Best M42 Camera Lenses of 2026

Kenneth Collin Avatar
Kenneth Collin
Last Updated: 5 Feb 2026

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M42 Camera Lenses are a range of high-quality lenses that are compatible with M42 mount cameras. These lenses offer a wide range of focal lengths, from wide-angle to telephoto, allowing photographers to capture stunning images in various situations. With excellent build quality and advanced optics, M42 Camera Lenses provide sharp, clear images with accurate colours and minimal distortion. Whether you are a professional photographer or an amateur enthusiast, these lenses can enhance your photography skills and help you to achieve the desired results.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks

K&F Concept M42 to Nikon Adapter Cover #TOP 1
K&F Concept M42 to Nikon Adapter
ftb score rating icon 9.9
TTARTISAN 250mm F5.6 Reflex Lens with Doughnut Bokeh Cover #TOP 2
TTARTISAN 250mm F5.6 Reflex Lens with Doughnut Bokeh
ftb score rating icon 9.8
Urth M42 Lens Adapter for Canon EF-M Cover #TOP 3
Urth M42 Lens Adapter for Canon EF-M
ftb score rating icon 9.6

Top 6 M42 Camera Lenses

#TOP 1

K&F Concept M42 to Nikon Adapter

KF06.119
K&F Concept M42 to Nikon Adapter Cover
K&F CONCEPT Updated M42 to Nik Adapter, Manual Lens Mount Adapter Compatible with M42 Mount Lens to Nikon/Nikon F Mount Camera Body

The K&F Concept Adapter allows you to use all M42 lenses on Nikon camera bodies, providing a seamless manual focusing experience without electronic contacts. You can adjust both focus and aperture manually, offering greater creative control over your photography. Additionally, the adaptor is dust-tight, ensuring that your equipment remains protected while maintaining maximum safety. Before purchasing, it's essential to verify compatibility between your lens mount and camera mount to avoid any unnecessary returns.

What We Like
Compatible with all M42 lenses
Manual focus and aperture control
Dust-tight construction
Ensures maximum safety
Easy compatibility verification
#TOP 2

TTARTISAN 250mm F5.6 Reflex Lens with Doughnut Bokeh

YBSTT2405081730L
Black
TTARTISAN 250mm F5.6 Reflex Lens with Doughnut Bokeh Cover
TTARTISAN 250mm F5.6 Reflex Camera Lens for M42 Mount Full Frame Manual Focus Lens Doughnut Bokeh

The TTARTISAN 250mm Lens is perfect for creating stunning images with its unique fantasy doughnut bokeh effect, adding a dreamy quality to your photographs. Its highly reflective metal mirror structure boasts a reflectivity of up to 98%, ensuring minimal light loss for brighter, clearer images. The classic retro design features a delicate diamond-shaped focus ring, which not only looks beautiful but also provides a comfortable grip for precise manual focus. Additionally, the lens is compatible with M42 mounts and can be adapted for use on other mounts, offering versatility for your camera setup.

What We Like
Creates dreamy doughnut bokeh
High reflectivity for brighter images
Classic and retro design
Versatile mount compatibility
#TOP 3

Urth M42 Lens Adapter for Canon EF-M

ULMA-M42-EF-M
Urth M42 Lens Adapter for Canon EF-M Cover
Urth Lens Mount Adapter: Compatible with M42 Lens to Canon EF-M Camera Body

The Urth M42 Adapter offers a manual connection between M42 lenses and Canon EF-M mount cameras, allowing you to explore new photographic possibilities. Since it does not support automatic functions, you can take full control over focus and exposure, enhancing your shooting experience. Its snug fit ensures a secure connection, preventing light leaks while you shoot. The clever design, made from hardened aluminium and copper with an anti-reflection finish, makes it easy to mount and dismount, providing convenience for your photography sessions.

What We Like
Manual control for focus and exposure
Compatible with various lens combinations
Snug, light-sealed connection
Durable, easy-to-use design
#TOP 4

TTARTISAN 100mm F2.8 Soap Bubble Bokeh Lens

YBSTT2308071755L
TTARTISAN 100mm F2.8 Soap Bubble Bokeh Lens Cover
TTARTISAN 100mm F2.8 Full Frame Camera Lens Manual Focus Unique Soap Bubble Bokeh Camera Lens for Nature and Portrait for M42 Mount

The TTARTISAN 100mm F2.8 Lens is a unique choice for photographers seeking creative effects. It features a soap bubble bokeh, which adds a distinctive touch to your images compared to traditional bokeh. This lens provides balanced sharpness, allowing you to capture stunning nature and portrait photographs. Designed for the M42 mount, it can also be adapted to various other mounts, enhancing its versatility. With a full-frame image circle, it offers excellent coverage, making it an ideal option for those wanting to explore different formats.

