squirrel$$$bandit
Veteran
For me, the really great compact lens on the MX and LX is the 43mm Limited. But it's rather pricey.
FA Limited
missing in action
i ended up selling my MX because i found the shutter dial incredibly stiff to rotate
jamin-b
Well-known
I really enjoy the MX and ME super with the 40mm pancake. So compact and the IQ is really fine for film. And you'd be hard pressed to pay more than $150-200 for the combination. If you read the pentax forum reviews it seems people who are less than thrilled are mostly digital users and complaining that the lens isn't a different lens than it purports to be. I do agree with another reviewer s comment about the mx having a stiff shutter wheel - mine has the same issue which is its only down side.
kshapero
South Florida Man
really happy about doing this
nickthetasmaniac
Veteran
As an more affordable alternative, you could look for a Chinon 45mm f2.8. Very similar size and form to the M40mm pancake, and arguably better optical quality. Keep in mind that neither has particularly good ergonomics due to the size (there just isn't enough room for focus and aperture).
The M40mm isn't 'bad' as such, it's just probably not as good as prices suggest it should be... The M50/f1.7 is a much better performer, much cheaper, and still very compact.
