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03-17-2017, 02:36 AM   #16
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The FA31 is very pricey; an FA50/1.4 will not set you back anywhere near as much, and will give you the "classic" 50mm "normal lens" perspective to boot.

The D-FA 28-105 f/3.5-5.6 zoom is (from all I have heard) a very, very good start-up option for those who have spent so much of what they have on the body they don't have four-figure sums left to lavish on glass, and who want one lens to let them do most everything for a time while they get used to their new camera's functions. Like all the other modern digital-era lenses, it is weather resistant to complement the body (older film-era lenses, whatever their optical ups and downs, are not, and your system will effectively remain fully porous).

If you can find a cheap A, F or FA lens in the meantime, this will at least get you shooting & give you control of all functions through the camera, though the A lens will require manual focus and will not pass its focal length through to the shake-reduction system or the EXIF data (the camera will ask you to put that in yourself when you switch it on with SR active), and I think some of the other functions (focus confirmation and exposure point selection) are also restricted (to the centre point).

03-17-2017, 03:47 AM   #17
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It looks confusing, but that is only because the series names have changed with new features being added while the mount itself has stayed backwards compatible.

At the basic level, anything K-mount will work with your K-1. Anything m42 screwmount will work with the officially supported adapter.

For more nuance - anything from the DA series may not cover the full 35mm sensor. The K-1 has a cropped setting that fixes this and has the camera act as if it was APS-C. Or you can crop the photo in post processing on your own computer.

Anything from the DFA series will work fine and comes with modern coatings. I cannot recommend the DFA 28-105mm enough as a walkabout - it is very affordable, get one so you have a small, reliable, sharp, WR lens with AF - it complements every possible lens fanciers collection.

Anything from the F and FA series will function with your K-1 with no limitations. These are all 35mm coverage lenses, all with AF. The main difference between the two series (apart from looks) is the FA series has an updated chip in it that contains MTF information - nothing to worry about. Many good lenses in these series, though the consumer zooms tend not to be great optical performers (especially in the era of 34 megapixels!).

Anything from the A series will work without limitation, but these are manual focus lenses - no AF. Again, they have 35mm coverage as they are from the film era.

Anything from the K and M series will work but require green button metering. Plenty of info on that on these forums. These are old (70s, early 80s) era film lenses, but can be had at good prices. Manual focus only.
03-17-2017, 04:01 AM   #18
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Welcome aboard!!!!

Been shooting Pentax/Ricoh SLR's for a long time. Then a gap of 13 years or so while life had other plans for me. My equipment sat in a hallway closet. Decided to get a DSLR and found this place as I wasn't even sure Pentax made one. Got a K5. Hauled everything out of the closet. Would up having to toss my Sigma lenses due to element separation and the Zen finish dissolving into black gooey tar. My Tamron 300mm f2.8 got a lot of fungus in it and was unrepairable. Tossed it too. OUCH!!!

Then I faced a steep learning curve due to the 1,498,353.5 settings that are in a modern DSLR. I got pretty vexed too. But this forum has been a wealth of information and I got through it. I was ready to take a hammer to my K5 until learning a few things on this forum and putting my old SMC 55mm f1.8 lens on it. It forced me to slow down and enjoy the process of making a photograph again.

What is nice is the legacy glass. Some of it is spectacular. My old screw mount 55mm f1.8 lens is one of those lenses. Yes some of the new glass is expensive, but in many cases not as expensive as equivalent Nikon of Canon lenses. The D FA 28-105 lens is very good. I got one when I purchased my K1 at a camera store in Billings, Montana. Sharp and crisp. While there is a fascination in "fast" glass, I have never found myself wishing it was F2.8. Especially when shooting outdoors.

