Snappy made me do it: K10D + Vivitar 28mm 2.8 Close Focus
I was inspired by Snappy's videos on the K10D and hey they sell for only $80?! (Famous last words.) I don't have any Pentax lenses yet so I adapted a Nikon mount lens, the Vivitar RL Edition 28mm 2.8 Close Focus (I paid $17 on eBay).
The colors!!
I missed focus and I don't even care… maybe it's even better:
Really impressed by the camera build quality too. The screen is good as well. But the controls are just bad. It took me forever to figure out how to change the ISO. I had forgotten how much more "legible" digital camera UI has gotten since they first started to ditch the dials.
Oh yeah and the detail is nice and crispy when things are actually in focus.
This lens is a knockout for $15, but since it's a Nikon F mount, it's adapted with essentially an extension tube, making it close focus only on PK mounts… unless you want an adapter with a crappy little glass lens in it to zhuzh infinity focus (and you don't, I tried, it's awful).
Nice! This should be good fun. If you have any m42 lenses those work nicely on the camera with infinity focus. I use a generic adapter ring on ebay for $10. Agree about the ISO changing. That quick menu for those settings isn't intuitive or even labeled. Once you get used to it it's of course no big deal, but it's getting used to it. I never read manuals when I buy a new camera but I probably should. Spent a few minutes outside today trying to figure out how to get my SD14 to fire a shot with an adapted lens on xD
Cheap but good Pentax K mount lenses include:
Pentax M 50mm f1.7 (doing a review on it right now actually) ~$30
Pentax M 28mm f2.8 ~$30
Pentax F 70-210 ~$40
The 18-55 gets over looked a lot, but a lot you can do with that ~$30
Cheap m42 glass I've enjoyed adapting on the K10D so far:
Helios 44 58mm f2 ~$60ish
Fujinon 55mm f1.8 ~$40
Quote from Snappy on February 10, 2022, 1:48 amNice! This should be good fun. If you have any m42 lenses those work nicely on the camera with infinity focus. I use a generic adapter ring on ebay for $10. Agree about the ISO changing. That quick menu for those settings isn't intuitive or even labeled. Once you get used to it it's of course no big deal, but it's getting used to it. I never read manuals when I buy a new camera but I probably should. Spent a few minutes outside today trying to figure out how to get my SD14 to fire a shot with an adapted lens on xD
Cheap but good Pentax K mount lenses include:
Pentax M 50mm f1.7 (doing a review on it right now actually) ~$30
Pentax M 28mm f2.8 ~$30
Pentax F 70-210 ~$40
The 18-55 gets over looked a lot, but a lot you can do with that ~$30
Cheap m42 glass I've enjoyed adapting on the K10D so far:
Helios 44 58mm f2 ~$60ish
Fujinon 55mm f1.8 ~$40
I'd add in a good condition used DA 18-135mm kit lens too! If you want to bump up the budget a bit. A super sharp all around kit lens.
Quote from SpruceBruce on February 10, 2022, 2:02 amQuote from Snappy on February 10, 2022, 1:48 amNice! This should be good fun. If you have any m42 lenses those work nicely on the camera with infinity focus. I use a generic adapter ring on ebay for $10. Agree about the ISO changing. That quick menu for those settings isn't intuitive or even labeled. Once you get used to it it's of course no big deal, but it's getting used to it. I never read manuals when I buy a new camera but I probably should. Spent a few minutes outside today trying to figure out how to get my SD14 to fire a shot with an adapted lens on xD
Cheap but good Pentax K mount lenses include:
Pentax M 50mm f1.7 (doing a review on it right now actually) ~$30
Pentax M 28mm f2.8 ~$30
Pentax F 70-210 ~$40
The 18-55 gets over looked a lot, but a lot you can do with that ~$30
Cheap m42 glass I've enjoyed adapting on the K10D so far:
Helios 44 58mm f2 ~$60ish
Fujinon 55mm f1.8 ~$40
I'd add in a good condition used DA 18-135mm kit lens too! If you want to bump up the budget a bit. A super sharp all around kit lens.
I second that! Problem with it is you'll never want to take it off the camera lol. The 18-135 + K10D is a match made in Heaven. I can't believe how much life it breathes into that old camera. My best bird in flight shots are with the K10D + 18-135 if you an believe it!
