[rcolman]

Suppose you were going to a photo show or flea market, etc. and looking for superlative, or perhaps just interesting,lenses to put on a full-frame K-1 body.

Lets leave out current production lenses because, after all, all you need is a fat checkbook.

And, they don't have to be Pentax, but compatible. K-mount preferred but M42 if super great.

My personal preference is wide-angle to ultra-wide, or 100mm on up. For some reason, lenses in the 35-75 mm range, althought useful, are not personally interesting.

Primes preferred because, where they any really good older zooms?

TNX for you thoughts.

-- Rick

[Wheatridger]

Let's see, let me look into my lens drawer. It's really full now, and most of my lenses came from the humble end of the market so-
1) The FA 35/2- Using mine today with my K-1, I saw sharpness from edge to edge. It's tiny, virtually weightless, but comes with a sturdy bayonet hood. Makes my 43 Ltd. seem redundant for must purposes.
2) Tamron SP AF 90/2.8 macro- just a hunk of fantastic plastic. On my iMac Retina screen, 100% crops look like contact prints. It also does macro? I'll have to try that.
3) F 70-210/4-5.6-- Since Pentax didn't make the perfect compromise, a 70-210/4 zoom, this will have to do. It's easy to find, and sturdy enough to last. With today's ISOs, f5.6 is the new f4, anyhow.
4) F 80-200/4.7-5.6-- Easy to overlook this one, since it's tiny, plasticky and slow. But it's also internal zooming and very sharp, in my initial tests on FF.
5) F 24-50/4-- The Missing Link, I call it. This little workhorse, only the size and weight of a fast fifty, covers 24, 35 and 50 duties, and crops to a nice 75 on the K-1. Add an ultrawide and a zoom, and you're done!

[funkathustra]

Lets leave out current production lenses because, after all, all you need is a fat checkbook.

Putting old, soft glass in front of a K-1 is like booting a brand new 4 GHz workstation off a 3.5" floppy disk. It might be kind of fun, and you'll definitely end up with some interesting results, but if you care at all about performance, you're just wasting your time.

Old 35mm or longer fast f/2.8+ primes stopped down to f/5.6 will look OK, but the best glass you can get is the current lineup of lenses made by Pentax, Sigma, Tamron, and Samyang.

Old ultra-wide lenses look terrible and are essentially unusable at any f/stop, in my experience.

If you're interesting is dreamy, soft portraits, then open the lens wide-open and be amazed at the beautiful softness that results from 80s-era optical designs.

My opinion, however, has always been that if you're spending less money on glass than your camera body, you're probably doing it wrong. Since you mentioned you're looking for an ultra-wide, the 15-30/2.8 is the most usable UWA lens you can get for the K-1. If you're really pinching pennies, get the Samyang/Rokinon 14/2.8, though it's a manual-focus lens, relegating its use to landscapes, inanimate objects, and animals/people that are no longer living.

[quant2325]

The ultimate no-brainer is the 50mm M f/1.7 that can be had for $40. That is not a waste of time. It isn't particularly sharp wide open, but just about everywhere else it is sharp with almost no distortion. Stick a reversing ring on it and you have the ultimate cheap macro.

As stated above, the Samyangs give a lot for the money. So does something not in the flea market category, like the SIGMA EX DG Macro series. I have the 70mm (not what you were looking for but they make longer) f/2.8 and it is a sharp macro that can double as shorter a portrait lens or for theatre or whatever. It is sharp wide open.

Most of the older wide angles are soft by today's standards. Sometimes I take several photos using a sharp longer lens and stitch them together in PhotoShop (if I forget a wide angle lens). The results are usually good. Even if you aren't excited about the 35-75mm range some of these lenses might make sense if used for macro work or when stitching together images in PS to make a wide angle landscape.

---

Last edited by quant2325; 09-17-2016 at 11:25 PM.

[noelpolar]

oK..... dream flea market finds.... K85/1.8, K50/1.2, K30/2.8, K28/2 and mmmmm......something 20ish ........ all worthy of a K-1 no matter what has been said above. I found a K85 quite cheap.... but felt bad so gave the not so well off person it's full value.

Old 85 wide open shot today on K-1 (Dog is still alive .... he just ate dinner....)

[UncleVanya]

If you're really pinching pennies, get the Samyang/Rokinon 14/2.8, though it's a manual-focus lens, relegating its use to landscapes, inanimate objects, and animals/people that are no longer living.

You never shot manual focus before auto focus existed I guess?

[rcolman]

Putting old, soft glass in front of a K-1 is like booting a brand new 4 GHz workstation off a 3.5" floppy disk. It might be kind of fun, and you'll definitely end up with some interesting results, but if you care at all about performance, you're just wasting your time.

Old 35mm or longer fast f/2.8+ primes stopped down to f/5.6 will look OK, but the best glass you can get is the current lineup of lenses made by Pentax, Sigma, Tamron, and Samyang.

Old ultra-wide lenses look terrible and are essentially unusable at any f/stop, in my experience.

If you're interesting is dreamy, soft portraits, then open the lens wide-open and be amazed at the beautiful softness that results from 80s-era optical designs.

