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Adapter for Using Pentax K-Mount Manual Lenses on Canon EOS 6D Full Frame Camera Body

stlouisblues
Contributor

Hello:

 

Does anyone know if there is an adapter available for attaching Pentax K-Mount manual lenses onto a Canon EOS 6D camera body and , if so, what is the name of the adapter, where to buy it, approximate cost  and instructions for its use?

 

I have a few quality Pentax K-mount lenses (f2.8, f2.8-4, etc. and I would like to use them if there is an adapter that would be functional.

 

Thank you.

 

 

9 REPLIES 9

MikeSowsun
Authority
Authority

There are lots of cheap adapters available that will allow you to mount a Pentax K lens on your 6D. The problem is that the lenses have levers that may interfere with the operation of the mirror. 

 

If there is interference, most people just cut off the lever but some will disassemble the lens and remove the lever.

 

63CC2B91-72AC-46C7-8A69-A92414847FC0.jpeg

 

4F83F35F-E995-486B-81AB-06A062D12278.jpeg

 

Mike Sowsun

Thank you for the information.

I know it is tempting to have a large collection of old glass you love but it is really best to leave the past in the past.

Believe me I know! Smiley Sad

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!


@ebiggs1 wrote:

I know it is tempting to have a large collection of old glass you love but it is really best to leave the past in the past.

Believe me I know! Smiley Sad


Sounds like there's a cautionary tale there, Ernie. Are we going to get to hear it?  Smiley Wink

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

I have spent a lot of money and time trying to do it. I have several dozen old school lenses that make pretty nice bookends now and paper weights. You can get it to work, there is no doubt.  But the effort and results are not worth the trouble.

 

Unless you have one of the old great white lenses, you are far better off buying new lenses.  The ef 50mm f1.8 is $125 bucks and is lightyears better and it works.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Waddizzle
Legend
Legend

@stlouisblues wrote:

Hello:

 

Does anyone know if there is an adapter available for attaching Pentax K-Mount manual lenses onto a Canon EOS 6D camera body and , if so, what is the name of the adapter, where to buy it, approximate cost  and instructions for its use?

 

I have a few quality Pentax K-mount lenses (f2.8, f2.8-4, etc. and I would like to use them if there is an adapter that would be functional.

 

Thank you.

 

 


If you can find a proper adapter to use, I suspect that you will be disappointed for a couple of reasons.

 

One, you will have trouble focusing the lenses.  Most of today’s digital DSLRs are designed for use with autofocusing lenses.  The viewfinders display AF points, not a manual focusing reticule.  AFAIK, Canon does not a manual focusing screen for the 6D.

 

Two, your images will look soft compared to even the least expensive of today’s autofocusing lenses.  Lens technology has dramatically improved over the last couple of decades, due in large part to the improvements in manufacturing.    

 

Three, sometimes you may hear the term “digital lens” to describe a modern AF lens, which alludes to the manufacturing differences between lenses designed and manufactured prior to the introduction of digital image sensors.  

 

Unlike film, the surface of a digital sensor can reflect significant light back up into the lens.  This can create images with haze and other undesirable features.  So, digital lenses contain lens elements that specially coated to minimize the effects of light reflecting back up into the lens body.  

 

No doubt there may be exceptions out there, for the most part the older lenses that were originally designed for camera bodies that use films do not have these coatings.  Only the “best of the best” lenses from the era are worth using with today’s DSLR camera bodies.  Like I said earlier, most of the least expensive lenses are sharper than the many of the most expensive lenses from 30+ years ago.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

ebiggs1
Legend
Legend

"I have a few quality Pentax K-mount lenses ..."

 

This is a bad idea all around.  None of your "quality Pentax" lenses are better than the cheapest DSLR lenses made today.

It will never work well and it can be dangerous in certain use.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!


@ebiggs1 wrote:

"I have a few quality Pentax K-mount lenses ..."

 

This is a bad idea all around.  None of your "quality Pentax" lenses are better than the cheapest DSLR lenses made today.

It will never work well and it can be dangerous in certain use.


Excellent point about the potential danger to cause damage.  

 

I just browsed B&H for adapters, and found the one pictured above.  The two models of lens adapters that I can find, including the one pictured above, are made for EF-S mounts, not full frame EF mounts.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

Waddizzle
Legend
Legend

@stlouisblues wrote:

Hello:

 

Does anyone know if there is an adapter available for attaching Pentax K-Mount manual lenses onto a Canon EOS 6D camera body and , if so, what is the name of the adapter, where to buy it, approximate cost  and instructions for its use?

 

I have a few quality Pentax K-mount lenses (f2.8, f2.8-4, etc. and I would like to use them if there is an adapter that would be functional.

 

Thank you.

 

 


I do not know much about the Pentax K mount, but the two adapters that I have found are only made for EF-S mount bodies, despite the fact that the mount was made for 35mm film bodies.  This would suggest to me that the above cautions about potential damage to the mirror in a full frame body are real, and not mere speculation.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."
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