k1000 lens suggestion?

[SteveM(PA)]

I'd like to get a lens for a friend's (actually my ex's) k1000. The only lens she's ever had on the camera, since she got it in high school, has been the 50/2. She makes very good use of this lens, but she'd like to augment it with some sort of zoom. Is there anything out there she could have fun with for around $100 used? BTW, she doesn't want any other body...very pragmatic like that.

 

[ampguy]

hmm, can't think of a zoom under $100 I'd recommend, but lots of < $50ish primes in m42 that work great with an m42 to kmount adapter.

 

[Kim Coxon]

I would stick with the K mount. The K lenses are almost cheaper these days, of similar quality and keep the features such as auto stop down and ful aperture metering that you lose using the M42s on an adapter.

What sort of range are you looking for in the zoom? It should be relatively easy to find one in that bracket altough they might find a couple of primes to be better.

Kim

hmm, can't think of a zoom under $100 I'd recommend, but lots of < $50ish primes in m42 that work great with an m42 to kmount adapter.

 

[SteveM(PA)]

I would stick with the K mount. The K lenses are almost cheaper these days, of similar quality and keep the features such as auto stop down and ful aperture metering that you lose using the M42s on an adapter.

What sort of range are you looking for in the zoom? It should be relatively easy to find one in that bracket altough they might find a couple of primes to be better.

Kim

Thanks guys! Kim, I don't know anything about zooms, and she doesn't really either, but pictures are mostly of little kids who are increasingly on the run.

 

[David Murphy]

I'd like to get a lens for a friend's (actually my ex's) k1000. The only lens she's ever had on the camera, since she got it in high school, has been the 50/2. She makes very good use of this lens, but she'd like to augment it with some sort of zoom. Is there anything out there she could have fun with for around $100 used? BTW, she doesn't want any other body...very pragmatic like that.

The Sigma 28-80mm or 28-70mm K-mount Zooms are very cheap on eBay ($20-30) and delivery *great* results. I would imagine that Tokina makes something just as good.

 

[JeffM]

I happen to have an auction going on right now on E**y, for a pentax 35-70mm F2.8 zoom lens. It’s a strange bird; an autofocus lens before there was really autofocus for SLRS. It works completely as a manual lens though and that’s all I used it as. The nice thing is it’s wide F2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range. It has a relatively short focusing throw for an slr lens so it could be just right for scurrying children. The close focusing distance is something like 3.4 meters, so it’s not so good for close portraiture. The lens focusing is definitely not the slick smoothness of the Manual primes, but it wasn’t an issue for me.

My asking price is probably out of your price range, but if no one bids on it you could get it for around $100.00 dollars + shipping. Oh yeah, the auction includes a Ricoh XR-10 camera body. Not at all shabby for the dirt prices you can get one at, but it isn’t the tank that is the k1000. You certainly don’t have to take the body if you don’t want to.

If low light isn’t an issue however, like David said, there are some nice 35-70mm, 28-70mm, 28-80 zooms with apertures f3.5-4.5 f3.5-5.6 avialable. Searching E**y should provide results easily under $100. I believe pentax made at least a 35-70mm smc zoom with f3.5-4.5. If it's asahi pentax smc glass it’s a safe bet it’ll yield excellent results.

Here is a link to my auction and a link to some photos I took with my 35-70mm. The scans are from a pretty crappy scanner (gamma way off ugly), but it gives you somewhat of a sense of the depth of field and contrast of the lens.

*bay

http://www.abeci.com/~jake/pentax.html


-Jeff

 

[KoNickon]

Another option that I'd strongly recommend is the Vivitar Series 1 35-85/2.8. This is a rather large zoom, which you'd expect because of its constant f2.8 aperture. The design dates from the '70s, so it's a "heavy metal" lens like the rest of the early Series 1 lenses. But optically it is superb, and it focuses very close as well. Mechanically it is of very high quality too. Unlike most zooms it requires refocusing when you zoom, but it's very quick handling and so this is not an issue in use.

I have a Tokina AT-X 28-85/3.5-4.5 in Olympus mount, which is quite good as well. But slower variable aperture lenses like this can be frustrating in low light. The zoom range is well night ideal, though -- a true wide to a portrait tele length.

