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06-17-2019, 07:12 PM   #1
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What cheap manual lens to pair with my new (to me) ME Super?

Hey guys, I just recently acquired a very nice ME super here on the forums to have a K mount alternative to my fabulous Spotmatic. I fell in love with the ME when I had given one to my brother for his birthday after spending a week or two testing it.

But as it is I don't really have a suitable walk around lens for this camera. I do have k glass with aperture rings but they're a bit too big for them to just be stuck to the body all the time. I'm looking for either a small zoom or thin prime in the 24-50mm range, but wider is better since I want to do from the hip street photography with this as well. Also it does not have to be a Pentax made lens, just looking for something cheap with good handling till I have the money to get the good stuff.

06-17-2019, 07:21 PM   #2
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M 40.2,8
06-17-2019, 07:27 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
M 40.2,8
It seems like the obvious choice but it's grossly overpriced for its performance. Ebay listings regularly at 150 dollars for decent condition ones. You can almost get the 40mm limited for that price...
06-17-2019, 07:28 PM   #4
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Cheap is going to be probably a 28 or 50, or you might find a non Pentax 24. It seems like most of the manual zooms are either large and heavy and/or not that good. Beyond cheap your choices are much greater, although some are not easy to find. A few years ago I foolishly got rid of a Kiron 28/2 because I didn't use it enough, great lens if you can find one without a sticky aperture.

06-17-2019, 07:31 PM - 1 Like   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
M 40.2,8
Agreed. M 40 pancake makes a very nice compact travel lens for the ME Super. They are generally a bit on the pricey side. The M 50 F1.7 is nice too but larger and heavier. There is a M 40 pancake for sale in the Marketplace right now, I believe, in the All My Pentax Gear thread.
06-17-2019, 07:46 PM - 2 Likes   #6
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Oh you want CHEAP. M 50/2.
06-17-2019, 08:03 PM - 3 Likes   #7
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Buy the lens that most were sold with...Pentax-M 50/1.7.


Steve

06-17-2019, 08:04 PM - 3 Likes   #8
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For about a 100 dollars you could probably get both an SMC-M 28mm 3.5 and an SMC-M 50mm 1.7, and never look back...
06-17-2019, 08:08 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Buy the lens that most were sold with...Pentax-M 50/1.7.


Steve
This ^^^

QuoteOriginally posted by ChristianRock Quote
For about a 100 dollars you could probably get both an SMC-M 28mm 3.5 and an SMC-M 50mm 1.7, and never look back...
And this ^^^

I had the M50/1.4 with mine since 1984, but I replaced it with the M50/1.7 after a basement flood fungused it. I have the M40/2.8 and IMO it is too thin. I really have trouble focusing with only one row of bumps on the rubber grip. The 50/1.7 has three rows.

Last edited by monochrome; 06-17-2019 at 08:14 PM.
06-17-2019, 08:29 PM   #10
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does not really fit yer criteria or even make much sense (maybe it does) but gonna throw it out there anyways......F 35-80 is very compact and no doubtly dirt cheap

+1 on the 28 & 50 combo
06-17-2019, 09:01 PM   #11
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Plenty of great cheap 50mm k-mounts lenses from Pentax, Chinon, Sears, Ricoh -- any of the 1.7s or 1.8s are almost guaranteed to be pretty good lenses. 35-70 zoom would be nice as well.
06-17-2019, 09:41 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by ChristianRock Quote
For about a 100 dollars you could probably get both an SMC-M 28mm 3.5 and an SMC-M 50mm 1.7, and never look back...
Yeah the 28 3.5 interests me especially because I'm going to Washington state in a month or so and need a solid wide angle prime for film. I was going to bring my Auto-Tak 35mm f2.3 but it desperately needs a CLA and I doubt I'd have it in time for the trip.

Edit: What in the world happened to 28 3.5 prices? I can't find anything below 100 bucks that doesn't have hideous amounts of fungus or non functioning aperture blades... Why wouldn't someone just go for the K version at that point?

Last edited by ZombieArmy; 06-17-2019 at 09:57 PM.
06-17-2019, 11:09 PM   #13
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Sigma 21-35mm ... a favourite of mine in my film days. Not compact, admittedly, but that extra wide angle helps make up for that!
Many older zoom lenses sell for very little money these days. One of the later polycarbonate-body Tamron Adaptall-2 lenses may be worth considering. They weigh considerably less than their earlier metal and glass designs, but are of excellent quality.

---------- Post added 06-17-19 at 11:14 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by ZombieArmy Quote
What in the world happened to 28 3.5 prices? I can't find anything below 100 bucks that doesn't have hideous amounts of fungus or non functioning aperture blades.
A 28mm lens is the "perfect" standard for an APS-C sensor, having a very similar focal length to the diagonal of the frame, so with the current vogue for prime lenses and adaptors available to fit almost anything to anything in the "mirrorless" world, a 28mm lens can seem an obvious choice. As to how much use they get once the initial enthusiasm wears off ...
06-17-2019, 11:21 PM - 1 Like   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by kypfer Quote
A 28mm lens is the "perfect" standard for an APS-C sensor, having a very similar focal length to the diagonal of the frame, so with the current vogue for prime lenses and adaptors available to fit almost anything to anything in the "mirrorless" world, a 28mm lens can seem an obvious choice. As to how much use they get once the initial enthusiasm wears off ...
You'd think it'd be a bit slow for the modern era of "bokeh whores".
06-17-2019, 11:40 PM - 1 Like   #15
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The M28/2.8 is cheap and performs better on film than on digital.
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