Reading mode: Light Dark

Konica AR lens

Go to last post
Toutoute

Toutoute

Member
Messages
18
Reaction score
1
Location
Noumea, NC
Hello,

I would like your advise

I have a Konica AR range from the 80-200 mm , 100 mm , 55 mm, 35-70, 100mm, 21 mm and I would like to try these vintage lens with a K50.

Also some guys tell me that these old lens are radioactive.

Thanks for your comments.

Gilbert
 
I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but Konica AR lenses are fantastic lenses but they have a very short flange distance (40.7mm) so they can't be adapted to Canon, Pentax, Nikon, etc.. without losing infinity focus. (Pentax PentaxK/M42 (45.46mm).
 
Toutoute said:
Hello,

I would like your advise

I have a Konica AR range from the 80-200 mm , 100 mm , 55 mm, 35-70, 100mm, 21 mm and I would like to try these vintage lens with a K50.

Also some guys tell me that these old lens are radioactive.

Thanks for your comments.

Gilbert
Click to expand...
I have some of those lenses, too. Unfortunately they can't be adapted to Pentax as Pixelsmithy says.

If you want to use those on a modern camera you'll need to look into some of the mirrorless options from Olympus, Fuji etc where the flange distance isn't an issue.

Cheers

Brian
 
And to follow-up on apathyman's comment...

You want an adapter with NO optical element in it, if you want to maintain the image quality of your lenses. A quick search showed that there are Konica AR adapters for Samsung NX mount (the NX300 is a pretty highly reviewed camera) and there are also adapters for the Sony NEX mount. If memory serves, the NEX7 is the same great sensor in the Pentax K-50/K-5 family. (correct me if I'm wrong).

You could even go full frame with the Sony A7 or A7s, A7r or A7 II.
See: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/53384289

It appears that quality control with those adapters is a little spotty. Some people are pleased and other say that theirs did not hold the lens securely (wobble). If you purchase from someone with a good returns policy you can (with the necessary patience) perhaps get a good one by returning any that don't pass muster.
 
Last edited:
Many thanks Brian and Pixelsmithy for the answer and all the information.

I found on the web a mount adapter on the Fotodiox site , Konica AR lens to Pentax K mount, so do you think it can be OK for the K 50.

Best regards,
 
Toutoute said:
Many thanks Brian and Pixelsmithy for the answer and all the information.

I found on the web a mount adapter on the Fotodiox site , Konica AR lens to Pentax K mount, so do you think it can be OK for the K 50.

Best regards,
Click to expand...
That adapter either loses infinity or has glass elements in it that act like a teleconverter (usually 1.2x or 1.3x)
 
I don't see a K50 in your gear list ;) If you want to buy a camera specifically for this, get a mirror-less with a glass-less adapter.
 
Toutoute said:
Many thanks Brian and Pixelsmithy for the answer and all the information.

I found on the web a mount adapter on the Fotodiox site , Konica AR lens to Pentax K mount, so do you think it can be OK for the K 50.

Best regards,
Click to expand...
I assume it's this one:

Loading…

www.fotodioxpro.com

Well, it will certainly work on the K50 and might be fun to play with but it has glass elements to correct for the short flange distance of the Konica lens. That may degrade image quality.

The only way to find out is to buy one and try it.

Cheers

Brian
 
apathyman said:
Toutoute said:
Many thanks Brian and Pixelsmithy for the answer and all the information.

I found on the web a mount adapter on the Fotodiox site , Konica AR lens to Pentax K mount, so do you think it can be OK for the K 50.

Best regards,
Click to expand...
I assume it's this one:

https://www.fotodioxpro.com/konica-ar-to-pentax-k-adapter.html

Well, it will certainly work on the K50 and might be fun to play with but it has glass elements to correct for the short flange distance of the Konica lens. That may degrade image quality.

The only way to find out is to buy one and try it.

Cheers

Brian
Click to expand...
Thanks Brian,

just ordered one to test and what you said it will be fun to play , anyway it's not a big investment.

Have a good day.

Gilbert
 
Toutoute said:
apathyman said:
Toutoute said:
Many thanks Brian and Pixelsmithy for the answer and all the information.

I found on the web a mount adapter on the Fotodiox site , Konica AR lens to Pentax K mount, so do you think it can be OK for the K 50.

Best regards,
Click to expand...
I assume it's this one:

https://www.fotodioxpro.com/konica-ar-to-pentax-k-adapter.html

Well, it will certainly work on the K50 and might be fun to play with but it has glass elements to correct for the short flange distance of the Konica lens. That may degrade image quality.

The only way to find out is to buy one and try it.

Cheers

Brian
Click to expand...
Thanks Brian,

just ordered one to test and what you said it will be fun to play , anyway it's not a big investment.

Have a good day.

Gilbert
Click to expand...
I'll be interested to hear how it performs - might get one for myself...

Cheers

Brian
 
as radioactive means they are dangerous.
 
sleepwalker400 said:
as radioactive means they are dangerous.
Click to expand...
This comes up as an issue from time to time.

Lots of older lenses from a range of manufacturers used thorium glass elements. The risk from using them, though, is minimal - see, for example:

Loading…

www.imaging-resource.com

And there's a list of lenses that used thorium glass here:

camerapedia.wikia.com

Radioactive lenses

There are a significant number of lenses produced from the 1940s through the 1970s that are measurably radioactive. Main source of radioactivity is the use of thorium oxide (up to 30% by weight) as a component of the glass used in the lens elements. Thorium oxide has a crystalline structural...
camerapedia.wikia.com camerapedia.wikia.com

Cheers

Brian
 
I KNOW just having fun
 
gg:-)
 
HI,



juste received this mornng the adapter and it fit very well the camera.

so now I need to learn how to us these lens with the K 50 for the best. The infinity seems OK

If you have some tips you are welcome :-)

here the first photos w/ no post processing.



df8a8a0e897949d5a8cc4cce7194d48f.jpg



6283a098576d44cf8c707a0c5cdf526a.jpg



0661eac615734af0b83229c89794fe7c.jpg
 
sleepwalker400 said:
as radioactive means they are dangerous.
Click to expand...
While in college there was a researcher to studied radon - This was the beginning days of the radon scam - as in "OMG! I have Radon! Please charge me lots of money to make the Radon go away!"

Anyway, he had a graph of radon exposure vs health problems. One would expect a curve where more radon exposure = more health problems. This was generally true, but in the low exposure part of the curve, the health problems decreased! Significantly. As if there were some optimum level of radon exposure that was somehow good for you.

A decade later I stumbled on this:

The idea of Radiation Hormesis - which is a theory that argues that we have evolved on a planet full of harmful radiations - and so are acclimated to it, and actually rely on it, for proper biological function.

That, and I just love saying "hormesis."

So I would avoid drinking your thoriated lenses into a fine powder and snorting them. But all other uses, including photography, are fair game.

-- Bob
http://bob-o-rama.smugmug.com -- Photos
http://www.vimeo.com/boborama/videos -- Videos
http://blog.trafficshaper.com -- Blog
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top