Thinking about getting a Dslr and have a question.

[tikilyn]

My husband and I acquired a Sears KSX super with two lens back in the early 90's. What I am wondering is will these lens fit today's digital slr cameras? What kind of info am I looking for on the lens?

Here's what I found on the lens:
Sears
Auto Focus
f=135mm
1:28
multi coated
no. 830923687

and

Auto Zoom
1:4.0
F=80-200mm
mutli coated
no 850625105

Also many moons ago my dad gave me a fuji lens 1:2.8, f=135mmDm. Can anyone tell me about these?

thanks

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I will give this a shot. If someone else out there has more information please correct or jump in here. It appears the Sears cameras were made by Chinon which used the Pentax K mount for their lenses. Which means, if in fact, they are K mount they can still be used on the new Pentax cameras. They will probably be manual focus lenses. I will try to do some research on the lenses to see what I can find. I don't know how good the lenses are. One of the strengths of the Pentax system is the backward compatability of its lens system. The only problem I have with the older manual focus lenses is getting the focus correct. Without changing my focus screen, I struggle with the old lenses on the new cameras.

 

[photo_chick]

Ricoh made this one. It's a K mount. I have one in my closet Circa 1980 I think.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I have one as well and can reconfirm that its a k-mount! Too bad they never put there name on the faster glass, they are decent lenses and work well on the Pentax DSLR's, I used a Sears branded lens a few times, I think it was a 28mm f2.8 with decent results.

 

[tikilyn]

Ok so these lens will only fit a pantex dslr, right?Can't use them on canon or nikon? Is there a way to tell if these are manual focus or auto. They both say auto.

I was leaning towards a nikon d3100 but I really would hate to waste these lens.I guess I got some more googling to do! lol Thanks for your help

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

They are Manual focus

 

[ukcatfan]

Be extra careful with those lenses because the Ricoh mount lenses can be a little different than Pentax K mount lenses. I believe that there can be cases where the lens will mount, but it then becomes stuck in place and cannot be removed. I love Pentax and typically recommend them (the K-r is an incredible deal!), but you might not want to base your decision on lenses that are that old and branded under Sears. I would look for reviews on the specific lenses before making a decision. They might be great lenses and they might be duds. How much you paid for them back then could help give a clue as well. If they were more than a few hundred dollars then you might have something nice. If they were only about $100 or so then they are probably not.

 

[zackiedawg]

Another possibility you can consider, since those are manual lenses in Pentax K mount, is to look at the Olympus Pen, Panasonic micro 4:3, Sony NEX, or Samsung NX system cameras. These mirrorless cameras can all use any other lens mount via very cheap spacer adapters (under $40) and work well with older manual lenses. Just in case you wanted other options besides Pentax.

 

[C&B Young]

Be extra careful with those lenses because the Ricoh mount lenses can be a little different than Pentax K mount lenses. I believe that there can be cases where the lens will mount, but it then becomes stuck in place and cannot be removed.

Not a Pentax shooter, but came here to give this same warning. There's some warning info towards the bottom of this page. Apparently they can get stuck before the lens is even completely mounted.

 

[photo_chick]

Ok so these lens will only fit a pantex dslr, right?Can't use them on canon or nikon? Is there a way to tell if these are manual focus or auto. They both say auto.

I was leaning towards a nikon d3100 but I really would hate to waste these lens.I guess I got some more googling to do! lol Thanks for your help

You're not loosing much by not using these lenses. IMO you'd be better off getting the camera that fits you now and not just going with a camera that fits a couple of old lenses you have.

My advice is to try out all of the cameras that are in your price range and have the features you want. Find which one of those feels the best in your hands.

 

[GrumpyGoat]

You're not loosing much by not using these lenses. IMO you'd be better off getting the camera that fits you now and not just going with a camera that fits a couple of old lenses you have.

My advice is to try out all of the cameras that are in your price range and have the features you want. Find which one of those feels the best in your hands.

That would be my recommendation as well. Technology has advanced so far since you bought that Sears camera that those lenses are virtually antiques. Today you have auto focus, stabilization and much better optics than what were available 20 years ago.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

That would be my recommendation as well. Technology has advanced so far since you bought that Sears camera that those lenses are virtually antiques. Today you have auto focus, stabilization and much better optics than what were available 20 years ago.

Yep technology has advanced! There is no doubt about that. Sears and other off brand lenses don't offer much along the lines of Image Quality. But....

You forget that Pentax lenses don't need image stabilization, the DSLR's are in body,

Optical formulas realy have not changed that much over the last 40 years... Lens coatings have which certainly helps towards CA...

This is not to say that the OP's lenses are great, they aren't purple fringing and CA can be terrible especially with Backlight, but there are Dozens of SMC lenses that perform as well as todays lenses, they just aren't auto focus and many have to have the aperture value dialed in manually...