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04-16-2013, 07:18 PM - 5 Likes   #1
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35 Year Old Lenses on a 2 Year Old K-r!

Just thought I'd share a little family Pentax heritage.

Back in the 70's and 80's, my father was very much into photography. He had his own dark room in our basement and a nice enlarger (I believe it was a Beseler but I can't recall for sure), and all his camera equipment was Pentax. Much of my childhood was spent waiting for him to focus his camera and get the f-stop and light right. When I went to college, he gave me one of his MX bodies and a 50mm lens for my photography class, which taught me the mixture of art and science that is manual photography. Unfortunately, my father was taken from us too early in a farming accident, so I get enjoyment out of those times when I see bits of myself in him. Just playing around with his old lenses tonight on my K-r is one of those such times. The lenses are all 25 - 35 years old and seem to work extremely well. While they may not be my first "go to" lenses for action photography or taking candid photos of the kids, I foresee them getting more use over the years.

What a fun way to marry classic photography with new technology!



04-16-2013, 07:20 PM   #2
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What a great way to remember your father. I would value those lenses pretty high.
04-16-2013, 07:46 PM   #3
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I'm sorry to hear about the early loss of your father. He clearly had excellent taste in lenses and camera bodies. That you have carried on with photography is a great thing.

M-series lenses are my go-to lenses for most purposes.
04-16-2013, 07:56 PM   #4
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I'm shooting with My Grandfathers 1970's era K mount glass with my Kr - and I've shot a few rolls through his old K1000 which I've CLA'd recently. It's a compelling reason to shoot Pentax, and a rewarding feeling knowing something valued so much by people we love can still be serviceable today. Enjoy the joy - and share it with some one close to you. (and dont forget to print some of the photos you make!)

04-16-2013, 09:49 PM   #5
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During the 70s and early 80s my father was into photography but then he got all of his gear stolen from his car, then he had me and never replaced his stuff.
04-17-2013, 06:19 AM   #6
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Sorry to hear about your dad. Mine passed away far too early as well.

It's great that your dad left you with not only those lenses, but more importantly, the gift of a love of photography. With my dad, it was music. I ended up being a music nut and musician just like my dad. Both our fathers left us with things that add much enjoyment to our lives, and that's something to be grateful for.

Those old lenses can be excellent performers. I have a bunch of old glass I wouldn't trade for new ones.

Cheers,
Bob :-)
04-17-2013, 12:05 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Martowski Quote
While they may not be my first "go to" lenses for action photography or taking candid photos of the kids, I foresee them getting more use over the years.
Thanks for sharing your story. For me, photography combines art, science, technology and emotion. Your father invested in very good equipment which reflected his passion for the hobby. It's good that you'll be able to continue to use those lenses (and perhaps the MX). They do have a 'soul.'

Likewise, I really enjoy mounting and using a 20-, 30- or even 50-year old lens on my modern camera.

04-17-2013, 12:34 PM   #8
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Yes, thanks for your story and the image of your equipment ... enjoy, J
04-17-2013, 02:33 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by Martowski Quote
Just thought I'd share a little family Pentax heritage.

Back in the 70's and 80's, my father was very much into photography. He had his own dark room in our basement and a nice enlarger (I believe it was a Beseler but I can't recall for sure), and all his camera equipment was Pentax. Much of my childhood was spent waiting for him to focus his camera and get the f-stop and light right. When I went to college, he gave me one of his MX bodies and a 50mm lens for my photography class, which taught me the mixture of art and science that is manual photography. Unfortunately, my father was taken from us too early in a farming accident, so I get enjoyment out of those times when I see bits of myself in him. Just playing around with his old lenses tonight on my K-r is one of those such times. The lenses are all 25 - 35 years old and seem to work extremely well. While they may not be my first "go to" lenses for action photography or taking candid photos of the kids, I foresee them getting more use over the years.

What a fun way to marry classic photography with new technology!
QuoteOriginally posted by Martowski Quote
Just thought I'd share a little family Pentax heritage....... The lenses are all 25 - 35 years old and seem to work extremely well. While they may not be my first "go to" lenses for action photography or taking candid photos of the kids, I foresee them getting more use over the years.
What a fun way to marry classic photography with new technology!
A very nice post which finds an echo in my own experience with very similar equipment. Would you like to list the lenses in picture for the benefit of forum members, myself in particular. I recognise and use some of those lenses myself. I bought several of them together in 1981 and still have two MX bodies. I enjoy using the Pentax-M lenses with Pentax/Samsung DSLRs though I wish the viewfinder were larger to enable me to rely upon vision alone, instead of waiting for the illuminated focus-confirmation lozenge to light up.
Best wishes,
Chhayanat
04-18-2013, 08:36 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by chhayanat Quote
Would you like to list the lenses in picture for the benefit of forum members, myself in particular.
I can't tell what's on the MX (oooh, black!) but I believe I know what everything else is. My guess is that the MX has a wide angle on it.
04-19-2013, 08:24 AM   #11
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After acquiring my K-r I sold my Super Program and most of my A series lenses, however no way was I letting go of either my SMC Pentax-A 28mm-f/2.8 or 50mm-f/1.7 lenses.

This won't stop me from buying newer Pentax branded or Pentax compatible gear (assuming I could find this gear in local brick & mortar locations at a reasonable price), but the fact that I can still use this great glass was a big selling point.
04-19-2013, 07:04 PM   #12
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Here's the lenses I have (hope I get this right):

Asahi Takumar 1:2.5 135mm
Asahi SMC Pentax-M 1:2.8 40mm
Asahi SMC Pentax-M 1:1.7 50mm
Asahi SMC Pentax-M 1:2 85mm
Asahi SMC Pentax-M 1:4.5 80mm - 200mm zoom

These are the same lenses my dad used back "in the day," and the same lenses I used back in photography class in college. I enjoy being able to give these new life in the digital age, and am thrilled that Pentax maintains a system that is capable of this backward compatability!
04-19-2013, 07:28 PM   #13
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Asahi Takumar 1:2.5 135mm - right side, partly out of frame
Asahi SMC Pentax-M 1:2.8 40mm - left side, just to the left of the DA 35/2.4
Asahi SMC Pentax-M 1:1.7 50mm - just to the right of the DA 35/2.4
Asahi SMC Pentax-M 1:2 85mm - just to the right of the M50/1.7
Asahi SMC Pentax-M 1:4.5 80mm - 200mm zoom - standing up in back.

The tricky one is the M85/2. The aperture ring looks nearly identical to the M50/2, it's just a bit too long.

But that still leaves the lens on the MX. It really looks like a Pentax-M 50mm f1.4 but that would be nearly a duplicate of the f1.7. I think it has a 49mm filter ring. Looks like 4 rows of rectangles on the focus grip. If it is a wide angle, the four rows eliminates everything with a 49mm.
04-19-2013, 08:20 PM   #14
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The one on the MX is an Asahi SMC Pentax 1:2.8 24mm.
04-19-2013, 08:23 PM   #15
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I wish the K-r had a manual focus option like the MX's viewfinder, with the two half circles that align when focused. I love that option on the MX, which I do not believe was present on the K 1000 (which was the "standard issue" camera that the other photo students in the class used).
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