[halimj7]

Bismillah

I am looking to buy some older Pentax glass in any price range. Priorities for me are unique rendering, quality construction and handling. Sharpness, size, cost, AF/MF, focal length and crop compatibility are not as big of a priority for me. What do you all recommend? Thanks.

[jatrax]

You might have to define 'older' a bit more. Takumars? Pentax-K? M series, A series?

Do you want auto focus?

The 'holy grail' of older but not vintage glass would be the FA 31, 43, and 77mm Limited lenses. For true vintage I like the S-M-C Takumar line.

Have you reviewed the lens database: Pentax Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

[pepperberry farm]

I'm a fan of the K series; specifically:

K24/2.8
K35/3.5
K55/2

and a couple that are not Pentax-brand:

Porst Color Reflex MC Auto 55mm f1.2
KMZ Helios MC44K-4 (58mm f2)

[Adam]

Bismillah

I am looking to buy some older Pentax glass in any price range. Priorities for me are unique rendering, quality construction and handling. Sharpness, size, cost, AF/MF, focal length and crop compatibility are not as big of a priority for me. What do you all recommend? Thanks.

Look at the A 50mm F1.2 and A* series. There are some real gems there!

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Is there any specific type of lens you're after?

Adam
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[aslyfox]

perhaps the info on these charts might help the OP

" Pentax K-Mount Lens Series Explained: The differences between various Pentax lens series

In a nutshell

There are several series of Pentax K-mount lenses; the ones currently being produced include the DA (digital), DA L (cheap digital kit), D FA (full-frame, digital optimized), and FA (full-frame) series. While all Pentax K-mount lenses ever produced are compatible with all current Pentax DSLRs (in some cases with restrictions in that not all exposure modes of the camera are supported by old lenses), there are significant differences between each lens series and each has different features. Furthermore some of the newer lenses do not work with older cameras. We'll be exploring the differences between the various K-mount series lenses in this article "

Pentax K-Mount Lenses Explained: The differences between various Pentax lens series

_________________________

" Pentax Lens Compatibility Chart
Copyright 2006-2016 Mosphotos.com. All rights reserved.

Pentax bayonet lenses labeled "SMC Pentax" are referred to as "K" lenses in the table below. Other Pentax bayonet lenses have the lens designation as a part of their name as in "SMC Pentax-FA."
Note that "star" lenses work like their "non-star" counterparts: DA* lenses work like DA lenses, FA* like FA, F* like F, A* like A, and M* like M.Exceptions: FA and F "soft" lenses behave like M lenses in terms of metering. "

The Pentax Camera Lens Compatibility Chart

___________________________

the ' Limited " lenses and the " * " lenses have a big following among some

" ★: DA* and D FA* lenses feature robust build quality, high-quality optics, and weather sealing, making them suitable for professional use.
Limited: DA and FA Limited lenses feature all-metal build quality, unique focal lengths, and compact design. " - http://lenses.reviewed.com/buying-guides/pentax-lens-buying-guide-reviews-ratings

by looking at the reviews, you will find such lenses and info about them

[angerdan]

Bismillah

I am looking to buy some older Pentax glass in any price range. Priorities for me are unique rendering, quality construction and handling. Sharpness, size, cost, AF/MF, focal length and crop compatibility are not as big of a priority for me. What do you all recommend? Thanks.

F* series have great optical designs, fast aperture and excellent build quality.
So:
F* 300mm 4.5
FA* 24mm 2.0
FA* 85mm 1.4
FA* 200mm 4.0
A* 50mm 1.2

[bavd]

Maybe you are shooting to high? I would go for the A series Zoom or prime. Not the * per se. Recently i acquired the A 70-210 and 35-105 for a reasonable amount and i was blown away by the quality of these zooms. If you can live with manual focus and some zoom creep, these are just as good or even better as the current autofocus zooms costing 10x as much!
Have fun photographing and use the opportunity pentax provides you with the ability to use supreme old lenses on modern digital cameras!

[mcgregni]

How about the M75-150 F4.0 .... amazing bang per buck!

[RKKS08]

Nearly everyone starting to built up a new system will at some point catch LBA (which often includes hunting for "the best").

But after a while, many of us will end up with only using 3-6 lenses on a regular base.
The other 20-50 will get so few usage one could well sell them without being restricted.

For myself I found (APS-C only) the Tamron 2.8/17-50 plus SMC Pentax-A 35-105 and 70-210 cover most of what I need, and all of them offer great IQ.
Only for some special occasions I may use my Tokina 2.8/24, SMC Pentax-A 2.8/28 and 1.4/50, CZJ Flektogon 2.4/35, and Helios 4-K (for portrait).

For travel (one lens only) the Sigma 3.8-5.6/18-125 does the job not worse than the Pentax 18-135, for half the cost (but no WR, which is the only reason why I don't sell the 18-55 WR kit lens). The Tamron is much better, and the Sigma has longer reach.

By the way, the mentioned Tokina 2.8/24 is still a mistery to me. It is not labeled "RMC", but has a KA mount, and it is quite good. It must be a different optical design than the quite common Tokina RMC 2.8/24 (which is K-mount or M42 only), as it is way better. My copy is the only one I ever saw. I got it a couple of years back from eBay, and despite the fact I have a look for K and M42 lenses on eBay nearly every day since 8 years, I never saw another copy of this lens, so it mus be extremely rare.

[johnyates]

My favourite 'older' Pentax glass:
SMC Pentax 55mm 1.8
Super-Takumar 35mm 3.5