[iNicole]

Hi,

What are some good INEXPENSIVE Telephoto lens? I would prefer getting a vintage one.
I need something with shallow depth of field even when I'm far away from the camera.

Thanks
-Nicole

[eddie1960]

The M200 f4.0 is excellent and available at reasonable prices
SMC Pentax-M 200mm F4 Reviews - M Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

this was from 25-30 feet or so first shot I took with mine after walking out of the junk shop

[littledrawe]

even when I'm far away from the camera.

How far away from the camera do you plan on being? They are generally more difficult to use if you are not at least within arms length. . . . .

Sounds like you want a telephoto length lens, 85-150mm with a large(fast) aperture to give you the narrow depth of field and maximum oof area behind your subject. The "russian" lenses seem to be good at this if you are looking for cheap. The cheapest is probably going to be something in m42 mount or first generation K-mount. I would start looking for something that is in your budget on ebay and then consult the review section to see if people have weighed in on the lens you are looking at. There may also be threads about the specific lens that you will find by searching here.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/lens-clubs/99057-135mm-lens-club.html

check out the sample from some of the lenses in this club to get you started.

[Boker]

What focal length are you looking for?Telephoto prime or zoom?There are plenty of manual focus lens on the market that are good for very cheap

[jatrax]

Telephoto is a little vague. What focal length? 85mm is telephoto so is 500mm. Do you want prime or zoom? K-mount or is M42 OK? There are hundreds of choices.

Best advice is to start with the lens database here on the forum, and narrow down what you are looking for. Once you have an idea of what would work, look on ebay or ask here. You can also post a wanted ad on the forum marketplace.

Would like to help more but your question is just too vague to answer with more than a list of lenses we like, which may not be what you are looking for.

[mikeSF]

i think i know what you are looking for from the helios thread, nicole. shortish tele, right?

Look at the SMC Takumar 105/2.8, there's also a good 135mm, both under $100 probably.

For longer, i like the SMC Takumar 200/4 which is a heavy chunk o' metal, but takes great pics.

good luck

[grhazelton]

For 42mm mount I have been very pleased with my old Tamron Adaptamatic 200mm f3.5. lens. All metal, beautifully made and finished, rotating tripod mount, built in slide-out lens shade, and sharp! I wish that Tamron had made an adaptor for the K mount, but from all I can find they never did. So I'll use it with my Praktica LTL and enter the time warp! Of course the LTL really wants a mercury cell.... Grrrrrr!

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Last edited by grhazelton; 08-10-2012 at 12:24 PM. Reason: addition

[DSims]

Look at the SMC Takumar 105/2.8, there's also a good 135mm, both under $100 probably.

The Takumar 135/2.5 is pretty good, and more affordable than the K135/2.5:

Takumar 135mm F2.5 Bayonet Reviews - Non-SMC Pentax Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

[ChooseAName]

THe SMC Pentax-M 135 mm f/3.5 is fairly cheap and fairly numerous. I have gotten pretty good subject isolation (i.e. blurred backgrounds) with it.

[eddie1960]

i think i know what you are looking for from the helios thread, nicole. shortish tele, right?

Look at the SMC Takumar 105/2.8, there's also a good 135mm, both under $100 probably.

For longer, i like the SMC Takumar 200/4 which is a heavy chunk o' metal, but takes great pics.

good luck

all good recommendations, I'll add in the M100 2.8 then based on the above comment, compact and great little lens (never should have sold mine, but i'm rationalizing to taks only in manual lenses)

[Mareket]

I own the M200/4 and the M135/3.5 and I love the s*** out of both of the tiny, shiny metal lumps of joy. You can easily pick up the latter for about £20 on eBay. Same for the former if you keep your eyes open.

[DSims]

I'll add in the M100 2.8 then based on the above comment, compact and great little lens

I would recommend the M100/2.8 over the Tak 135/2.5 I mentioned previously. I still have the A version of this lens, but it costs a bit more, so I didn't bring it up. I'd momentarily forgotten about the M version - else I would have mentioned it as a clear choice for an affordable tele.

[msatlas]

I picked up an old Albinar 135mm f/2.8 for 15 bucks on Ebay a few years ago. It ain't perfect, but I got some good shots with it where it was certainly worth the price. I liked the focal length enough that I sprung for a Pentax F 135/2.8 (which definitely wasn't 15 bucks).

There's tons of silly-cheap random brand primes out there. This is a good starting point for ideas: Miscellaneous Lenses for Pentax: Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

[jimr-pdx]

I have the SMC-M 135/3.5 and 200/4 and concur with the above comments. I also had the 150/3.5, another small gem.
In the zoom category, short-ratio zooms* like my Rikenon XR 70-150mm f/4 can be very good, nearly of prime quality.
Primes will always be a touch better though, and usually brighter.

*By 'short-ratio' I mean 2:1 or 3:1 ratio from shortest to longest focal length - e.g. 75-150mm is 2:1, 35-105 is 3:1.

[iNicole]

How far away from the camera do you plan on being? They are generally more difficult to use if you are not at least within arms length. . . . . Sounds like you want a telephoto length lens, 85-150mm with a large(fast) aperture to give you the narrow depth of field and maximum oof area behind your subject. The "russian" lenses seem to be good at this if you are looking for cheap. The cheapest is probably going to be something in m42 mount or first generation K-mount. I would start looking for something that is in your budget on ebay and then consult the review section to see if people have weighed in on the lens you are looking at. There may also be threads about the specific lens that you will find by searching here.

I want to the exact effect as this video:

You Tube

You Tube

Being that far from the camera and still have a blurred background. I know that it's probably going to be much more expensive, but I would just like to know some good lenses for when I will have the budget to spend money for a more expensive lens, by expensive I still want to spend the minimum as I don't want to be a photographer so I don't need something too expensive. (the guy in the video has a lot of pro lenses and so I'm assuming that I will probably need a pro lens to have that same effect.)

Thanks.

-Nicole