Old Pentax lenses and the new K20D?

[Italian]

Hello
What do you think about the old Pentax lenses being used with the new K20D? Pentax has developed a new version of the kit lense, the 18-55 II. They made this because - as I have understood - the old 18-55 has a resolution, which could make problems being used with the 14 MP K20D.

But what is gonna happen with the other old Pentax lenses? Are there any other lenses which could cause problems with the K20D?

[Lowell Goudge]

Originally Posted by Italian

Hello
What do you think about the old Pentax lenses being used with the new K20D? Pentax has developed a new version of the kit lense, the 18-55 II. They made this because - as I have understood - the old 18-55 has a resolution, which could make problems being used with the 14 MP K20D.

But what is gonna happen with the other old Pentax lenses? Are there any other lenses which could cause problems with the K20D?

I think this is BS.

the pixle pitch for the K10D based upon 10MP and 16 x 24 mm frame is 6.2 microns. to go to 14MP in the same sensor size is 5.2 microns.

I doubt 20% change will produce any more problems than they already have. If this lens can't work, they blow the entire marketing strategy because nothing sold to date will work. Pentax lenses, included.

I think you will find the new kit lens has SDM and there may or may not be a screw drive on all new cameras just like Nikon

[WendyB]

I hope this answers your and others concerns about the “backwards compatibility” of previously produced “Pentax” lenses with the K20-D body.

Pentax was very careful when choosing which individuals would test out the K20-D. Pentax rounded up a very well seasoned cross-section of photographers to work with the development engineering team. Some professional photographers, some very well respected semi Pro’s, and some very well known amateurs with extensive experience and lens collections.

I can assure you the K20-D respectfully is fully compatible with all previous K mount and beyond series lenses. With reasonable expectations.

Pentax is the only company that made the effort to make sure of their product lens lines backward compatibility.

Ask C&N if they proceeded within the same fashion with their product development as Pentax did.

PS: Lowell , I will be in TO in mid March. Lets sit down have lunch and compare notes.

[Italian]

Thanks for your fast answers I like Pentax more and more, hope to have the "little amount of money" to buy my dslr pentax equipment. It is a bit strange, but Pentax seems to attract me in a magical way. Whereas Nikon or Canon are tools for me, Pentax is a bit more - strange but nice

[Lowell Goudge]

Originally Posted by WendyB

I hope this answers your and others concerns about the “backwards compatibility” of previously produced “Pentax” lenses with the K20-D body.

Pentax was very careful when choosing which individuals would test out the K20-D. Pentax rounded up a very well seasoned cross-section of photographers to work with the development engineering team. Some professional photographers, some very well respected semi Pro’s, and some very well known amateurs with extensive experience and lens collections.

I can assure you the K20-D respectfully is fully compatible with all previous K mount and beyond series lenses. With reasonable expectations.

Pentax is the only company that made the effort to make sure of their product lens lines backward compatibility.

Ask C&N if they proceeded within the same fashion with their product development as Pentax did.

PS: Lowell , I will be in TO in mid March. Lets sit down have lunch and compare notes.

Wendy

Did they define "With reasonable expectations"??

I love that term, because reasonable can be quite different when viewed from the side of the seller as opposed to the buyer.

[Jerry Thirsty]

Originally Posted by WendyB

Pentax is the only company that made the effort to make sure of their product lens lines backward compatibility.

Ever tried to use your DA70 on a K1000? I wouldn't call having no control over the aperture a "reasonable expectation". Backward compatibility works two ways; unfortunately Pentax has decided to abandon half of the equation. In my opinion, they are only marginally better than Nikon at this point, and one of the main reasons why I started buying Pentax products in the first place gets less and less compelling with each new lens they introduce. I have never bought a lens without an aperture ring, and I won't as long as there are other options. Pentax has lost a lot of my money to the used market and third party manufacturers over the past few years. I suppose they make enough from new adopters to justify their loss of cachet to us old-timers.

[Lowell Goudge]

Originally Posted by Jerry Thirsty

Ever tried to use your DA70 on a K1000? I wouldn't call having no control over the aperture a "reasonable expectation". Backward compatibility works two ways; unfortunately Pentax has decided to abandon half of the equation. In my opinion, they are only marginally better than Nikon at this point, and one of the main reasons why I started buying Pentax products in the first place gets less and less compelling with each new lens they introduce. I have never bought a lens without an aperture ring, and I won't as long as there are other options. Pentax has lost a lot of my money to the used market and third party manufacturers over the past few years. I suppose they make enough from new adopters to justify their loss of cachet to us old-timers.

I guess I have to agree and disagree with you on this.

Within reason, moving forward it is one thing to make the use of old lenses as seemless as possible on a new body, and pentax has done a fine job on this point, with the exception (to my knowledge, AND in my opinion) of the metering on the K10D.

I can take any lens I have, K mount and newer (sorry but I have no screw mount 42mm threaded ones) AND use the new cameras to shoot in manual mode, meter, etc. I can use TTL flash metering on my *istD and get great flash metered shots with manual K mount lenses. I can use K mount lenses on my K10D and take "AUTO' mode flash shots (although I would prefer P-TTL and have given pentax a fully possible somution to implement this plus apature priority mode).

I can accept that my 18-35mm AFJ lens that came with my *istD has no apature ring, but that does not stop me from using it on my PZ-1, in fact I used it for 4 years that way.

It is like asking a current lens to fit on an origonal Spotmatic. It does not. Get over it.

