Tamron Adapt-a-Matic interchangeable lens mounts with auto diaphragm

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Tamron Adapt-a-Matic interchangeable lens mounts with auto diaphragm

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The Tamron Adapt-a-Matic Lens System
Tamron is one of the top Japanese independent lens makers, and Adapt-a-Matic lenses were the company's first automatic types with interchangeable mounts. They were made from around 1969 to 1973, pre-dating the later and more common Adaptall and Adaptall 2 lenses, with which they are NOT compatible. All the mounts had automatic diaphragm, and the lenses had a manual switch for depth of field preview or stopped down metering. Selected mounts allowed full aperture metering (including Nikon, Minolta, Miranda and Topcon – see the list below), using external coupling rings. Some mounts worked on suitable cameras with auto exposure such as the Canon T60, Chinon Memotron, Konica Autoreflex series, Minolta XE-1 and Nikkormat EL.

Tamron Adapt-a-Matic 135mm lens showing rear mount

Adapt-a-Matic lenses can be identified by examining the rear with no mount fitted (see picture above). They have a large external screw thread (58mm in diameter) which accepts the mount's locking collar, whereas Adaptall and Adaptall 2 lenses have an internal bayonet mount with a silver lock release button. Adapt-a-Matic mounts are fitted to the lens by matching the red dots, inserting the auto diaphragm lever into the opening in the lens, and rotating the mount until the lens's locating screw drops into the slot. The locking ring is then screwed onto the rear of the lens, holding the mount in place.

Range of lenses
Tamron Adapt-a-Matic lenses made included the following models:

21mm f/4.5 ultra wide angle
24mm f/3.5 extra wide angle
28mm f/2.8 wide angle
35mm f/2.8 wide angle
105mm f/2.5 portrait
135mm f/2.8 and f/3.5 telephoto
200mm f/3.5 and f/4.5 telephoto
300mm f/5.6 long telephoto
70-220mm f/4 telephoto zoom
85-205mm f/3.5 telephoto zoom
80-250mm f/3.8 telephoto zoom
200-500mm f/6.9 long telephoto zoom

All of the zooms except the 85-205mm had built-in, rotating tripod mounts – just as well, as they're large and heavy. The earlier lenses (with metal focusing rings) may not have the slots required for full aperture metering, whereas the later types (with rubber focusing grips) typically do. A meter coupling ring was sold for the Miranda mount giving full aperture metering on Sensorex cameras, and this didn't require the slots – it was aligned manually.

Mounts included the following:

C-AF for Canon FP, FT, FX and Pellix (FL fit, usable on many FD cameras with restrictions)
Canon FTb for the F-1 series, FTb, TX, AT-1, T60 etc. (with full aperture metering)
EX for Exakta cameras (East German models with external bayonet fitting only)
K-A (Konica) for Auto-Reflex, Autorex and Autoreflex (not suitable for auto exposure)
Konica FTA for Auto-Reflex, Autorex and Autoreflex (compatible with auto exposure)
M-A for Miranda F, G, Automex and Sensorex (extra ring required for full aperture metering)
N-IF for Nikon F, F2 and Photomic, Nikkormat FS, FT, FTn, FT2, EL, ELW and Nikkorex F (pre-AI)
P-CS for Pentax, Praktica, Edixa, Fujica, Mamiya, Ricoh and many other M42 screw cameras
P-E for Petri FT, Flex, Penta (and other breech lock models, without auto exposure)
SR for Minolta SR1, SR2, SR7 and SRM (plus later models with stopped down metering)
SR-T for Minolta SR-T, X, XE, XG, XM and others (MC fitting with full aperture metering)
T-O for Topcon RE Super, RE-2, RE300, Super DM, etc. (with full aperture metering)
A dealer's ad in AP magazine (1973) states there was a mount for Olympus FTL...

Tamron Adapt-a-Matic mount for Exakta

Added 10th April 2012
Updated 5th May 2012
Updated 11th April 2013
Updated 25th June 2018