Lens, reason enough?

[Mr Guy]

I know this is similar to many others' questions, but my particular twist is that I have no idea what the values of the lenses I have are. Back in college, I was given a hand-me down Pentax with some lenses to go with it. By the time I made it through college though, the camera body and the main workhouse lens had been stolen.

After looking at the prices of lenses and the advice about keeping lenses when possible, I dug up the camera case and old lenses. I've got four left, and they aren't clearly marked for a novice to just report the numbers and models you probably want, so here's the markings I do see:

1) SMC Pentax-M 50mm looks like f22-f1.7
2) A TAMARON converter labeled, "Tele Converter 2x For Pentax-K"
3) One labeled "Auto SEARS MUTLICOATED 28mm" model No 830702966 looks like f22 - f2.8
4) Finally, the big one, Albinar-ADG 77-300mm f32-f5.6

The old camera body, according to the book in the case was a Pentax ME Super. So now the same generic questions apply, will these lenses work with a basic level Pentax dSLR (I'm assuming all I can afford would be a K100D)? If they would, would they be worth getting a Pentax over a Nikon D40, assuming I won't be able to afford any additional lenses for a real long time?

If they do work, will there likely be any trade offs besides manually focusing?

Thanks for any and all advice!

[mattdm]

1) SMC Pentax-M 50mm looks like f22-f1.7


#7 on this list of best 50mm lenses ever made (http://theonlinephotographer.blogspot.com/2007/02/great-50mm-lenses.html)? (The current 50mm f/1.4 comes in at #8).


2) A TAMARON converter labeled, "Tele Converter 2x For Pentax-K"
3) One labeled "Auto SEARS MUTLICOATED 28mm" model No 830702966 looks like f22 - f2.8


These I don't know anything about, but I've heard good things about Sears-badged lenses from back when Sears was in its heyday.


4) Finally, the big one, Albinar-ADG 77-300mm f32-f5.6



No idea, but f/5.6 maximum aperture is pretty slow.
If they do work, will there likely be any trade offs besides manually focusing?

Yes, there's another disadvantage. The camera bodies have no way of sensing the aperture ring's setting, so lenses without an A setting (like these) only meter when you press a button at anything but wide open. That takes some getting used to.

[Mr Guy]

Since they've been in a padded camera case in the attic for going on a decade, is there any "maintenance" that would need to be done?

Also, I'm not sure I follow on what the metering thing means in practicality. I'm trying to understand how they are explaining here (http://digital-photography.suite101.com/article.cfm/old_lenses_on_digital_cameras) and it sounds like it's just saying that I'm more or less forced into a manual aperture mode.


Sounds like maybe what I need to do is grab a memory card and the 50mm and just go waste a salesman's time for a bit until I understand the implications.

[mattdm]

Since they've been in a padded camera case in the attic for going on a decade, is there any "maintenance" that would need to be done?

Well, if you look through them with a flashlight or against a bright light, do they look clear? You particularly want to make sure there's not a spiderwebby pattern of fungus growing inside the lens — if there is, it's basically ruined.


Also, I'm not sure I follow on what the metering thing means in practicality. I'm trying to understand how they are explaining here (http://digital-photography.suite101.com/article.cfm/old_lenses_on_digital_cameras) and it sounds like it's just saying that I'm more or less forced into a manual aperture mode.


Well, if that's all the lens has, yes. :) If any of them have an "A" setting there's no issue. But if it doesn't, with your film camera, there's a physical couping that tells the body what the aperture is set to. WIth all Pentax dSLRs and some of their last (cheaper) film cameras, they dropped this, so in order to take a meter reading you have to push a button rather than having that work constantly.

Sounds like maybe what I need to do is grab a memory card and the 50mm and just go waste a salesman's time for a bit until I understand the implications.

Yeah, although the salesman might not know either. :)

[GEli]

A thought - the way you labeled the apertures is kind of strange, and makes me wonder if the 77-300mm zoom isn't f/x-f5.6 and so useable. I've never heard of a 70something-300mm zoom that was constant f/5.6, as the lense would be damn near unusable in anything but bright, midday sun. Can you check again? If it's, say, f/3.5-f/5.6 or even f/4-f/5.6 it would be quite usable.

