Pentax Newbie

trod77 · 09-02-2009, 10:05 AM

Hi all, just got my Pentax K20d yesterday and so far I'm loving it. I'm coming from a Canon DSLR (the XSi/450D) and so everything is new and different from what I'm used to. Hopefully some of you Pentax Pros out there can help me out...

I have question about the different lenses that can fit into the K20d...I've read that ALL pentax lenses from old to new can be mounted on the K20d...is this true? Without any converters???

I love my 50mm 1.8 lens on my Canon, and was hoping I could find similar to it - especially the price (around $90).

Thanks for any suggestions...

Ash · 09-02-2009, 10:15 AM

Welcome here trod.
You've done well to get yourself such a great camera!
The instruction manual is your friend - read it through well. It helps you navigate through the reasonably easy to use and intuitive menus and functions.

Any K-mount lens will just fit straight on the camera.
For any pre-A lenses (ones without an A setting on the aperture ring - if it has one), you must ensure the camera is set to allow non-A lenses to be used on the camera (check the manual for the actual location of this setting).

Other commonly used lenses on Pentax dSLRs are the M42 screwmount variety, which need an M42 to K-mount adapter to be fitted between the lens and the camera. This gives you the ability to fit those vintage lenses onto a sophisticated digital camera body.

As for a 50mm lens, Pentax have one of the best fast fifties in the FA 50 f/1.4. Relatively cheap (around $200, even less second hand from this forum's marketplace

, it is one of the best performing low-light lenses available. If you like manual focus lenses, then you can get just as good a lens for much cheaper (like the A 50 f/1.4 or f/1.7 versions).

All the best in that.

**NaClH2O** · 09-02-2009, 10:26 AM

Hi trod77. All Pentax bayonet mount lenses can be mounted on the K20D without an adapter. Those lenses extend back into the distant past of somewhere in the mid 70's. The older M42 screw mount lenses will fit but need a relatively inexpensive adapter.
There is a Pentax M 50mm 1.7 that many ppl love dearly, I don't own the lens but I think it goes for somewhere in the ballpark of your canon 50mm 1.8. Actually Pentax has a double handful of "fast 50" lenses, all the way from the moderately rare and much sought after Pentax A 50mm F1.2 on up (down?) thru 1.4's to 2.0's.
Check out the pentax lens database here on the forums and another great resouce for K mount lenses is here:
Pentax K-Mount Lenses and Lens Accessories

trod77 · 09-02-2009, 11:48 AM

Thanks Ash and NaCIH20, I appreciate the advices. Now I can start looking for that fast 50!

opianstate · 09-02-2009, 04:13 PM

I owned a Nikon getup before my K20d, and I had their impressive 50mm f/1.8d which is also around $100. I just managed to score a FA50mm f/1.4 and it definitely outclasses that Nikon lens. If you're looking for a fast prime, that;s the one you wanna go with. Yes, its twice as expensive, but it's a stop quicker and probably much better built than that plasticky Canon 50

deadprez · 09-02-2009, 05:58 PM

Originally posted by trod77

Thanks Ash and NaCIH20, I appreciate the advices. Now I can start looking for that fast 50!

Just bought a 50 f1.4 and it is super sweet ... I have gotten lucky with a couple of my photos in terms of proper exposure but I am still a noob with manual settings.

I'm trying to change my luck to skill and am having a blast with the 50.

**Rondec** · 09-02-2009, 06:39 PM

I think one of the hardest thing with a f1.4 lens is that your depth of field is tiny. Really easy to have your focus be off just a little bit and the whole photo looks soft.

trod77 · 09-13-2009, 06:32 PM

Hi everyone,

Can someone help me verify what kind of mounts these lenses are:

smc pentax-m 1:1.4 50mm (asahi opt. co. Japan)

and

XR Rikenon 1:2.8 135mm (Ricoh)

A friend of mine had these old lenses and gave them to me. I mounted into my K20d and seemed like the work, but I don't want to mess up my camera.

Please, any advice would be greatly welcomed.

Thanks.

pbo · 09-13-2009, 06:39 PM

Quote:

smc pentax-m 1:1.4 50mm (asahi opt. co. Japan)

Definitely K-mount, no contacts, just three tabs to physically hold lens to the camera. No harm could possibly be done to your camera with this one. Unless someone modified it

You have to use it in M mode, though, with "green button" - you can read more in the stickies in the beginners section.

