[photogem]

Umm, I don't think I'll join you down this rabbit hole.

No no .... not a rabbit hole at all: It's the opposite, i.e. to try to help for a more elevated perspective: More light, more sharpnes
But there is your rabbit hole:
You just deny to answer a simple question:
Which M50 were you talking about?
Is it that difficult to be that tiny bit precise when there are 3 M50's?

But maybe good to remind you of that "self-dug rabbithole" of yours:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/147561-chi...ml#post5634724

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Last edited by photogem; 10-05-2022 at 11:29 AM.

[mikesbike]

If there is consideration for a camera upgrade, for cheap and in very good condition there is the K-r which I've had and have found does well in lower lighting, and with good IQ. Friends now own it, and it continues to work just fine. It is not subject to the aperture solenoid failure, but some technically knowledgeable people here have said it should be used only with a Pentax brand battery to avoid developing problems. Beyond that, I would recommend a jump to a former flagship model, like a K-5 or better yet- K-5 II or K-5 IIs, as these are of much more durable build, have much better controls, and are not prone to such issues.

As photogem says, an "A" manual lens is better than an "M" lens or earlier, because you must use the green button while shooting in Manual mode with those older lenses to get your exposure unless using an outside light meter. There are also other restrictions. I assume you are interested in manual lenses because of their handling better than AF lenses when using manual focusing. I still have a perfect old Pentax "M" 50mm f/1.4 which now sits virtually unused. I bought it brand new with my first Pentax camera, the ME Super, way back in 1982. It was used very frequently for over 6 years. It is a very good lens for low light conditions, but when used on a DSLR would have the above use restrictions.

I also acquired the "F" 50mm f/1.7 as paired with my first Pentax AF camera, a new SF-1n around 1989 or so. the lens handles fairly well for manual focusing, for an AF lens, and is well-made. This version can be had at a low price in fine condition. Then you could select either AF or MF with your camera body, and not need to use the green button for setting exposure. Again, I concur with photogem- the Pentax 50mm f/1.7 lenses are indeed very good. I suspect the older MF and then the later AF versions ("F" and "FA") might continue to be of the same optical formula. They share a good reputation for exceptional IQ, even at wide open aperture.

[Arisenfromash]

If there is consideration for a camera upgrade, for cheap and in very good condition there is the K-r which I've had and have found does well in lower lighting, and with good IQ. Friends now own it, and it continues to work just fine. It is not subject to the aperture solenoid failure, but some technically knowledgeable people here have said it should be used only with a Pentax brand battery to avoid developing problems. Beyond that, I would recommend a jump to a former flagship model, like a K-5 or better yet- K-5 II or K-5 IIs, as these are of much more durable build, have much better controls, and are not prone to such issues.

As photogem says, an "A" manual lens is better than an "M" lens or earlier, because you must use the green button while shooting in Manual mode with those older lenses to get your exposure unless using an outside light meter. There are also other restrictions. I assume you are interested in manual lenses because of their handling better than AF lenses when using manual focusing. I still have a perfect old Pentax "M" 50mm f/1.4 which now sits virtually unused. I bought it brand new with my first Pentax camera, the ME Super, way back in 1982. It was used very frequently for over 6 years. It is a very good lens for low light conditions, but when used on a DSLR would have the above use restrictions.

I also acquired the "F" 50mm f/1.7 as paired with my first Pentax AF camera, a new SF-1n around 1989 or so. the lens handles fairly well for manual focusing, for an AF lens, and is well-made. This version can be had at a low price in fine condition. Then you could select either AF or MF with your camera body, and not need to use the green button for setting exposure. Again, I concur with photogem- the Pentax 50mm f/1.7 lenses are indeed very good. I suspect the older MF and then the later AF versions ("F" and "FA") might continue to be of the same optical formula. They share a good reputation for exceptional IQ, even at wide open aperture.

I've bought a KX recently and will have it shipped here. Keeping my IST DS as well of course. Thanks all

[Kombivan]

Ok your trying to avoid the PTTL and make use of the ttl metering I have a istD which is TTL and any fast k-mount lens will fit it photos will be also sharper in low light as well. I can use 3.5f 28-200 sigma zoom with good results or 4.0F 28-300mm tamron. The more you opem your apperture the better the photo will be as the flash doesn't have to work so hard and leave you with those nasty black backgrounds.

[mikesbike]

I've bought a KX recently and will have it shipped here. Keeping my IST DS as well of course. Thanks all

This is a good choice- the K-x was the model before and has very similar performance to that of the K-r.

[photogem]

I've bought a KX recently and will have it shipped here. Keeping my IST DS as well of course. Thanks all

Just for the exactness:
The Pentax KX is a manual-focus 35mm film SLR
I guess you mean the K-x which is a DSLR.

If so, I still have a K-x but it was altered long time ago for infra-red only.

It is quite similar in size to your *ist-DS and pretty good in higher ISO and thus quite good for low-light.

But there is still the lens-question! Your Rikenon 55/2.2 won't give you more fun on the K-x...!

[Arisenfromash]

I bought the SMC PENTAX-M 28MM F2.8' which should be more suitable I hope

[pres589]

You purchased a lens with a max aperture of f2.8 in hopes of getting improved low light performance over an f2.2 max aperture lens? Am I reading this correctly?

[Arisenfromash]

Ah yes you're right, and no I bought it as a general purpose lens to outdo the rikenon

[pres589]

The Pentax M 28mm f2.8's (there's two, they're subtly different, the second one seems a bit better optically but the first one doesn't seem bad at all) are nice lenses. And I'm a big fan of the 28mm focal length on a crop body camera. So that's all good. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't expecting better things regarding light gathering with this lens vs. your 55mm.

[photogem]

Ah yes you're right, and no I bought it as a general purpose lens to outdo the rikenon

So let us know how you get along with this lens.
28mm on APS-C is about 35mm on fullframe.
To me 28mm on 35mm film was the usual wideangle but on APS-C you need something like 24mm or 21mm

If you can find a SMC Pentax DA14/2,8 for a cheap price, that's a fantastic UWW. Of course for street it limits things.
I find for street 50/55/75/85mm usefull.
50/55mm cheap to find and easy to outperform your Rikenon!

[Arisenfromash]

thanks all!