What mount is this?
Aug 19, 2018 11:05:23 #
Aug 19, 2018 13:30:44 #
Aug 19, 2018 13:49:10 #
amfoto1
Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA
Yes, it's Konica K/AR bayonet mount (NOT Konica-Minolta... which is same as Minolta bayonet).
Konica K/AR mount cameras and lenses were introduced around 1965 and a number of models were offered until they were discontinued in the mid-1980s. They were the first SLRs to have auto exposure, through the lens metering, built in motor drive and a few other features. Konica Hexanon lenses are generally superb, many were legendary and yet they were surprisingly affordable. I used them for 20+ years.
At one time Konishiroku made the lenses used by JCII to test all other Japanese brands of lenses. Konica Corporation and it's predecessors were founded in the 1870s, several years before Kodak. In fact, George Eastman visited the Konishi Honten factories to exchange ideas.
Konica merged with Minolta in 2003, to form Konica-Minolta. They continued to build Minolta system cameras and lenses under that name. But those were no relation to and aren't interchangeable with the earlier Konica K/AR system. In 2006 Konica-Minolta sold all of it's photography divisions to Sony, who continued to develop and still offer the camera system (but sold off the light meter division to THK or Tokina/Hoya/Kenko... who still make the meters under the Kenko name). Konica-Minolta is still in business today, but mostly makes and sells business equipment (copiers and such).
As a side note, it was essentially autofocus that "killed off" the Konica K/AR SLR system (in spite of the fact that Konica had produced the first commercially successful autofocus point n shoot camera and a number of popular followups). Minolta had introduced the first successful SLR system with AF in the 1980s. Everyone else was scrambling to introduce a similar system. Canon tried making an AF camera with their old FD/FL mount, as well as several AF lenses for it, but ultimately instead came out with today's EF/EOS system to accommodate the necessary electronics. That "orphaned" their earlier system and pissed off a lot of users, but has proven to have been a good decision 30+ years later. Nikon and Pentax took a different tack and adapted their F-mount instead, in an effort to maintain some backward compatibility with their earlier manual focus lenses. But that made for a lot of compatibility issues. Leica just ignored it all and kept making manual focus lenses and cameras for another 25 years. Autofocus was a revolution in the photo industry in the 1980s... much as digital was in the early 2000s.
There were rumors that Konica actuallly had developed a new lens mount to accommodate AF... similar to what Canon did. However, Konica decided instead to simply discontinue SLRs entirely. They continued to make point n shoot film cameras and a few years later introduced the high-end Hexar rangefinder line that eventually included cameras using the Leica M-bayonet mount and compatible with that system. But their new electronic bayonet mount wasn't used by Konica. Instead there have been reports that Konica licensed or sold it to Sigma, who used it in their own system of SLR cameras and lenses, as well as later in DSLRs including the Merrill models that they still offer today.
The "MC" on the name ring of the lens stands for "multi-coated" and has nothing what-so-ever to do with the mount. (Note: Minolta did offer an "MC" series of lenses, where it meant "meter coupled". But this is a third party lens, not a Minolta. And on 3rd party lenses, "MC" was very commonly used to mean "multi-coated". You'll find it on many different 3rd party manufacturers' lenses.)
Unfortunately, that's not a Konica Hexanon lens. Mitakon were a relatively inexpensive and mediocre quality, third party brand of lenses, made to fit many different mounts.
Konica K/AR mount cameras and lenses were introduced around 1965 and a number of models were offered until they were discontinued in the mid-1980s. They were the first SLRs to have auto exposure, through the lens metering, built in motor drive and a few other features. Konica Hexanon lenses are generally superb, many were legendary and yet they were surprisingly affordable. I used them for 20+ years.
At one time Konishiroku made the lenses used by JCII to test all other Japanese brands of lenses. Konica Corporation and it's predecessors were founded in the 1870s, several years before Kodak. In fact, George Eastman visited the Konishi Honten factories to exchange ideas.
Konica merged with Minolta in 2003, to form Konica-Minolta. They continued to build Minolta system cameras and lenses under that name. But those were no relation to and aren't interchangeable with the earlier Konica K/AR system. In 2006 Konica-Minolta sold all of it's photography divisions to Sony, who continued to develop and still offer the camera system (but sold off the light meter division to THK or Tokina/Hoya/Kenko... who still make the meters under the Kenko name). Konica-Minolta is still in business today, but mostly makes and sells business equipment (copiers and such).
As a side note, it was essentially autofocus that "killed off" the Konica K/AR SLR system (in spite of the fact that Konica had produced the first commercially successful autofocus point n shoot camera and a number of popular followups). Minolta had introduced the first successful SLR system with AF in the 1980s. Everyone else was scrambling to introduce a similar system. Canon tried making an AF camera with their old FD/FL mount, as well as several AF lenses for it, but ultimately instead came out with today's EF/EOS system to accommodate the necessary electronics. That "orphaned" their earlier system and pissed off a lot of users, but has proven to have been a good decision 30+ years later. Nikon and Pentax took a different tack and adapted their F-mount instead, in an effort to maintain some backward compatibility with their earlier manual focus lenses. But that made for a lot of compatibility issues. Leica just ignored it all and kept making manual focus lenses and cameras for another 25 years. Autofocus was a revolution in the photo industry in the 1980s... much as digital was in the early 2000s.
