Which 28mm non-Canon lens for dRebel

Hi,

I was looking at the various 28mm 2.8 Pentax M42 screw mount lenses
going for $15-30 on eBay. Add to that another $15-20 for a M42-to-EOS
adapter and it looks pretty cheap to experiment with. However, I would
still like to get the best of these cheapo 28mm lenses. There are
several - Sears, Rokunar, Yashica, Makinon, Prizflex. Any of these any
good?
How would they compare to a Canon EF 28mm 2.8?

Thanks,

Siddhartha

"Siddhartha Jain" wrote in
oups.com:

Hi,

I was looking at the various 28mm 2.8 Pentax M42 screw mount lenses
going for $15-30 on eBay. Add to that another $15-20 for a M42-to-EOS
adapter and it looks pretty cheap to experiment with. However, I would
still like to get the best of these cheapo 28mm lenses. There are
several - Sears, Rokunar, Yashica, Makinon, Prizflex. Any of these any
The M42 to EOS adapters may not have the ridge necessary to stop the lens
down. Mine certainly doesn't. Pentax lenses had a switch to stop the lens
down. I don't know about these other brands. If not, you may only be able
to use the lens at maximum aperture or you will have to modify the lens so
the auto diaphram pin is stuck in the closed position.


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"Siddhartha Jain" wrote in
oups.com:

Hi,

I was looking at the various 28mm 2.8 Pentax M42 screw mount lenses
going for $15-30 on eBay. Add to that another $15-20 for a M42-to-EOS
adapter and it looks pretty cheap to experiment with. However, I would
still like to get the best of these cheapo 28mm lenses. There are
several - Sears, Rokunar, Yashica, Makinon, Prizflex. Any of these any
The M42 to EOS adapters may not have the ridge necessary to stop the lens
down. Mine certainly doesn't. Pentax lenses had a switch to stop the lens
down. I don't know about these other brands. If not, you may only be able
to use the lens at maximum aperture or you will have to modify the lens so
the auto diaphram pin is stuck in the closed position.


--
Sorry but due to spam I shall not provide a valid e-mail address. Please
reply to the group.

"Siddhartha Jain" wrote in
oups.com:

Hi,

I was looking at the various 28mm 2.8 Pentax M42 screw mount lenses
going for $15-30 on eBay. Add to that another $15-20 for a M42-to-EOS
adapter and it looks pretty cheap to experiment with. However, I would
still like to get the best of these cheapo 28mm lenses. There are
several - Sears, Rokunar, Yashica, Makinon, Prizflex. Any of these any
The M42 to EOS adapters may not have the ridge necessary to stop the lens
down. Mine certainly doesn't. Pentax lenses had a switch to stop the lens
down. I don't know about these other brands. If not, you may only be able
to use the lens at maximum aperture or you will have to modify the lens so
the auto diaphram pin is stuck in the closed position.


--
Sorry but due to spam I shall not provide a valid e-mail address. Please
reply to the group.

"Siddhartha Jain" wrote in
oups.com:

Hi,

I was looking at the various 28mm 2.8 Pentax M42 screw mount lenses
going for $15-30 on eBay. Add to that another $15-20 for a M42-to-EOS
adapter and it looks pretty cheap to experiment with. However, I would
still like to get the best of these cheapo 28mm lenses. There are
several - Sears, Rokunar, Yashica, Makinon, Prizflex. Any of these any
good?
How would they compare to a Canon EF 28mm 2.8?

Thanks,

Siddhartha



I had a Yashica MF camera with a 28mm lens years ago. It was pretty good,
IIRC. Not too much distortion and pretty sharp. I'd take it over non-
camera-manufacturer lenses anyday. I don't know how it compares to Pentax
-- they're stuff is pretty good. Make sure they're multicoated.

Bob

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Siddhartha Jain wrote:
Hi,

I was looking at the various 28mm 2.8 Pentax M42 screw mount lenses
going for $15-30 on eBay. Add to that another $15-20 for a M42-to-EOS
adapter and it looks pretty cheap to experiment with. However, I would
still like to get the best of these cheapo 28mm lenses. There are
several - Sears, Rokunar, Yashica, Makinon, Prizflex. Any of these any
good?

The camera brand ones (Takumar, Fujinon, Yashinon) are pretty safe
bets. I got a vivitar 28mm/2.8 lens which has fairly obvious barrel
distortion. It is very small and light and seems to have no other
really serious faults except for the distortion which I think is
fairly common on the wide angle cheapies.

On a digital rebel you won't use the edges of the field
so the distortion should be less severe. Getting an M42 adaptor
is a pretty good idea in any case because it opens the door to a
lot of cheap accessories. You can buy an M42 bellows, reversing ring
and a set of extension tubes for around $50 total. The more desirable
M42 lenses have been going up in price for the last few years, but there
is still a lot of stuff you can get cheaply.

Peter.
--

Among older M42 lenses to use with the adapter, I would trust Yashica,
Zeiss, Pentax, and probably not any of the off-brands. Make sure the lens
has a manual/auto diaphragm switch so you can set it to stop down the
diaphragm without the camera having to push on its pin.

Among older M42 lenses to use with the adapter, I would trust Yashica,
Zeiss, Pentax, and probably not any of the off-brands. Make sure the lens
has a manual/auto diaphragm switch so you can set it to stop down the
diaphragm without the camera having to push on its pin.

Among older M42 lenses to use with the adapter, I would trust Yashica,
Zeiss, Pentax, and probably not any of the off-brands. Make sure the lens
has a manual/auto diaphragm switch so you can set it to stop down the
diaphragm without the camera having to push on its pin.

Siddhartha Jain wrote:
Hi,

I was looking at the various 28mm 2.8 Pentax M42 screw mount lenses
going for $15-30 on eBay. Add to that another $15-20 for a M42-to-EOS
adapter and it looks pretty cheap to experiment with. However, I
would
still like to get the best of these cheapo 28mm lenses. There are
several - Sears, Rokunar, Yashica, Makinon, Prizflex. Any of these
any
good?
How would they compare to a Canon EF 28mm 2.8?

Update:
========
- I bought a Pentax Super Takumar 50mm 1.4 locally in India.
- Bought a M42-to-EOS adapter off eBay from some guy in the US $12.50.
The listing claims that it allows foucs to infinity.
- Bought a Jupiter 200mm 21m off eBay from a guy in russia for $45.

On the lookout for a good 28mm 2.8 now. Missed a deal on eBay for a
Sears Auto M42 mount 28mm 2.8 for $17.50!!!

Looks like I am on my way to becoming a M42 lens collector

Will definitely post images and comparisons with stock EF lenses
wherever I can. I should be able to compare the EF-S 18-55mm kit lens
with the Super Takumar 50mm and any 28mm I get hold off.
Thanks,

Siddhartha