[MrclSchprs]

Fellow Pentaxians,

Just a conversation starter ... what is your 'best' non-Pentax manual focus K mount prime lens? I've put 'best' between quotes to indicate that it is a highly subjective ranking. I am curious to know your personal favorite. Let MTF charts and all other technical fluff for it is. What is your personal precious gem?

I'll kick off by stating that I really liked the Vivitar 28mm 2.0 close focus lens. I used to have one for Olympus OM mount. If I ever come across a reasonable priced K mount one, I'll grab it. Another one I really like it the Flektogon 35mm 2.4 lens. Mine is permanently converted to K mount. A fine conversion, but nevertheless stop down metering only. And that is a bit of a pain in the butt.

Finally, I do own a Revuenon 50mm 1.4 lens. Wow, that thing is sharp and contrasty! Never done any serious testing, but from it results I get it looks like this lens is way better than the Pentax-M 1.4 version and the Pentax-FA version.

Never tried a Vivitar Series I 90mm macro or the Tamron 52B or 52BB 90mm 2.5 macro lens, but I would love to try one out.

So there you have it. My 3 personal favorites and 1 (or 2) could-be favorites. What is, or what are, your favorite non-Pentax K mount prime lens?

[kypfer]

Any of the Tamron Adaptall-2 primes (I've yet to obtain a 17mm), but the 24mm, the 28mm, the acclaimed 90mm and the 135mm (all f/2.5) are faultless … in my opinion. I've also yet to "assess" the 200mm f/3.5, though I doubt I'll be disappointed. The 500mm mirror can be an acquired taste, but perfectly good for what it is.
I've only got the 28mm f/2.8 from the earlier Adaptall range … no problems to note, but I've only used it on film.
The Adaptall mounts can get a little stiff, with age … one of the few occasions with camera equipment where a quick squirt of WD40 can prove beneficial … but leave it all dry out a bit before mounting it on the lens!
I've tried the Petri 28mm f/2 and the Kiron 28mm f/2 for "astro" work … both suffer from coma to a degree when wide open.
Some of the old Soligor pre-set T2-mount lenses can prove surprising … I particularly like the 35mm f/2.8.
The Riconar 55mm f/2.2 can give "interesting" bokeh effects, if you're into that sort of thing.
The Vivitar TX range are all solid performers … finding a PK adaptor at a "sensible" price can be the stumbling point.

... but nevertheless stop down metering only. And that is a bit of a pain in the butt.

Don't let stop-down metering hold you back … practice, embrace it and enjoy the world of M42 lenses, with the appropriate adaptor … there you'll find some real gems
Enjoy

[marcusBMG]

Vivitars and adaptalls are the main ones to come to mind. The adaptalls include the premium 300mm - 2.8's, the 400mm f4, and the 180mm. The 300mm f5.6's are worth checking out as there is no equivalent in the pentax lineup.

Sigma 24mm superwide II (the II's are better than the first version superwides and miniwides IMO) deserves a mention. It's a pity the version 2 sigma apo 400mm f5.6 invariably suffers from haze, because that fills a blank in the pentax lineup. The V3 is a plum. I am still waiting to see if someone might find an AF version of the V2, the "MC" 400mm is found as both MF and AF.
Tokinas tend to be solid but perhaps unexceptional performers, but includes gems like the "bokina" 90mm macro. A lot of the vivs are tokinas of course.

[GUB]

Rikenon (lester Dine) 105mm macro.
Tamron sp90mm 2.5mm Macro
Vivitar 55mm 2.8 Macro
Vivitar (bokina) 90mm 2.5 Macro
Revuenon 55mm 1.2
Weltblik 135mm 1.8
Soligor 300mm 4.5
I could go on and on and on - they are all up there with the old Pentax just with their own characteristics.
But I believe under 40mm Old Pentax lenses reign supreme - I am guessing their coatings give them an edge.

[Digitalis]

I'm presently awaiting my copy of the Legendary Voigtlander 125mm f/2.5 APO Lanthar, which I had in Nikon F mount - now I have switched to their Z Mirrorless system I'm getting the mount on the VL125 Lanthar changed from Nikon F to Pentax K. The lens technician I work with is making the mount change and is also able to take care of infinity focus adjustment.

[Wasp]

Without having owned any of them, I will say that the Carl Zeiss ZK lineup sits at the top of this particular tree.

Carl Zeiss ZK Distagon T* 25mm F2.8 Lens Reviews - Carl Zeiss Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

Carl Zeiss ZK Distagon T* 28mm F2 Lens Reviews - Carl Zeiss Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

Carl Zeiss ZK Makro-Planar T* 50mm F2 Lens Reviews - Carl Zeiss Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

Carl Zeiss Planar ZK T* 85mm F1.4 Lens Reviews - Carl Zeiss Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

Carl Zeiss ZK Makro-Planar T* 100mm F2 Lens Reviews - Carl Zeiss Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

[Lowell Goudge]

I think the best two I own are the samyang 14/2.8 and 85/1.4. The tamron 24 and 28 F2.5 are close behind.

