Welcome to another edition of New Old Glass, where I take a closer look at vintage camera lenses—often ones I probably didn’t need, but couldn’t resist. Today’s feature? The Makinon Auto 28mm F2.8, a lens that came with a bit of a mystery and a lot of character.

When I first picked it up, I was baffled by its mount. The seller had listed it as M42, but what I saw didn’t seem to match. Instead of the familiar threads, there was a smooth aluminium ring covering the rear of the lens. No bayonets, no obvious connection points—just smooth metal. It was a puzzle.

• Lens Name: Makinon Auto 28mm F2.8

• Mount: M42

• Optical Formula: 8 elements in 7 groups

• Aperture Blades: 8

• Weight: 223g

I picked this lens up for next to nothing—partly because of the price, and partly because I couldn’t figure out what mount it used at first glance. That confusion? All thanks to a strange aluminium ring wrapped around the base, completely hiding the familiar M42 thread underneath.

At first, it looked like no mount I had seen before. No threads, no bayonets, just a smooth metal ring. But something told me there was more to it.

A closer look revealed a faint “P42” marking near the aperture ring—my first clue. And then I spotted just the slightest glimpse of thread peeking out from beneath the ring. I grabbed a lens removal tool, gave the ring a careful twist, and there it was: a standard M42 thread mount.

To this day, I’m still unsure why this lens came with that additional ring—possibly a protective cap, or maybe part of a conversion system? If you know, feel free to shoot me a message!

Unfortunately, this particular copy has a noticeable case of lens fungus near the edge of the glass. It’s not immediately catastrophic, but enough to relegate this lens to my “repair someday” shelf.

Still, for the price I paid, it was worth it just for the detective work and a bit of hands-on lens mount education.

The Makinon Auto 28mm F2.8 may not be a legendary lens, but it’s a fun and quirky addition to any vintage collection—especially if you enjoy solving a bit of a mystery along the way.

Until next time, keep shooting and keep hunting for that next oddball find.