[UncleVanya]

With reflector telescopes the rear mirror has to be adjusted periodically. Can you adjust the rear mirror?

[ksparks519]

With reflector telescopes the rear mirror has to be adjusted periodically. Can you adjust the rear mirror?

The only part of the lens I haven't been able to disassemble is the housing around the rear/primary mirror. I stripped the last screw holding it in place before I broke the ancient threadlock. I'm not sure there's much to adjust besides making sure everything is seated snugly, but at this point I'd need to buy some extractor bits to find out.

[Lowell Goudge]

the 300mm M* or A* with 1,7 AFA is excellent but rather 400 -600 $ combo.
no experience with the cheaper 300mm (non* variants)

Here are shots with the k300/4 and AFA

Lowell Goudge's Album: K300/4 with 1.7x Af Adaptor - PentaxForums.com

---------- Post added 12-10-22 at 05:50 PM ----------

Yes! A new pokemon to hunt for. I didn't catch that the 1st and 2nd versions of the Vivitar 70-210 were constant aperture but the v3 was not when I bought it, which I did specifically because I was frustrated with low light performance before I switched over to pentax bodies. I still like the lens a lot, even though im usually using it at f/4 and not f/2,8 as I had hoped. I picked it up for $25 plus shipping and have definitely got my moneys worth. I'm a little hesitant to buy a v1 or v2, feels like maybe a marginal improvement over what I've got, but also Vivitar had something to prove when it developed the 70-210 v1 f/3.5, so maybe I should.

Depending on where you are you could try my V1 lens, but I don’t plan to part with it

[GUB]

My impression is that non-mirror vintage 500mm are getting a bit too unwieldy to be good value options for me. Thanks for the advice!

Agree with that. So it becomes a choice of a mirror with its idiosyncrasies and difficulty of use vs a cropped sub 500 .
I have a range of mirrors - the modern optika etc are useless. I have a Pentax K 400 - 600 that is great but probably out of budget. My first Tamron 500 was the early model and was ho-hum but my later one is superb. The shot here is with a friends one and it inspired me to try again with Tamron.

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[marcusBMG]

I've posted pics from numerous vintage lenses in the 300mm plus lens club - discuss your long lenses thread.

Between 300mm and 400mm I would suggest if you're looking for reach then 400mm (500mm options are really limited outside of mirrors). But the usually closer focussing of the 300's might sway that.
I would suggest that the no 1 vintage lens to go for is the sigma apo 400mm f5.6 in PKA mount but unfortunately that is chronically afflicted with a hazed inner doublet - cement deterioration. It is possible to find one with only slight haze. Note this is distinct from the sigma (NON apo ) MC 400mm f5.6 this is very similar structurally - compact with internal focusing. This has the cachet of being available with KAF autofocus mount. I have one and have been trying to use and like it without success so far - it is difficult to get to nail focus and is a CA fringing monster.
I wrote the review on the nestar IMO it is the best of the original t-mount lenses from the 1960's/70's. However the later tokina made 400mm f6.3's are just about as good, focus closer and already have a tripod mount and hood, these are diy add ons for the nestar. The tokina is found in own name, soligor, optomax incarnations. Then there are the vivitar 400mm f5.6's. The tokina made ones come in two versions, a lerger heavir one with tripod mount and a later one that is essentially a rebadged tokina RMC. These are all similar performers. The premium tokina 400mm f5.6 is the last version the SD 400mm f5.6 which can be found in PKA mount. I managed to find one in your price range but that was a one-off. In practice it is only a bit better than the others IMO.
I had a dud tamron 500mm mirror too - I tried hard to make it work/check it out but no luck. But that was an exception, I have had a dozen + of these pass through my hands and still have a couple, and what I note is the consistent quality. Check out pics in the mirror lens club thread.

Finally, I have seen the early model 55-300mm DAL's sell within your price range recently.

[RICHARD L.]

I use a 645 FA* 300 mm f/4 on my K3 III sometimes with a genuine Pentax '645 to K' adapter. The FA* is more expensive than the manual focus A* version but it has a tripod mount. Very sharp between f/8 and f/16. Water Lillies on the Saint Maurice River, north of Trois Rivières, Quebec.

