the lens?
Thanks a lot!

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

This might sound pretty stupid but I rather ask.
I just receive my 6D. I tried to mount different lens, including my Helios 44-2. I was able to focus to infinity with all of them without problem. I am wondering if I understand right. I mounted the lens while on the closest focusing distance, then slowly focus toward the infinity and never notice resistance. Is this how you check for mirror issues? If I take a photo at infinity with the Helios 44-2, will the mirror slam into the back of the lens?
Thanks a lot!

It's nothing so dramatic. What will happen (typically towards infinity focus), is that after taking the picture the mirror will hang and the viewfinder will go dark. Bringing the focus back will typically release it. It probably does almost no damage, but do it repetitively and you would start to get some fine dust from the edge of the mirror on your sensor. I've had mirror hang many times before but never done any appreciable damage.

If you have one that doesn't focus to infinity, you can get around that by shooting in Live View mode before you focus to infinity. Just be sure to back the focus back off before disabling Live View (at which time the mirror will go down).

 

[Artifex]

This might sound pretty stupid but I rather ask.
I just receive my 6D. I tried to mount different lens, including my Helios 44-2. I was able to focus to infinity with all of them without problem. I am wondering if I understand right. I mounted the lens while on the closest focusing distance, then slowly focus toward the infinity and never notice resistance. Is this how you check for mirror issues? If I take a photo at infinity with the Helios 44-2, will the mirror slam into the back of the lens?
Thanks a lot!

It's nothing so dramatic. What will happen (typically towards infinity focus), is that after taking the picture the mirror will hang and the viewfinder will go dark. Bringing the focus back will typically release it. It probably does almost no damage, but do it repetitively and you would start to get some fine dust from the edge of the mirror on your sensor. I've had mirror hang many times before but never done any appreciable damage.

If you have one that doesn't focus to infinity, you can get around that by shooting in Live View mode before you focus to infinity. Just be sure to back the focus back off before disabling Live View (at which time the mirror will go down).

Thank you again! I just tried with both SMC Pentax-M 28mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.7. Sadly, neither works a infinity.

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

This might sound pretty stupid but I rather ask.
I just receive my 6D. I tried to mount different lens, including my Helios 44-2. I was able to focus to infinity with all of them without problem. I am wondering if I understand right. I mounted the lens while on the closest focusing distance, then slowly focus toward the infinity and never notice resistance. Is this how you check for mirror issues? If I take a photo at infinity with the Helios 44-2, will the mirror slam into the back of the lens?
Thanks a lot!

It's nothing so dramatic. What will happen (typically towards infinity focus), is that after taking the picture the mirror will hang and the viewfinder will go dark. Bringing the focus back will typically release it. It probably does almost no damage, but do it repetitively and you would start to get some fine dust from the edge of the mirror on your sensor. I've had mirror hang many times before but never done any appreciable damage.

If you have one that doesn't focus to infinity, you can get around that by shooting in Live View mode before you focus to infinity. Just be sure to back the focus back off before disabling Live View (at which time the mirror will go down).

Thank you again! I just tried with both SMC Pentax-M 28mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.7. Sadly, neither works a infinity.

Are these K mount lenses? I have the M42 SMC Takumar 28mm f/3.5 and the SMC Tak 55mm f/1.8 and both work perfectly

 

[Artifex]

This might sound pretty stupid but I rather ask.
I just receive my 6D. I tried to mount different lens, including my Helios 44-2. I was able to focus to infinity with all of them without problem. I am wondering if I understand right. I mounted the lens while on the closest focusing distance, then slowly focus toward the infinity and never notice resistance. Is this how you check for mirror issues? If I take a photo at infinity with the Helios 44-2, will the mirror slam into the back of the lens?
Thanks a lot!

It's nothing so dramatic. What will happen (typically towards infinity focus), is that after taking the picture the mirror will hang and the viewfinder will go dark. Bringing the focus back will typically release it. It probably does almost no damage, but do it repetitively and you would start to get some fine dust from the edge of the mirror on your sensor. I've had mirror hang many times before but never done any appreciable damage.

