Best tele for K3

[Francois Farellacci]

Hello

I recently bought a Krasnogorsk K3. I whish to buy a complementary teleobjective lens.

I've found for example on ebay a Car Zeiss Jenna Triotar 135/4 or a Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135/3.5.

I am still looking for a 200mm.

Anyway what are your experiences/advices with tele M42 lenses for K3 ?

Any help highly apreciated.

Thanks.

François

[Saul Rodgar]

I would suggest getting a zoom lens. The Zeiss's you mention are prime teles, if am not mistaken. I would look around for the fastest m42 Pentax zoom lens you can find. You can obviously get some Zeiss Jena primes as well, but I like having a good tele zoom for convinience. When you are on your own and getting stuff on the fly, nothing beats a good zoom lens. Just my 2 cents.

[Olex Kalynychenko]

Hello

I recently bought a Krasnogorsk K3. I whish to buy a complementary teleobjective lens.

I've found for example on ebay a Car Zeiss Jenna Triotar 135/4 or a Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135/3.5.

I am still looking for a 200mm.

Anyway what are your experiences/advices with tele M42 lenses for K3 ?

Any help highly apreciated.

Thanks.

François

 

The good choose of russian Tair-3S 300 mm f4.5 from set of Photo sniper FS-12.

Like :

http://cgi.ebay.com/ZENIT-FS-12-Russian-Ph...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

The set of Photo sniper included of 35 mm SLR photo camera Zenit s M42 screw mount.

the version of TAIR-3C have special mechanism of aperture control with "instant-return diaphragm".

 

The similar version :

http://cgi.ebay.com/C854-USSR-M42-Lens-TAI...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

 

Other russian lenses :

Jupiter-21 200 mm F4.0

http://cgi.ebay.com/JUPITER-21-4-200-RUSSI...1QQcmdZViewItem

[Will Montgomery]

I have a 50mm Super Takumar Pentax m42 lens that is amazing on the K3. Ultra sharp and fast. Took it from a Pentax 35mm still camera bought on eBay for $25. Haven't had a need for anything higher than 50mm.

[Saul Rodgar]

I have a 50mm Super Takumar Pentax m42 lens that is amazing on the K3. Ultra sharp and fast. Took it from a Pentax 35mm still camera bought on eBay for $25. Haven't had a need for anything higher than 50mm.

 

I have that same lens and I use it with my K3 AND my macro bellows on my ACL/ Nikon still camera with an adapter. It is a really nice, sharp lens and very affordable. Pentax has some really M42 lenses that go for peanuts these days.

[Ira Ratner]

Will, is M42 simply the term used for the standard Pentax screw configuration that's been around forever? I have a background in 35mm SLR still, nothing with film, and I always remember it just being referred to as just a Pentax screw-type mount. Also, is Takumar Pentax's own brand name? (Can't remember-- I was a Mamiya guy back then.)

 

This was what excited me about getting the K-3 (which I haven't received yet)--the fact that I could use standard 35mm screw mount lenses on it.

 

I just KNOW that one day there's going to be some guy on Ebay showing up with a 400mm Spiratone for a buck and a half. Crappy lens, yes--but for a buck and a half, who cares?

[Will Montgomery]

Will, is M42 simply the term used for the standard Pentax screw configuration that's been around forever?

Exactly. These are great lenses to use with a K3. I have a 28mm 3.5 as well that works great although not that fast.

 

The advantage of the Super Takumar Pentax m42 mount lenses is that they have an auto/manual switch. That way you can manually control the aperture when set to manual. Otherwise you have to force in the little pin and basically break the lens for it to work properly. I had to do this with the 16mm Zenitar lens.

[Ira Ratner]

Exactly. These are great lenses to use with a K3. I have a 28mm 3.5 as well that works great although not that fast.

 

The advantage of the Super Takumar Pentax m42 mount lenses is that they have an auto/manual switch. That way you can manually control the aperture when set to manual. Otherwise you have to force in the little pin and basically break the lens for it to work properly. I had to do this with the 16mm Zenitar lens.

 

THANKS FOR THE INFO!

 

Now, I remember that Asahi and Pentax were the same animal (correct?), but even with a background in 35mm still work, I don't recall at all an auto/manual switch. Will this switch be something readily viewable in an eBay listing if the seller doesn't describe this? And would this be pretty much standard on anything called Super Takumar?

 

I figure I'm going to want a fixed standard view to do standard scenes, so I'm looking at getting a 28MM like you have, right? Which is like a 55 on a 35mm camera--normal view. And I think I just HAVE to have a long tele, just for the hell of it, lens speed not withstanding, using Tri-X, which means 200mm.

 

I ask because these are the kinds of lenses you can also find as great deals at pawn shops, and I'd like to start looking now.

[Ian Cooper]

...I figure I'm going to want a fixed standard view to do standard scenes, so I'm looking at getting a 28MM like you have, right? Which is like a 55 on a 35mm camera--normal view. And I think I just HAVE to have a long tele, just for the hell of it, lens speed not withstanding, using Tri-X, which means 200mm....

 

 

Well 50/55mm is considered standard on 35mm stills, on 16mm motion picture a standard lens is considered to be 25mm.

 

However, to give the same angle of view as a 50mm gives in 35mm stills you'd need a 12.5mm lens.

[Will Montgomery]

Every "Pentax Super Takumar M42 Mount" lens I've run across has this little switch on the lower part of the barrel. Some of those lenses have "Asashi Pentax" and some just "Pentax". I think the newer ones are just Pentax. The switch looks like a little bump that hugs the aperture ring. But remember, 50mm and even 35mm are telephoto on a 16mm camera so while they are great glass, they might not be as useful as a 24mm.

[Ira Ratner]

Pentax used to be owned by Honeywell way back when, so all of those old (high quality) cameras and lenses either said Honeywell Pentax or just Pentax.

 

So if you see lenses that just say Pentax...no Asahi...my guess is that these are the OLDER ones, where Honeywell didn't have a need to brand it with Honeywell--it was just common knowledge in those days that Pentax meant Honeywell. After Honeywell sold the brand to the Japanese, you started seeing Asahi.

 

This is what's so hard about buying old lenses--you just don't know. But I sure paid attention to the good reviews here for the 50mm Takumar. In 75% of cases, these 3rd party manufacturers weren't all that great, with the exception of maybe Vivitar. And even then, most photographers still preferred the native brand.

[Francois Farellacci]

Hello

Thanks for all your contributions to the discussion. Culdn't answer earlier sorry.

Eventually I bought for 45 euro (photographic shop in Paris) Meyer Pentacon 135 I tested yesterday. I am going to have the result wednesday. Seemed ok to me it is quite fast (2.8) but somehow I found it hard to focus properly even if with tele-objectives focus is usually pretty obvious. I'll let you know about the tests.

[Ira Ratner]

I don't have my K-3 yet--should arrive in a week or so--but a question:

 

Is there any way to get a depth-of-field preview function with a K3, either with the standard lens or another?

[David Auner aac]

Is there any way to get a depth-of-field preview function with a K3, either with the standard lens or another?

 

No there isn't. You don't need one as it's not equipped with a spring driven auto iris as are most stills cameras. You'll have to manually open up to focus and frame and then stop own to your desired fstop. The only 16mm lenses with preset apertures are Switar Presets and Vario-Switar Presets for Bolex H16 (Reflex) cameras.

Cheers, Dave