If you want a 70-200 f2.8 lens look into the Tamron. It is probably the best bargain in it's class. $1,000 less expensive than the Pentax equivalent but not $1,000 worse. An excellent lens. And it has a aperture ring. Something I prefer on my lenses. For distance I did get the D FA 150-450 lens. I give it a solid 10. Great performer. And when I retired my wife got me a Sigma 300mm f2.8 lens because I was missing my beloved old Tamron.

What is great about Pentax sticking true to it's mount is that there are tons of used lenses out there to be had. I have a fixed mount Tamron 135mm f 2.8 that surprised me with the quality of the shots on my K1. It is fun to see all the glass out there that does work on my K1.

And when you take into account the stunning image quality of the camera itself you simply cannot lose. It is a winner pure and simple. Add built in Shake Reduction and even your old glass benefits. Then pixel shift technology and the Astrotracer function and the camera just keeps on giving.

Last year I went to Yellowstone twice. I took most of my glass and most of it sat unused. I used two cameras, A K3 and a K1. I used three lenses. A Pentax DA 55-300 on my K3. And the D FA 28-105 and D FA 150-450 lenses on my K1. I do need a new macro lens, but I want one with an aperture ring.

BTW, that Ricoh 500G is still an excellent camera. I own two Ricoh XRM's SLRs and they were good performers for me.

Last edited by gaweidert; 03-17-2017 at 04:17 AM.
03-17-2017, 04:15 AM - 2 Likes   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by jatrax Quote

I prefer the "F" series myself:

YOU ARE THE KING OF F SERIES!!!

03-17-2017, 05:14 AM   #20
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Welcome to the forum, I must admit I'm happy enough with my vintage glass on the K1.
03-17-2017, 06:01 AM   #21
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@Dooglas, what types of photography interest you? That will help us make suggestions. I see a few ways to go:

1) I recommend starting with the DFA 28-105. It's versatile, compact, sharp, and inexpensive. As you use it, if you find you need to go wider, longer, or shallower depth of field ... that will help you pick your second lens.

2) Or start with the 24-70. It's more expensive and bulkier. In return, you get better control of depth of field and handheld low light.

3) No zoom, just use fixed focal length lenses. I don't recommend this unless you know precisely what types of photos you want to take.
03-17-2017, 06:12 AM   #22
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Get a DFA 28-105 and start shooting. You can figure out the other lenses later.

03-17-2017, 07:56 AM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by Michaelina2 Quote
For starters, you made a good decision.

Now, pair your K-1 to an FA 31... shoot your combo everyday for (say) six months, then return to the forum with "What's next..." questions.

my 2 cents (and what I'd have done, if I knew what I know now and a do-over was possible)

Cheers... M
Almost what I was going to say, except I'd go for the D-FA 50 macro - an excellent lens, small and as sharp as you can get. And as Michael suggests, just leave it on for weeks and see where you end up. Though the 28-105 is supposedly a good lens, it is a compromise, and personally because of its wide range might create bad 'zooming' habits.
03-17-2017, 04:53 PM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by Jean Poitiers Quote
Welcome ... I would suggest a Pentax M42 adaption ring and shoot Takumars !

Excellent value and I do not need AF that often ... but have some when necessary.

SMC Takumar 35mm f/2, my Single Challenges lens, here => SMC Takumar 35/2 | Flickr

Also, there is legacy glass in Tamron Adaptall-2 lenses ... again all manual, but with a PK/A adapter, they shoot like "A" series manual Pentax lenses ... aperture controlled via the body settings.

Here's an album for the Tamron SP 17mm f/3.5 which was last month ... => Tamron SP 17/3.5 Adaptall-2 | Flickr

I am a big legacy glass fan, so if you want more info, just PM (Personal Message) me ... Cheers, J
Good Idea. I have ordered an M42 adapter. I have some old Russian glass that I can play with when that adapter comes. I am with you. I like the character that some of the old glass can provide.
03-20-2017, 09:13 AM   #25
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Welcome and best wishes.

I hope you'll post images in the Picture of The Week threads in the Weekly Photo Challenges area.
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