Why using an m42 system?

In photography, an m42 system is an analog SLR camera using the so called m42 mount -- that is, the lenses are screwed onto the camera body using a thread with 42mm diameter. Cameras that used this system include the famous Pentax, Praktica, Zenit and many other brands.

The m42 lenses can be bought relatively cheap nowadays, and many of them are known to have a good quality, especially for the price. Many people are still using m42 lenses as well as m42 cameras, and believe them to be superior solutions even in the times of affordable, high quality digital cameras.

I love to use m42 cameras and lenses. I wrote this to somehow pin down the rational reasons why I am still doing that. I am not sure that I succeeded...

Disclaimer: You should not consider this article as a serious advice. Neither am I a good photographer, nor am I any kind of other expert in these issues.

The discrete charm of analog photography

Why use a film when you can do digital? Good question. Of course, a 30 years old SLR camera that can be bought for 20 EUR (a nice lens inclusive) gives usually much better results than a cheap digital camera from a supermarket. However, for not much more money you can get a decent digital system with autofocus which makes beautiful, smooth pictures (hey, you can get a 10MP digital with Zeiss or Leica optics for 200 - 300 EUR!).

Furthermore, taking analog photographs is not cheap in the long run. First, you will probably want to digitise your photographs. For decent scans, you either need to pay seriously or buy yourself a decent scanner. Here is a list of costs that you should take into account:

• Films: 4-10 EUR per decent film roll, slide or negative
• Development: 1-5 EUR per film
• Scanner: you can get a relatively decent one for 100-200 EUR. However, take the cost of your time spent on scanning into account.

Assuming 5 EUR per roll (which is optimistic), assuming 1-2 rolls per week (likewise), you would have bought an "entry level" (read: better than you need) digital system within a year for the money you spent on films -- not to mention the scanner.

All in all, you will find yourself buying really nice, cheap gear and then pay a lot each week to pursue your hobby. With time, these costs will only increase, because less and less people will be using film.

Moreover, chances are that your fun will be spoiled by the fact that you cannot afford to make as many photographs of as good quality as you would like. You will not afford to experiment, shoot as long as you get everything right etc. And, of course, you cannot immediately see the results and correct the errors right away.

So, what are then the benefits of the analog photography in general? I mean, come on. My grandma takes better photographs than me with her full automatic digital camera, and it is way cheaper. There must be some benefits...

• Analog film can give you one definite technical advantage -- that is, as of now, mid-2007, because this advantage will doubtlessly disappear sooner or later. The advantage is called dynamic range: the ability of a negative film to capture both very bright and very dark portions of a scene. However, if you are using slides, the dynamic range will be smaller than in case of a good digital system. Furthermore, how often do you need that? (maybe quite often: I don't know, but ask yourself this question).
• Slides and a slide projector give a much better quality than digital photos and even a very expensive TV projector. Again, sooner or later this will change, but for now, for home use, you cannot get as much contrast, brightness and colour with a TV projector as you can get even with a mediocre slide projector.
• Analog films usually have more grain -- this makes digital images smoother, sharper, but on the other hand, grain can add to your photography. It can be very pleasing for the eye, and looks definitely better than the noise in digital cameras. A high sensitivity film gives much more pleasing effects than a digital camera simulating high sensitivity.

Reasons to use a 30 years old GDR-made camera

• Using simple technology has some advantages. First, your system is more robust - it's mostly mechanic and it's simple. Second: it doesn't need a lot of energy (the light meter batteries last for months), so you need not to be afraid of your batteries running empty. Your system probably will work in very advert situations -- very cold or very warm environment etc. And if you have a Zenit camera, you will be able to use it as a hammer (I did!).
• Having to manually focus and set aperture / speed forces you to learn things about photography that you might not be aware of otherwise. Some might say that these are things that you would not need otherwise... However, all learning is itself a good thing, and there are reasons why Pentax Spotmatic is recommended for photography students. The allegations that there is a secret plot between the owners of film development joints and underpaid photography course professors are unconfirmed.
• Using old cameras may in itself be your hobby. I love the shapes of cameras from the late 60's and 70's. I just like them. It is not rational, it does not make me do better photographs, I just like to have a battered old camera with brass showing under the black coating. Maybe it's because it shows that I am an experienced photographer -- this works way better than showing my photographs.
• Simplicity in itself is a value. Personally, I tend to be overwhelmed by the number of buttons on my digital camera -- and it is a simple one! On my analog SLR, I can set the speed, aperture, focus, film sensitivity... and it still gives me endless combinations and possibilities to try out. The older you are, the more important it is. Remember, post-it notes with short explanations do not stick well to your little digital camera. An analog SLR has way more place and fewer buttons.
• Focusing with manual focus lenses is easier with an older camera than with a camera set to be used with autofocus lenses. The older cameras have different optical facilities (split image, ground glass) for helping you to get the focus right. It is sometimes possible to use the autofocus functionality of your new camera to guide you when setting manual focus (camera shows you when the image is focused), but this does not work for all adapters and all cameras.
• If your camera gets stolen, probably you will regret this one unfinished and undeveloped film more than the camera itself. You'll just get another one from eBay for a mere EUR 20,-. Of course, you could get just a disposable compact, the results probably would not worsen -- but your self-image would.

