Pentax lenses

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
We have come into a bunch of old pentax lenses and a 35mm slr body, is there any digital slr that can use the lenses? one of the lenses in particular, is the telephoto lens, it is like 15 inches long and takes GREAT pictures, is there a body that can use old pentax glass?



Heres hopeing the local photography shop was wrong when they said no.....

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    beige_g3beige_g3 Posts: 203member
  • Reply 2 of 17
    voxappsvoxapps Posts: 236member
    Assuming "old" is old enough that these are manual focus lenses, you'd be better off selling the body and lenses and using the money to buy something new.



    In order to use these easily on a digicam, the camera would have to (1) accept the lens mount, (2) have a fully-manual mode to allow you to manually focus the lens, set the aperture, and then use the internal exposure meter (you couldn't use auto focus or auto exposure). It could possibly be accomplished on some higher end digicams with a lot of tweaking and patience, but why?
  • Reply 3 of 17
    johnqjohnq Posts: 2,763member
    I'd sell them. The newer ~$1000 SLRs are so nice.



    My Canon 10D is thoroughly point and shoot yet also has tons of manual modes for detailed work. Auto everything, metering, flash, exposure but you can override anything if needed.



    Nothing is nicer than today's auto-focus, it makes photography accessible and fun again, taking the hassle out of 90% all shots.



    Sell, unless you are going to stick to film for artistic reasons. (Frankly I think those days are over).
  • Reply 4 of 17
    eugeneeugene Posts: 8,254member
    Wow, how useful of you to include the model numbers of the lenses. Chances are they will work with the current Pentax *ist-D. Chances are you would be better off keeping them than trying to sell them off eBay or something, especially if you aren't familiar with them...
  • Reply 5 of 17
    mac writemac write Posts: 289member
    Keep them. Allot of people say the older glass (lenses) are higher quality then newer glass.
  • Reply 6 of 17
    johnqjohnq Posts: 2,763member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by tonton

    Whoever suggested selling the lenses and buying a new system is way off the mark. Lenses can easily be more expensive than a camera body. "A bunch of lenses" can really add up to make a great setup, and a huge value. Even though it's analogue, and in case the lenses don't end up being compatible with any DSLR, it's all still worth keeping. I assume you have a good flash with the setup as well?



    I certainly know lenses can be expensive. But I wouldn't put off going to digital merely because I had great analog photo equipment sitting around. It is simply less hassle to modernize. It's better to have modern amenities and switch to manual when needed rather than having to do everything manually all the time. Plus you cut out enormous, costly middle steps to get your analog pictures brought over to digital form if you just shoot digital right off the bat.



    Clearly a_greer is interest in using digital, if only as an option. There are lenses that work on SLR and DSLRs, so if you wanted to maximize the investment, sell these and switch to something more flexible. You might end up with a few less lenses than originally but you'll be able to shoot both analog and digital with the same set.



    Only photo purists would stick solely to analog in 2004. 6-10 MP is way more than the average photographer needs to at least match if not surpass what they did the old way. Image stabilization alone is worth it. Lets you shoot things handheld in less light, something that you'd never have been able to do before.



    Anyway I wouldn't do Ebay unless it was a fixed price. Or I'd do craigslist with a fixed price.
  • Reply 7 of 17
    eugeneeugene Posts: 8,254member
    I think it's safe to say that most Pentax mount manual lenses will work on Pentax D-SLRs. You won't get autofocus of course, but that's generally not too big a deal for taking pics of flowers, stationary birds and barbed wire like most D-SLR owners do anyway.
  • Reply 8 of 17
    thedustinthedustin Posts: 176member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Eugene

    taking pics of flowers, stationary birds and barbed wire like most D-SLR owners do anyway.



    Don't forget sunsets. So true though!



    _thedustin
  • Reply 9 of 17
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    I recommand you to go to a nice site, like DP review, tell the exact specifications of your lens : and not only it's a 15 inch lens , and people will be pleased to reward you an answer.
  • Reply 10 of 17
    voxappsvoxapps Posts: 236member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Eugene

    I think it's safe to say that most Pentax mount manual lenses will work on Pentax D-SLRs. You won't get autofocus of course, but that's generally not too big a deal for taking pics of flowers, stationary birds and barbed wire like most D-SLR owners do anyway.



