[Pen-A]

At first I thought I´d pick my k28/3.5 which is lovely and sharp, but after I got DFA28-105 I haven´t used it once..

So.. Only lens I can´t replace with a modern lens is my early zebra Helios 44-2. Loads of character and fun to shoot with. I use mine with a flanged adapter so it only good for up to 6 meters but I bought it for portraits and bokeh .

[Jonathan Mac]

I love this thread.
I have lba for Pentax k and m series lenses mainly.

Any of the Pentax k lenses would be my favourite. But I'll pick the k28 f3.5. This lens absolutely rocks on the a7r3.

I have to mention the k20 f4 which doesn't get the praise that it deserves.

Pentax gets praise for making the tiny m20f4.

The m50 and 100 f4 macro lenses are also superb with ff digital.

I feel as though a I am with friends in this thread. Photographers who appreciate the character of the old lenses and who are not obsessed with corner sharpness ( how did we get to the stage where sharpness drives the Market?)

I use these lenses preferentially to the modern auto focus lenses that have cost me a fortune. I would be interested to know how many forum members do the same.

I prefer to use my manual lenses when I have the time for slow photography and maximise my enjoyment of the process. I have some very good modern AF lenses that I also enjoy using, but they lack the tactile feel of using the old gear.

[savoche]

what's your favourite vintage / film-era manual-focus lens, and why?

Lens? Singular?! And you of all people...

There are several candidates, of course.
- Super-Takumar 50/1.4, - tiny, super well built, lovely oof rendering
- Carl Zeiss Planar 50/1.7 - love the colours from this one
- K 24/2.8 - well, it's a "K"...

I guess I can't well pick any other than the one vintage lens I use by far the most.
Pentax-A 20/2.8

It's the widest non-fishy lens I have and it's reasonably small, well built, and quite sharp. With its 5 aperture blades it even makes decent starbursts, even if admittedly propeller-like in shape. Most of the time I just stop it down to f/8 or f/11 and set it at hyperfocal distance - very quick and easy to use in most situations.

Some random shots.

[blackest]

At first I thought I´d pick my k28/3.5 which is lovely and sharp, but after I got DFA28-105 I haven´t used it once..

So.. Only lens I can´t replace with a modern lens is my early zebra Helios 44-2. Loads of character and fun to shoot with. I use mine with a flanged adapter so it only good for up to 6 meters but I bought it for portraits and bokeh .

You might be onto something there, I never bought a flanged adapter due to loss of infinity focus , but the other type is a pain to change out for a regular k mount. Maybe it's best to get an adapter per lens so the m42 just becomes a regular k mount...

I guess if your looking for bokeh then infinity focus doesn't matter.

[John Poirier]

My favourite vintage lens is an M 50/1.4 that I bought with an MX in about 1981. It continues to perform well, and has some sentimental value. It's had a lot of use in extreme northern conditions. Other than that I have a good assortment of M42 lenses that I enjoy using on vintage bodies. I've mostly gone digital, but still enjoy the process of shooting film.

[drumhead]

55/1.8 for great colour rendition. Can get enough of this one! Often overlooked for faster 50s.

[northcoastgreg]

I don't shoot as much vintage glass as I used to. Acquiring the DA 21 and 35 limiteds kind of pushed aside vintage lenses like the M 20/4, the K 28/3.5 and the K 35/3.5. The only vintage lens that gets much use at all nowadays is the A 50/2.8 macro, which other than build quality and manual focus, behaves optically like a more modern lens, with digital-like sharpness and modern, "accurate" color rendering. In any case, although I still use the A 50 macro and it's a wonderful lens, it's hardly my favorite vintage lens. I prefer those three wide angle primes mentioned earlier. I liked the M 20/4 so much after I purchased it that I sold my DA 12-24. The K 35/3.5 is the sharpest and contrastiest vintage lens I've ever used, with gorgeous rendering of blue colors. But my absolute favorite vintage lens is the K 28/3.5. There is simply a technicolor richness in the hues and tones this lens produces, a beauty in the rendering and the contrast, that no other vintage lens that I've ever shot with can quite match.

Here's a few samples from the lens:

[Sliver-Surfer]

Today Mine are
1-Pentax-A 1.2/50mm

2-Pentax-A 4/100mm Dental Macro
3- Tamron adaptall-2 60-300mm
4-Super Multicoated Takumar 1.4/50mm

[microlight]

@northcoastgreg: your second picture is stunning - where is it?

[northcoastgreg]

your second picture is stunning - where is it?

That's in Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. Here's another K 28/3.5 shot from the same place:

[BigMackCam]

Folks - I just wanted to say "thank you" for all the replies to my original post. The variety of responses has been very interesting, and you've given me a few thoughts on lenses to watch out for (as if I need the encouragement )...

[microlight]

Magnificent.

[simsburyphoto]

Pentax SMC - A 200mm F4 so small and light weight for a 200mm lens. Bonus of telescopic hood and A setting.

[mgoblue]

Saw a few other mentions -- very compact for 2.5, beautifully built, buttery focus action. Most of all makes really beautiful portraits, sharp enough even wide open with smooth bokeh and great skin tones. Just pleasing. Much better than the takumar labeled one it is confused with. Purple fringes a bit wide open but less than some of my modern lenses! Bonus it even has good edge sharpness.

[Mercifulfate]

Soligor 35mm It has a nice look to it with very pretty bokeh without getting to dramatic about it.