Originally posted by mikecnorthwest For a point of reference, my favorite set up is my K1000 with a 28mm lens. The 28mm lens seems to work really well for the type of photography I enjoy and the places I like to go (railroads, outdoors, walking around downtown Portland).
When I first joined Pentax Forums, the hottest topic was "what are my available choices on the wide end?" followed by "why are there no wide-angle APS-C primes?" followed by "I need a compact wide-angle solution". A close replacement for 18mm on 35mm film would be either an 18mm or 20mm prime. As a result, the FA, A, and M-series 20mm offerings became quite popular despite relative rarity on the market. Prices are still fairly high for those lenses.
Moving forward, current options in the 15mm to 20mm range are better now than at any point in the past. If I were in the market and wanted a high-value, high-performance, compact wide angle for APS-C, I would be saving up for an Irix 15/2.5. Alternatively, the Samyang products (under various labels) would also be on my short list along with the Venus, though bulk may be a problem, depending on lens. The DA 15/4 Limited and DA 21/3.2 Limited would also be considered (obviously), particularly if a used one pops up. Note that neither the Irix nor the Pentax DA offerings will work on your K1000.
Sadly, none of those options falls into the sub-$150 price range
At present, I shoot my Sigma 17-70/2.8-4 (C) for most of my wide-angle needs. Before I got that lens, my go-to wide angle was a MC Zenitar 15/2.8 Fisheye or the DA 18-55 kit lens. You might be interested in finding a Zenitar 15 since it will work quite nicely on the K1000 too. For many (most) natural subjects the fishiness on APS-C is hardly noticeable and is not objectionable on other subjects either. Here is a link to a sampling of my work with the Zen on both APS-C and 35mm film.
Fotostevia on Flickr: MC Zenitar 15/2.8
You may recognize a few of the locations.
Steve
Last edited by stevebrot; 03-06-2018 at 09:48 AM.