old Pentax lenses on new Canon DSLR?

[mapgirl]

Probably a totally dumb question, but will my ancient Pentax lenses (from my ancient Pentax SLR)be compatible with a DSLR? Perhaps a Canon? I hope:er:

 

[thatswhatshesaid]

They should work quite well with a Pentax K10D.

And if you decide not to get a compatible camera, I'll probably buy those lenses off you!

 

[Big Mike]

Are we talking about the Pentax K mount or the older M42 screw mount. There is probably an adaptor to fit Pentax lenses onto a Canon mount.

Either way, there will be no Autofocus and the metering will probably be screwed up...if it works at all.

Long story -> short...it's possible but not a good idea.

 

[Don Simon]

The K-mount (bayonet) lenses on a Canon? Very unlikely.

The m42 (screw-mount lenses on a Canon? Yes, definitely. There are several sites with examples of m42 lenses being used on Canon dSLRs. You need to stop down the aperture manually to shoot, and also to meter, but metering should certainly be possible.

The same applies to a Konica-Minolta / Sony dSLR.

Not on a Nikon, sorry.

And obviously yes you can use a Pentax lens, whether screw-mount or bayonet, on a Pentax dSLR - you get metering and also focus confirmation.

 

[mapgirl]

They should work quite well with a Pentax K10D.

And if you decide not to get a compatible camera, I'll probably buy those lenses off you!

Thanks to everyone for the info. The lenses are K-Mounts.
I've just been so pleased with my first digital camera and so pleased with how well Canon handled a technical problem I had, that I've just been assuming I'd go for a Canon DSLR when the time came (and the time is approaching).

But I loved my old Pentax (entirely manual). So maybe I should give that some serious thought. In part it will depend on what shape my lenses are in. They've been in a box for several years. But if they're in decent shape, and if I find that the Pentax DSLRs meet my needs, that would sure save me some serious money.

If not, then I'll get in touch with thatswhatshesaid

 

[Sw1tchFX]

manually focusing without a split prism is not easy and I also do not suggest it. If you're going to use manual focus lenses exclusively, I'd suggest in investing in a split-prism in your viewfinder.

 

[Don Simon]

I agree, but it might be easier depending on the viewfinder. With the K10d it's fairly large and bright so manual focusing would be easier, although replacing the focusing screen would still be a good idea. With a Rebel I think you'd definitely want something like a KatzEye screen.

 

[mysteryscribe]

With the old lenses you had a scale on the focus ring. You can pick up a range finder that is not connected to the camera that will tell you how many feet away the subject is then set it manually.

NOW YOUR TALKIN MY KIND OF PHOTOGRAPHY...

I also have sonic rangefinder with lazer pointer which works fine indoors in low light.

 

[Don Simon]

Well you still have a distance scale on the new lenses - on mine anyway.

With old scale focus cameras I sometimes use an even more hi-tech gadget than your rangefinder - a tape measure

But focusing through the viewfinder can be better if you're shooting at f/1.4... I fear this may start up the "Depth Of Field debate" again

 

[portersangel]

If you are comparing the Canon Rebel XTI to the Pentak K10d, personally I would go with the K10d. You already have lenses for it. Both are a 10mp camera that shoot at 3fps. But, the K10d has 11 auto focus points and has an all weather body. Plus it has shake reduction built into the body. www.porters.com

 

[Seefutlung]

Remember that old lenses ... have old lens designs. Newer lenses have specialized coating designed for digital sensors to reduce lens flare and most newer designs have significant improvement in resolution over older lenses.

Regardless of the camera you choose I would just think of using the older lenses as a temporary thing until you replace them with newer lenses.