Yes, there are plenty of manual 135mm lenses around that range from good to exceptional. For years 135mm was the most common telephoto length and they are relatively simple designs so they tend to be cheap, good and plentiful.

What can I say, I'm a glass half-full kind of guy.

As for the rest; yes certain shops will always push certain brands that offer the best incentives to them - it's not exactly a new concept.

If I was Pentax I'd have refused to supply a debt-ridden and weak looking chain with a large proportion of my stock on the never-never too. Instead I'd concentrate on online sales (where people who like to price-check shop), supermarkets/Argos/etc (for those who want it *now*) and specialised boutiques where those with the cash can make impulse purchases with four-figure price tags. For an example of the latter check out the Pentax display at Harrods - it's bigger than any of the other manufacturers' displays and has a full spread of Limiteds and Stars as well as the red crystal K200D (nestled on a satin cushion of course!).

Pentax are not going to be rivalling Canon or Nikon in terms of sales for a very long time (decades even) but as long as they keep coming up with great products I really don't care. After all, I don't hear many Ferrari owners complaining about Toyota because they sell more cars.

There are many people on this forum with experience of buying and selling used Pentax equipment, if you post a list on this thread you'll get a fair idea of what everything will fetch on eBay (expect less money if you sell items together or via this site, however, you'll be saving hassle and eBay fees so the net result could be much the same).

Are these your cameras? Link

If so, congratulations! You have a pair of Pentax LX cameras and they are highly sought after and relatively valuable (£300+ each).

Please do list the other lenses, it sounds like your late father had some very nice equipment. Are there any accessories too (bellows, flashes, etc)?

I did think of that, but most consumers wouldn't always carry it with them. How many of your (non-enthusiast) SLR owning mates carry and use so much as a remote cord? None of mine do because they bought gadgets that they don't really understand and they're quite happy to throw additional gadget-bucks at it to make it even more bling. Dangling wires ain't bling...

Either way, if I was Pentax Marketing I'd be bundling a DA18-55 WR too.

"So you're saying you shot all this with your new SLR?"

"Yeah, wait to you see it, the quality's amaaaaazing!"

(plugs camera into TV and switches on)

"Awwwwwww, Little Sally looks so cute!"

"Wait 'til you see the arty one I did of the dog."

"That. Is. AWESOME! I gotta get one of these! What's that funny buzzing noise? Did you have a fan on or something?"

"That's the lens changing focus. We found it a bit annoying so Bob's ordered a quiet one that's won loads of awards and is even better than this one."

"Cool."


I don't have hard figures but I'm willing to bet Pentax make a lot more money from lenses than bodies, so I say well played Hoya!

I think there'll be a market for old lenses for a long time to come, but I do agree that bodies are a different matter entirely.

As for choosing which lens to keep, simply go out with each one for a day (with your K10D) and see which one's results you prefer. Lab charts can be useful in context but they don't tell the whole story - all these lenses will be more than sharp enough for any purpose, but each will have a different "signature" look and that's a personal taste thing.

My two personal 50's are both excellent performers but they render pictures differently. The M50 has a classic "Pentax" look (which I like) and is bitingly sharp by about f/2.4, the Pancolar has a very Zeiss-like way of rendering things (which I also like) but takes until about f/4 to get really sharp. I find the Pentax better indoors where it has a wider useable aperture and a nice soft bokeh; for landscapes and distant objects I find the Zeiss able to resolve more detail than the Pentax (not by much but it's there) and the closer minimum focus distance means it can double up as a semi-macro lens in a pinch.

It'll cost you nothing to try and then you'll know which one(s) to keep.

If it's as nice as it looks (and I've liked pretty much everything I've seen and heard so far) then I'll probably snap at around £600. Which means I'll get one in about 18 months / 2 years I reckon...

Lucky I'm a patient chap really

I've had a fair few Pentax fit 50mm's pass through my hands (anyone who watches my eBay auctions will recognise the understatement there!) including Ricohs, Chinons and Pentaxes as well as numerous M42 mount lenses.

For what it's worth the ones I've chosen to keep (because they're my absolute favourites) are the Pentax M50/1.7 (which I prefer to the various 1.4's and the 2's) and the Zeiss Pancolar 50/1.8 (M42 mount).

The Ricohs are good, but have never struck me as being outstanding optically compared to the others. I usually get less money when I sell them though so from a price/performance point of view I suppose they could be worth keeping an eye out for.

The K10 & K20 batteries are a straight swap so no worries there.