Pentax K7 Lens Replacement?

Sal&Syl2020

Sal&Syl2020

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Sally Parker
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I recently got given an old Pentax K7, after not being able to afford to buy a camera for quite some time, so obviously I was really happy to be given this, even though it is very old and has it's limitations (Poor high ISO quality, not too great autofocus etc.) and have enjoyed playing about with it, and producing some quite good images. It came with the basic 18-55 and 55-300 lenses, which I wouldn't mind changing for something else....I quite like the 18-55, but don't really like the old 55-300 SMC DA., as it's quite slow at autofocus and quite a slow lens in general.

So, on a very limited budget, does anybody recommend any other lenses/one lens I could get quite cheaply (Would have to sell the other two and probably wouldn't get much for them as they're so old and not the best optically etc.)? I don't want to lose any of the wide angle, so no less than 18mm, but don't mind (Too much) losing some of the zoom as long as it's good optics, not too heavy and not too slow as I can't raise the ISO on the camera too high because of the noise.

Am I asking too much on a low budget??? With the cost of living crisis we're in currently, I can't justify not selling the lenses I have to 'possibly'be able to afford one 'decent' replacement. It doesn't have to be a Pentax lens if there are other makes I can use.
 
PentaxUser is a good source of advice for lenses, plus there is a classifieds section too....

As a Pentax user myself there are several options.

For standard zoom there are several Pentax branded alterantives: DA16-45, DA16-85 which are both screw drive so although they won;t focus more quickly than the 18-55 they are optically better. DA17-70 is not screw drive, but SDM, but if SDM breaks down the lens won't focus. The DA*16-50 2.8SDM is the better option, if SDM stops working then the lens should revert to screw drive...

Tamron and Sigma have credible options in the 18-50 and 17-70 ranges. The Sigmas are widely available in PK mount.

For telephoto an inexpensive option is the Tamron 70-300.... If you have more budget consider the DA*60-250/4. I would've said look at the 55-300 PLM but I do not think that works on bodies older than the K-3 (ie K5 and K7, K20D, K10D etc).

DA18-55 has no value, but the DA55-300 has some.

Good luck!
 
Thanks welshwizard646, I will look into some of those lenses. :)
 
I started out digitally with Pentax and had some good results from the DA 16-45.
 
Actually, looking at all of those lenses, they are either too expensive for my budget, or not available in the UK, so think I will just have to make do for now.:(

Thanks for all the help though.
 
A couple of other thoughts.

The following depends on how much automation you want or can live without.

1) The Pentax K mount was introduced in the mid 1970s and all Pentax K mount lenses will work on Pentax DSLRs.

Other manufacturers also made K mount lenses and many will also work on Pentax DSLRs. At the moment I have an SMC PENTAX 1:1.8 55mm and a Tamron 70 - 210mm zoom, both I bought in the 1970s/80s which work perfectly on my Pentax DSLR.


The only old third party K mount lenses I have heard can cause a problem with Pentax DSLRs are from Ricoh. They are usually called Ricoh KR or K-R. They have an extra pin which can difficult or impossible to remove from the camera. So probably best avoided.


With all of the oldest lenses autofocus will be lost and while manual focussing on a DSLR is not as easy as it was with a 35mm film camera, it is not impossible.

If the lens has and "A" on the aperture ring then it will connect with the meter and the camera will give the correct exposure. If there is no "A" then the exposure will also be manual. That might seem daunting and probably not applicable to shots you need to grab quickly but it will work for many situations.


2) There are a lot of M42 lenses around. The M42 mount was a screw mount used on many cameras. It appeared in the 1930s/40s and continued probably into the 1980s.

Adapters allow an M42 lens to be mounted on many modern cameras, including Pentax DSLRs, eg - https://www.srb-photographic.co.uk/...2-lens-to-pentax-k-camera-adaptor-11828-p.asp

With an M42 lens you will lose all auto functions, so manual focus and exposure.

Both of these limit how easy it will be to take photos but could be a way of getting a lens for a reasonable price.

There is a lot of info online about both old K mount and M42 lenses.

If you decide to try either I suggest you come back on here as there will be folks who can advise.

Dave
 
Tringa said:
A couple of other thoughts.

The following depends on how much automation you want or can live without.

1) The Pentax K mount was introduced in the mid 1970s and all Pentax K mount lenses will work on Pentax DSLRs.

