[bjolester]

I mostly use primes on my Pentax DSLRs. The only zooms I currently have in my collection are the DA 12-24 f4, DA 18-55WR and SMC A 35-105 f3.5. Recently I have been looking at various Vivitar, Kiron and Komine manual focus zooms, like for instance the Vivitar Series 1 24-70 f3.8-4.8 and the Vivitar Series 1 28-90 f2.8, and been wondering if it could be fun to check some of the these oldish manual focus zooms. As I said before, I mostly use primes, and I have a rather nice collection of quality glass. As a consequence I have not invested into the more high quality (and expensive) current normal zooms in Pentax mount, like the instance the DA 16-50 f2.8 or the DA 16-85 f3.5-5.6. I doubt I would use them much. But it would still be fun to check out some less expensive manual focus zooms.

Are for instance the Vivitar Series 1 24-70 or 28-90 worth checking out?

I am grateful for any advice on this matter!

[jatrax]

Most older zooms will disappoint. There are exceptions, but not that many. Older primes are often very good, but don't base your expectation of old zooms on what you get from old primes.

I had a number of manual focus zooms over the years and have moved all of them on as I just was not happy with the results. I do still have a number of Pentax-F zooms which are AF, but still older. In particular I like and use the SMC F 35-70 and SMC F 70-210.

[Swift1]

The Pentax 24-50mm f/4 is a good lens.

[marcusBMG]

The ratings in the lens reviews pretty much flag the good vintage zooms available for pentax. Apart from those, it's mostly OEM lenses not K mount: Angenieux, Contax-Yashica, Zeiss...
I can point you at the adaptall 19AH, 01A, 28A...

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Last edited by marcusBMG; 01-20-2016 at 01:38 PM.

[severalsnakes]

I have the Pentax-M 28-50/3.5-4.5 and it MIGHT be the sharpest lens I own. Not very fast, and it's really heavy, but it's compact, nice to handle, and mad, mad sharp.

[bjolester]

Thank you all! You have mentioned a lot of important things to keep in mind, and also good suggestions for lenses to look for.

The only SMC-A zoom I have experience with is the SMC-A 35-105 f3.5, and I like this lens a lot, both on APS-C and 35mm film camera. How do the lenses you mention above, like for instance the SMC-A 24-50 f4, Kiron 24-48 f3.8 or Vivitar 28-90 f2.8, compare with the SMC-A 35-105 in terms of sharpness, contrast and colour rendering?

[onlineflyer]

Don't overlook the M 35-70mm f/2.8-3.5. It's an outstanding lens

https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/SMC-Pentax-M-35-70mm-F2.8-3.5-Zoom-Lens.html

[fwcetus]

I do still have a number of Pentax-F zooms which are AF, but still older. In particular I like and use the SMC F 35-70 and SMC F 70-210.

Back in Pentax-land, the two lenses jatrax mentions are also both available as Pentax-A featuring the same optical formulas. Oddly, the 35-70mm gets significantly lower ratings. I haven't used one a ton so can't comment on it. However, the 70-210mm A is a great lens, as is the 35-105mm.

There are actually two A 35-70's - the one dcshooter mentioned - f/3.5-4.5 - which is optically the same as the F version, and also the A 35-70/4. I have no experience with the F or A 35-70/3.5-4.5 (I tend to prefer constant-aperture zooms for simpler manual exposures), but I recommend the A 35-70/4 -- it's a nice little walking lens with a very good close focusing "macro" function.

And the A 70-210/4 and the A 35-105/3.5 are indeed very good lenses -- I'd also recommend the big brother to the latter - the A 28-135/4.

[lukulele]

Three that have worked extremely well for me. 35-105 and 35-70 were $50 each and Tokina 28-105 $5 in the local junk bin. The lens reviews are helpful, very helpful, as are the lens historians and users on the Forum.

[filmamigo]

The SMC-A 35-105 f3.5 is one of the best zooms I've ever seen. It beat my big AF Nikon 35-70 2.8, and dozens of others I have owned over the years. It's would be the last zoom I would ever sell.

[dms]

I have the VS1 28~90 and VS1 (Ver.3) 70~210 and they are excellent--at least in my use which is theater photography. The 70~210 is probably a bit more exceptional--but of course it is apples vs oranges. I would rate the 28~90 VS1 and the Pentax FA 28~70 to be similar--excepting convenience--and the FA 28~70 is excellent IMO. I also like push pull for zooming but not all like it so that may be a consideration.

I should have been more precise about the Pentax FA 28~70. I mean the f/4 (not f/2.8) version.

[mgvh]

I've played with a bunch of manual zooms. The biggest drawback for me is changing the focal length for shake reduction. Usually I just try to do an average of the zoom's focal lengths, but that's not ideal. Of the zooms I've tried that really are worth keeping:

• VIVITAR SERIES 1 70-210mm f3.5 (Version 2) The various lenses in this family are something of cult lenses, and they really do deliver excellent results. In fact, this one wins when resizing up a shot at 210mm to match the same thing shot with the DAL 55-300 at 300mm.
• SMC PENTAX M 75-150 f4 A bit of an odd focal length, but it can deliver the goods.
• TOKINA SZ-X 80-200mm f4.5-5.6 This one is rather remarkable. Incredibly small for the zoom range, but it can really get fine results. It holds its own with the DAL 55-300 and beats quite a few old primes in its range. The DAL 55-300 has more range, of course, but this Tokina is more easily thrown in if I'm just going for a little walk.

[bjolester]

Thank you for sharing your experience with all these manual focus lenses! Most appreciated. Hopefully I will, in the future, get a chance to purchase some of these lenses and check them out.

[David T]

A gentleman in our photo club bought a box of old cameras, lenses, light meters, and camera cases for $15. He only wanted the cases. He knew I was a pentaxian, so he gave me everything else for free. There were three lenses still in original boxes in excellent condition. One was the Cosina 28-70mm F4 MC Macro ET/Series 10 fully manual made for Pentax lens. I attached it to my K-3 to test it, taking several photos of my newly blossomed Hibiscus flowers. The quality, detail, and color were surprisingly good. I also took several photos with my Pentax FA-50mm macro lens to compare. This should have been a somewhat unfair comparison, but to my surprise, the Cosina photos were pretty close in quality, though just short of the Pentax lens. In my opinion, the Cosina is a great find and definitely a keeper (not that I need any more lenses).

[m42man]

I've played with a bunch of manual zooms. The biggest drawback for me is changing the focal length for shake reduction. Usually I just try to do an average of the zoom's focal lengths, but that's not ideal. Of the zooms I've tried that really are worth keeping:

...[*]SMC PENTAX M 75-150 f4 A bit of an odd focal length, but it can deliver the goods
...

Definitely a big drawback. Be careful with your FL guess though, as if you enter a value much higher than the actual value you risk amplifying your shake.

Either enter the shortest focal length - which is totally safe, and SR will be at full strength when shooting at the wide end - or you can use a simple formula. I'll definitely be accused of boring everyone if I reiterate it, but, don't worry, the answer is the same for all your lenses: 100mm.

Agree about the 75-150 though - I've had one from new and it's certainly sharp enough.

(By the way, it's been a long time - hello again everyone!)