What We Like
Unique soap bubble bokeh effect
Versatile for different mounts
Great for nature and portraits
Solid build quality
Full-frame image coverage
#TOP 5

TTARTISAN 75mm F1.5 Bokeh Lens

BSTT2409121550L
Black
TTARTISAN 75mm F1.5 Bokeh Lens Cover
TTARTISAN 75mm F1.5 Swirly Bokeh Lens for M42 Mount Manual Focus Full Frame Camera Lens

The TTARTISAN Bokeh Lens offers a stunning swirly bokeh effect, allowing your subjects to stand out beautifully, with the background appearing to swirl around them. It's perfect for capturing backlit scenes, as it diffuses light softly and blends shadows smoothly, adding depth to your images. With its f/1.5 large aperture, you can take clear, vibrant photos even in low-light conditions. Additionally, the versatile M42 mount allows you to easily adapt the lens to various camera brands, making it a convenient choice for any photographer.

What We Like
Unique swirly bokeh effect
Excellent low-light performance
Versatile M42 mount
Soft light diffusion
Adjustable alignment feature
#TOP 6

TTArtisan 75mm F1.5 Metal Swirly Bokeh Lens

F7515-B-M42
Black
TTArtisan 75mm F1.5 Metal Swirly Bokeh Lens Cover
TTArtisan 75mm F1.5 Full Frame Metal Bodied Swirly Bokeh Lens Compatible with M42 Mount - Black

The TTArtisan 75mm Lens offers a unique swirly bokeh effect, perfect for adding an artistic touch to your photographs. With its 75mm focal length, it excels in portrait photography, allowing you to capture your subject's natural beauty in both close-up and full-body shots. Weighing only 328-340g, this full-frame lens is lightweight and compact, making it easy to take on outdoor shoots or to hand-hold for extended periods. Additionally, it features no vignetting, ensuring clear images on both APS-C and full-frame cameras.

What We Like
Unique swirly bokeh effect
Ideal for portrait photography
Lightweight and compact design
No vignetting on all cameras
Buying Guide Image

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What cameras use M42 lenses?

M42 cameras with wide open metering facility include:. Praktica PLC2, PLC3, EE 2 and EE 3 (1975, 1977, 1979) (EE = Electric Eye) using Pentacon Electric lenses.Fujica ST705, ST801, ST901.Olympus FTL (1970)Pentax Spotmatic F, Electro Spotmatic (Japan only), ES and ESII (1975, 1971-3)Yashica Electro AX (1972)

2. What is M42 adapter?

This Pro Lens Adapter from Fotodiox enables the use of your M42 lenses on Canon EF-mount DSLR cameras. It features a durable brass construction with stainless steel finish, a leaf spring ensures a secure connection between the lens and adapter, and its design also maintains infinity focus.

3. Is M42 the same as T-mount?

A T2 or T-mount or T-thread has a width of 42mm with a thread pitch of 0.75mm. An M42 is also 42mm, but with a 1mm thread pitch. DON'T try to intermix the two or you will likely strip the threads on one, the other or both of the things you are trying to force together.

4. What is Pentax M42 mount?

Original M42 Mount The original M42 mount was designed in 1938 by Carl Zeiss at their plant in Jena in collaboration with KW camera. The design parameters were simple and consisted of a circular flange with 42mm threaded inside diameter (1mm pitch) set to 45.46mm flange focal distance.

Editor's Notes

During our m42 camera lense research, we found 48 m42 camera lense products and shortlisted 6 quality products. We collected and analyzed 5,724 customer reviews through our big data system to write the m42 camera lenses list. We found that most customers choose m42 camera lenses with an average price of £135.36.

The m42 camera lenses are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of m42 camera lenses, including K&F CONCEPT, TTARTISAN, Urth.

Written by
Kenneth Collin Avatar

Kenneth Collin graduated from Imperial College, London, at 22. He is a UX/UI designer, a web developer, and a writer, amongst others. At age 14, Kenneth programmed his first app. Kenneth's app served as a remote control for censored devices. "When I was 8, I would pick up scraps from electronics and try to rebuild or at least fix them," Kenneth said in one of his recent articles on Home repairs for top gadgets.