[vladimiroltean]

And just out of curiosity: does urssu mean "you are Sonoma State University"?

I think it means "The Bear" spelled with a double S

[liukaitc]

I am selling a m50 f1.4 for $90 shipped right now.

[K5_Ltd_User]

Good day,

Thank you all for the quick replies.
As I said, I am a complete novice at this, so the term `focal length` ain' t that well set in my mind.
I do not take macros, neither portrait pictures (I believe the focal length influences this) , but I take pictures of what I want. So I won' t say no to such lenses.
I would have liked pros and cons to some of this lenses, some pics and/ or if possible a review with all mentioned before (to exclude the firsts) ; for the Helios lenses especially.

Luikaitc, unlucky for you (and me of course) I only have about 75$ including shipping. But, best of luck selling it (I' m sure it won' t depend on luck, the lens is very well craved for) .

Thank you again. Still wondering which to get...

[eddie1960]

Good day,

Thank you all for the quick replies.
As I said, I am a complete novice at this, so the term `focal length` ain' t that well set in my mind.
I do not take macros, neither portrait pictures (I believe the focal length influences this) , but I take pictures of what I want. So I won' t say no to such lenses.
I would have liked pros and cons to some of this lenses, some pics and/ or if possible a review with all mentioned before (to exclude the firsts) ; for the Helios lenses especially.

Luikaitc, unlucky for you (and me of course) I only have about 75$ including shipping. But, best of luck selling it (I' m sure it won' t depend on luck, the lens is very well craved for) .

Thank you again. Still wondering which to get...

Ok so
Have a look at some of the various Single in albums. a good number of the lenses discussed have actually bee used in those challenges

PentaxForums.com - Member Photo Albums

you'll find everything from lowly inexpensive manual lenses their to some pretty exotic expensive stuff. Certainly not all he images are good (mine certainly weren't when i participated - it's tough to go out and force yourself to get an image every day with only one lens

my albums that are applicable (for better or worse)

Super Tak 50 1.4
eddie1960's Album: Single In May 2011 - PentaxForums.com

M 50 1.7
eddie1960's Album: Single In March - PentaxForums.com

M28 3.5
eddie1960's Album: Single In January - PentaxForums.com
eddie1960's Album: SIJ Alternates - PentaxForums.com

there are tons more on my flickr. you will find most of my shots are with old MF lenses

Flickr: Eddie Smith's Photostream

there are also many people who do a much better job with the same lenses, i'm just a hack

[pezmaker]

There are also some great reviews that should help you decide. Here are a few for example:

Collection of russian lenses - you'll find the industar and the helios here
sears 135 F2.8 - i've had two copies of this lens and love them both. Need to clean blades on the one I still have
Possibly the cheapest 50 F1.4 of quality you'll find - mine is sears branded
The "nifty fifty" pentax M50 F1.7 we're all highly recommending


That should get you a start on navigating the reviews. I primarily use these when deciding on a lens, and also the example photo groups. Russian lenses, takumars, 50s, etc. LOTS of stuff a quick search away.

[telly0050]

vote for 50/1.7
For the price you'd have to go with a manual lens, or a cheap DA 18-55mm.

at the end, it's depends on what focal length you are looking for.

edit:
i take it back.
i forget you can get some nice old AF glasses too, like the F35-70mm which is highly regarded in the forum.

[K5_Ltd_User]

vote for 50/1.7
For the price you'd have to go with a manual lens, or a cheap DA 18-55mm.

at the end, it's depends on what focal length you are looking for.

I take instant shots. Be it of the city, of the water flowing, of rain poring down an umbrella (as you may see in my unappealing album) , I don' t have a `thing` regarding pictures. Don' t kill myself with macros, no do I kill myself with landscapes. I don' t have any directions regarding photos right about now, but would like a lens that could `convert` me... if I can make myself understood.

P.S. Thank you for the links people!

[jimr-pdx]

My best bang for us$50 are the Rikenon 28mm f/2.8 and 70-150 f/4. The latter is quite rare but it's a keeper & great for portraits. Seldom a bad word for 50/1.7 though, and sears/ricoh models can be found for low prices if an M cannot be found.

