Can I adapt a screw-mount Ricoh SLR to use T-mount or bayonet lenses?
Asked 7/10/2017
1 views
2 answers
0
I have an older Ricoh 35mm SLR with a screw-mount lens. I’m trying to find out whether I can use a conversion ring or adapter so the camera can accept T-mount or bayonet-mount lenses. I’ve found adapters that go the other way, but not one for mounting those lenses on my camera. Is this possible, or am I mixing up different mount types?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
2
M42 vs T-mount vs K-mount
It seems you may be confusing M42, T-mount, and bayonet mounts. Per comment by Michael Clark:
T-mount has 42mm x 0.75mm pitched threads. Your Ricoh probably uses the M42 mount, which has threads with a pitch of 1.0mm.
Ricoh switched to using the Pentax K-mount in 1977.
Ricoh Cameras
The following cameras use the M42 mount:
The following cameras use K-mount:
Adapting Lenses
For issues concerning the use of lens adapters, see Can I use lens brand X on interchangeable lens camera brand Y? In particular, Registration Distance / Flange Focal Distance will be a problem.
The M42 screw mount has a registration distance of 45.46mm. Most commonly-used modern mounts have a shorter registration distance. A notable exception is the Nikon F mount, which has a registration distance of 46.50mm.
While there is an adapter from F-mount to M42 (eBay/Amazon), it appears to not be thin enough to maintain infinity focus. An adapter with a corrective lens would be required.
Why?
Many old M42 lenses are available with various levels of quality or interesting characteristics. What do you hope to gain by seeking to use a new lens with an old body?
Originally by user75526. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75526
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
You’re probably mixing up several different mounts. Older Ricoh SLRs often used the M42 screw mount, while later Ricoh bodies used the Pentax K bayonet mount. T-mount is something else entirely: it also uses 42mm threads, but with a different thread pitch, so it is not the same as M42.
That means a simple “screw mount to T-mount” swap is usually not practical. Even when mounts can be physically adapted, the flange focal distance (registration distance) has to match closely or the lens won’t focus properly, especially to infinity.
So in most cases, no, there isn’t a straightforward adapter that will turn an M42 Ricoh body into a general T-mount or bayonet-mount camera body. First identify your exact Ricoh model and mount:
- Some Ricohs use M42
- Later ones use Pentax K
If it is M42, the good news is that there are still plenty of M42 lenses available used, and that is usually the best route rather than trying to convert the body to a different mount.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI9y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Can you adapt Contax G lenses to a Leica SL/L-mount body?
Can you control aperture on adapted DSLR lenses without an aperture ring?
Can Canon T70 FD lenses or a screw-mount Paragon 500mm be adapted to an EOS 550D?
Can a Lomography Petzval 85mm with Canon EF mount be converted to Minolta MD/MC or M42?
Can I use a modern teleconverter with adapted vintage lenses?