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Suggestions please on K-mount prime lenses
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 1:07 pm    Post subject: Suggestions please on K-mount prime lenses Reply with quote

I reckon I've just about finished buying all the M42 lenses I can use for the time being. I use them on three M42 film cameras as well as the 400D, and also with K-mount adapters on my Pentax ME Super and K2. I can't see much point in buying lenses with other mounts (e.g. Nikon or C/Y) if I can't use them with the film cameras.

So if I buy any more lenses now I'm probably going to be concentrating on K-mount primes. I only have one at present - the original smc Pentax-M 1.7/50 kit lens for the ME (the K2 came body-only). I also use the Tamron zooms with PK Adaptall mounts.

I've never really looked very deeply into Pentax or other makes of K-mount prime lenses. What are your recommendations in various focal lengths?


PostPosted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 1:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chinon made lenses are cheap ones and above average.I not heard good things about Pentax-K 135mm f2.5.If you can get a Pentax-KA adaptall mount Tamron SP line should be the best choice.I have SMC-M Takumar 85mm f1.8 Pentax-K expensive , rare but good one.


PostPosted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Definitely the SMC-M 2.8/28! Wink


PostPosted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 2:38 pm    Post subject: Re: Suggestions please Reply with quote

peterqd wrote:
I've never really looked very deeply into Pentax or other makes of K-mount prime lenses. What are your recommendations in various focal lengths?


Peter,

As a Pentax user, I have bought quite a few K-mount lenses. Now, I prefer buying M42 or Tamron Adaptall lenses, because K-mount lenses don't work on my EOS 1DS camera: the diaphragm stop down lever on the lens interferes with the mirror operation of the body on Canon full frame cameras. Some people actually choose to remove the diaphragm stop down lever and its flange in order to be able to use K-mount lenses on Canon full frame bodies. As I prefer no to mutilate my lenses, I cannot use them on my EOS 1DS.

This is what I have in K-mount (most are autofocus lenses):
- Pentax DA 10-17 fisheye zoom: great little lens to use on a crop format camera, where it offers the widest field of view available. Note that a Zenitar will serve almost the same purpose (it will not go as wide though) and will be usable on full frame.
- Pentax DA 18-55/3.5-5.6: not too bad for a "kit lens" but needs to be stopped down quite a bit.
- Pentax FA 20/2.8: very good ultrawide. Good colors, sharp, low aberrations. A bit of distortion compared to the Flektogon, but much less than the average wide zoom.
- Pentax FA 20-35/4: not as good as the 20/2.8, lots of chromatic aberrations.
- Pentax FA 24-90/3.5-4.5: wide to small tele zoom of acceptable quality. Nice as a carry along all-purpose lens.
- Pentax FA 35/2: good lens but I don't like the rendering (too harsh).
- Pentax FA 50/1.4: good normal lens. I prefer the old Super-Takumar though.
- Pentax FA 77/1.8 Limited: lovely lens with superb rendering but lots of purple fringing.
- Pentax F*300/4.5: superlative lens. My best telephoto lens by far. The only drawback is the bokeh, which is sometimes a bit rough, but this is nitpicking.

Apart from Pentax, I also have:
- Sigma 20/1.8: plain bad lens.
- Sigma 24/1.8: much better than the 20mm. Very useful as an all-purpose wide lens on crop format cameras. Can focus very close.
- Sigma 30/1.4: sharp only in the center of the frame; lots of purple fringing. Usable only on a crop-format camera.
- Porst 55/1.2: very nice rendering, sharp even wide open, but lots of chromatic aberrations.
- Voigtländer Apo-Lanthar 125/2.5 and 180/4 in K-mount. Two lenses of unsurpassed quality in their category. Perfect.

In fact, I should sell all the Pentax lenses except the FA 20/2.8 and F*300/4.5 as well as the Sigma 20/1.8 and 30/1.4.

Cheers!

Abbazz


PostPosted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 5:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the replies. My cameras are plain K-mount, not KA or anything later, so lenses later than smc-M aren't vital (unless they're worth getting for their performance). I don't need any autofocus lenses, nor the more advanced AD2 mount, and the aperture lever won't be a problem.

Carsten, I've already got an smc-M 2.8/28 lined up! Wink


PostPosted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 11:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some of Ricoh's lenses from the early 80's were very good performers in K mount and can be picked up very cheaply.