I like my kiron 2 and 28 F2 lenses but both suffer from a pasture blade sticking due to oil,

I positively don’t like the sigma 28/2.8 mini wide II it is terrible with its lateral CA

[photocles]

One of my favorites, which seems to get zero respect, is the Hoya (Tokina mfg) 135mm f/2.8 (HOYA HMC PK 135mm F2.8 Lens Reviews - Miscellaneous Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database)

I have used this lens on Pentax SLR/DSLR bodies and mirrorless Sony bodies for more than a decade and I think it's a gem. This lens travels with me a lot. At f4 down, I think it's a solid performer.


Examples on an A7:

Warped reflection | Downtown Phoenix, Arizona | photocles | Flickr


Plywood stubble | Mural detail, downtown Phoenix, AZ Sony A7? | Flickr

[Wasp]

Here are two favorite lenses that I do own:

Rokinon 85mm f/1.4



Samyang 8mm f/3.5 fisheye

[normhead]

My best are the Tamron 90 and Sigma 70 macros, followed by my Tamron AF 300 2.8.
I didn't get my money's worth would be the Sigma 70-300, 18-250 and 120-400 (I returned 2 and eventually bought the DA*60-250 and 1.4TC, I never got a copy worth keeping), and Tamron 17-50. The 17-50 and 18-250 are decentred to the point of being unusable. The worked well when purchased, after year or two we noticed problems. They were both sent in still under warranty and repairs were not even undertaken. I don't think either of the repair centres for Tamron or Sigma, have the equipment to repair a de-centred lens.The 70-3003 physically broke.

That Tamron 90 has probably the most use of any lens we own. My wife regularly uses it as her walk around. The Sigma 70 macro was the lens used by Imagine Resources as the "common denominator) lens for their lens tests and is only limited by its size and weight. For the most part I can't recommend 3rd party lenses. But I go against that for the Tamron 90, Sigma 70, Rokinon 14 2.8 and Sigma 8-16. They've all been great lenses for me. Third party for me has been a crap shoot with a way too high failure rate.

All ratings based on actual results in the field and usage patterns.

[Wasp]

I really liked the look of the the Tamron 180mm f/2.5 when they came out in the eigties but never got round to owning one.

[ProfessorBuzz]

Don't forget the tack-sharp Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART. For astrophotography, its superb - very sharp into the corners.

Sadly, Sigma bailed out on Pentax and never did the other focal lengths. I had them for my Canon setup (which I've been slowly selling off).

[normhead]

Ah, , my bad, we are supposed to be commenting on MF K-mount lenses, my bad... that leaves me with the Rokinion 14 2.8, which on one site was the highest rated for astrophotography. As rule a, I'd rule out any MF lens that isn't excellent at producing hyperfocal images. MF has it's advantages, but I definitely prefer choice. There are a lot of images where I simply don't want to mess with MF but my macro lenses all get used in MF when appropriate. The being said, in a 14mm lens for landscape or star scapes, MF is not a problem. On moving subjects with eratic movements and longer focal lengths, MF is a big problem, in and of itself for a wildlife shooter. People who shoot in studios with total control of the environment and subjects may find MF desirable. But it's no surprise, the best lenses made by Pentax in K mount are AF. The DFA*50 1.4 and DFA* 85 1.4 come to mind.

In general, the small run companies who make MF lenses for the most part are avoiding the expense of mastering the intricacies of every companies' AF systems. When was the last time one of the major producers, Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc. produced an MF lens?

But hey, MF is as good as any rabbit hole to head down.

[Ray Cox]

I'm presently awaiting my copy of the Legendary Voigtlander 125mm f/2.5 APO Lanthar, which I had in Nikon F mount - now I have switched to their Z Mirrorless system I'm getting the mount on the VL125 Lanthar changed from Nikon F to Pentax K. The lens technician I work with is making the mount change and is also able to take care of infinity focus adjustment.

I was fortunate to find a Voigtlander 125mm f/2.5 APO Lanthar in Pentax K mount in as new condition. This indeed is a special optic and a joy to use.

[pepperberry farm]

making a short list of non-Pentax, k-mount lenses that I actually own....

my favorites would have to be:


Carl Zeiss Distagon 25mm f2.8

Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f1.4 SL II

Tamron Adaptall-2 SP 72B

Leitz Summicron-R 90mm f2 (it's been Leitax'd to k-mount)

Tamron Adaptall-2 SP 63B


this is the kind of thread that my LBA doesn't need to be aware of....