Does Pentax has old wide angle lenses?

mulder · 08-06-2007, 10:14 PM

Hello.

I tried to search for it, but no result...i wondered if pentax in the past made some wide angle lenses for the film...i would really love to buy a wide angle lens, but they waaaay over priced for me.A manual, old, "veteran" lens would be perfect to me, if i could find one...

Abbazz · 08-07-2007, 01:41 AM

Originally posted by mulder

i wondered if pentax in the past made some wide angle lenses for the film...i would really love to buy a wide angle lens, but they waaaay over priced for me.A manual, old, "veteran" lens would be perfect to me, if i could find one...

The are of course many wide angle lenses made by Pentax for film cameras. But if you have a digital camera with APS-C sized sensor, then your sensor is 23.5mm long, while a 35 mm film frame is 36mm long, which is 1.53x longer. Therefore, a lens on a digital SLR will have the same field angle as one with a focal length 1.53x longer on a 35mm camera. For example, if you buy an SMC Takumar 28/3.5 lens -- a very common wide angle lens from the olden days -- you will end up with the equivalent of a 42.84mm lens on your digital camera, which is not especially wide.

So you have to get an ultrawide lens for it to perform as a wide lens on your digital camera. Unfortunately, 30 or 40 years ago, ultrawide lenses were not commonly used, so they tend to be rare and expensive. There were only two screwmount superwides made by Pentax:
- SMC Takumar 15/3.5 (23mm equiv.): good lens, but expensive, big and heavy.
- SMC Takumar 20/4.5 (30.6mm equiv.): cheaper than the 15mm, but not as good.

If you are looking for a cheap wide angle, you'd better opt for the Russian made Zenitar. It's a very good 16mm full frame fisheye, which becomes an all-purpose wide angle with a fair amount of distortion on a digital SLR. Software correction of the distortion is very easy to achieve.

Cheers!

Abbazz

Adam · 08-07-2007, 01:46 AM

There are plenty of old manual wide-angles out there, ranging from he original screwmount Takumars to the newer A-series. Have a look at our lens database for a complete listing of these lenses: https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/index.php

If you're looking for budget options, the SMC Pentax-M 28mm F2.8 would be a good choice.

Arjay Bee · 08-07-2007, 04:03 AM

The 22mm prime is a nice range: This is an image not from Pentax but from a M42 28mm f2.8 Tokina - $25 at a second hand shop. Image resized for web use but great sharpness.

As Abbazz says it is now performing as if it has an angle of view in the 'normal' range of 42mm on slrs.

08-06-2007, 10:14 PM	#1
mulder New Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Hungary Posts: 18	Does Pentax has old wide angle lenses? Hello. I tried to search for it, but no result...i wondered if pentax in the past made some wide angle lenses for the film...i would really love to buy a wide angle lens, but they waaaay over priced for me.A manual, old, "veteran" lens would be perfect to me, if i could find one...

08-07-2007, 01:46 AM	#3
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595	There are plenty of old manual wide-angles out there, ranging from he original screwmount Takumars to the newer A-series. Have a look at our lens database for a complete listing of these lenses: https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/index.php If you're looking for budget options, the SMC Pentax-M 28mm F2.8 would be a good choice. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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08-07-2007, 01:41 AM	#2
Abbazz Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Jakarta Posts: 667	Originally posted by mulder i wondered if pentax in the past made some wide angle lenses for the film...i would really love to buy a wide angle lens, but they waaaay over priced for me.A manual, old, "veteran" lens would be perfect to me, if i could find one... The are of course many wide angle lenses made by Pentax for film cameras. But if you have a digital camera with APS-C sized sensor, then your sensor is 23.5mm long, while a 35 mm film frame is 36mm long, which is 1.53x longer. Therefore, a lens on a digital SLR will have the same field angle as one with a focal length 1.53x longer on a 35mm camera. For example, if you buy an SMC Takumar 28/3.5 lens -- a very common wide angle lens from the olden days -- you will end up with the equivalent of a 42.84mm lens on your digital camera, which is not especially wide. So you have to get an ultrawide lens for it to perform as a wide lens on your digital camera. Unfortunately, 30 or 40 years ago, ultrawide lenses were not commonly used, so they tend to be rare and expensive. There were only two screwmount superwides made by Pentax: - SMC Takumar 15/3.5 (23mm equiv.): good lens, but expensive, big and heavy. - SMC Takumar 20/4.5 (30.6mm equiv.): cheaper than the 15mm, but not as good. If you are looking for a cheap wide angle, you'd better opt for the Russian made Zenitar. It's a very good 16mm full frame fisheye, which becomes an all-purpose wide angle with a fair amount of distortion on a digital SLR. Software correction of the distortion is very easy to achieve. Cheers! Abbazz

08-07-2007, 04:03 AM	#4
Arjay Bee Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Horn Island, Torres Straits, Q Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,715	The 22mm prime is a nice range: This is an image not from Pentax but from a M42 28mm f2.8 Tokina - $25 at a second hand shop. Image resized for web use but great sharpness. As Abbazz says it is now performing as if it has an angle of view in the 'normal' range of 42mm on slrs.