[Cabessius]

A lens that deserves a place in this thread is the SMC Pentax M 135mm f/3.5.
Widely available (that's the only reason for its low price), compact, built in hood, great IQ, amazing construction quality...

[SSGGeezer]

My DA 15 f4 Limited. Got it at a price I am ashamed to admit from a forum member. Probably near 100.00 so I think that is cheap for what it is.
Otherwise I think my 10.00 Rikenon 50mm F2 is a good one.

[jddwoods]

I guess I am late to this party but at a flea market to support the local senior center recently, I found a used ME super for $10. The camera ended up in the trash. I could not see trying to repair it but the pristine, like new M 50 f1.7 on it made the purchase way beyond worth it. Anytime I have a photo outing where autofocus is not really necessary, this is the lens I go with. I also have its FA 50mm f1.7 counterpart. This one cost more and feels cheap compared to the M version but its every bit as sharp, maybe even a little better and has autofocus. So by far these are my best cheap lenses.
As far as new, however, I cast my vote for the HD DA 40 Limited. Super sharp and lightweight and a great bargain for such a premium quality lens.

[mgvh]

I'll play! With others who have already mentioned: 50mm f1.7s; F35-70
I'll add:
SMC PENTAX 45-125mm F4
Auto Mamiya / Sekor 55mm F 1.4
TOKINA SZ-X 80-200mm f4.5-5.6
and especially: SUPER TAKUMAR 150mm F4

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Last edited by mgvh; 05-18-2018 at 07:43 PM.

[Renzz]

My best find was a few years ago now. Back when I used a K10. In a second hand store I found a M35/2, M135/2.5 a d a M200/4. All we're in their original lined cases. I paid $60 or $65 for the lot.

[E-man]

+1 on these lenses. As mentioned, the Sigma/Quantaray 28-80 (and 90) are huge bang for the buck.

Agreed. I have a Sigma 28-80 macro and a Quantaray 28-90. They're both excellent lenses for the $30 or so I paid for each of them. I'm not terribly fond of the Quantaray's plastic mount. It just feels sort of flimsy. Another favorite of mine is my Tamron 79D 28-105.

[kernos]

Beyond doubt, the best cheap lens I have is a Spiratone Plura-Coat 24mm 2.8 in a Y/S Pentax mount. Very sharp in the center wide open with a decided 3d effect along with the ability to produce a veritable field of bubbles at MFD wide open. Mine and another review here Spiratone 24mm F2.8 YS Lens Reviews - Miscellaneous Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

[cyberjunkie]

Two "group" recommendations.
All from very cheap to cheap.

1) early "auto" Tomioka-made f/2 chrome nose fifties. Usual 6 elements Planar based design, but a not-so-usual build quality, typical of the best lenses manufactured at the peak of Japanese industry mechanical quality.
I never considered "slow" normal lenses, cause I love super fast manual focus optics, often shot wide open, at night or with scarce illumination. Though recently I've found that at f/2 I can still get a creamy bokeh and enough separation between focus planes.
Recently I bought a Mamiya/Sekor Auto 2/50mm and a Yashinon DX Auto 2/50mm.
I wanted to find out if they came from the same maker. At first I had some doubts, cause they are actually different, but later I found a picture online that shows a Yashica lens identical to my Mamiya. So yes, all of them are Tomioka's.
These lenses are small enough, and a real pleasure to handle. Once I re-greased the helicoid of the Yashinon, both operate as new. Very much Super Takumar-like
If you want a single coated fifty to control contrast, or to shoot portraits on APS-C, this family of lenses is definitely worth considering.
I suggest chrome-nose or half chrome examples, cause I believe that if you choose to go vintage and single coated, better go for early versions.

Second "family": late silver PENTAX-FA lenses made around the turn of the century.
I have three of them: 4-5.6/35-80mm, 3.2-4.5/28-105mm, 4.7-5.8/100-300mm.
The first and the third are respectively dirty cheap and cheap. The 28-105mm is a little more expensive, but still very affordable.
Paid mine 130 US dollars shipment included, in spotless condition and with original caps and shade. Without shade and sold with an MZ body the price could be a little less. Not so much though, cause it's a cheap alternative to the new D FA version. The price is also affected by the build quality. It has metal bayonet and feels more solid than the other two.
Build quality is the weak spot of these lenses. I opened the 100-300mm to try to clean what I thought was a tiny fungus spot (but found a principle of flower-like separation): unlike previous partly plastic zooms, cheap plastic is used for parts that had always been made in metal. Not just plastic threads, also optic groups encased in unopenable plastic casing. The 35-80mm, albeit looking new, is especially wobbly.
On the other hand, these lenses have good AF on recent bodies, including the K-1, and provide enough sharpness stopped down (especially away from the extreme end of the zoom range).
The price/performance ratio is very good. Beyond resolution (that is quite good stopped down and decent wide open), the forte of this family of lenses is the brilliance of the pictures. High contrast, beautiful colors, and good flare resistance. This kind of performance really surprised me. The pictures don't need PP if correctly exposed. Considering the price, it's quite impressive.
It seems that this generation of lenses shared common design goals. Considering the reviews, I suppose that these three objectives do better than other members of the "silver FA" family, but I can't confirm cause I have only 3 of them.
Two considerations.
I'd buy only examples in very good shape.
I recommend these optics to all the K-1 owners who prefer to invest their money on expensive high performance primes. It makes sense to own a couple of cheap AF zooms when the situation doesn't allow for a more reflexive, slow paced shooting style, or we are afraid to damage our expensive objectives.

[Wasp]

I guess I am late to this party but at a flea market to support the local senior center recently, I found a used ME super for $10. The camera ended up in the trash. I could not see trying to repair it but the pristine, like new M 50 f1.7 on it made the purchase way beyond worth it.

I got my M 50mm f/1.7 in the same way. It was sitting in a thrift shop attached to a broke Cosina camera. Paid about $15 for them.

The camera is sitting in a drawer. I might take it apart sometime as a learning experience, hehehe.