[Just1MoreDave]

...The tokina made ones come in two versions, a lerger heavir one with tripod mount and a later one that is essentially a rebadged tokina RMC. These are all similar performers. The premium tokina 400mm f5.6 is the last version the SD 400mm f5.6 which can be found in PKA mount. I managed to find one in your price range but that was a one-off. In practice it is only a bit better than the others IMO.

The autofocus version (AT-X) is another small step better in fringing and contrast. It also focuses much closer. The lens is a good size and weight, has a hood and tripod mount. I paid something like $275 in the marketplace a few years ago. Sometimes they are cheaper but a 400mm AF lens isn't going to be that much less. I had the SD version for maybe 10 years before that.

Now that I have the K-3 III, autofocus is a great feature.

It would help if birds were a lot bigger or closer. I think if 1000mm lenses were cheap and available, we'd all use them for birds.

[kypfer]

One of my "go to's", back in the day, was my Tamron Adaptall-2 #104A 75-250mm f/3.8-4.5 which was often used in conjunction with the Tamron #01F 2x converter.
Close focus of 4ft-1.2m, so good for butterflies with the 2x, with the advantage of a "one-touch trombone" zoom, push-pull for framing and finding the subject, twist for focus … lightning-fast compared to most contemporary two-touch lenses!

[ksparks519]

I use a 645 FA* 300 mm f/4 on my K3 III sometimes with a genuine Pentax '645 to K' adapter. The FA* is more expensive than the manual focus A* version but it has a tripod mount. Very sharp between f/8 and f/16. Water Lillies on the Saint Maurice River, north of Trois Rivières, Quebec.

Nice shot! Some colors. Would love to hear any incites you have about adapting a 645 (or a 6x7 if you have) lens to APSC. I'm interested in the prime lenses from these formats but some of the posts I've seen have basically come down on: if you already have the lens go ahead and adapt it, but it's probably better to get a native k-mount otherwise.

---------- Post added 12-12-22 at 08:02 PM ----------

Here are shots with the k300/4 and AFA

Lowell Goudge's Album: K300/4 with 1.7x Af Adaptor - PentaxForums.com

---------- Post added 12-10-22 at 05:50 PM ----------



Depending on where you are you could try my V1 lens, but I don’t plan to part with it

Nice shots and kind offer! I'm in Pittsburgh PA. A side-by-side comparison would be neat, but absolutely don't go out of your way. There's one comparison video on youtube of the v1 and v3 that landed on the v1 being a little sharper.

[ksparks519]

Agree with that. So it becomes a choice of a mirror with its idiosyncrasies and difficulty of use vs a cropped sub 500 .
I have a range of mirrors - the modern optika etc are useless. I have a Pentax K 400 - 600 that is great but probably out of budget. My first Tamron 500 was the early model and was ho-hum but my later one is superb. The shot here is with a friends one and it inspired me to try again with Tamron.

Lovely moody shot! I'm back to doubted whether the issue is just my skill level with this lens. I tried some more micro-adjustments with blunt objects on my copy and will spend some more time with it. Here's a black-capped chickadee from a month ago that gave me some encouragment (handheld, about 10-15 ft away).

---------- Post added 12-12-22 at 08:35 PM ----------

I've posted pics from numerous vintage lenses in the 300mm plus lens club - discuss your long lenses thread.

Between 300mm and 400mm I would suggest if you're looking for reach then 400mm (500mm options are really limited outside of mirrors). But the usually closer focussing of the 300's might sway that.
I would suggest that the no 1 vintage lens to go for is the sigma apo 400mm f5.6 in PKA mount but unfortunately that is chronically afflicted with a hazed inner doublet - cement deterioration. It is possible to find one with only slight haze. Note this is distinct from the sigma (NON apo ) MC 400mm f5.6 this is very similar structurally - compact with internal focusing. This has the cachet of being available with KAF autofocus mount. I have one and have been trying to use and like it without success so far - it is difficult to get to nail focus and is a CA fringing monster.
I wrote the review on the nestar IMO it is the best of the original t-mount lenses from the 1960's/70's. However the later tokina made 400mm f6.3's are just about as good, focus closer and already have a tripod mount and hood, these are diy add ons for the nestar. The tokina is found in own name, soligor, optomax incarnations. Then there are the vivitar 400mm f5.6's. The tokina made ones come in two versions, a lerger heavir one with tripod mount and a later one that is essentially a rebadged tokina RMC. These are all similar performers. The premium tokina 400mm f5.6 is the last version the SD 400mm f5.6 which can be found in PKA mount. I managed to find one in your price range but that was a one-off. In practice it is only a bit better than the others IMO.
I had a dud tamron 500mm mirror too - I tried hard to make it work/check it out but no luck. But that was an exception, I have had a dozen + of these pass through my hands and still have a couple, and what I note is the consistent quality. Check out pics in the mirror lens club thread.

