Question for those using old analog lenses on a digital body

[william_george1]

<p>Hey there.<br /> <br /> The K7 is pretty much the top contender for purchase when I get back into digital. I know my old lenses will mount on it, but I wanted to find out if you have any problems when using older analog lenses on modern digitals.<br>

Poking around the interwebs about analog lenses on digital bodies gets me a lot of "Well, you COULD keep using your old lenses, but there'd be vignetting! Cropping! Strange colors! Dogs and cats living together! Ｍass hysteria!" from gear addicts and sellers.<br /> <br /> I thought it'd be better to get some first hand views on the practice from the people who do/ did it.<br /> <br /> Thanks.</p>

[kevin_hess]

<p>with pentax no problems all lens functions work on k mount type lens stop down metering on thread mounts color has not ben a problem with my k10d any more than with fillm useing the same lens. check the pentax section to see many photos taken with screw mount and older k mounts many users here are using them.</p>

[AJG]

<p>My experiences have been fairly good, although the stop down metering with k-mount lenses is a little hit or miss. I had big flare problems under certain studio lighting conditions (plexiglass table) with the 35 - 105 f/3.5 A zoom, and the 135 f/2.5 Takumar. I had 2 of each, and they both had identical problems, so I don't think it was just a bad sample. Other than that, everything from a 28 mm f/2.8 to a 200 f/2.5 Pentax has worked well.</p>

[jgredline]

<p>No problem at all. What I have found though is that smc ''A'' lenses will work flawlessly and those primes where some of best ever made. The DOF scales on them is very useful and wish that modern lenses still had them. Third part lenses do not work so well and I avoid them now. Most third party lenses have a piece of plastic that sticks out of them and will hit the mirror in the DSLR body and want to get stuck...stick with Pentax and your good to go. Perhaps someone with more experience will chime in.</p>

[orly_andico]

<p>I hate the lack of a metering lug though... as a result full-aperture metering doesn't work on "M" and "K" lenses.. you have to press the green button to stop down and take a reading; and the reading isn't too accurate either. I hear the K7 has improved in this regard.</p>

<p>And for those who say.. "but Pentax has retained back-compatibility!" the reality is that the higher-end Nikons have better back-compatibility. The D200/300/700 (and higher) do have the mechanical metering lug so they do meter correctly even on ancient Nikkors.</p>

<p>Makes me wonder why Pentax took out that cam when it's probably so cheap even the MZ-30 has it..</p>

[trw]

<p>I use a Takumar 28/2.8 and an SMC-M 50/1.7 from time to time on my K10D and I've never had any issues with them. I use FA 50/1.4 and 35/2 very frequently and they're stellar.</p>

<p> The DA (and Tamron & Sigma digital) lenses are coated to take into account the semi-reflective sensor, and may give slightly better contrast compared to a similar design older lenses.</p>

<p>The "cropping" is true of any lens... APS-C is smaller than 24x36mm so the angle of view is narrower on the digital bodies for a given focal length. ie 50mm is "normal" on 35mm film but "portrait" (short tele) on APS-C, "Nomal" is 45~58mm on 35mm but 30~40mm on APS-C. What you use a particular lens for may change on the smaller sensor. It does not affect quality, other than that you're not using the edges of the frame, so if your lens is soft at the edges on 35mm, it may be better on APS-C.</p>

<p>The vignetting would only be an issue if you mount a DA lens on a film body, or possibly with a very very wide lens. </p>

[bobbuck19]

<p>I have had trouble with inf. focus using 3rd party adapters on screw mount lenses(super tak 300 f4) but not with the pentax adapter, also agree on the hit or miss metering when stop down metering(super tak 300 f4 and smc 500 f4.5) seems to expose pretty well when wide open but I usually stop down a stop or two with these lenses so I usually have to add a little compensation after the first shot</p>

[sleahy73]

<p>I have used Pentax M and A primes on my K10D and my old K100D. No complaints whatsoever. And I'm thrilled with my FA 50mm 1.4 and Limited 77mm 1.8! I have several Tokina AT-X Pro (film era) zooms that I have used and found that they aren't as sharp or contrasty as digitally optimized lenses. <br>

Hope that helps. <br>

I'm sure Mis can give you some good ideas about this, too.</p>

<p>Sean</p>

[stemked]

<p>I have serious exposure issues with the K10D, generally over exposed.(500mm f4.5 Takumar & 50mm 1.4 SMC). But after a test shot or two I can quickly compensate manually.</p>

[henkc]

<p>Digital lenses? All lenses are analog devices:-). As for being optimised for digital use, I am sure that some of the new optimisations - coatings designed to work with the Bayer Filter and less convergent light paths into the camera - are a good thing but I haven't noticed any quality issues using my SMC-M primes - 50mm 1.7 and 28mm 3.5 (the 28 is a gem). The stop-down metering is easy to use.</p>

[miserere_mei]

<blockquote>

<p>Most third party lenses have a piece of plastic that sticks out of them and will hit the mirror in the DSLR body and want to get stuck..</p>