Quote:

XR Rikenon 1:2.8 135mm (Ricoh)

Not sure, but you should google up "ricoh pin", since the lens was made by ricoh.

trod77 · 09-13-2009, 09:39 PM

pbo · 09-13-2009, 10:05 PM

Cool

Read up strobist on how to do that with less lasso-ing in photoshop

trod77 · 09-14-2009, 12:04 PM

PBO, i welcome any advice criticism...but I'm not quite sure what you mean by your comment. Please don't interpret this as a negative comment I seriously don't know what you mean. Could you please elaborate...sorry I'm fairly new at photography - I used Lightroom 2.0 to process the shot.

**Kerrowdown** · 09-14-2009, 01:47 PM

Welcome to the forum and to the land of Pentax, enjoy your new equipment.

pbo · 09-14-2009, 04:35 PM

Quote:

PBO, i welcome any advice criticism...but I'm not quite sure what you mean by your comment. Please don't interpret this as a negative comment I seriously don't know what you mean. Could you please elaborate...sorry I'm fairly new at photography - I used Lightroom 2.0 to process the shot.

Oops, sorry for ambiguity. It's just the pic looks as if the shoes were "lasso-ed", i.e. selected, and then cut out and put into a new picture, with all-black background. (I dunno where I got that word, sorry

But there'a tool in PS called lasso, with which you select areas - the icon even looks like a lasso) I'm not sure how you got the effect in the picture, but the shoes' borders seem a bit weird, you know? If it was done with just a camera, and a black cloth, the borders would be clear-cut and sharp.
I might be wrong, of course - sorry if I am!

trod77 · 09-14-2009, 06:50 PM

Oh okay, that makes much more sense and I think I know what you are saying.

The ballet shoes were sitting on top a black piano chair under the piano - so it had a dark background. The light source is coming from the living room stand up lamp. I believe the shoe borders are blurry like that because it was taken at f2, and manual focus on that old 50mm lens. And the only thing I did processing wise was darkened a small reflection that was coming from the shiny (patent leather?) black chair. And of course grayscale (ansel adams preset in Lightroom).

So you think if the borders on the shoes were clearer it would be a better picture?

09-02-2009, 10:05 AM	#1
trod77 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: New York Posts: 10	Pentax Newbie Hi all, just got my Pentax K20d yesterday and so far I'm loving it. I'm coming from a Canon DSLR (the XSi/450D) and so everything is new and different from what I'm used to. Hopefully some of you Pentax Pros out there can help me out... I have question about the different lenses that can fit into the K20d...I've read that ALL pentax lenses from old to new can be mounted on the K20d...is this true? Without any converters??? I love my 50mm 1.8 lens on my Canon, and was hoping I could find similar to it - especially the price (around $90). Thanks for any suggestions...

09-13-2009, 06:32 PM	#8
trod77 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: New York Posts: 10 Original Poster	M42 Lenses? Hi everyone, Can someone help me verify what kind of mounts these lenses are: smc pentax-m 1:1.4 50mm (asahi opt. co. Japan) and XR Rikenon 1:2.8 135mm (Ricoh) A friend of mine had these old lenses and gave them to me. I mounted into my K20d and seemed like the work, but I don't want to mess up my camera. Please, any advice would be greatly welcomed. Thanks.

09-13-2009, 09:39 PM	#10
trod77 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: New York Posts: 10 Original Poster	This is the image I got from the 50mm

09-14-2009, 12:04 PM	#12
trod77 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: New York Posts: 10 Original Poster	not sure what you are saying PBO, i welcome any advice criticism...but I'm not quite sure what you mean by your comment. Please don't interpret this as a negative comment I seriously don't know what you mean. Could you please elaborate...sorry I'm fairly new at photography - I used Lightroom 2.0 to process the shot.

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09-02-2009, 10:15 AM	#2
Ash Moderator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,914	Welcome here trod. You've done well to get yourself such a great camera! The instruction manual is your friend - read it through well. It helps you navigate through the reasonably easy to use and intuitive menus and functions. Any K-mount lens will just fit straight on the camera. For any pre-A lenses (ones without an A setting on the aperture ring - if it has one), you must ensure the camera is set to allow non-A lenses to be used on the camera (check the manual for the actual location of this setting). Other commonly used lenses on Pentax dSLRs are the M42 screwmount variety, which need an M42 to K-mount adapter to be fitted between the lens and the camera. This gives you the ability to fit those vintage lenses onto a sophisticated digital camera body. As for a 50mm lens, Pentax have one of the best fast fifties in the FA 50 f/1.4. Relatively cheap (around $200, even less second hand from this forum's marketplace , it is one of the best performing low-light lenses available. If you like manual focus lenses, then you can get just as good a lens for much cheaper (like the A 50 f/1.4 or f/1.7 versions). All the best in that.

