Looks like it was in good condition which makes it a relative bargain at that price.

Last week I got a K-x with 17.5K shots on it with a manual focus version of the Sigma Super-Wide 24mm f/2.8 on it for under €50, with the intention of selling off my AF version of the same lens, which I never use. The MF copy seems fine except for the aperture ring, which has a very gritty feel to it (like a bad copy of the A 50mm f/1,7), so I will need to try it out to decide what stays and what goes.

The K-x also seems OK so far. It had the original firmware so I upgraded that (allows SDXC cards) and I have been into debug mode a little to start the process of fixing the back-focus problem it has. It seems the same for all my lenses so I don't know how the previous owner got through 17K shots with a significant back-focus. Maybe he only used it with the kit lens at f/8 and it wasn't that noticeable.

They have a used 43mm Limited for a tenner MORE than the new price

The black 70-200mm is listed as on clearance and the silver one costs more than double the black one. That could be the best Pentax lens deal ever.

Excellent price for the HD 35mm - it makes a great standard prime on an APS-C DSLR.

Many thanks.

Using manual lenses on the S5 is not problematic at all - they are much easier to focus with precision than they were with the K-3 and it's wonderful to finally have them with their originally intended field of view on digital. My enjoyment of old manual lenses has been renewed with the new camera. Adapters are available for all major mounts at reasonable prices.

I've ordered a preset Takumar 300mm f/6.3 but won't get my hands on it until I'm back in the UK in May. I've never owned a lens that long so looking forward to seeing how it performs.

I'm interested in the 135mm. Would it be possible to post some sample images, especially wide open?

Many thanks

Normally I'd post a thread with twelve of my best efforts of the year around this time but this will be a bit different. I switched to the L-mount in April as my main camera system and have barely touched my K-3 or Fujifilm X-T20 since. I'd have loved to stay with Pentax but they don't make the camera that's best for me, so I'll need to learn to live with it. As such, I'm posting only seven shots taken on the K-3 this year as I don't feel that any others really represent my best of the year. Looking back at the thread I posted at the end of 2021 these few seem poor in comparison.

I still use plenty of old, mainly Pentax, lenses on my S5 and enjoy them even more than I did on the K-3 and X-T20 but I'm not sure of the tolerance on this forum for images taken with a Pentax lens but a non-Pentax camera.

Some lovely spring colours from the DA 70mm.


Pink on blue by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

A few images from our return visit to Valencia in the spring.


IMG_5673 by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Orange II by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Hope by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

A sunrise through a window with the wonderful K 28mm f/2.


Sunrise condensation by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

A moggy in the street with the FA 43mm wide open on what I knew would be my last proper outing with the K-3.


IMG_5538 by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

And a shot of a couple of balloons from this year's disappointing balloon festival in Segovia. The 16-85mm has a great range and quality for shooting such events.


IMG_5710 by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

I wish I had enough cash to have two copies of a £1200 lens lying around and even completely forget about one of them for years.

Even if you pay to repair it the SDM motor will probably fail and that's another cost later on.

This is why I don't touch 1st gen Pentax SDM lenses.