    I think the bigger concern would be whether the auto-exposure system will work with manual lenses. While many high-end digital cameras offer manual exposure overrides, they may not function with older manual lenses unless, the lens is stopped-down first prior to metering the scene. If you've ever tried to use, for example, a telephoto lens fixed at f/11 or f/16, you'll recall how focusing can be a hassle, especially if there's no auto-focus option.
  • Reply 11 of 17
    gorebuggorebug Posts: 52member
    generally speaking... Most pentax Manual focus gear (k-mount) will work fine with any of their AF bodies (no stopped down metering).



    If it is the really old pentax screw mount lenses, then there will be very little you can do with them.



    Even if you do need to stop down meter, you can focus first (at full aperture) then stop down to meter very easily.
  • Reply 12 of 17
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by gorebug

    generally speaking... Most pentax Manual focus gear (k-mount) will work fine with any of their AF bodies (no stopped down metering).



    I had no idea. I have used Pentax manual SLRs with K-mount lenses for ages. Until now, my choice of either a Canon Digital RebelD300 or a Nikon D70 was a foregone conlcusion. I had already accepted that I would have to ditch my manual Pentax lenses and get new autofocus glass. Maybe I'll have to re-consider the Pentax *ist D.



    Escher
  • Reply 13 of 17
    gorebuggorebug Posts: 52member
    From the pentax.ca website (for the *ist-d):



    "PENTAX KAF mount compatible with PENTAX KAF2-, KAF- and KA- mount lenses.

    Power Zoom function not available.

    K-mount lenses usable with restrictions.

    S-mount lenses usable with adapter and restrictions.

    67/645 lenses usable with adapter and restrictions."





    Event though i am an old nikon buff, pentax's compatibility is superior to Nikon's vaunted F mount.
  • Reply 14 of 17
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by gorebug

    F"PENTAX KAF mount compatible with PENTAX KAF2-, KAF- and KA- mount lenses.

    Power Zoom function not available.

    K-mount lenses usable with restrictions.

    S-mount lenses usable with adapter and restrictions.

    67/645 lenses usable with adapter and restrictions."




    Thanks for quoting that info, gorebug. I haven't done nearly enough research on my options yet.



    From what I understand, the KA*** lenses are various generations of autofocus lenses. K-mount are the manual baionett-mount lenses (I own a bunch of those, and I suspect a_greer's lenses are K-mount too). S-mount are the very old screw-mount lenses, thus requiring a physical adapter. Not sure about the 67/645 lenses.



    I guess it boils down to what those "restrictions" are. In my dreams, I want a manual DSLR. If the "restrictions" mean that I simply won't get autofocus on manual lenses (obviously), then I could live with that. But I wouldn't want to live without auto-metering (I think that's what it is). I usually like to set either the aperture or exposure manually, and let my camera pick the appropriate corresponding exposure or aperture on its own.



    I really like the design of the Pentax *ist D. Like Pentax 35mm SLRs, the body of the *ist D is smaller and lighter than the competition's bodies. I also love the fact that the *ist D uses standard AA batteries. I can't stand the thought of investing in expensive proprietary batteries and chargers.



    On the other hand, Canon and Nikon are usually ahead in terms of available glass, bundled software, and 3rd party acessories. So ditching my manual Pentax photo gear for Canon's or Nikon's aufocus line might still be a wise choice in the long term.



    Finally, I seem to remember that Pentax is working on its own sub-US$1000 DSLR body. And the price of the *ist D has dropped since its introdcution as well. So price might not be a factor much longer. I guess I'll have to hit my local camera stores and "handle" my options.



    Escher
  • Reply 15 of 17
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by gorebug

    Event though i am an old nikon buff, pentax's compatibility is superior to Nikon's vaunted F mount.



    That might be true on paper, gorebug. But I suspect it's a tossup in practice. My father used at least one old Pentax S-mount lens on his later K-mount body via an adapter. I seem to remember that several of the limited manual functions already "broke" in that transition. I imagine using an antique S-mount lens on a modern autofocus KA-mount DSLR body would be even more impractical.



    So Pentax's backward compatibility may be superior in theory, but probably useless in practice. Unless you want to keep using that giant heavy $2000 super-fisheye lens with an adapter once a year and have time to fiddle around....



    Escher
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