[Mr Guy]

I'm not great on how it's meant to be labeled, but it goes from f/5.6 to f/32 unless I'm completely misunderstanding how it's labeled!

Across the aperture ring it has settings for AP 32 22 16 11 8 5.6.

I'll play with on the camera later, because now due the convincing explanation of the 50mm, I'm an excited new owner of a Pentax K110d.


Also, my dog is trying to figure out what, "No stay, no over there, sit sit SIT SIT OVER THERE! IN THE LIGHT DANG IT" means.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mister_guy/2408147249/" title="imgp0357 by mister.guy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2361/2408147249_e0b290b180.jpg" width="500" height="433" alt="imgp0357" /></a>

EXIF (Hand modified)
Camera: Pentax K110D
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/1.7
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/10 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Lens: SMC Pentax-M 50mm f1.7 (non digital!)

*Edit* Forgot to say, thanks a ton mattdm! I spent about hour with the lens in hand and the salesclerk trying to convince her, No really, I promise, they PROMISED this camera will work with ALL Pentax lenses. She was extremely helpful, but between the two of us (and a call to her manager in a different store) we could not figure out it and the owner's manual wasn't very explicit. It would just flash the AV -- and F -- indicators and refuse to take a picture. Turns out there's a buried setting in the bottom of the Custom Settings list that allows you to take a picture with a lens without the auto aperture setting that she finally found and made her sale!

[mattdm]

I'll play with on the camera later, because now due the convincing explanation of the 50mm, I'm an excited new owner of a Pentax K110d.

Cool, welcome to the club.


*Edit* Forgot to say, thanks a ton mattdm! I spent about hour with the lens in hand and the salesclerk trying to convince her, No really, I promise, they PROMISED this camera will work with ALL Pentax lenses. She was extremely helpful, but between the two of us (and a call to her manager in a different store) we could not figure out it and the owner's manual wasn't very explicit. It would just flash the AV -- and F -- indicators and refuse to take a picture. Turns out there's a buried setting in the bottom of the Custom Settings list that allows you to take a picture with a lens without the auto aperture setting that she finally found and made her sale!

Doh!!! I totally knew about that setting and forgot to mention it to you before. I could have saved you both that hour!

[Mr Guy]

Doh!!! I totally knew about that setting and forgot to mention it to you before. I could have saved you both that hour!

I just hope she gets commission. If nothing else, now I've got a salesgirl I'll go out of my way to deal with, just because she was willing to put so much effort into trying to answer my question instead of the Idunno and dumblook the guy at the other store gave me.

[Mr Guy]

Thus far, I've learned there is an extremely fine line between underexposed and completely blown highlights with the 50mm lens in full manual. Got any suggestions for how to predict that beyond a ton of practice and a practice snapshot? Part of that is that I wanted to use the aperture open to reduce the depth of field but also wanted to use the flash to fill in shadows. The flash limits the shutter speed to 180, and with f1.7 that's a completely blanked out picture. I think I need to read up on how to achieve the same effect without the aperture open so wide, but advice and tips are welcome.

[mattdm]

Thus far, I've learned there is an extremely fine line between underexposed and completely blown highlights with the 50mm lens in full manual.

The lens shouldn't make a big difference to that. Exposure and dynamic range are the same with any lens.

Got any suggestions for how to predict that beyond a ton of practice and a practice snapshot?

Well, practice is good. :)


Part of that is that I wanted to use the aperture open to reduce the depth of field but also wanted to use the flash to fill in shadows. The flash limits the shutter speed to 180, and with f1.7 that's a completely blanked out picture. I think I need to read up on how to achieve the same effect without the aperture open so wide, but advice and tips are welcome.

Ah, yeah, I see. What you need is a flash which can do "HSS" — high-speed sync. This lets the flash operate at lower power (sufficient for fill) but at a faster speed than the curtain sync speed (180th/second, as you see). The Pentax AF360FGZ can do this, or the Metz 48 AF-1.

Alternately, you can use a reflector for fill light....

[JFSanders]

As well as the picture of the puppy will show you that at 1.7 the DOF is a fine line as well. His nose is out of focus.

That is a great lens. And have fun I know I do!