[K5_Ltd_User]

Good evening,

Yet again, I found a lens at a nifty price:
Takumar 50mm F1.4

SMC/S-M-C/Super Takumar 50mm F1.4 Reviews - M42 Screwmount Normal Primes - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

Any suggestions before I hit the `Buy` button? Can anybody stop me? If it would be recommended, please do so.

Thank you!

[vladimiroltean]

Do you have an adapter for it?

[RioRico]

As I said, I am a complete novice at this, so the term `focal length` ain' t that well set in my mind.

I take instant shots. Be it of the city, of the water flowing, of rain poring down an umbrella (as you may see in my unappealing album) , I don' t have a `thing` regarding pictures. Don' t kill myself with macros, no do I kill myself with landscapes.

I see you have a K5 with 18-55 and 50-200 lenses. One way to become familiar with focal lengths is to shoot with those zooms, see where you set them, and see what the images look like. If you find yourself mostly shooting at 50mm or 55mm, then any of the 50-55-58mm lenses mentioned would be fine. The SMC-M or SMC-A 50/1.7, or the Takumar 50/1.4 or 55/1.8, are exceptionally good lenses. The 50/1.7s and 55/1.8 will be sharp with the aperture wide open. The 50/1.4 will be just as sharp when stopped-down to f/2, and wide-open it can get shots the others can't. The 50/1.4 is almost my most-used prime lens.

Some basics of focal lengths: On your K5, 28-31mm are 'normal', giving about the same view as you have when you close one eye. 35mm gives a slightly narrower view. 50-60mm are short telephotos, good for half-body portraits or for just picking out people on the street. 18-24mm are wide, good for what we call 'context', shooting your surroundings. All of these are popular for different sorts of street and portrait and landscape and abstract and other photography.

I personally find that 28mm gives the most 'natural' view; 18-24mm are most suitable for casual walkaround shooting; 50-55mm are great for people-shooting; 90-135mm help you isolate a subject from their surroundings. Again, try your zooms at different focal lengths, and see what works for you. One trick: Set a zoom to a certain focal length, like 24 or 28 or 35 or 50 or 80 or 135, and TAPE the lens there so it won't change. Then shoot with that focal length for a few days -- become familiar with it. Good luck!

[K5_Ltd_User]

Thank you all again for the advices.

I ended up buying the SMC F1.7 50mm lens. It should arrive in a few days to me and then I can tell if it was a good purchase (defects and what not).

Have a great day all, thank you for the advices and links!

L.E. Recived it, tested it, loving it. Great buy. Thanks again!

[vladimiroltean]

Congrats

[K5_Ltd_User]

Good day,

Long time no posting on this thread, but if you are still reading it, this are the results of this lens. I admit I ain' t no photographer, but I like the quality the lens gives:













This one unluckley is focused on the fingers; I' m still learning.

[BirdDude007]

Nice shots there, I see you are enjoying that new lens. I just came across this thread due to the fact that you just revived it.
After reading it all I was going to make a few suggestions for finding some really good vintage lenses-Pawn Shops!
What I do is I drop my business card off at pawn shops and tell them to call me when they get some old camera items in, I just tell them preferably anything that says Pentax on them, but I really dont stress that too much to them because I dont want them to think I am desparate for a certain brand.
Well for example, I just got a call from a pawn shop that I left my info at over a year ago, and the guy says that he spotted the name Pentax on some of the items in a box of camera parts that he had in the back of his shop. So I came in and looked through the shop, there are many items worth buying but the thing that stood out the most to me was a 50mm SMC A lens attached to a Pentax program plus body!, Ijust played it all down and lowballed him to ten dollars for the whole box, he then turned around and picked up an old antique camera and said if I am interested I can have that for 5 dollars, I said I thought it was a cool looking camera and would just end up putting it on a shelf, so he threw it in for five dollars more. It turns out after doing some research on this old camera that it is a German Zeiss Ikonta compact camera built in 1932! and it is worth anywhere from 200 to 400 dollars! it is completely functional and even still has a leather case.
However I like the old camera so much I am just going to keep it, and maybe even if I can find some rolls of 120 film I might go out and actually use it for fun and nostalgia.
So what I am trying to say is this-put your number and info into all the pawn shops you pass, go to flea markets/swap meets, even places like Craigslist, you never know what you might come across. I have all kinds of odds and ends of lenses and accessories just from doing this and staying vigilant.