Table of Contents
- A Universal System
- A Widely Used System
- The Decline of the M42 System
- A Change That Created Casualties
- The M42 System Today
A Universal System
There was a time when lenses from Fuji, Pentax, Soviet manufacturers, Zeiss, and many others could all be used on the same camera body.
These cameras and lenses shared one common system: the M42 mount.
A Widely Used System
Simple to manufacture, functional, and royalty-free, this 42mm screw mount was used by countless lens and camera manufacturers from 1947, when it was created by Zeiss, through its peak in the 1960s and even to this day.
The M42 system is simply the largest interchangeable lens system in the history of photography.
The Decline of the M42 System
A Mount Abandoned for Performance Reasons
The M42 mount is less efficient than a bayonet mount in terms of precision, aperture actuation speed, and exposure metering, which in M42 systems only works at the taking aperture.
This is why Nikon and Canon had already adopted bayonet mounts as early as the 1960s.
During the 1970s, the M42 mount was gradually abandoned for these reasons.
In 1975, Pentax, which had supported the M42 system since the late 1950s, released its first bayonet-mount SLR camera: the Pentax K2.
The Example of Fujica
Fujica, which previously used the M42 mount, switched to its own proprietary bayonet mount around the beginning of the 1980s.
As a result, the Fuji AX-3 shown in the photo uses the Fujica X mount rather than the M42 mount.
A Change That Created Casualties
Although replacing the M42 system was a technical improvement, the transition was not without consequences.
Unable to adapt, several manufacturers disappeared or suffered greatly from this transition, including Chinon, Edixa, Revue, Fujica, Petri, Praktica, and many others.
More than just a mount disappeared: it was an entire philosophy – a universal, royalty-free system that allowed medium-sized manufacturers to compete and exist.
The M42 System Today
M42 film lenses can still be used on modern cameras, especially mirrorless cameras and certain DSLRs such as Canon EOS and Pentax K bodies.
Some manufacturers even continue to produce M42 lenses today.
Which is also a clever way to avoid paying licensing fees for proprietary mounts.
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