Other manufacturers also made K mount lenses and many will also work on Pentax DSLRs. At the moment I have an SMC PENTAX 1:1.8 55mm and a Tamron 70 - 210mm zoom, both I bought in the 1970s/80s which work perfectly on my Pentax DSLR.


The only old third party K mount lenses I have heard can cause a problem with Pentax DSLRs are from Ricoh. They are usually called Ricoh KR or K-R. They have an extra pin which can difficult or impossible to remove from the camera. So probably best avoided.


With all of the oldest lenses autofocus will be lost and while manual focussing on a DSLR is not as easy as it was with a 35mm film camera, it is not impossible.

If the lens has and "A" on the aperture ring then it will connect with the meter and the camera will give the correct exposure. If there is no "A" then the exposure will also be manual. That might seem daunting and probably not applicable to shots you need to grab quickly but it will work for many situations.


2) There are a lot of M42 lenses around. The M42 mount was a screw mount used on many cameras. It appeared in the 1930s/40s and continued probably into the 1980s.

Adapters allow an M42 lens to be mounted on many modern cameras, including Pentax DSLRs, eg - https://www.srb-photographic.co.uk/...2-lens-to-pentax-k-camera-adaptor-11828-p.asp

With an M42 lens you will lose all auto functions, so manual focus and exposure.

Both of these limit how easy it will be to take photos but could be a way of getting a lens for a reasonable price.

There is a lot of info online about both old K mount and M42 lenses.

If you decide to try either I suggest you come back on here as there will be folks who can advise.

Dave
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Thanks for the info Dave. I always do manual exposure, but do prefer auto focussing the majority of the time, so these older lenses probably wouldn't be very suitable for me. Also I often find they are very heavy and do prefer the more modern 'lighter' lenses, even though they are usually more expensive. But thanks anyway! (y)
 
tijuana taxi said:
I thought this was rather a good price for a 16-45 https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/product/p...=1011l125297&dclid=COnB-svDrv8CFZgLBgAdJA4Prw
Possibly part ex your lenses too as part of the deal too
Click to expand...
Yes that is quite a good price, will have to look into this a bit further. I will be loosing quite a lot of zoom (Selling both the 18-55 and 55-300) though, so will have to consider carefully. I do like the wider angle though. Actually you just reminded me of my absolute favourite ever lens, that I used to have when I had my Nikon camera - the 16-80 lens, and it's made me feel quite sad as I do really miss that one, and it was on my camera ALL the time, before I had to sell all my kit. :(
 
JohnX said:
You might want to check this out. I have nothing to do with the seller, but am a Pentax shooter and frequenter of Pentax User forum.


For Sale: Pentax SMC DA 16-45 ED AL - Pentax User

Posted comments on the Pentax forum subject: For Sale: Pentax SMC DA 16-45 ED AL.
www.pentaxuser.com www.pentaxuser.com
Click to expand...
Thanks, but it seems my other two lenses aren't worth that much, so I don't think I can afford this 16-45 lens.

I may join the Pentax forum though. (y)
 
Sal&Syl2020 said:
I recently got given an old Pentax K7, after not being able to afford to buy a camera for quite some time, so obviously I was really happy to be given this, even though it is very old and has it's limitations (Poor high ISO quality, not too great autofocus etc.) and have enjoyed playing about with it, and producing some quite good images. It came with the basic 18-55 and 55-300 lenses, which I wouldn't mind changing for something else....I quite like the 18-55, but don't really like the old 55-300 SMC DA., as it's quite slow at autofocus and quite a slow lens in general.

So, on a very limited budget, does anybody recommend any other lenses/one lens I could get quite cheaply (Would have to sell the other two and probably wouldn't get much for them as they're so old and not the best optically etc.)? I don't want to lose any of the wide angle, so no less than 18mm, but don't mind (Too much) losing some of the zoom as long as it's good optics, not too heavy and not too slow as I can't raise the ISO on the camera too high because of the noise.

Am I asking too much on a low budget??? With the cost of living crisis we're in currently, I can't justify not selling the lenses I have to 'possibly'be able to afford one 'decent' replacement. It doesn't have to be a Pentax lens if there are other makes I can use.
Click to expand...
As a Pentax user for many years and for a low budget approach , i would recommend to stay with the Duo 18 - 55 and 55 - 300 . Later you can add the excellent 35 f/2.4 da al so you can have a 50mm equivalent . A useful economic add will be an K to m42 adaptor ( original or after market ) and this only because the K - 7 has the focus confirmation feature despite the absence of electronic communication .
 
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