Kmount lenses (Pentax)

On 2007-01-01 12:56:14 -0600, LyndonX <lyndonx DeleteThis @NotGoingToTell.com> said:

> I have been a long time Pentax user, but lately have been
> dpoing more dig photo. I would like to kknow what options
> are out there for those who have kmounts lenses and would
> like to keep using them in dig photography. I have a 24mm
> that I like to use.

The good news is, if you get a new Pentax DSLR it will take practically
any Pentax K-mount lens ever made. With an adaptor it can also take
the older M42 screw-mount lenses. However, there are some limitations
you need to be aware of.

There is a 1.5X "crop factor" due to the small sensor, which means
every lens acts as though it were 50% longer. So a 50mm normal lens
become a short tele, and provides the field of view you would expect
from a 75mm. A 28mm or 35mm acts as a normal lens on the DSLR. Your
telephotos get longer, your wide angle lenses become normal lenses, and
you may have to buy new wide angles.

Some of the older third-party lenses may not work without modification.
I got a Tokina 28mm lens that had to be modified before it would go on
the camera. Worse, there are Ricoh lenses (including I think some
Sears branded) that can get STUCK on your camera and present a serious
repair problem to get them loose. These lenses can be modified to work
but you have to think about it beforehand, not after.

Finally. . . The Pentax K100/110d and K10d are not able to read the
aperture setting when you set it manually using the F-stop ring. That
means K and M and M42 lenses -- anything prior to the Pentax-A series
-- cannot meter continuously. You have to use the camera in manual
mode and take discrete meter readings. When you press the AE-L button
it stops down the aperture, takes a reading and sets the shutter speed,
and releases the aperture. This is similar in principle to how the old
Spotmatic cameras worked. It actually works pretty well, but may slow
you down a little.

--
Tony Belding, Hamilton Texas
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