[Northern Soul]

I have 1 of each 105 Tak that Asahi Optical made. My favorite is the early Preset Tak followed very closely by the Auto Tak. The trick is to use the hood.

And that's why there are non left for the rest of us

[robbiec]

Not rarer, just more expensive and if you know where to look (not Ebay) then not even overly expensive. And saying that us Euopeans are driving up prices is silly talk, the dollar is weakening, hence you have to use more to buy the commodity. Just in the last four weeks alone I've got hold of the following: K30 f/2.8, K35 f/3.5, K50 f/1.2 and K135 f/2.5 and Ks are harder to find than Takumars

[abacus07]

I said this in another thread but these lenses are probably getting a little more difficult to find cheap because there are more dSLR users (and m4/3, etc...) than ever before. More buyers = higher prices. But I really haven't seen prices explode in the last year since I started buying. They have definitely gone up in the last 5 years though.

In the last two months I have bought a SMC 55/1.8 tak for $29 shipped, supertak 105/2.8 - $92 shipped, M50/4Mac - $62 shipped and K35/3.5 - $95 shipped. All on Ebay. So if you look hard enough the lenses are out there. I was even passing on tak 28's that sold for $25-30 because I have 1-24, 2-28's and 2-35's. However my biggest regret was passing on a poorly labeled lot that included a K300, K35, K55 and M80-200. I don't know what I was thinking.

[nickthetasmaniac]

One word - mirrorless...

I used to use Pentax dSLR's (K20D and K-7) and aside from a few half-hearted forays I never bothered with old manual glass, despite owning some great SMC lenses for film - too hard to focus, too hard to meter, too much trouble basically.

Since buying a GH2 however, these lenses have become practical. Off-the-sensor metering means just chuck it in A-priority and use it like you'd use anything else. EVF with magnified live-view means focussing is easier that my LX with split/micro prism screen and massive full-frame finder... Adapters cost, I dunno, $30

The point is, that when I was using old glass on dSLR's, it was, for me (and many other's I suspect) a novelty. Now, however, manual glass it my main kit - my two most used lenses are the Nokton 25/f0.95 and SMC M50/f1.4. I recently bought a K50/f1.2 for use on MFT - the cost justified to me because I see it as a cheaper and faster alternative to an m.ZD 45/f1.8, rather than a novelty toy. Likewise, I bought a K135/f2.5 because it makes an outstanding $200 super-fast tele on Micro Four Thirds...

Then there's the fact that if you use manual glass on mirrorless then you essentially have an open platform - go to the mirrorless forums and see how many people have adapters for four or five different mounts - Rokkor, Canon, Nikkor, Leica M, m42, K-mount, Contax, OM, C-mount etc etc... If it's interests you, you can use it...

[JimD]

A month ago I bought a M200 f4 in mint condition on Ebay for £30 incl. postage

[pz1fan]

Good points. I agree more at the telephoto end, but for normal and wide it makes more sense to buy a native manual focus mirrorless lenses. Especially if Pentax MF lenses get any more expensive. You get a smaller lighter kit and with less registration distance, you get less distortion. I'd look at adapting rangefinder lenses first.