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

**BigMackCam** · 08-04-2018, 04:39 AM - **2 Likes**

On another subject, our long spell of hot, dry weather has finally broken. It reindeer overnight

**microlight** · 08-04-2018, 04:59 AM - **2 Likes**

D’oe!

photoptimist · 08-04-2018, 05:22 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by BigMackCam

On another subject, our long spell of hot, dry weather has finally broken. It reindeer overnight

ARGH! I should have known you'd springbok with another one!

**BigMackCam** · 08-04-2018, 05:35 AM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by photoptimist

ARGH! I should have known you'd springbok with another one!

I kudu with a break after that one!

<I'm here all week, folks - matinees at 2:30pm, evening performances at 7pm! >

Electric Eye · 08-04-2018, 09:52 PM - **1 Like**

K55 1.8....Magical sharp lens that always performed for me. Great colours and rendered everything better than real life.

drumhead · 08-25-2018, 12:47 PM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by Electric Eye

K55 1.8....Magical sharp lens that always performed for me. Great colours and rendered everything better than real life.

Yes I agree. The K colours are magical. I just picked up a K 200mm. Same great colours.

**TwoUptons** · 08-25-2018, 12:54 PM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by SSGGeezer

Who sells the Moose Polarizing filter? Bullwinkle's Camera Supply House?

I saw a grumpy Russian guy and his tall girlfriend who claimed they would have one in stock, then muttered something about a squirrel and left...

-Eric

Fenwoodian · 08-25-2018, 01:45 PM - **3 Likes**

.
My favorite old lens? Why of course my Leica R 135mm f/2.8 Elmarit that's been Leitaxed into a K mount.

Below are a few photos that I took today with this lens on my K-1 at the local farmers' market. They are jpgs right out of the camera - no color enhancement at all. Love those Leica colors!

azath · 08-26-2018, 02:40 PM - **1 Like**

The M 50/1.4 !
Cheap, great M handling, vintage rendition and wonderful bokeh.

**mroeder75** · 08-26-2018, 08:55 PM - **1 Like**

Upon graduating from law school in 1983 my parents gifted me a Pentax ME Super with 28mm Focal (KMart) f/2.8 lens, and a Sigma 75-150mm zoom lens. I think it was f/3.5 or f/4.0. The zoom worked good on 4x6 film photos but not so good with DSLR.

The 28mm Focal f/2.8 lens still gives me great still shots. I will attach one. Doesn't hurt to have attractive subjects.

Recently dad gave me his Pentax 50mm f/1.7 lens from the manual era. It should be even better, but I haven't had a chance yet to snap many photos with it.

Buntzbooze · 10-29-2018, 12:24 PM - **1 Like**

k55 1.8 is probably my favourite, but just aquired a M 50 f4 macro that is outrageously sharp, not just for close ups, but also as a walk around/landscape lens. Hands down the best edge to edge image quality I have experienced (if sharp equals image quality...). Not yet tried pixel shift with it yet, not sure if my eyes will take it...

Ketsuppi11 · 10-29-2018, 03:05 PM - **1 Like**

A28/2.0 is my favourite. Nice build quality and handling paired with very good image quality. It's also light.

ZombieArmy · 10-29-2018, 07:24 PM

Currently? Takumar Bayonet 135mm f2.5 easily.

Sharp and full of character. It has taken some of my favorite shots.

zjacreman · 10-29-2018, 09:29 PM - **1 Like**

My magic, 1999 vintage (so just before the cutoff) Helios 44m-5 58/2. It was the first screwmount lens I bought, along with a cheap pre-loved K-7, when I was toying with the idea of switching off Nikon, and wanted to see what it was like to use vintage glass on Pentax bodies. I made the switch, mostly for that lens (but also because the K-7 holds up, even today!).

I've since tested it against a reasonable range of vintage 50ish primes - Super Takumar 50 1.4 (7 element), SMC Tak 55 1.8, an F 50 1.7, even the brilliant screwmount Vivitar 55mm 2.8 macro I use for close-up studio stuff, and it beat them all for resolution and microcontrast/"pop". Maybe I got a good one? Are they all like this? Just the m-5s? Did they hand out the good vodka that day at the KMZ plant?

