PENTAX lenses mount ??!!

[Ibrahim]

I have a problem here, I have a SLR film camera PENTAX ASAHI ME - which is technical details are below - and I'm looking for an upgrading and I'm actually thinking about DSLR PENTAX K-x. The problem is that I have 4 lenses for my old pentax and I don't know if there mount will bw suitable for the PENTAX K-x or not, I mean the question is : IF I GET DSLR PENTAX K-x, WOULD IT POSSIBLE TO USE MY OLD LENSES ??!! ( The technical details of the lenses are below )
The other problem is if the mount is not suitable so what do you suggest for me in a budget of 700 $ : Nikon D5000, Nikon D3000, Nikon D60, Nikon D40, Pentax K-x ( which is most reasonable for me and Nikon D5000 !! ) ???
Please find the technical details of the camera and lenses below .


SLR Film camera PENTAX ASAHI ME
- Camera Name Pentax ME
- Manufacturer Asahi Optical
- Place of Japan
Manufacture
- Date of 1977~1981
Manufacture
- Focusing System Single-lens reflex with pentaprism eye-level
viewfinder 0.97x magnification; 92% coverage
- Lens mount K-mount (bayonet)
- Shutter Focal plane shutter 8 sec ~ 1/1000 sec X-sync @ 1/100 B +
self-timer
- Metering System Through-the-lens (TTL) CdS cell - centerweighted Aperture
priority metering with ±2 exposure compensation
- Flash Standard hot-shoe and PC sync connector
- Film type / speeds 135 type (35mm standard film)
- Battery type 2 x LR44/S44 (standard watch batteries)

LENSES
- MC SOLIGOR zoom macro 85-205 mm c/d f:3.8 D62 (No. 3810349)
- VIVITAR MC tele converter 2x-22
- SMC PENTAX 1:2.8 24mm (No. 6888060) ASAHI OPT. Co., JAPAN
- SMC PENTAX 1:1.2 50mm (No. 1454700) ASAHI OPT. Co., JAPAN
- SMC PENTAX-M 1:3.5 135mm (No. 6717988) ASAHI OPT. Co., JAPAN

[Aegea]

Ah, I think this would be more likely to get answers in the Pentax forum ... nobody here but us Nikon guys.

[LeeR]

I am not a Pentax person but as I understand it they are on the new 4/3 system. That means the lenses are interchangable with all other 4/3 manufacturers including Olympus and Leica. What is a bigger concern to you, however, is whether or not you old film lenses will fit a new digital camera. There is likely an adapter that will allow you to fit the two together, but you will likely have to shoot in manual mode. That defeats some, though not all. of the advantages of having a digital camera and that raises the question of whether or not to start from scratch with your digital system. That's a question you will have to answer for yourself. I can tell you I made a clean break of it and I missed my old lenses terribly until I was eventually able to replace them.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by LeeR

I am not a Pentax person but as I understand it they are on the new 4/3 system. That means the lenses are interchangable with all other 4/3 manufacturers including Olympus and Leica.

nope. Pentax K-mount is still standard, and all Pentax cameras use a 1.5x crop, like Nikon. If your lenses mount without a problem on a Pentax film SLR, they'll mount without a problem on a Pentax dSLR. WHether they'll meter or autofocus is another issue, but they'll mount.

[Ibrahim]

Thanks alot for reply ... but I saw in reviews that lenses will noumnt with restrictions ... so do u think they mean by these restrictions the autofocus ??!! ... if so .. then I have no problem as I never use the autofocus even in DSLRs of ma friends ... if not could u plz tell what other kinds of restriction could it be ??

[OsmosisStudios]

That depends: ive yet to hear of any restrictions. It could be the crop factor, which means that the focal length indicated on the lens isnt the same on 35mm film than on digital.