Very true, however, the Pentax Road Map predates Pentax's purchase by Hoya, so while I'm in the mood for idle speculation I'd add the following:

Hoya are (essentially) a glass foundry. Glass foundries need to sell glass to make money. FF lenses use more glass than DA ones. FF lenses are more profitable (to a glass seller) than DA ones.

Taken in isolation this proves nothing, however, I for one wouldn't be totally taken aback if the Pentax Road Map was replaced by a snazzy new Pentax Satellite Navigation System in the new year...

[idle_speculation]

14MP?

CMOS?

On-chip NR?

Expanded dynamic range?

FULL FRAME!!??

Could this be it: http://download.cypress.com.edgesuite.net/design_resources/datasheets/contents/ibis4_14000_8.pdf

If it is, then it's an update of the sensor used by Kodak in their SLRs of a few years back. Perhaps Pentax/Samsung have been tweaking it to overcome the 3fps max frame rate - it's not a Sony sensor anyway!

[/idle_speculation]

My two previous (film) SLR outfits - not including my Pentax Auto110 system - were Praktica (B mount, not M42 unfortunately) and Minolta. I can't recall more than about 4 or 5 lenses ever being available for the Praktica B, but the Minolta mount certainly had/has its fair share of glass available. Compared to the levels of choice available to Canikon users the Pentax system seems almost restrained! I'm not complaining though, I don't need a squillion lenses of similar focal lengths to choose from when just one good one will do the trick.

They still are in my house, give or take a few millimetres.

I'm always interested to hear what other folks use as their personal kit as no two people seem to be the same.

I own six lenses with my K10D, three of which are languishing lonely and unloved in a drawer; a Pentax DA18-55, a Tamron 70-300 and a Pentax M50/1.4. I'll probably keep all three as they have very little monetary value and I keep telling myself that I'll find a use for them one day (maybe as a second-body system?).

My other three lenses are constant companions and I'm delighted with all of them. Between them they cover pretty much all eventualities (except long telephoto and short macro which I'll address eventually) and I can't imagine parting with any of them.

For ultra-wide-to-wide-angle shots I use the Pentax DA12-24. This is a fantastic lens in terms of image quality and handling and with a span of 18-36mm in 35mm terms it covers all the "classic" 35mm lengths (20/24/28/35) nicely and with a bit of overlap at both ends. At a constant f4 it's no speed demon, but then how often would you shoot faster than f4 at these angles even if you had the opportunity? The fact that it gives very acceptable photos when wide open is the icing on the cake really. I do have a minor niggle; it's a chunky beast and with its lens hood (reverse) attached it takes over quite a bit of camera bag real estate (it takes 77mm filters and my other two lenses take 49mm). Now I can't really blame Pentax entirely as they do have to work within the constraints of the laws of physics, however, if they brought out a replacement that was half the size, took 49mm filters and matched the performance/specifications I'd trade in a heartbeat.

For my general-purpose-always-on-the-camera lens I have the Pentax FA43 Limited (thanks again Kim - can't tell you how much I love it!) which is now used for about 60-70% of all my photography. With an angle of view roughly equal to 65mm in 35mm terms it is a little long to be described as "normal" and a little short to be described as "telephoto" but then I've never cared much for labels... The quality of the pictures it takes is (to my mind) quite outstanding. The handling is a tactile delight and the f1.9 aperture (combined with SR and a high ISO) allows me to take hand held shots in even the dimmest of conditions. The build quality is sublime, it's tiny and unobtrusive, it takes 49mm filters (don't underestimate the benefits of having a system built around a single filter size - especially if the filter size in question is one of the more affordable ones!) and even the silver finish gives it just that extra touch of charm. I'll probably end up being buried with this lens.

Finally, for telephoto and macro work I have the Pentax D-FA100 Macro. With a field of view that equates to 150mm in 35mm terms this lens gets a lot of use in all manner of situations, only a few of which involve the macro photography it's designed for. Now, I'm a relatively recent convert to Pentax, so I haven't used all the previous incarnations of this lens and there is some contention over which is the best. As far as I'm concerned, they should all produce the same quality image-wise but the D-FA has the quick-shift focus, is incredibly compact and light and yes it uses 49mm filters! While the macro loses just over a stop of light to the 43 it's still quite fast as telephotos go and I would put the image quality on a par with the little Limited lens - high praise indeed.

To round out my kit bag I'd like a wider macro lens for copy-stand work (looking forward to seeing the new DA35 Macro Limited when it gets released) and eventually I'll probably stump up some money for a longer fast telephoto, although that's a long long way down my list of priorities as things stand. In a perfect world I'd also like to see an 18mm (or thereabouts) tilt/shift lens but I won't be holding my breath on that one...

I'll finish with some examples; I went greyhound racing on Saturday with a large group of friends and, as usual, I was the designated photographer (the downside of owning nice toys ). All three lenses got a workout, and while these photos don't really do them justice they do give an idea of the versatility that this trio has:

DA12-24




FA43




D-FA100




All shots taken in RAW; white balance adjusted, +1 sharpness and cropped/resized for web in Pentax Photo Lab. No other changes.

Excellent (and quick) judging, a very strong field and a worthy winner - congrats to all!

K10D / D-FA100 Macro / f8 / 1-125sec / ISO100 / AF360FGZ

I'm a bit more optimistic than Peter, I've just had a quick look at some completed auctions on eBay and I'd estimate the following:

Pentax Spotmatic camera £20-30

28mm Lens £30

135mm Lens £35

55mm Lens £10

The two Vivitar teleconverters would have a negligible value.

This all assumes that the items are in good working order of course. Good luck!

Hello Becky, welcome to the forum.

As a general rule of thumb old cameras are not worth as much as old lenses - I'm not au fait with values on older Pentax equipment but I'm sure there are several on here who will be able to give you a guide price on the body from your description. With regard to the lenses though more information is certainly required. You'll notice that each lens has a series of words and numbers around the front element, for example:

ASAHI OPT. CO. JAPAN SMC PENTAX-M 1:1.4 50mm 7402544

It is this string of letters, words and numbers that will allow us to identify what you have and then give you an accurate valuation. Some old lenses may be worth a couple of pounds, others a few hundred and so it's important to know exactly what you've got there.

Just the actual focal length of the lens (ie 50mm in your example). Ignore any crop factor, the camera works that bit out for you.