My brief tests with mine (before it was wrapped up and stashed away for my birthday in just over a month) showed that it was very sharp throughout the aperture range. A worthy successor to the old 50/1.7 standard prime lens.

I regret to inform the world of the passing of a much-loved family member...


The Chinon slide projector which has been in the family since the 1980s is no more! I dug it out today for a bit of nostalgia, as I've just had a batch of slides back from Boots. Unfortunately I found some marks in the beam, which upon closer inspection turn out to be a couple of gouges in one of the (plastic) internal lenses and, even worse, a strange bubbly melted bit where it obviously shifted and then became jammed against the glass lens behind it.

I have tried to rub down and polish the bubbled section but it seems to go into the lens, so there's no way I could remove it all without causing weird distortions in that area. Unless anyone has a dead Chinon 5000 Auto with good internal lenses I think this one's had it.

Not sure if I'd get away with the Metz 45CL-1 monster flash on the same basis...

I quite enjoy getting better results with less gear. This feeds neatly back into the old primes!

The SMC Pentax 135/2.5 is a lot rarer and more expensive. It seems hard enough to find the K series version of the 135/3.5 let alone the faster one.

Just avoid the one badged as a Takumar Bayonet 135mm f2.5, it's more or less universally considered to be dire. Ebay sellers seem to think it should be expensive due to the fast aperture, but for the same money or less you can find a good M 135/3.5 which will demolish it pretty comprehensively.

If you want to add to the collection I'd suggest keeping an eye open for a good but cheap Pentax-M 135mm f3.5. Very compact and faster than pretty much anything else at that focal length (unless you get into spending big money on f2.8 zooms).

I guess it depends on how you use your camera. The main appeal of primes (to me) is that they tend to be smaller than zooms as well as generally offering better image quality and faster apertures. While I hardly ever use f2.8 or f3.5 I appreciate the brighter viewfinder over a zoom, and the fact that if necessary you can sacrifice depth of field in order to get shots in low light.

I'll be taking my 120mm f2.8 to the Top Gear Live show next month. A zoom with similar speed would be massive and might well attract unwanted attention (the website gives a thumbs up for non-professional photography, presumably gauged by the size and type of gear used - I had no trouble with the K-m and kit lens last year). The 120mm looks pretty much like a kit lens at first glance but has a focal length and aperture to keep up with those gigantic white zooms which scream "pro". It also weighs a lot less and will fit in a large pocket!

Currently hoping a slightly rare genuine Pentax lens hood for the 40-80mm will arrive before I go on holiday. Amazingly nobody else seemed interested as it went around a couple of times, after which I made an offer of 2/3rds of the price and bagged it!

I know that lens has a bad reputation but I rather like it. Makes a handy macro lens on digital and is more than sharp enough when stopped down and properly focused. As a bonus, the hood also fits the M 40mm and 50mm primes.

It's a common error to make - I've seen more than a few unwitting ebay sellers put "Pentax 50mm 1:2" or variations thereof in listings.

Main difference between K and M lenses is the size, and most likely the SMC coatings were a different recipe as they've doubtless evolved more or less continually. Most of the standard K primes take 52mm filters (58mm in the case of some larger lenses) while most M series take 49mm (with 52mm or even 58mm on some larger lenses).

Weirdly I've been thinking the same thing about the 28/3.5 I have. It goes to infinity very rapidly and is more or less focus free for larger subjects.

I am seriously considering saving for a K-x as they seem to be coming down in price, the video mode and higher resolution sensor appeal.

Try ebay for the 18-55mm, you can often find DA-L versions which have been split from a kit for not much money. Even better, SRS were selling the WR version (IIRC the K20D has weather seals?) for £65 last time I looked, which is a very nicely-made lens. The DA L is optically identical but doesn't feel quite as solid.