</blockquote>

<p>OK, I think Javier is being a bit dramatic here LOL! There are <em>some Vivitar</em> lenses that have an over-protruding flange protecting the aperture lever. The flange can be removed with a scredriver without problems. That said, I have used maybe 10 VIvitars and none had this problem.</p>

<p>There are plenty of great manual focus lenses out there, both from Pentax and other brands, that provide great IQ on Pentax digital SLRs. If they don't have an 'A' setting, metering can be tricky, but not impossible. If they have an 'A' setting, then they're usually fine, although you might need to set a constant EV comp value for particular lenses. Pentax's SMC-A line of primes has some beautiful lenses that are well worth owning, and some great zooms too.</p>

[jpo3136b]

<p>I have used Pentax lenses that are almost 50 years old on my K200D with no problems.</p>

<p>I think the oldest lens I'm using now is about 44, maybe 45, years old.</p>

<p>I'm satisfied with Pentax's backwards compatibility.</p>

<p>I did come across one cheaper Promaster lens that had a protruding flange; but, as you can see, it is not a Pentax brand of lens. If it is made by Pentax, it'll fit on there, or you need someone to give you an explanation; (screwmounts with the M42 adapter, of course). Also, I did have to make one change to the Custom Settings menu in the camera's computer to get the metering to understand the aperture ring adjustments. That took a whopping 15 seconds to find and click on it.</p>

<p>My guess is that the mass hysteria of cats and dogs living together is about the fact that an old manual lens can be had for about 25 to 30% of the cost of a fully automatic lens that does the same thing. Turn the dial yourself, and you will save 75%.</p>

<p>Now, if a great big mass of people approached lens purchasing from the point of, "Hmmm. Just exactly <em>when</em> do I <em>absolutely need</em> to have those fully automatic functions to capture the shot?" Well, you'd have a lot of people who would realize that they really didn't need to pay full price to meet their photographic needs. Fully automatics are nice in a lot of situations, but they're not absolutely required.</p>

<p>Sometimes, you want to fly cargo class. Other times, you need to take your lady out to a nice dinner. Pick what meets your needs for getting the job done right.</p>

[radfordneal]

<p>Pentax-F, Pentax-FA, and Pentax-FAJ lenses have full functionality with Pentax DSLRs. Some are better than others, but that's true of any lens line, and with few exceptions has NOTHING to do with their being originally intended for use with film cameras. The advice you've heard is total bunk. The warning about vignetting is actually the reverse of the truth. There is, by the way, no such thing as a "digital" lens. All lenses are analog devices.</p>

<p>Pentax-A lens will have full functionality except that they don't autofocus (of course, since they're manual focus lenses). Other than that, they work fine, depending again on whether they were good lenses to start with.</p>

<p>Pentax-M and plain Pentax (no -something at the end) K mount lenses can be used, but the stopdown metering is a bit inconvenient, and more seriously doesn't always give very good results. Assuming you've managed to set the exposure correctly, however, they too will generally produce fine images.</p>

 

[jgredline]

<blockquote>

<p>The flange can be removed with a scredriver without problems.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>You mean to tell me that I took that Makita Die Grinder to me lens for nothing? ;-)</p>

[miserere_mei]

<blockquote>

<p>You mean to tell me that I took that Makita Die Grinder to me lens for nothing? ;-)</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Not for nutin', we all know how much you enjoy using your powertools, Javier—you did it for the joy it brings you!</p>

[deaner66]

<p>On my K10D, the old Asahi/Pentax lenses work fine. All manual, so you must figure everything out. That's really a good thing, because you really take over for the camera.</p>

<p>And truth be told, it is rather frustrating not to be able to record the aperture, and the stop down metering can be hit-or-miss. But the real beauty of the old lenses is they are in excellent supply, in great condition, and can be had cheaply. And the glass on many of these old lenses is second to none.</p>

<p>There are some sites where you can get a good idea which lenses to look for, and which ones to avoid. Here are a couple of good review sites:</p>

<p>http://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/index.php<br>

http://stans-photography.info/</p>

<p>I have three Super Takumar screw mount lenses: a 200mm f/4 (B), a 50mm f/1.8 (A-) and a 50mm f/1.4 (A).<br>

I have a SMC-A 50mm f/1.7 (B+).<br>

I have a SMC-M 200mm f/4 (A-), and a SMC-M 135mm f/3.5 (C+).<br>

I also have--but never use--a Vivitar 28mm f/2.8 which isn't bad, but it is pretty soft at the edges.<br>

I haven't spent over $100 for any of these lenses, which is remarkable to me.</p>

[bobbuck19]

<p>Douglas, does your 500 always overexpose? mine seems to do what it pleases depending on f setting haven't been able to figure a compensation scheme, have to take a shot, check the screen and histogram then add compensation. am using k10-d also</p>

[william_george1]

<p>Thanks everyone. This will help make my future DSLR purchasing decisions easier.</p>

[joey1]

<p>Any one have an idea if there's an adapter for the Medium format lenses, i.e. 6x7 format to fit to the current crop of digital SLRs?</p>