Acquired a lot of Vivitar Pentax lenses and other equipment

[Braineack]

I found this lot in a box at my parent's house set for donation after an expert told my dad it was all "bad" and "worthless." Apparently the lenses have mold and moisture damage and are unusable. Funny, even just holding them up to my nikon body, I was able to produce sharp, clear images (after a bit of cleaning).

From left to right, top row: Sonor OneStop Polaroid with a Polotronic2 flash, Asahi Pentax Sportmatic (missing hotshoe) w/mercury battery NIB, National Minitop Flash, Kodak 35 camera.
bottom row: 135mm f/3.5, 28mm f/3.5, 3x teleconverter f/1.4, 85-205mm f/3.8, 28mm f/2.5, 50mm f/1.4, 135mm f2/.8

I just ordered a T2-Nikon mount, but discovered two have a K-mount, and of course it happens to be the 125mm f/2.8 that I'm most interested in (I forgot the other offhand, I think the 28mm f/3.5). The 125mm f/2.8 looks unused and in the original box with literature. Looks like my dad bought it for $140.00 in 1978.

I'm excited to play with the 50mm again, I used this trusty Pentax in Photo class in high school and that lens always produced good results.

 

[runnah]

Don't they feel so much better compared to modern lenses? Sure they are heavier but they feel precise and smooth not all gross.

 

[Braineack]

Oh absolutely. It's also funny how mammoth my 17-70mm Sigma is in comparison. (which I already can't stand how the zoom is reverse and tough compared to all the nikkor lenses)

I was also amused by how much focus adjustment the was; I had to double take on the 135mm to make sure it wasn't a zoom lens as it seemed to rotate forever just to focus. But they are seem VERY solid and feel so good to turn. But I also liked this as it seems much easier to manual focus than any modern lens I've ever used.

I don't think they weigh that much more (if at all) than some of my modern plastic lenses in my collection...


What's sad is the K-Nikon mount is about $40, best I can find. The T-Nikon mount was $10 primed through Amazon. Maybe I can find a cheap K-T mount or something. I really want to use the 125mm f/2.8.

 

[Derrel]

THe best thing to buy would be a CANON digital body, and an M42 lens to Canon EF body mount lens adapter--then you could mount the adapter on the thread-mount lenses, and use them, with full infinity focus. A few of those lenses are probably pretty decent!

My brother bought one of those Kodak 35's back in the 1970's for $7 at a flea market.

 

[Braineack]

Or I buy an infinity focus PK-Nikon adapter and an infinity focus T2-Nikon adapter, and use them all on my current Nikon body.


I mean sure, I like the excuse to buying another body for no reason...

 

[Derrel]

Or I buy an infinity focus PK-Nikon adapter and an infinity focus T2-Nikon adapter, and use them all on my current Nikon body.


I mean sure, I like the excuse to buying another body for no reason...

Those adapters take decent optics and turn them into rubbish. The results obtained with those infinity adapters and their cheap optical element make it look like you're shooting with a toy camera lens. I know this from having tried it. These lenses will perform like crap on a Nikon body when used with an infinity adapter. So, if avoiding every picture looking like it ewas shot through the bottom of a whiskey glass and that's what you call no reason, so be it.

Of course, if you want good, useable images from these free lenses, a cheap Canon body would actually give quality results. But whatever. Oh, I almost forgot to add the smiley-face emoticon.

 

[Braineack]

Point made, didn't think about the quality of the glass on the adapter.

Just holding the lens up to my body yielded decent results:

What is it about the canon body that makes a difference, the position of the lens to sensor with the adapter?

 

[Gavjenks]

What is it about the canon body that makes a difference, the position of the lens to sensor with the adapter?

Yes, the mount on Canon bodies is closer to the sensor, allowing lots of things to adapt to them.

Nikon's mount is obnoxiously far away from the sensor and almost nothing adapts. Only 2.5 more millimeters, but that's enough to rule out Sony/Minolta, Olympus OM, Pentax, and M42, all of which Canon can adapt with no optics (plus Nikon lenses).

I'm not sure these are worth buying a body for, though, unless you were hurting for lenses before getting this haul.

 

[Derrel]

Adapted lenses on Canon d-slrs are a good combination. Here are Olympus OM-system 28mm f/2.8, Vivitar Series 1 55mm f/2.8 macro, and Super-Takumar 135mm f/3.5 and Super-Takumar 200mm f/4 primes, all of which work pretty well on this Canon 5D classic body. I bought a bunch of low-cost ($14.99 each by the carton of 10) adapters from a Texas-based e-Bay importer.

 

[Braineack]

Well the T-Nikon adapter that just arrived today was not an infinity focus so it's a bust. I thought it was described as such but I must have misread. Hopefully the PK is as described and had descent glass...

Thanks for the info.

 

[Braineack]

Would anyone be interested in any of this equipment for cheap?

Like Darrel suggested, I wasn't able to make this work on my Nikon body. The infinity focus PK adapter I bought had the most abysmal IQ and the T-Nikon mount allowed me to use the lenses for macro shots only, but the focal range isn't the greatest so it's not worth the trouble.

The lens I have are:

In T-Mount: 135mm f/3.5, 3x teleconverter f/1.4, 85-205mm f/3.8, 28mm f/2.5, 50mm f/1.4
In PK Mount: 135mm f/2.8 (PK), 28mm f/3.5 (PK)

They are all in fairly good shape, they were kept in hard cases--one of the 135s was still in the original box. The 50mm 1.4's filter ring is toast...that was the lens I used when I used to shoot back in HS on the Pentax back in ~1997-2000.

I have a spare mercury battery for the Pentax that should allow the meter to work. I remember buying it in PA on a trip up to NY because you couldn't buy them in VA anymore.

I also have a Nikon N60 body.

This is all just sitting in a box in my basement and will never be touched again by me, unless I use it all as decoration.

 

[Braineack]

Just posting a follow up here in case anyone else tries it:

The PK-Nikon infinity adapter was absolutely trash. The "glass" is really plastic and the resulting images from it are ridiculously horrible for IQ. It was this specific adatper: Amazon.com: Fotodiox Lens Mount Adapter, Pentax K Lens to Nikon Camera, for Nikon D7100, D7000, D5200, D5100, D3100, D300, D300S, D200, D100, D50, D60, D70, D80, D90, D40, D40x, N70s, D80, D800, D800e, D4, D3, D2, D1: Camera & Photo

I'll post an example next time I'm at my workstation.

The T-Nikon puts the rear element too far away from a nikon sensor and ultimately turns your lenses into a really bad macro lens.

Using a "coveted" Super Takumar 50mm f/1.4. You have maximum focal distance of about 8".

Here I achieved minimum focus on the measuring tape around 4-5" away:

and at infinity focus, you have a range of just about 4 inches:

It's a damn shame because the bokeh on this lens looks VERY promising.




tldr; listen to derrel.