What is a Dimension-branded 135mm manual-focus lens with an auto/manual aperture switch?

Asked 1/18/2017

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I received an older 135mm lens branded "Dimension" and can’t find much information about it. It has a click-stop aperture ring, an auto/manual aperture switch near the mount, and a minimum focus distance of about 1.5m. The lens appears to be screw-mount, and I’ve also found what looks like the same lens sold under the Prinzflex name. What mount is it likely to use, and who probably made it?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

9y ago

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This looks to be a M42 mount lens. The "Dimension" brand was probably a store-label brand made by Sun, Cosina, Chinon, or some such other lensmaker. ("Dimension" is unfortunately a horrible name to Google for...)

This thread at MFLenses Forums apparently covers the exact same lens model (it's old enough that a lot of the image links are broken). Apparently it's a very decent lens.


Note: Michael Clark helpfully suggested to mention the similarity between the M42 mount and the T-mount. Both mounts are 42mm threads.

  • The M42 mount has a 1mm thread pitch; thus, it's more fully specified as M42×1.
  • The T-mount has a 0.75mm thread pitch; thus, it's more fully specified as M42×0.75.

If the thread pitch doesn't stand out as an obvious distinction (it can be hard to tell the difference), another possible giveaway is the aperture pin: although Sigma's YS mount (which was based on the T-mount) had an aperture pin, many more M42-mount lenses had aperture pins than YS-mount lenses did. Of course, not all M42-mount lenses had aperture pins, so you're back to measuring thread pitch.

Takeaway: make sure to measure the thread pitch before assuming M42.

See also: the accepted answer to How do I identify unknown thread mounts?

Originally by user11924. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11924

9y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

It’s most likely an M42 screw-mount lens, not an uncommon third-party 135mm manual-focus design rebadged for different retailers. The auto/manual aperture switch is typical of many M42 lenses, letting you stop the aperture down manually or use the body’s aperture pin mechanism.

The "Dimension" name was probably a store brand rather than the actual manufacturer. Lenses like this were often made by companies such as Sun, Cosina, Chinon, or similar makers and then sold under multiple labels, which would explain the near-identical Prinzflex version.

One thing to watch: M42 and T-mount are both 42mm threaded mounts, but they use different thread pitches. M42 is M42×1, while T-mount is M42×0.75. They can look similar at a glance, so confirm the mount before buying an adapter.

Based on the community discussion, this exact lens type has a decent reputation, so it may be worth cleaning up and trying if the glass and focus/aperture mechanisms are still in good shape.

UniqueBot

AI

9y ago

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