I would use it all the time if I weren't so crap at manual focusing in bad light. Even so, if I could only keep one lens out of my entire collection, it'd probably be this one.

swanlefitte · 10-29-2018, 10:11 PM - **1 Like**

My takumar 150mm. It is not the best lens but I got it with m42 adaptor, tak 28mm, and mx locally for cheap. I have better lenses. It's size and focus throw make it fun to use. The tak 135 and 200 have better images but on apsc the 150 view works for me. I can always come back from an outing with it an say I found a cool shot.

10-29-2018, 09:29 PM - 1 Like	#119
zjacreman Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Bogota Photos: Albums Posts: 120	My magic, 1999 vintage (so just before the cutoff) Helios 44m-5 58/2. It was the first screwmount lens I bought, along with a cheap pre-loved K-7, when I was toying with the idea of switching off Nikon, and wanted to see what it was like to use vintage glass on Pentax bodies. I made the switch, mostly for that lens (but also because the K-7 holds up, even today!). I've since tested it against a reasonable range of vintage 50ish primes - Super Takumar 50 1.4 (7 element), SMC Tak 55 1.8, an F 50 1.7, even the brilliant screwmount Vivitar 55mm 2.8 macro I use for close-up studio stuff, and it beat them all for resolution and microcontrast/"pop". Maybe I got a good one? Are they all like this? Just the m-5s? Did they hand out the good vodka that day at the KMZ plant? I would use it all the time if I weren't so crap at manual focusing in bad light. Even so, if I could only keep one lens out of my entire collection, it'd probably be this one. Attached Images

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08-04-2018, 04:39 AM - 2 Likes	#106
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,674 Original Poster	On another subject, our long spell of hot, dry weather has finally broken. It reindeer overnight

08-04-2018, 04:59 AM - 2 Likes	#107
microlight Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,129	D’oe!

08-04-2018, 05:22 AM - 1 Like	#108
photoptimist Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2016 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,126	Originally posted by BigMackCam On another subject, our long spell of hot, dry weather has finally broken. It reindeer overnight ARGH! I should have known you'd springbok with another one!

08-04-2018, 05:35 AM - 2 Likes	#109
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,674 Original Poster	Originally posted by photoptimist ARGH! I should have known you'd springbok with another one! I kudu with a break after that one! <I'm here all week, folks - matinees at 2:30pm, evening performances at 7pm! >

08-04-2018, 09:52 PM - 1 Like	#110
Electric Eye Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 238	K55 1.8....Magical sharp lens that always performed for me. Great colours and rendered everything better than real life.

08-25-2018, 12:47 PM - 2 Likes	#111
drumhead Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 71	Originally posted by Electric Eye K55 1.8....Magical sharp lens that always performed for me. Great colours and rendered everything better than real life. Yes I agree. The K colours are magical. I just picked up a K 200mm. Same great colours.

08-25-2018, 12:54 PM - 2 Likes	#112
TwoUptons Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 4,215	Originally posted by SSGGeezer Who sells the Moose Polarizing filter? Bullwinkle's Camera Supply House? I saw a grumpy Russian guy and his tall girlfriend who claimed they would have one in stock, then muttered something about a squirrel and left... -Eric

08-26-2018, 02:40 PM - 1 Like	#114
azath Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Alps Photos: Gallery Posts: 35	The M 50/1.4 ! Cheap, great M handling, vintage rendition and wonderful bokeh.

10-29-2018, 12:24 PM - 1 Like	#116
Buntzbooze Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2018 Posts: 60	k55 1.8 is probably my favourite, but just aquired a M 50 f4 macro that is outrageously sharp, not just for close ups, but also as a walk around/landscape lens. Hands down the best edge to edge image quality I have experienced (if sharp equals image quality...). Not yet tried pixel shift with it yet, not sure if my eyes will take it...

10-29-2018, 03:05 PM - 1 Like	#117
Ketsuppi11 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Photos: Albums Posts: 217	A28/2.0 is my favourite. Nice build quality and handling paired with very good image quality. It's also light.

10-29-2018, 07:24 PM	#118
ZombieArmy Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Florida Posts: 3,210	Currently? Takumar Bayonet 135mm f2.5 easily. Sharp and full of character. It has taken some of my favorite shots.

10-29-2018, 10:11 PM - 1 Like	#120
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	My takumar 150mm. It is not the best lens but I got it with m42 adaptor, tak 28mm, and mx locally for cheap. I have better lenses. It's size and focus throw make it fun to use. The tak 135 and 200 have better images but on apsc the 150 view works for me. I can always come back from an outing with it an say I found a cool shot.