35mm f2.8 SMC-A.

I spent most of Womble's KX money on a K1000. I didn't really want another one, as I already have three of the bleedin' things!.. No. - My attention was drawn to this one, for the lens that was attached to the front. A series 28s and 50s are very common, but the 35, though not being what you'd call rare, is uncommon. I think that I have only ever seen two or three on ebay before. Much is known about the qualities of the 28 and 50s, but there's not much said about the 35mm, on the internet. Anybody here got one, and can give an opinion on it?
The one I got is in excellent, unmarked condition. Near mint, really. I look forward to testing it out on the ist D over the weekend. If it is anything near as good as the 28 and all versions of the 50, I'll keep it.
With a bit of luck, I should get back most of what I paid, when I re-sell the camera body.

It seems pretty well thought of. I wish I spotted these "common camera with unusual lens" lots, my bargain hunting is limited to browsing a certain camera shop's website as they occasionally have uncommon primes for low prices!

Oh!... Care to share the name of this "certain camera shop", then?


No? - Don't blame you!

Carmarthen Camera Centre is the one I keep an eye on, they usually have a few items for less than ebay.

Took delivery of an SMC Pentax (K series) 120mm f2.8 today, pretty much mint apart from needing a clean, £65. Not bad I feel!

No,no,no! - Blimey! That's not how you do it! - You're supposed to keep these things under your hat, to stop predatory Buggers like me from snapping up all the bargains!

Quick!... Delete your post, before anyone spots it!

Too late, they don't have any bargains left (I've bought most of the interesting stuff!)

I had a feeling it would be

Only remaining interesting thing that I can see is a K series 200mm f4 for £99...

Let us know what you think of it... K.

So far I like it. A brief outdoor test saw it metering perfectly in M (none of the usual shutter speed juggling, it appeared spot on at all apertures at 400 ISO under natural daylight) and it seems very sharp from f2.8 onwards. Well worth a look if you see one at a price you're willing to pay, although they seem pretty rare.

Build quality is the usual Pentax K series - smooth, precise controls and heavy. It balances nicely on my K-m though. I would like to get hold of the matching lens hood but I'm not holding my breath, the lens was a lucky find!

That said, I did manage to find a matching hood for my K 85-210mm...

Two tests from the 120mm f2.8:

Firstly the ever-popular kitchen cupboard at f2.8, 400 ISO
[IMG]http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x21/Kingofthemountains/IMGP1576.jpg[/IMG]

Secondly the daffodils that seem to be appearing in quite a few images at the moment, I think these were at f4 or f3.5, somewhere around there anyway. 400 ISO again
[IMG]http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x21/Kingofthemountains/IMGP1579.jpg[/IMG]

I will attempt to take some better photos and give the lens its own thread in the Gear section over the weekend, these are just quick tests. Amazingly it does seem to meter correctly in M mode - all I had to do was set aperture and press the green button. This is probably the first pre-A lens I've owned where this is the case.