Other good options that are a bit more than those Snappy listed (~$90-100 new I think and $50-60 used) are the DA 35mm f/2.8 (this focal length is the cat's meow on APSC), and the DA 50mm f/1.8. The 35mm is my prime of choice indoors right now since it focuses with confidence in low light (the 50mm being too tele for many indoor shots).
These are all lame autofocus lenses though. 😛
Forgot to say congrats on the K10D! It was my introduction to Pentax. I'm so glad I still have it. It's my favorite camera for deep and contrasting colors. Take it to a botanical garden or catch a sunset with it... oh, man. 😁
Edit: Did I just suggest taking your K10D on dates? Well if any camera deserves it, it's that one. 😂
Quote from Snappy on February 10, 2022, 1:48 am… I never read manuals when I buy a new camera but I probably should. Spent a few minutes outside today trying to figure out how to get my SD14 to fire a shot with an adapted lens on xD
Me either! And I did the same again with my SD1 Merrill today! I still don't have any Sigma lenses (the good ones are $$$) but had a brainwave on how to fix the chromatic casts from adapted lenses. Took me 10 minutes to successfully take a flatfield photograph (of nothing!) because I was struggling with which dial was for the shutter in which mode. Ugh.
Maybe you should host a Manual Reading Club. 😅
I have 1 m42 lens and the adapter is on its way. Can't wait.
Do you know, if the specs match (e.g. 28mm 2.8), are m42 Pentax lenses likely to be the same optical formula? Or did Pentax do a million variations?
18-135mm AF zoom for $150 or less? Daaaamn.
I mostly buy vintage manual lenses but it sure would be nice to have a longer autofocus. I have owls on my roof! (Not a euphemism, they nest up there every winter.)
Thanks for the tips, guys!
And @JBP… cameras are the #1 reason I willingly leave the house so I totally agree, ha!
sorry @ahoyhere you have passed the point of no return. Welcome to the world of Pentax where the design philosophy revolves around backwards compatibility since the 50s. Heck, they're the only brand that made an AF adapter for manual lenses. There's a plethora of possibilities with the Pentax K system. Enjoy!
Quote from ahoyhere on February 10, 2022, 6:51 amQuote from Snappy on February 10, 2022, 1:48 am… I never read manuals when I buy a new camera but I probably should. Spent a few minutes outside today trying to figure out how to get my SD14 to fire a shot with an adapted lens on xD
Me either! And I did the same again with my SD1 Merrill today! I still don't have any Sigma lenses (the good ones are $$$) but had a brainwave on how to fix the chromatic casts from adapted lenses. Took me 10 minutes to successfully take a flatfield photograph (of nothing!) because I was struggling with which dial was for the shutter in which mode. Ugh.
Maybe you should host a Manual Reading Club. 😅
I have 1 m42 lens and the adapter is on its way. Can't wait.
Do you know, if the specs match (e.g. 28mm 2.8), are m42 Pentax lenses likely to be the same optical formula? Or did Pentax do a million variations?
Haha, that's a funny idea for a book club...
There are lots of variations, so it just depends. Pentax's M42 lenses are the Takumars which are excellent as well just usually start around $70+ depending what you're going for. But for each Takumar there's usually 3-4 year models which sometimes only vary slightly, but other times are completely different optically. For instance the 28 and 35mm lenses have fat and skinny variants with totally different optical designs.
Another example would be the famous 8-element 50mm Takumar which sells for 4-5 times what the 7-element variation does.
PentaxForums is probably the best resource to see each lens and variant and determine what you're looking at when you're shopping.
https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/Pentax-Takumar-M42-Screwmount-Lenses-i3.html
The good news is that you really can't go wrong, just people have their preferences. I owned both the fat and skinny 35mm f2 takumars and while one goes for more than the other in a blind test I'm not sure I could tell you the difference.
The K10D was my workhorse camera for 14 years! I retired it this year and now own a KP. The K10D is fantastic and up to this year worked flawlessly! Great to see people discovering one of the best DSLRs out there. Enjoy! Only in the last 2 years did I start exploring vintage lens. That was short sightedness on my behalf! Enjoy the K10D!
