[pepperberry farm]

And at the other end, I reckon everyone should try one of the Helios 58/2.0 variants at some point. They are dirt cheap and loaded with character.

until you realize that only the original will do - buy a Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58/2 to see what the fuss is all about....



so many manual lenses, in so many different mounts....

(:

[JensE]

The one thing I don't like about it is its M42 mount and fiddling with the (original Pentax) adapter for use on my DSLRs.

I just permanently attached a 3rd party adapter (spring removed) and drilled a shallow hole for the lens locking pin of the camera. It still is a fully manual aperture, but a lot less fiddling if you don't have a dedicated M42 camera.

[Asahi_Fr51]

Right now I have an SMC M100 2.8 that I really like and a Super Takumar 135 3.5 which is decent also.
Any other I should have?

I own the A50 f2.8 Macro : very fine, not only for macro, this one of my favorite manual focus lenses.

[pinholecam]

Pentax manual lenses to have :

M42
====
Takumar 58/2 (the only SLR Sonnar 50mm) - sonnar look, amazingly small and really unique
Takumar 55/1.8 - cheap, good bokeh (better than the M/A 50/1.7 and f2 imo )
Takumar 100/2 - very nice lens, but probably hard to obtain (perhaps about 200 made )

K-mount
=========
M20/4 - nice small 20mm, so practical to actually use and carry around
K28/3.5 - probably the best vintage 28mm for stopped down shooting
A50/1.4 - most convenient of the manual 50mm and as good as any of them
M85/2 - prone to CA, but really nice small lens to carry around and use. Lovely colors and bokeh
K85/1.8 - optically superior to the M85, but larger
K135/2.5 - best of the Pentax 135mm, below the A135/1.8
A135/1.8 - great lens, lovely colors and bokeh and 1.8 aperture, but prices harder to justify vs modern 135/2 out there.

[Jonathan Mac]

I think the must-have lens is the lowly M 50mm f/1.7. Small, excellent image quality, cheap and easy to find - lots of fun.

[ZombieArmy]

The dirt part was what kept me from getting one for the longest time. Every single one of them I saw on eBay looked filthy af, all straight from Eastern Europe. When I found one that looked clean, I instantly got it. The one thing I don't like about it is its M42 mount and fiddling with the (original Pentax) adapter for use on my DSLRs. I know there are K-mount versions as well but all the different versions have different character?

I find the original doesn't give me any trouble taking it on and off. Though I don't switch lenses much if I'm shooting.

---------- Post added 08-30-22 at 10:49 AM ----------

I think the must-have lens is the lowly M 50mm f/1.7. Small, excellent image quality, cheap and easy to find - lots of fun.

Can agree with this but try to get a good copy. Speaking of the M series the M75-150 is also excellent and VERY cheap.

[Keiner]

Pentax SuperTakumar 55 1,8 - my sharpest lens for years.

Can agree with this but try to get a good copy. Speaking of the M series the M75-150 is also excellent and VERY cheap.

I was just checking my M 50 and it is sharp from 1.7 so I must have been lucky with my 40 EUR purchase!

[ZombieArmy]

I was just checking my M 50 and it is sharp from 1.7 so I must have been lucky with my 40 EUR purchase!

I find there are pretty wild copy to copy variance at the 50-55mm range. Some of mine are tack sharp and some are very soft and are the same optical formula. Though this might be due to age and they might need an adjustment.

[Naturefreak]

Right now I have an SMC M100 2.8 that I really like and a Super Takumar 135 3.5 which is decent also.
Any other I should have?

Yes!!! If you can get a hold of a copy; the 35mm f2,0 smc a version is topnotch! The bokey is nearly unbelievable, just magic 3d in my opinion! Also a very solid buit lens!

[ironyman]

Irix Dragonfly 150/2.8

[redpit]

Samyang 135/2. It is so good (especially on K-1) that it even deserves to also get the 1.7X TC and have an AF 230/3.5 lens that shines from wide open even with the TC attached.

[ZombieArmy]

Samyang 135/2. It is so good (especially on K-1) that it even deserves to also get the 1.7X TC and have an AF 230/3.5 lens that shines from wide open even with the TC attached.

Got any examples of it with the TC? I never thought of that but I guess it is just that sharp.

[redpit]

Got any examples of it with the TC? I never thought of that but I guess it is just that sharp.

I have many examples but have no more space to post here. I have to find a way to overcome this restriction and show you samples. In any case the degradation of the TC surely exists but the lens itself is so sharp that even wide open with the TC the IQ is more than very good. Stopping down by just 1/3 of a stop and the combo becomes sharper than most lenses I've shoot with in that range. Another impressive feature is that I was able to shoot action photos in AF-C of my daughter doing some gymnastics on a grass field and most of the frames were perfectly focused which was a surprise for me and probably the bright f2 lens is the reason behind these capabilities.

[Digitalis]

The SMCP- K 50mm f/1.2.


Pentax K5IIs - SMCP-K 50mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2 1/1250th ISO 80

It's a lens that will test you.