If you have one that doesn't focus to infinity, you can get around that by shooting in Live View mode before you focus to infinity. Just be sure to back the focus back off before disabling Live View (at which time the mirror will go down).

Thank you again! I just tried with both SMC Pentax-M 28mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.7. Sadly, neither works a infinity.

Are these K mount lenses? I have the M42 SMC Takumar 28mm f/3.5 and the SMC Tak 55mm f/1.8 and both work perfectly

Sorry, I forgot to specify; they are K mount lens.

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

This might sound pretty stupid but I rather ask.
I just receive my 6D. I tried to mount different lens, including my Helios 44-2. I was able to focus to infinity with all of them without problem. I am wondering if I understand right. I mounted the lens while on the closest focusing distance, then slowly focus toward the infinity and never notice resistance. Is this how you check for mirror issues? If I take a photo at infinity with the Helios 44-2, will the mirror slam into the back of the lens?
Thanks a lot!

It's nothing so dramatic. What will happen (typically towards infinity focus), is that after taking the picture the mirror will hang and the viewfinder will go dark. Bringing the focus back will typically release it. It probably does almost no damage, but do it repetitively and you would start to get some fine dust from the edge of the mirror on your sensor. I've had mirror hang many times before but never done any appreciable damage.

If you have one that doesn't focus to infinity, you can get around that by shooting in Live View mode before you focus to infinity. Just be sure to back the focus back off before disabling Live View (at which time the mirror will go down).

Thank you again! I just tried with both SMC Pentax-M 28mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.7. Sadly, neither works a infinity.

Are these K mount lenses? I have the M42 SMC Takumar 28mm f/3.5 and the SMC Tak 55mm f/1.8 and both work perfectly

Sorry, I forgot to specify; they are K mount lens.

That is good to know. I have tested very few K Mount lenses on Canon full frame bodies. I'm not overly surprised by the 28mm, but a bit surprised by the 50mm. I wonder if K Mount lenses need a bit more room?

 

[Artifex]

This might sound pretty stupid but I rather ask.
I just receive my 6D. I tried to mount different lens, including my Helios 44-2. I was able to focus to infinity with all of them without problem. I am wondering if I understand right. I mounted the lens while on the closest focusing distance, then slowly focus toward the infinity and never notice resistance. Is this how you check for mirror issues? If I take a photo at infinity with the Helios 44-2, will the mirror slam into the back of the lens?
Thanks a lot!

It's nothing so dramatic. What will happen (typically towards infinity focus), is that after taking the picture the mirror will hang and the viewfinder will go dark. Bringing the focus back will typically release it. It probably does almost no damage, but do it repetitively and you would start to get some fine dust from the edge of the mirror on your sensor. I've had mirror hang many times before but never done any appreciable damage.

If you have one that doesn't focus to infinity, you can get around that by shooting in Live View mode before you focus to infinity. Just be sure to back the focus back off before disabling Live View (at which time the mirror will go down).

Thank you again! I just tried with both SMC Pentax-M 28mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.7. Sadly, neither works a infinity.

Are these K mount lenses? I have the M42 SMC Takumar 28mm f/3.5 and the SMC Tak 55mm f/1.8 and both work perfectly

Sorry, I forgot to specify; they are K mount lens.

That is good to know. I have tested very few K Mount lenses on Canon full frame bodies. I'm not overly surprised by the 28mm, but a bit surprised by the 50mm. I wonder if K Mount lenses need a bit more room?

It might be. I am going to test with the SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/4 Macro.

 

[Artifex]

I tried today the Helios 44-2 on my 6D and I am happy to say that it work perfectly, even at infinity. I though it was a great lens when using it on a APS-C body, but on FF, I must say it is simply fabulous!

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

I tried today the Helios 44-2 on my 6D and I am happy to say that it work perfectly, even at infinity. I though it was a great lens when using it on a APS-C body, but on FF, I must say it is simply fabulous!

Agreed. I actually didn't like the 44-2 on my crop body very much, but it sings on a FF body.