There were rumors that Konica actuallly had developed a new lens mount to accommodate AF... similar to what Canon did. However, Konica decided instead to simply discontinue SLRs entirely. They continued to make point n shoot film cameras and a few years later introduced the high-end Hexar rangefinder line that eventually included cameras using the Leica M-bayonet mount and compatible with that system. But their new electronic bayonet mount wasn't used by Konica. Instead there have been reports that Konica licensed or sold it to Sigma, who used it in their own system of SLR cameras and lenses, as well as later in DSLRs including the Merrill models that they still offer today.
The "MC" on the name ring of the lens stands for "multi-coated" and has nothing what-so-ever to do with the mount. (Note: Minolta did offer an "MC" series of lenses, where it meant "meter coupled". But this is a third party lens, not a Minolta. And on 3rd party lenses, "MC" was very commonly used to mean "multi-coated". You'll find it on many different 3rd party manufacturers' lenses.)
Unfortunately, that's not a Konica Hexanon lens. Mitakon were a relatively inexpensive and mediocre quality, third party brand of lenses, made to fit many different mounts.
Aug 19, 2018 14:18:25 #
rjaywallace wrote:
Google took me to eBay who says this might be a mount for Pentax K or Minolta MD or Canon FD.
Not even close to resembling Canon FD, FL or R.
Does not look like Pentax K.
Does resemble Minolta. MC means meter coupled for Minolta NOT multi Coated. Also the red mount index looks to be similarly placed in relation to the lever. But it still has the lugs and notch seemingly not correct.
The Konica Hexanon looks the closest but I am not real familiar with that mount.
Aug 19, 2018 15:47:51 #
StanMac
Loc: Tennessee
MC is a common designation for Multi-Coated on many lenses. Minolta MC and MD mounts are interchangeable - I have some of both. The A mount is not interchangeable with the MC/MD mount.
The position of the notch on that mounting tab is located much farther inward on the tab than those on my Minolta MD or MC mount lenses, which have it about 2-3mm from the end of the tab. That "hood" or "shield" that extends over the aperture actuator is typical of the Pentax K-mount lenses that I have, but is not typical on the Minolta MD/MC lenses. I've never owned or seen the mount of a Canon lens so cannot comment on its characteristics. If you have either a manual film Minolta camera or Pentax camera, try it to see if it fits.
Stan
The position of the notch on that mounting tab is located much farther inward on the tab than those on my Minolta MD or MC mount lenses, which have it about 2-3mm from the end of the tab. That "hood" or "shield" that extends over the aperture actuator is typical of the Pentax K-mount lenses that I have, but is not typical on the Minolta MD/MC lenses. I've never owned or seen the mount of a Canon lens so cannot comment on its characteristics. If you have either a manual film Minolta camera or Pentax camera, try it to see if it fits.
Stan
Aug 19, 2018 15:51:04 #
StanMac
Loc: Tennessee
Architect1776 wrote:
. . . .The Konica Hexanon looks the closest but I am not real familiar with that mount.
I agree. The notch and "hood" match the OP's photo almost identically.
Stan
Aug 19, 2018 16:38:28 #
StanMac wrote:
MC is a common designation for Multi-Coated on man... (show quote)
FYI for you and others.
New FD was last FD version
Original FD came just after the FL mount
FL Mount was after the R mount
Canomatic R mount was the first SLR mount with the Canon R mount a variation with no pins or levers on the back for a 100% manual lens.
All R, FL, FD and New FD were the same exact mount contrary to vicious rumors to the contrary and all lenses of each type would mount on any ICL Canon SLR prior to the EOS system with no problem with a couple of exceptions for odd lenses that extended into the mirror box and some bodies did not have the lock up for the mirror.
The only difference were the pins for R would not engage on the FL and FD series so manual control of the aperture was required. FL lenses would operate just fine on FD bodies except full aperture metering was not possible. FD lenses whether new or old all offered full aperture metering and the shutter priority/aperture priority /program modes of all cameras since about 1971. There again was the T&S and the 7.5 mm fish eye that required manual aperture control and stop down metering.
New FD Mount
(Download)
Original FD Mount
(Download)
FL Mount
(Download)
Canomatic R Mount
(Download)
Aug 19, 2018 16:57:52 #
It is a Minolta mount, I have a few lenses with the same mount and they are Minolta for shore.
Aug 19, 2018 20:53:40 #
Jim Bianco wrote:
It is a Minolta mount, I have a few lenses with the same mount and they are Minolta for shore.
What kind of Minolta? It defiantly doesn't fit my XE-7.
Aug 20, 2018 11:58:47 #
IShootEverything wrote:
What kind of Minolta? It defiantly doesn't fit my XE-7.
As I and others stated this is not Minolta, close but no cigar.
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