There was a need technically to abandon some of the oldest cameras when they went to K mount, and since the biggest investment is in lenses in any system,, NOT bodies, it is important to carry lenses forward, not compliance to a diminishing number of bodies backwards.

A lens with no apature coupling can work on older cameras back to the ME super or program plus, (I think) and that body is nearly 30 years old! They work just fine on my PZ-1, and it is 17 years old!

I don't expect it to work on my grand fathers folding Kodak with a bellows and neither should any one else.

The same issue is now upon us with HSM motors and how far backwards they should be compatible, with existing bodies. Should we insist on compatibility at the compromise of performance, it is a real tough call.

[WendyB]

Originally Posted by Jerry Thirsty

Ever tried to use your DA70 on a K1000? I wouldn't call having no control over the aperture a "reasonable expectation". Backward compatibility works two ways; unfortunately Pentax has decided to abandon half of the equation. In my opinion, they are only marginally better than Nikon at this point, and one of the main reasons why I started buying Pentax products in the first place gets less and less compelling with each new lens they introduce. I have never bought a lens without an aperture ring, and I won't as long as there are other options. Pentax has lost a lot of my money to the used market and third party manufacturers over the past few years. I suppose they make enough from new adopters to justify their loss of cachet to us old-timers.

Hi Jerry,

For what reason would anyone want to mount a DA70 on a K body and expect that lens to preform by todays standards and technology on a k body ?

It should have been mentioned that actually the Pentax lens series have "forward" technology for compatibilty with the current "and" future bodies.
.

[WendyB]

Originally Posted by Lowell Goudge

I guess I have to agree and disagree with you on this.

Within reason, moving forward it is one thing to make the use of old lenses as seemless as possible on a new body, and pentax has done a fine job on this point, with the exception (to my knowledge, AND in my opinion) of the metering on the K10D.

I can take any lens I have, K mount and newer (sorry but I have no screw mount 42mm threaded ones) AND use the new cameras to shoot in manual mode, meter, etc. I can use TTL flash metering on my *istD and get great flash metered shots with manual K mount lenses. I can use K mount lenses on my K10D and take "AUTO' mode flash shots (although I would prefer P-TTL and have given pentax a fully possible somution to implement this plus apature priority mode).

I can accept that my 18-35mm AFJ lens that came with my *istD has no apature ring, but that does not stop me from using it on my PZ-1, in fact I used it for 4 years that way.

It is like asking a current lens to fit on an origonal Spotmatic. It does not. Get over it.

There was a need technically to abandon some of the oldest cameras when they went to K mount, and since the biggest investment is in lenses in any system,, NOT bodies, it is important to carry lenses forward, not compliance to a diminishing number of bodies backwards.

A lens with no apature coupling can work on older cameras back to the ME super or program plus, (I think) and that body is nearly 30 years old! They work just fine on my PZ-1, and it is 17 years old!

I don't expect it to work on my grand fathers folding Kodak with a bellows and neither should any one else.

The same issue is now upon us with HSM motors and how far backwards they should be compatible, with existing bodies. Should we insist on compatibility at the compromise of performance, it is a real tough call.

Hi Lowell,

Your response was probably one of the most intelligent and intuitive that I have read in quite some time.

The quite significant point you make

"I don't expect it to work on my grand fathers folding Kodak with a bellows and neither should any one else."


If I could reflect back to the original Poster ( OP ) and what he asked about.

I should have recognised "forward Technology" but have to consider backwards.


I'm tired huggs

[epu]

Hi,
My son just bought a K20D, but an old Pentax F-lens neither an A-lens do NOT function on it, while they work fine on my K10D. Has something be changed, or will there be a problem with the K20D? Should be delighted if anyone can inform me.

[Mike Cash]

Originally Posted by Italian

Hello
What do you think about the old Pentax lenses being used with the new K20D? Pentax has developed a new version of the kit lense, the 18-55 II. They made this because - as I have understood - the old 18-55 has a resolution, which could make problems being used with the 14 MP K20D.

But what is gonna happen with the other old Pentax lenses? Are there any other lenses which could cause problems with the K20D?

The 18-55 is an "old" lens?

Lots of us use lenses from the 1960s with the K20D and are as happy as cows in clover.

[fwcetus]

Originally Posted by epu

Hi,
My son just bought a K20D, but an old Pentax F-lens neither an A-lens do NOT function on it, while they work fine on my K10D. Has something be changed, or will there be a problem with the K20D? Should be delighted if anyone can inform me.

I don't know why that K20D should act that way. Right out of the box, a K20D should work just fine with ANY A (manual focus only, of course), ANY F, ANY FA, etc., lens. (Pre-A lenses can be used, too, but they require a little extra user input.)

Two days ago, for example, I was using my Tokina AT-X 0/2.5 Macro (which happens to have a Ka mount, and not a pre-A K mount) on my K20D, and, except for focusing manually, I was using it just as if it were any other newer Pentax lens - NO special metering needed.

[Marc Sabatella]

Originally Posted by epu

Hi,
My son just bought a K20D, but an old Pentax F-lens neither an A-lens do NOT function on it, while they work fine on my K10D

I assume you mean these are lenses with aperture rings and your son is trying to use the aperture ring. If the ring as an "A" position, he should use it. If it doesn't, he needs to enable use of the aperture ring in the Custom menu, and shoot in M mode with stop-down metering as you presumably are doing as well.

[Jodokast96]

What the heck is with the year old thread resurections going on lately?

[fwcetus]

Originally Posted by Jodokast96

What the heck is with the year old thread resurections going on lately?

Are you suggesting that there should be a time limit to adding information to a thread?