Alex Cremers

Whatever it is (ciné or enlarger), they once asked more than 500 Euro for this lens on Ebay. And judging from photos of a Wollensak 50mm 1.5 on flickr, it bubbles and swirls like you wouldn't believe.

Here's another vote for K&F adapters. They have a very reassuring feel to them.

That papillon is just great!

Huh? Mine only does f4 at 55mm! You're thinking of the 16-55, right?

Blur like it's a f1.2! Okay, maybe it's the sheer distance of the background.

Are you sure this is taken with fuji's kit lens?

The system does look beautiful though.

Would it be a good idea to glue the ring onto the M39 thread of the lens? I fear that small ring will get stuck in the helicoid adapter. Once it's inside you'll never be able to unscrew it again.

Thanks! So all I need is a step up/down ring to connect a M39 enlarger lens to my helicoid M42 adapter?

I'm waiting for a 50mm 2.8 to cross my path. Or maybe a 75mm 3.5 .... Most are 4 or 5.6 ...

I probably will try that just to see the difference between a normal lens and an enlarger lens.

Love that orange rear cap.

The cheap Chinese helicoid adapter (Pixco) that I bought on ebay already died on me (a little screw on the inside sticks out a bit and jams the adapter). So I just bought a slightly more expensive one from Fotodiox. Fingers crossed!

I took this today with X-T1, Samyang 85mm 1.4 and a Lens Turbo II:

Here's a list of currently available achromatic close-up lenses.The Minoltas don't really have high diopters but it's more than enough for me. I'm not really into super macro. It's just nice to get closer to a little flower with a Super Takumar 55mm 1.8 lens, for instance. The helicoid adapter is downright perfect for that. http://www.angelfire.com/ca/erker/closeups.html

True ... but it beats using tubes. I found some beautiful Minolta Achromatic Close-up lenses (not those thin ones you see everywhere) for a few Euro so I'm probably going to alternate between that and the helicoid adapter for the coming time. Nope, no taxes! The price was on the outside of the package. It said "Lens adapter. Value: 3.00". That is such a low value that Belgium customs probably let it slide.

The helicoid adapter arrived! What a game changer! Can't get close enough to your subject? Turn the ring of the adapter and voila! It's the ideal solution for turning old glass into macro glass.

Anyone who laughs with older glass is just a (bad) sales clerk, not someone who is passionate for photography.

Really? No too long ago, I had to pay 26 Euro for something that only costed 12 Euro (including shipping costs). It's either that or you don't get the package. Anyway, I'm taking my chances and I ordered the one from your last post. Hopefully the package won't be picked out by customs.

Why is all the good stuff coming from China these days? Belgium customs has become very strict with anything coming from outside the EU. It's going to cost me twice as much and it will take almost two months before I get it. Grrrr!

Where can I get one?

I didn't know a helicoidal extendable adapter existed. I love the 50mm lenses that have a MFD of 30-33cm, like the Meyers and the Pentacons. I wish they would make thicker M42 adapters (like 3mm thick). That would enable you to get even closer to the subject while at the same time the lens is still usable for things that are somewhat further away. Maybe this helicoidal extendable adapter can provide an alternative for a really short 2-3mm tube?

Those are all very fine vintage lenses. I probably couldn't sell any of them.

M42 pin = good Fuji tab = not so good The good news is not all old Fujinon lenses have a tab.

Well, I paid 7 or 9 Euro for my Pentacon 29mm 2.8 and I can buy one today in Belgium for 20 Euro. The MFD of that one is 25cm. New manual Chinese lenses like Zonlai or Meike are probably sharper at widest aperture though.