[cbeeching]

Hi, forgive me if i'm asking a silly question (I did try running a search on here and google to see what I could find) But I can't seem to find a clear answer on this.

I was just given an old Minolta Dynax 500si which had two lenses with it a 28-80mm 1:3.5-5.6 MACRO and a Carl Zeiss Jenazoom Super 75-300mm 1:4.5-5.6 MC Macro

I assumed these wouldn't fit on my KR, and alas they don't - But yeah thought it would be worth a shot as they were literally going to be thrown out!

Quick search tells me the camera and lenses have a Minolta AF mount. So question is, is possible to mount these onto a Pentax, or is there no point in trying?

[RioRico]

Hi, forgive me if i'm asking a silly question ...
So question is, is possible to mount these onto a Pentax, or is there no point in trying?

1) There are no silly questions (except trolls), just inappropriate answers.

2) There is no point in trying. Minolta AF lenses will work on Sony dSLRs but there is no sane way to convert them to Pentax. Sell them to some Alpha head. Good luck!

[cbeeching]

Ah that's a shame, thought there might be some adapter out there, but that explains my lack of results on searching for it! Cheers, guess I'll see if I can get any money for them and put it towards a Pentax zoom lens!

Thanks for your answer

[DaveHolmes]

and put it towards a Pentax zoom lens!

You mean 'prime' rather than 'zoom' right?

[cbeeching]

You mean 'prime' rather than 'zoom' right?

Do I?

[sterretje]

Yes, you do You just don't know yet

[cbeeching]

Yes, you do You just don't know yet

Tehehe.

Well sure, if you guys want to spring me the cash so I can buy both a zoom and a prime lens then I'm open for donations..

Right now I'm making do with my 18-55mm kit for close ups, and I think what I really need is some range cos I can't reach those damned birds!!

[DaveHolmes]

Right now I'm making do with my 18-55mm kit for close ups, and I think what I really need is some range cos I can't reach those damned birds!!

You sound like you're after a DA55-300mm... And the sentence before this one implies you're on a budget... Maybe the DALversion of the 55-300 (same optics I believe...) would suit you... I don't own it but it's highly regarded for the price... Often used copies in the marketplace...

Is birding your main thing?
At what focal length is most of your shooting done? (I really am trying to steer you towards primes... You will thank me... But you will be poor...)

[RioRico]

Well sure, if you guys want to spring me the cash so I can buy both a zoom and a prime lens then I'm open for donations..

Right now I'm making do with my 18-55mm kit for close ups, and I think what I really need is some range cos I can't reach those damned birds!!

Good inexpensive manual-focus primes abound, and a few great MF zooms. If you want brilliant optics for a pittance, look for a Vivitar Series 1 70-210/3.5 for under US$100. If you need AF, you can still find Promaster-Tamron and Quanteray-Sigma zooms, cheap. Or take the FA100-300 (silver) for around US$100 -- splendid optics, bargain price.

[cbeeching]

This forum is so helpful! Come in asking one thing and then a load more advice comes you way (that's good ! )

You sound like you're after a DA55-300mm... And the sentence before this one implies you're on a budget... Maybe the DALversion of the 55-300 (same optics I believe...) would suit you... I don't own it but it's highly regarded for the price... Often used copies in the marketplace...

Is birding your main thing?
At what focal length is most of your shooting done? (I really am trying to steer you towards primes... You will thank me... But you will be poor...)

I was looking at that sort of range, but to be honest I'm so new to photography I think I should probably stick to what I have for now (I only purchased my camera around 2 weeks ago!). It's hard to say what my main thing is at the moment as I'm so new to it all. I'm experimenting with everything and trying to gain a good understanding of the fundamentals of photography. I would say I'm drawn to nature photography, and I've always admired the work that nature photographers manage to capture from mid-flight birds etc, but at the same time I think I will be soon experimenting with a lot of live music shots (as that's my usual scene, but normally as the performer/technician).

From what I've read so far, it seems primes can be good for fast live stuff, due to the bang for buck quickness, but I guess the only drawback is that you're stuck at that length?

