[Katvonhat]

Hi,

This is my first post! So excited to see what wisdom you can bestow upon me. I have a very simple question really.

Which is the best and most affordable zoom lens for Pentax K1000?

I'm looking for something around 80-200mm. Speed is of less importance. Anything under 5.6f is fine.

I have tried researching this but I'm non the wiser. Hopefully you'll have some personal experience to share. Grateful for any help I can get!

Cheers!

[pepperberry farm]

welcome aboard!

in response - the SMC A 70-210mm f4 zoom may be exactly what you are looking for...

[aslyfox]

welcome to the forums

you will find friendly members and a lot of knowledge here

these charts might be of help to choose what lens works with your K 1000

Pentax K-mount Lens Compatibility Chart
Copyright 2006-2020 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 unless they are singled out in the table below. So for compatibility of a DA* lens which is not singled out, look under DA lenses, etc.
Exceptions: FA and F "soft" lenses behave like M lenses in terms of metering.

The Pentax K-mount Camera Lens Compatibility Chart

the K 1000 is on the bottom line of the chart

the " A " series lenses would work but in manual focus only

__________________________

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. Read more about specific K-mount lens/camera compatibility here.
The DLSR designation below encompasses the mirror-less K-01.

https://mosphotos.com/PentaxLensesExplained.html

[jimfellows]

I second that the SMC A 70-210mm f4. IT is a great lens and can be used on any K-mount camera including the newest DSLR's.

[Sandy Hancock]

the " A " series lenses would work but in manual focus only

Ummmm, I'm not sure what you mean here Allen. The A series are all manual focus, and the K1000 body is too.

BUT, the A series lenses are arguably wasted on the K1000, as you can't use the "A" setting on the aperture ring.

I would suggest the M series 75-150/4.0 or 80-200/4.5 as dirt cheap, but decent zooms in the range requested.

[Wasp]

If it's a zoom you want, you can't go wrong with anything that says "SMC Pentax" on it. A and M doesn't really matter as long as it's in good condition and the price is right. Pentax sold the K1000 with SMC Pentax A 50mm f/2 as a kit, so using an A lens on a K1000 is not a problem. Forget about old timer third party zooms from the film era. There are a few exceptions but for the most part they were junk not great even when they were new.

I would suggest going prime but that is just me. Check out the SMC Pentax M 100mm f/2.8 and SMC Pentax M 200mm f/4. There are plenty around at great prices AFAIK. Image quality would be better and they work great on DSLRs too.

[aslyfox]

Ummmm, I'm not sure what you mean here Allen. The A series are all manual focus, and the K1000 body is too.

BUT, the A series lenses are arguably wasted on the K1000, as you can't use the "A" setting on the aperture ring.

I would suggest the M series 75-150/4.0 or 80-200/4.5 as dirt cheap, but decent zooms in the range requested.

" A " is automatic Aperture correct ?

that is what I meant would not work with the K 1000

sorry about my poor choice of words

manual focus of course but the photographer must set aperture manually on the K 1000

[clickclick]

" A " is automatic Aperture correct ?

that is what I meant would not work with the K 1000

sorry about my poor choice of words

manual focus of course but the photographer must set aperture manually on the K 1000

Yes, automatic in that it allows the camera to select the aperture versus the photographer having to set the aperture on the lens, but just for clarity for folks new to this, not to be confused with a lens that automatically stops down from wide open to the selected aperture when taking the picture, e.g a lens that is let's say is f2.8, the aperture is set manually to f5.6, and the lens stays wide open at 2.8 for focusing, but automatically stops down to the selected f5.6 when taking the photo. Hope this helps.

[ismaelg]

Another vote for the A70-210 f4. My favorite manual zoom that sees a lot of use with the K1000 AND digital bodies. Manual aperture in the K1000, "A" setting in later models and DSLRs.

Thanks,
Ismael

[TwoUptons]

If you're aiming to use the lenses on autofocus (or even digital) cameras later, the autofocus lenses will also work fine, just with 'loose' manual focus...

I have the Pentax SMC-F 70-210 that is very good for its price (they are generally extremely inexpensive) and a 13 year old Tamron 70-300 that is wonderful apart from some purple fringing (which is less obvious on film).
Both have an aperture ring for use with a K1000 as well as full capability on a modern camera.

-Eric

[Not a Number]

So many options in the 80-200 zoom range. In third party lenses you may want to look at the Kiron or Vivitar Series 1 zooms in Pentax K mount.

[Wasp]

I was recently gifted a CPC Phase 2 80-200mm f/4. It has surprised me by exceeding my somewhat opinionated low expectations from a third party film era zoom. The acid test for me is whether a lens works with my SMC Pentax F 1.7x AF Adapter on my K200D. This one does. One of the exceptions to my rule stated in my previous, I suppose. Then again, it was made in a Pentax factory.

Take a look at the Takumar 70-210mm if you find one. It is identical to the Pentax, except for the lens coatings. No Super Multi Coating secret sauce, just ordinary multi coating, but still good.

I do still urge you to consider two primes instead of one zoom. That is how serious photographers roll, hehehe. You can add the SMC Pentax 85mm M f/2 and SMC Pentax 135mm M f/3.5 to your shopping list. Unfortunately these seem to be going up in price now, especially the former. And then there are the SMC Pentax 120mm f/2.8 and SMC Pentax 150mm f/3.5. Asahi left no gaps unfilled back in the day, but these are fairly rare.

[luftfluss]

If you do decide you want to go for some speed, the Tamron Adaptall-2 SP 80-200mm f2.8 LD BBAR MC (30A) is very good.

[Wasp]

Shot with the CPC Phase 2 80-200mm f/4.

[aslyfox]

. . . In third party lenses you may want to look at the . . . Vivitar Series 1 zooms in Pentax K mount.

I agree that series of lenses might be worth a look

There are six versions of the manual focus Vivitar Series 1 (VS1) 70-210 zoom lenses, all of which can be distinguished apart from each other visually (and their manufacturers can be identified by using their serial numbers). Interestingly, Vivitar was never actually a lens manufacturer per se -- Vivitar contracted with various lens makers to produce lenses to its own specifications, which it then marketed under the Vivitar brand (although the contractors would sometimes end up releasing similar lens designs under their own and/or other brands), and this always-a-lens-specifier-and-never-a-lens-maker characteristic is certainly true for all the VS1 70-210 zooms. , , ,

Read more at: Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm Line Lens Reviews - Vivitar Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

follow the link to find owner reviews of the various versions