[djpattiecake]

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Im sure there are some budget lens threads galore on here. But I'm looking for feedback for this lens bug I've already started to itch....

Me and my wife just ordered a k-30 and I wanted to get her a few funky old lenses for her birthday to relearn photography basically. Neither of us remember anything from our photo classes back in the day.
Our camera comes with the 15-55 WR kit.

I went ahead and grabbed the following

Tokina ELZ 840 80-200mm F/4
Tokina Lens ELZ 840 F4 Pentax 80 200mm Vintage in Original Box Mint | eBay

Makinon 50mm f/1.7
Vintage Auto Makinon Camera 50mm Lens F1 7 Pentax PK Mount | eBay

Industar 50mm f/3.5 ussr crazyness (I heard these were pretty awesome bang for your buck)
For Pentax PK Russian USSR Industar 50 3 5 50 "Pancake" Lens | eBay

Forgive me if linking to auctions isnt permitted, I didnt see any rule.
Anyway, I'm looking for a good 24mm (macro would be a bonus) for cheap. Anyone have any suggestions? I just lost the auction on this thing Mint Ozunon GMC 24mm F 2 8 Wide Angle Macro Prime Lens Fit Pentax PK | eBay . Never heard of ozunon but it seemed to have everything I was looking for! All opinions welcome, and feel free to put me in my place because I really know nothing!

[boriscleto]

Cheap -> Wide -> Good

Pick two.

Your best bet is the Pentax M 28/3.5 (good luck finding one under $100) or one of the Vivitar bestiary (if it says Close Focus and the serial starts with 28 it's good, again good luck finding one under $100).

Great Vivitar 28mm Bestiary

There are some good and some bad Vivitars, maybe others can help...

BTW, 28mm is a normal lens on APS-C (42mm equivalent) & 24mm is just wide angle (36mm equivalent). The kit lens is not great but not terrible at 18mm and starts to get better around 24mm. I use it as my only true wide angle lens.

[djpattiecake]

thanks boris, those vivitars look like a good place to start

[kiwi_jono]

Must admit I'm looking for something pretty good to cover 24mm (have good 28-70mm and 10-20). The Siggy 18-35 looks pretty tempting although not exactly a budget lens.
A budget 28mm is a lot easier to find that 24mm it would seem.

[aleonx3]

I have a chinon 24/2.5 m42 lens which is my walk around lens. I think 24mm is hard to find and certainly is not cheap either; on the other hand, 28mm is a lot easier and less expensive.

[scratchpaddy]

Try looking for a Sigma Super Wide II (24mm f/2.8), but, like Boriscleto said, good luck finding one under $100. There's an autofocus version, too, but good luck finding one of them at all. If you do find one, anything under $200 is a good deal, as long as it's in decent condition.

Both versions have auto-aperture.

It's very sharp, even at f/2.8, but it's vulnerable to flare. I was lucky enough to get one for less than $100, but I'll admit I haven't used it much in favor of a Vivitar 13mm (rebadged Samyang 14mm). When I go wide, I go really wide.

[THoog]

EIther I've gone blind, or the pictures of the Makinon show a breechblock mount - probably a Canon FD, not a Pentax. You should contact the seller right away.

That Industar (which is a fun little lens, BTW) is really an M42 lens bundled with a "flanged" M42-PK adapter, which means it won't focus to infinity (it's like putting a 1mm macro extension tube on the lens). You'll need the flush-type adapter if you want infinity focus. You can find plenty of discussion of M42 adapters here on the forums.

Believe it or not, I've heard Ozunon was Montgomery Ward's house brand, although the camera wiki says it was a manufacturer, Ozone Optical. I've got one of their shorty-zooms. Small & decent, not spectacular.

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Last edited by THoog; 07-08-2013 at 09:02 PM. Reason: can't spell :p

[Kozlok]

I got a Formula 5 28mm for $10 in an antique shop. It's not an amazing lens, but it does have a unique rendering. Kind of painterly, and I like it for what it is. I think any cheap third party 28 will give you results better than these.

My favorite shot with it. I think the bokeh looks a bit different than the typical smooth.

[kenafein]

Don't sell the kit lens short, it's just fine. and probably better than any cheap 24mm prime you'll find, unless you find some amazing deal from someone who doesn't know the value of what they're selling.

[pinholecam]

Its probably the same as the Cosina 24/2.8 'macro'.
Nothing really bad about the lens, it was as sharp as my K24/2.8 and had the advantage of closer focusing.
Cooler colors and more plastic feeling build.
I sold it case of build quality and much poorer flare resistance (SMC rules! )

[boriscleto]

The Makinpn is most definitely not K-mount. As THoog says it is a Canon FD.

[jimr-pdx]

My Rikenon 28/2.8 cost about $38us and gave me consistently excellent images! Heck it was even an OK 'macro' lens with enough cropping..

[klh]

I have found it hard to get a real bargain on eBay unless the seller fails to identify what they have. The "audience" is just too broad.

I would recommend you check your local pawn and thrift shops as well as Craigslist. I picked up a very good Pentax M28/2.8 for under $50 that way.

[camerons]

I've been fairly happy with my Ricoh 28mm XR. I bought it for $24. Pretty good build quality. Mine has fungus which doesn't seem to effect the photos.

[6BQ5]

If you don't mind M42 mount lenses then your options really open up. I have been enjoying my Super Takumar SMC 28mm f/3.5. Stop it down a bit and you can get some nice shots with it!