Good inexpensive manual-focus primes abound, and a few great MF zooms. If you want brilliant optics for a pittance, look for a Vivitar Series 1 70-210/3.5 for under US$100. If you need AF, you can still find Promaster-Tamron and Quanteray-Sigma zooms, cheap. Or take the FA100-300 (silver) for around US$100 -- splendid optics, bargain price.

I will have a look at these, thanks! Also recommending the primes ?

[eddie1960]

The idea of the 55-300 is Probably better for a newbie. then you will have all focal lengths from 18-300 covered. Go shoot, learn how the camera works and develop your skills a bit, then you can look back and see what the most used Focal lengths are for you and decide on appropriate Primes for your style. Otherwise you can end up spending a lot of money on lenses you don't use much.

Exposure plot is one way of seeing how you shoot

ExposurePlot (former Focalplot)

[cbeeching]

Yeah as I thought, I won't be going for anything overly expensive to begin with so I can't make any disastrous choices. I'm fairly happy with the 18-55 so far, but it's just sometimes I think It would be handy to have that zoom ability. I've just downloaded that program and am going to have a look what it reckons I've been up to so far! Looks like a neat idea.

Thanks!

[DaveHolmes]

If you're shooting at 55mm with the kit-lens and cropping lots out of your shots in PP (post-production: ie photoshop etc) then you probably do want a lens with more reach...

If you want to get creative and see a real increase in IQ (image-quality) then primes are a good way to go.... They really do make you think more about composition (don't be afraid of moving forwards, backwards, kneeling or even lying down)... DA35mm-2.4 is a good budget AF-prime to start with excellent IQ for the price...

[RioRico]

I'm so new to photography I think I should probably stick to what I have for now (I only purchased my camera around 2 weeks ago!).

Excellent first step. Shoot what you have. After awhile, see what focal lengths you shoot at a lot -- those may be places to look for primes. Then ask yourself, "What do I want to do that I can't do with what I have?" The answers may take you to fisheye or ultrawide, ultralong, macro, weirdness, whatever.

From what I've read so far, it seems primes can be good for fast live stuff, due to the bang for buck quickness, but I guess the only drawback is that you're stuck at that length?

My oversimplification is that we use AF zooms to TAKE pictures, and manual-focus primes to MAKE pictures. Zooms are great for framing many images from one spot. Primes force you to look, think, move. I travel with my DA18-250 on the camera so I can go from wide contexts to narrow details easily. But the next day I'm somewhere, I stalk with a prime or prime set.

Some places, I'll go with a batch of Fifties: the K50/1.2 for extreme thin-DOF moody shots; the FA50/1.4 for people running around; the Yashica ML 50/1.4, or M50/1.7, or Petri CC 55/1.8, for their extreme clarity; the Macro-Takumar 50/4 for getting real close; the Zeiss Tessar 50/2.8 (aluminum), or Sears-Tomioka 55/1.4, or Helios-44 58/2 for their unique bokehs. Yeah, I could just slap on the F35-70 and cover a wider range, but it just has a different look and can't do what many of the others can.

Fast primes are good for low light or action or DOF control. Slower primes may be good for sharpness and rendering and character. Some primes just have a unique look that can't be replicated by any zoom.

Also recommending the primes ?

I have 50 Fifties, mostly different. I now have 230 lenses, of which just 20 are zooms. You want recommended primes? Hold your breath. Takumar, Sears, Zeiss, Tomioka, Meyer, Ricoh, Enna, Tokina, Jupiter, Focal, Industar, Toyo, Makinon, Vivitar, Porst, Tamron, Petri, Isco, Mamiya, Helios, Sigma, Mir, Chinon, Schneider, Lentar, Cosina -- those are just a few off the top of my head. Devils in details, of course.

[sterretje]

This is taken at a few meters distance (7m or so) with the DA55-300 at 300mm (not cropped). I'm always disappointed how close 300mm can take you; this bird is somewhere around 10-15cm 'tall' (I guess).



If you're serious about birding, 300mm is only the beginning