09-02-2009, 10:26 AM	#3
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,633	Hi trod77. All Pentax bayonet mount lenses can be mounted on the K20D without an adapter. Those lenses extend back into the distant past of somewhere in the mid 70's. The older M42 screw mount lenses will fit but need a relatively inexpensive adapter. There is a Pentax M 50mm 1.7 that many ppl love dearly, I don't own the lens but I think it goes for somewhere in the ballpark of your canon 50mm 1.8. Actually Pentax has a double handful of "fast 50" lenses, all the way from the moderately rare and much sought after Pentax A 50mm F1.2 on up (down?) thru 1.4's to 2.0's. Check out the pentax lens database here on the forums and another great resouce for K mount lenses is here: Pentax K-Mount Lenses and Lens Accessories

09-02-2009, 11:48 AM	#4
trod77 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: New York Posts: 10 Original Poster	Thanks Ash and NaCIH20, I appreciate the advices. Now I can start looking for that fast 50!

09-02-2009, 04:13 PM	#5
opianstate Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 118	I owned a Nikon getup before my K20d, and I had their impressive 50mm f/1.8d which is also around $100. I just managed to score a FA50mm f/1.4 and it definitely outclasses that Nikon lens. If you're looking for a fast prime, that;s the one you wanna go with. Yes, its twice as expensive, but it's a stop quicker and probably much better built than that plasticky Canon 50

09-02-2009, 05:58 PM	#6
deadprez Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 113	Originally posted by trod77 Thanks Ash and NaCIH20, I appreciate the advices. Now I can start looking for that fast 50! Just bought a 50 f1.4 and it is super sweet ... I have gotten lucky with a couple of my photos in terms of proper exposure but I am still a noob with manual settings. I'm trying to change my luck to skill and am having a blast with the 50.

09-02-2009, 06:39 PM	#7
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 26,088	I think one of the hardest thing with a f1.4 lens is that your depth of field is tiny. Really easy to have your focus be off just a little bit and the whole photo looks soft.

09-13-2009, 06:39 PM	#9
pbo Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 891	Quote: smc pentax-m 1:1.4 50mm (asahi opt. co. Japan) Definitely K-mount, no contacts, just three tabs to physically hold lens to the camera. No harm could possibly be done to your camera with this one. Unless someone modified it You have to use it in M mode, though, with "green button" - you can read more in the stickies in the beginners section. Quote: XR Rikenon 1:2.8 135mm (Ricoh) Not sure, but you should google up "ricoh pin", since the lens was made by ricoh.

09-13-2009, 10:05 PM	#11
pbo Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 891	Cool Read up strobist on how to do that with less lasso-ing in photoshop

09-14-2009, 01:47 PM	#13
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 56,164	Welcome to the forum and to the land of Pentax, enjoy your new equipment.

09-14-2009, 04:35 PM	#14
pbo Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 891	Quote: PBO, i welcome any advice criticism...but I'm not quite sure what you mean by your comment. Please don't interpret this as a negative comment I seriously don't know what you mean. Could you please elaborate...sorry I'm fairly new at photography - I used Lightroom 2.0 to process the shot. Oops, sorry for ambiguity. It's just the pic looks as if the shoes were "lasso-ed", i.e. selected, and then cut out and put into a new picture, with all-black background. (I dunno where I got that word, sorry But there'a tool in PS called lasso, with which you select areas - the icon even looks like a lasso) I'm not sure how you got the effect in the picture, but the shoes' borders seem a bit weird, you know? If it was done with just a camera, and a black cloth, the borders would be clear-cut and sharp. I might be wrong, of course - sorry if I am!

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09-14-2009, 06:50 PM	#15
trod77 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: New York Posts: 10 Original Poster	Oh okay, that makes much more sense and I think I know what you are saying. The ballet shoes were sitting on top a black piano chair under the piano - so it had a dark background. The light source is coming from the living room stand up lamp. I believe the shoe borders are blurry like that because it was taken at f2, and manual focus on that old 50mm lens. And the only thing I did processing wise was darkened a small reflection that was coming from the shiny (patent leather?) black chair. And of course grayscale (ansel adams preset in Lightroom). So you think if the borders on the shoes were clearer it would be a better picture?