Toys for boys

Apart from these more or less pragmatic arguments there is one more important issue.

For many people, photography is an art, and it is entirely about getting good photographs (and, possibly, getting paid for it). Now, not all of us make good photographs. Most of us don't. But we love photography, don't we? Not only for getting the actual photographs, that is. We love the cameras as well. And the lenses. And we love to discuss the merits of our cameras. Know all the technical details. And this lovely splrrrt-clack! sound an SLR makes when you release the shutter.

Yep, we love the toys. And now the big question: what's more fun? Buying an expensive, contemporary system that you will be able to expand maybe once in a year in an expensive shop where you get your lens packed in a factory fresh carton box with a two year warranty? Hey, anybody can do that. You just need the cash. Or - hunting on eBay for that one Flektogon 20mm Zeiss lens that you read about, then cleaning it, repairing the diaphragm, and hunting again, because you scratched the lens in the process? And when you get it finally to work, you can always get yourself another version of your Spotmatic or Praktica or whatever, or just another couple of lenses, just to make a meaningless comparison. And then you can use your cheap, but way more reliable compact digital to make photographs of your sweet SLR and post them into a forum where other similar nuts will click there tongues in appraisal -- oh, beautiful, this lines, this classic lines, and the viewfinder is great, and uh oh..., and the photographs, look at the dynamics, you will never get it with a digital camera like that... (True: you would get it way better, in half the time and for a fraction of the money)

Come on. Admit it. At least to yourself. You would not love photography so much if it was not about the toys. Seriously: photography is fun (unless for some of those who just earn their living with it, but then: if it is but your job, why the hell are you reading this?). Part of this fun is playing with toys. Analog m42 toys are loads of fun, way cheaper than many other hobbies and, at least for me, combine my unfulfilled artistic urge with my inclination to screwdrivers and malfunctioning mechanical appliances.

The m42 hype: how much truth is in it?

So much for using analog film and old cameras. But why m42 mount in particular? Here, the answer is quite simple: because they used to be very widely spread. There are large numbers of high quality m42 lenses out there, and likewise, you can easily get an adapter to most of the recent digital cameras. Therefore, they are still widely spread.

The myth that with m42 you can get an unbelievably sharp, fast lens for a couple of bucks is just that. a myth. While it is true that some of the m42 lenses were very good, these lenses still can achieve good prizes -- people know well about them. So if you see an m42 lens on eBay for 20 EUR -- than most probably, it is worth 20 EUR - or less. In terms of lens quality, it might or might not be better than your standard Canon lens, but -- will you be able to make better photographs with that lens?

Say, you bought a really nice manual Zeiss lens. You start using that with your Spotmatic. Instantly, you find out two things:

• Manual focus costs time. Lots of.
• Very often, you don't get the focus right.
• You are tempted to use your 1.4 lens to get a nice DOF only to find that DOF of 5,7 mm is really, really hard to use

Normally, it is much easier to use an autofocus; and in the rare cases, where manual focus is required (because e.g. your autofocus gets fooled by a mesh in front of the actual subject), you can always switch your Canon to manual.

Now, some may say that it is worth learning to manually focus. Yeah, especially, if you are using a system where autofocus is not available. Some other say that a manual focus can be more precise than autofocus. Well, maybe. Doesn't work for me that way.

Finally, whether you believe or not, there may be some money in it. There is this story of the guys who were able to blow up a myth to such extents that a particular m42 lens achieves prices in the range of 500,- on eBay. I'm talking here about the Tomioka 1.2/55mm (a.k.a. Revuenon 1.2) lens. Yes, it really is very fast. But not as good as the opinion goes. And definitely not worth 500 bucks. And besides: how often would you like to use aperture 1.2? With DOF in nanometer range?

However, the guys succeeded: some speculate, there was this one guy who had a couple of dozens of old lenses he wanted to get rid of at the best possible price...

Links

• A comparison
• Another comparison
• Meaning of the word satire
• My e-mail: january.weiner@gmail.com