Looking to try something old

Afternoon,I'm looking to try some older lenses ,was wondering what peoples views are on this lens for example ? ....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VIVITAR-PK-PENTAX-MOUNT-1-3-9-4-8-F-28-70MM-MC-MACRO-F...

This is the sort of lens i'm looking to try ,i'm also open to suggestions .
Thanks
Sean

Quite an unusual lens. There's a bit on another forum about it here: link

There's mention of the extra Ricoh pin, so be warned if you get it to remove that or it might become permanent!

My thoughts are that if you have the standard Pentax 18-55 you're not going to gain much. But don't let that put you off.

John K

I love old lenses but only have primes when it comes to manual focus

The US/other-forum has a pretty comprehensive lens reviews section... A good resource...

I tend to stay away from manual-zooms as well... The Pentax-F (although AF) series of zooms seem to be quite sought after; moreso than the later FA-versions in many cases...

If you are wanting to try manual focus and don't have a large 'stable' of lenses already the obvious choice is one of the 'fast-fifties'...

M or A 50mm 1.7 (or 1.4) will give you a very diferent way of looking than offered by the 18-55kitlens... As will an M/A35mm f2 lens (which in my opinion is a much more useful focal length)

It's a slippery slope though...

Thanks for your feedback. I have another question,how easy/difficult are the Tamron adaptall to use ,and which adaptall would you recommend.

Thanks in advance

Check out Adaptall-2.org for some quite helpful info on Tamron lenses. The gold standard is the 180/2.5 SP but they cost a small fortune. The 24mm/2.5 wide angle is quite good, and I was impressed by a 200/3.5 (cheap and at least the equal of the Pentax 200/4 SMCM). The 90mm macro lenses have a good reputation for a reason, and the 500mm mirror lens can produce great results in the right conditions if you put the effort Adapters are expensive if you want to control the aperture from the e-dial, but cheap for the simple manual version if you don't mind using the aperture ring and a slightly longer process to achieve a correct exposure (you wouldn't buy one of these lenses if speed was an issue in any case....).

To be honest, the easiest route into old glass may be some of the Pentax SMC-M lenses - the 135/3.5 is easily available for less than fifty quid, 50mm/1.7s for less than that. The 28/3.5 is a nice lens, as is the 35/2.8 if your budget can't stretch to the f2 version. You might also consider the 50/4 SMCM macro, and the 50/1.4 is great. SMCA versions give the advantage of being able to move off manual mode too, but come at a price - and in some cases (not all) with slightly lower build quality. As Dave Holmes recommended above, the USA based Pentax forum site has a great review section.

Gee whiz.. Thanks for the in-depth reply much appreciate

Sean

My Tamron Adaptall 135mm f2.8 is a useful little item - well made and solid. It came from a secondhand dealer with a K-Mount adapter already fitted, so I had no worries there, although I guess these adapters are easily found?

Its not a true macro, but is kind of constructed like one with a big manual focus ring that has a very long and precise turn, so focusing handheld is a breeze. Seems sharp, but the bokeh is not great wide open.

It has an additional lever that neither of my Pentax MF lenses have, and that controls whether or not the aperture jumps back to fully open after shooting. In this position you get the full opening for the viewfinder. In the other position the aperture remains fixed at the position set on the ring, and so it makes the view dark at smaller settings. I'm guessing this option was to accommodate cameras with different mount capabilities at the time.

There are two Tamron K mount adapters, the KM (no 'A') also repeats the aperture scale of the lens so it it projected into the finder of those cameras with windows in the finder (MX, LX etc.). The scale isn't engraved though, making it harder to read it in the finder in some lighting conditions.

The other is the KA mount, which has an 'A' setting (but not the aperture repeater).

The KM is easier and cheaper (approx. £20) to find, the KA version is easy to find but can be expensive (up to £60).

My preference for older lenses would be Super-Tak or SMC-Tak primes, you need the M42 adapter but the lenses are beautifully built and more importantly work on my Spotmatic bodies.

John.

Morning folks,can i have your thoughts on this lens


SMC Pentax M Zoom 40-80mm f2.8-4 Pentax PK Mount

I have also just acquired a set of 50mm pentax extension tubes,again I' m open to advice

Thanks
Sean

I have one of those but found it a little soft when used in 'macro' mode. TBH I haven't used it in years.

K.

Thanks for that, would a prime lens be more usable whilst using ext tubes . I've gone and done my usual in the information overload front,i'm just looking for a nice lens that i can use with or without ext tube ,and because i'm a Scotsman i'm on a very tight budget ,something in the £30 mark ,might go a tad higher but as i say i'm a very tight Scot ,i have the kit lens so i'd be looking at something longer than that ,what would you suggest (prime lens i think)


Thanks
Sean

I would have thought the M50/1.7 would fit the bill. I may have one for sale shortly, having just bought the A50/1.4. I would probably be looking for £25 inc postage. But I want to compare both before deciding.

This is good advice from Jon and, if you have not tried it, using a prime is a great new experience. The 28mm f2.8 is a quite a good versatile one to start with, as it is only 1mm away from a standard lens (i.e. 43mm equiv. full frame) - you can leave it on the camera all day long and zoom with your feet whenever possible! If a prime longer than the kit lens is what you want, then as Jon suggests, you could go for the 135mm f3.5. However, apart from a 50mm, it might be difficult to find a good Pentax lens for as low as £30.

Philip