[chrism_scotland]

I would certainly consider older MF lenses!

[Marc Sabatella]

I think you need to be able to list a good specific reaosn why the kit lens (18-55) is not meeting your needs; that would help in making recommendations. But for most people's needs, the 18-55 is exactly the lens you are describing looking for.

[monochrome]

What would be the cheapest options for a walk around lens, wide angle and maybe a prime like a 50mm.
Also I see that older lenses can be used are there any old gems I should keep my eye out for?

Hi: Best way I can recommend to narrow the list of old K-mount Pentax glass to the "best" lenses is to spend some time reading Stan's Pentax Photography. The list was last updated 4 or 5 years ago, but the comments and comparisons of lens qualities seem to be spot-on.

Scroll down the frame on the left for some "Best" discussions.

[Rense]

Okay, if you'd consider MF lenses, I can give you a list of my favourite landscape lenses. But: they're not all short! And the list is far from complete, others will advise you other manual lenses, I guess.....

SMC Pentax-A 28/2.8: this is probably the lens I use most for landscape photography. It's easy to use, and I like the sharpness and colour rendering. Some examples of pics made with this lens are to be found here (not the first two, those are made with the A 100/4 macro!)

SMC Pentax-A 50/1.7: Another great lens from Pentax' A-series. Actually behaving as a short tele in terms of FOV on a dSLR, but it is pretty much my walk around lens for daily use. Sharp and dirty cheap.

Zenitar 16/2.8 fisheye: I've got the M42 copy of this lens, but I don't see differences between de K-mount and the M42 version in terms of IQ. I find the M42 easier to use, because it can be used in Av-mode . If you can live with the moderate fish-eye effect, it's a great lens. Not as cheap as the former two though.

SMC Pentax-A 100/4 macro: Yeah, I know, long lenses are probably not the most obvious choice for landscaping, but I do it a lot. The first two photos in the above link are made with this one. The max aperture of 4 is not a big problem when shooting landscapes, I think.

Super-Takumar 200/4: Please, don't tell anybody, but this is the best of the bunch! Great colours, great feeling, tack sharp, even wide open, etc. And the price? It's well under a 100 USD, so I wouldn't hesitate and get me one. And please, get a decent genuine Pentax M42 adapter, it will save you a lot of trouble! Click here for a recent example of a photo made with this one.

A newly acquired lens which I did not use very much until now is the Vivitar 28/2. According to Robin Parmar this is a great (series of) lens(es). Mine is oily, but I am to repair it. You can find some reviews in our database under third party lenses.

Good luck!

[Marc Sabatella]

Moved to SLR Lens forum.