My opinion, however, has always been that if you're spending less money on glass than your camera body, you're probably doing it wrong. Since you mentioned you're looking for an ultra-wide, the 15-30/2.8 is the most usable UWA lens you can get for the K-1. If you're really pinching pennies, get the Samyang/Rokinon 14/2.8, though it's a manual-focus lens, relegating its use to landscapes, inanimate objects, and animals/people that are no longer living.

This is mostly for fun, not expecting any great IQ etc. Although, when I was messing around with Sony mirrorless, sometime an older Zeiss zoom would look fabulous.

Manual focus is generlly fine for me. I have used the Rok/Samy lenses extensively. If you can find a good one, they provide a very nice image. The problem is that QA is terrible, and about half of them have problems right out of the box.
I have noticed that, however, two recently purchased Samyang very wide angle lenses do not get quite to infinity focus on the K-1. I have to move the focus stop a bit to make it work.

[Ken Pimontel]

I was playing with the A150/3.5 yesterday and I do like it's rendering.

[stevebrot]

It might be kind of fun, and you'll definitely end up with some interesting results, but if you care at all about performance, you're just wasting your time.

I do believe that is why many people shoot with vintage and/or cheap glass. Fun is always good. Boring tools are so droll. Interesting results are generally a good thing too and it is indeed is a pity to make a corner to corner sharp photo that is not interesting, eh?


Steve

(...notes that Nikon still includes half a dozen or so manual focus, 80s-era lenses in their current lineup...apparently they have not gotten word...)

[Wild Mark]

Putting old, soft glass in front of a K-1 is like booting a brand new 4 GHz workstation off a 3.5" floppy disk. It might be kind of fun, and you'll definitely end up with some interesting results, but if you care at all about performance, you're just wasting your time.

Old 35mm or longer fast f/2.8+ primes stopped down to f/5.6 will look OK, but the best glass you can get is the current lineup of lenses made by Pentax, Sigma, Tamron, and Samyang.

Old ultra-wide lenses look terrible and are essentially unusable at any f/stop, in my experience.

If you're interesting is dreamy, soft portraits, then open the lens wide-open and be amazed at the beautiful softness that results from 80s-era optical designs.

My opinion, however, has always been that if you're spending less money on glass than your camera body, you're probably doing it wrong. Since you mentioned you're looking for an ultra-wide, the 15-30/2.8 is the most usable UWA lens you can get for the K-1. If you're really pinching pennies, get the Samyang/Rokinon 14/2.8, though it's a manual-focus lens, relegating its use to landscapes, inanimate objects, and animals/people that are no longer living.

Really?

Sharp old lenses .... hmmmmm Tokina 90mm 2.5, F100/2.8, K28/2, F50/1.4, A*85/1.4, A*200/4, A100/2.8,

yeah they are worthless. Put them in the bin.

Seriously, back up your claims 'i've tested them' please

[Paul Cruchten]

I might be getting a M85 2.0, it's still on my wish list. Apart from that, here's a couple of pics with an M135 2.5 and an A24

[pinholecam]

I guess I was wasting my time with old lenses.

It was fun though, and I did not spend too much on them ....

K24/2.8



K28/3.5



M20/4

[TwoUptons]

Things I'd love to find at the flea market:

Pentax 20 mm

Pentax 24 mm (especially the f2.0...)

Pentax 50mm f1.2 because I've always wanted one, but since I have plenty of 50s, it would need to be at flea market pricing...

Pentax 85 mm (any of them, really, but the softs seem interesting)

Pentax 300 mm f2.8

I also wouldn't mind a Tamron 90, or any of the Zeiss wides, or indeed, anything old and strange enough in M42...

But I think I have enough <brand you've never heard of> 80-200 f4-5.6, thanks :-)

-Eric

[TaoMaas]

The ultimate no-brainer is the 50mm M f/1.7 that can be had for $40.

I know the OP said he didn't really care for lenses in this range, but this is probably the "decent" lens he's most likely to encounter at a flea market.

[WPRESTO]

IF, IF, IF you could find one, and you can't:
1) Pentax SMCA 200mm f4 macro OR even better the AF-IF FA 200mm macro (probably almost as rare on the market as a 1200mm f8 Pentax).
2) I think many would go along with a 125mm Voigtlander macro. I had one, but parted with it as I prefer the rendering by my much older 200mm SMCA macro, and I much prefer having a tripod foot on such a long FL macro lens. The 180mm f4 close-focus Voigtlander is far smaller-lighter-cheaper-available, but not quite as good optically. I've kept my copy and like it for traveling (much smaller the 200mm macro).
3) 600mm f4 FA. Possibly the best big tele ever made by Pentax, although the current Sigma 500mm f4.5 is pretty close competitor.
4) The K-series 400mm f2.8 is another BIG glass with an excellent reputation. Pair it with a 2XL converter for 800mm f5.6 (!) with good to very good IQ.
5) the 20~35mm F4 Pentax has a very good reputation and is very compact/convenient (WAY smaller & lighter than the current, excellent 15~30mm Pentax) with a particularly useful WA range for FF. Had one in the film era, but parted with it when I converted to digital, so naturally I regret it now. Of the lenses I've listed, it's the most affordable at under $400 IF, IF , IF you can find one, but you can't.