 

[pshinkaw]

The Series-1 zooms are One-touch. The same control operates the focus and zoom (push-pull and rotate) That makes it excellent for following fast moving kids. They are also optically excellent lenses (for zooms).

-Paul

 

[SteveM(PA)]

I happen to have an auction going on right now on E**y, for a pentax 35-70mm F2.8 zoom lens. It’s a strange bird; an autofocus lens before there was really autofocus for SLRS. It works completely as a manual lens though and that’s all I used it as. The nice thing is it’s wide F2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range. It has a relatively short focusing throw for an slr lens so it could be just right for scurrying children. The close focusing distance is something like 3.4 meters, so it’s not so good for close portraiture. The lens focusing is definitely not the slick smoothness of the Manual primes, but it wasn’t an issue for me.

My asking price is probably out of your price range, but if no one bids on it you could get it for around $100.00 dollars + shipping. Oh yeah, the auction includes a Ricoh XR-10 camera body. Not at all shabby for the dirt prices you can get one at, but it isn’t the tank that is the k1000. You certainly don’t have to take the body if you don’t want to.

If low light isn’t an issue however, like David said, there are some nice 35-70mm, 28-70mm, 28-80 zooms with apertures f3.5-4.5 f3.5-5.6 avialable. Searching E**y should provide results easily under $100. I believe pentax made at least a 35-70mm smc zoom with f3.5-4.5. If it's asahi pentax smc glass it’s a safe bet it’ll yield excellent results.

Here is a link to my auction and a link to some photos I took with my 35-70mm. The scans are from a pretty crappy scanner (gamma way off ugly), but it gives you somewhat of a sense of the depth of field and contrast of the lens.

*bay

http://www.abeci.com/~jake/pentax.html


-Jeff

Jeff, I think I'm gonna go for something manual, but thanks for the details of your lens! Wow, I didn't know there were lenses with batteries inside, cool : )
I definitely have a lot of info to consider, I knew I couldn't go wrong with so many Pentax owners here. You guys rock. I'll let you know if I get something.
regards,

 

[dmr]

I'd like to get a lens for a friend's (actually my ex's) k1000. The only lens she's ever had on the camera, since she got it in high school, has been the 50/2. She makes very good use of this lens, but she'd like to augment it with some sort of zoom. Is there anything out there she could have fun with for around $100 used?

The K1000 is still my main camera for semi-serious work. (Yes, I use RFs too, they are my main low-light cameras.)

You can find all kinds of 35-70-ish zooms for very little if you look around. Sometimes you may have to buy the body it's attached to in order to get the lens. 🙂 I've also seen various 70-210 type lenses also, but my guess is that she wants somethuing shorter.

The one I use is kind of hard to find, and the way I got it is kind of a fluke, but if you look around you do see things like this pop up on the used market every so often, but maybe not as low as $100. Mine is a 35-135mm branded "Ozunon", which is Ozone Optical, one of the manufacturers for Vivitar back in the 80's. Yes, I checked after the fact and I found out the sales guy wasn't lying to me. 🙂 It was admittedly a back-door grey-market import, and the guy had 2 of them in stock and made me a great deal, even let me take it out and shoot a roll with it before I bought it. 🙂

This gives you the 28mm and 35mm wide angle, thru normal, and then the moderate tele zoom out to 135. It covers almost all of what I want to shoot, and this one is quite sharp, compared to some zooms which get soft and vignette.

The problems are:

1. It's big, physically.
2. It's heavy.
3. I have no clue where to get any service on it with this brand. 🙁

I think you'll find this will be a good range for somebody who has been shooting with a normal lens only. Finding something like
this may be a problem. I think they made this same one in a T-mount and that may be easier to find.

Oh, this one is the "one touch" kind, one ring for both focus and zoom. I think she might like one with this feature. I find it's a lot easier to use.

BTW, she doesn't want any other body...very pragmatic like that.

She doesn't need another body! The K1000 is a great camera! 🙂 I'm sure hers will be alive and well long after 95% of todays digitals are decomposing in the landfill. 🙂

And, noneofmybusiness, but, I'm glad you're on good terms with your ex. 🙂 I'm on very good terms with mine and we're actually still very good friends. 🙂