Finally, I have seen the early model 55-300mm DAL's sell within your price range recently.

I'm leaning towards a 400mm prime and maybe a decent 1.4 or 1.7 teleconverter at this point. A OEM 55-300 is probably the practical choice but I'm just not excited by these lenses. They feel like a Toyota sedan and I want a bargain bin ridiculous hunk of metal that punches above its weight. Adding the Sigma to my list, but APO versions in K-mount seem scarce right now. Interesting to hear the 400mm 6.3's are about as good as the Nestar in your experience, as the Nestar was seeming like a standout. Thanks!

[GUB]

Here is another quite good telephoto I have. Vivitar 500mm f6.3 photo @ f8 on tripod. Quite a bit less convenient than the Tamron mirror but perhaps the need to put it on a tripod is a good discipline forced on me. It is really a long focus lens as it is almost 500mm from front element to focal plane. But quite light. Took this shot out on the farm last night - I like the 3d in this one..

https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/vivitar-tele-vivitar-500mm-f63.html

[marcusBMG]

Vivitar 500mm f6.3 photo @ f8

That's a lens I have been curious about - there's not many of them around. It may well be the best vintage 500mm (non-mirror) option, but all the old 500mm have really long close focus distances. You only have to have one frustrating experience at a hide to understand the limitations of that. I had a tokina made 600mm f8 for a while before selling it on, I wasn't that impressed with it tbh. I just amended the description on the review page for the 500 - 6.3 actually, I noticed that there are two versions. One is rather reminiscent of the Itoh designs - that bunched arrangment of the mount - focus - aperture. I have the Itoh 400mm 6.3, it matches my pentax M 400mm 5.6 actually. I have been watching a 500-6.3 on ebay, it has fungus but these are simple lenses, I may splash.

Don't bother with tc's with these older lenses ksparks519. TC results are absolutely dependent on the quality of the lens and these older lenses simply have too many aberrations. At best there is no discernable advantage to using the tc, more usually its detrimental to the final result. The more indirect but effective way to get a bigger picture is a camera with more pixels. I, and others, have tried this sort of thing quite a lot and IME ther results have always been mixed at best:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/309566-tel...on-x1-4-a.html

[ksparks519]

Well I just splurge purchased a Takumar 300mm f/6.3. After settling on a prime, lost an auction on an SMC-A 400mm f/5.6 (went for $128) then came across the older shorter lens. Slow, but the reviews on these forums suggest this lens might have the special something I'm looking for. Got it for $50 plus shipping. Longterm gear upgrade plan is now Laowa 100mm 2x macro->k70 (currently on a k30)->mayyybe another longer or newer telephoto. Thanks everyone for the stories and photos!

[marcusBMG]

Bid on up to $200 on an smc-A 400mm, that one went cheap - and would have been pretty ideal! That lens will always sell for that or even more, so you'll always get your money back.
I'd be interested to hear how you find the tak.

[RICHARD L.]

Would love to hear any incites you have about adapting a 645 (or a 6x7 if you have) lens to APSC.

I also use a medium-format Pentax 645Z and I have a Pentax 67 II too, so I have over 30 P645 and P67 lenses at my disposal. P645 lenses are easier to use on a K-mount than P67's though (less bulk and weight but no automation whatsoever). These are all "heavy-hitters" when used on a K3 III. P67 lenses can be used in automatic Av mode on the 645Z with great ease.



P645 FA* 300 mm f/4 on a K3 III @ f/16.