can anyone help me with a lens question?

[Nikki White]

Hello i have a old slr camera the body is a vivitar v4000 i beleive and the lens is a sigma not sure what but it says "(some cirlce with a line through it then) 52 sigma zoom 1:35~4.5 f=28~70mm". So not sure which lenses i can add to the body, i was looking at a "CANON LENS FD 50MM 1:1.8 MADE IN JAPAN" on ebay. does the FD mean it can be added to my body or would i need a EF no idea what the difference is! anyways if anyone could let me know that would be great,thanks again!

 

[geauxpez]

It sounds like your lens is a Sigma 28-70mm f3.5-4.5 and takes 52mm filters. I don't know a lot about the Vivitar bodies, but the Canon FD mount lens most likely will not work. That lens is designed specifically for older Canon bodies. Your camera takes lenses with the K-Mount which is made primarily by Pentax, but with compatabile lenses from 3rd party manufacturers as well. There are TONS of good K-mount lenses on the market to choose from.

...and welcome to APUG!

Adam

 

[Lee L]

The Vivitar 4000 is a K mount body. So it uses lenses for the Pentax K mount.

No Canon lens will fit on the body. The slashed circle means diameter, and shows that you need a 52mm lens cap and filters for that lens, nothing to do with the lens mount that attaches to the body.

There are plenty of options for K-mount lenses out there, made by Pentax and many others. You should also be able to use the older 42mm screw mount lenses with an adapter.

Lee

 

[Jeff Kubach]

Neither Canon FD or EOS will work on the Vivitar v4000. Like the above posts there are plenty of K-mount lenses for your Vivitar. BTW welcome to APUG!

Jeff

 

[Ian Grant]

It all becomes clearer after a while

Welcome to APUG, the Vivitar is a budget K mount camera but quite capable it'll get you started, and other K mount lenses are very plentiful and reasonably priced as the Pentax K monut was adopted by a number of other companies.

If you have problems -ask, there are plenty of people who can help

Ian

 

[Pumal]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax_K_mount

 

[Nikki White]

thanks!!

 

[Nikki White]

yeah i have a lens filter on that is a 52mm. what lens would you then recommend for a crisp sharp focus for portrait work (my friend recommended the canaon one i guess he forgot i had a different body, i find with the sigma i cant get a nice sharp focus..again thanks for all the help

 

[srs5694]

the Pentax K monut was adopted by a number of other companies.

Chinon, Cosina, Ricoh, and Vivitar are probably the best-known regular camera brands to use K-mount, aside from Pentax. Some others, such as Exacta, Quantary, Sears, and Zenit, also used K-mount for at least some models. Check this site for a list of cameras that used K-mount.

Note that not all cameras from (AFAIK) any manufacturer used K-mount. Earlier Pentaxes and Zenits, for instance, used M42 (screw-mount) lenses. Some manufacturers, such as Vivitar and Sigma, made (and make) lenses for a wide variety of mounts. As a general rule, the "big names" (Minolta, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, and a few others) made/make lenses only for their own mounts, but most or all of these have changed their mounts at least once. The bottom line: When buying a lens, verify what mount it uses; you can't tell just from the lens's brand. If the seller doesn't advertise the mount, steer clear unless you can positively identify the mount from photos -- and even that might be risky.

One more point: There are several variants of the K-mount. These add features such as camera control of aperture and auto-focus. For the most part, lenses with one K-mount variant can be used on all K-mount bodies, but you may lose some features. There are also occasional potential glitches; for instance, Ricoh's aperture-control system includes pins that get caught in some K-mount bodies. This specific problem can be overcome with a little celophane tape, but you could damage the lens mount if you're not aware of the issue and therefore don't take the necessary precaution.

 

[Ian Grant]

Look for a 50mm Pentax f1.8 or f2 K mount lens, the Chinon f1.4 & F1.8?9 lenses are also superb, I have the 1.4 and various Pentax f1.8's & an f2.

You might want a slightly longer focal length for portraits an 85 or 90mm, Vivitar made a good Series 1 90mm and Tamron had an equivalent SP (Adaptall) lens. The Tamron Adaptall's are great as the lens mount can be changed to fit various other cameras with very different lens mounts.

Start with a good 50mm standard lens it will be vastly superior to the Sigma zoom.

Ian

 

[srs5694]

Generally speaking, fixed-length lenses (50mm, 135mm, or whatever) are sharper than zoom lenses that cover the same focal length (35-70mm, 70-210mm, or whatever). FWIW, a few years ago I put up a Web page with some informal tests of most of the K-mount lenses I owned at the time. Check here. In the 50mm range, I found that my Russian Helios-44K-4 was the best, at least subjectively; however, it may have benefitted from the fact that it's a 58mm lens, which produced slightly larger images than the 50mm lenses it was competing against. I didn't (and still don't) own any lens in the traditional portrait length of 85mm, although I did test three 135mm lenses. (One of these was a screw-mount lens with an adapter.) Keep in mind that lens quality can vary a lot from one sample to another, particularly when you buy used goods. A pristine version of a mediocre lens can outperform a dirty, fungus-laden sample of a lens that was superb when new.

 

[Nikki White]

i think ill search the net to see what i can find and post it here to see what you guys think! if nothing works out then ill head to toronto to go to the henrys outlet where i got my camera, im afraid ill get confused when i go though!

 

[Nikki White]

what do you guys think of this lens? and the price? let me know, thanks again, so much!

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Pentax-Chinon-1-...|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50#ebayphotohosting

 

[Anscojohn]

what do you guys think of this lens? and the price? let me know, thanks again, so much!
%3A50#ebayphotohosting[/url]

*******
Such a lens would be o.k. Your advantage at Henry's is the ability to mount used lenses on your camera body; plus easy return privileges.

I do not know, for sure, from what you have posted, if the Sigma actually fits your camera i.e whether it is a K mount. If it is, the 70 mm setting would make a good people portrait lens; and if, as Ian says, it might not be the sharpest lens on the block, that's not so much of a problem when shooting people.

 

[srs5694]

what do you guys think of this lens? and the price? let me know, thanks again, so much!

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Pentax-Chinon-1-...|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50#ebayphotohosting

That looks like the same Chinon model I tested in my informal lens tests; however, I can't guarantee that it really is the same model or that the one you'd get would be comparable to the one I've got.

I've not gone shopping for 50mm lenses recently, but US$35 for a 50mm lens without either front or rear caps seems a bit steep. I've bought whole cameras for about $50. In fact, if that's the sort of price you're seeing, you might check out whole K-mount cameras. Even if you pay $50 or $75, you'll then have a second body, which can be very useful -- you can load two different types of film or use one as a backup body.

 

[Nikki White]

that sounds like a good deal, but again id be somewhat clueless when buying it, i may just head down to henrys and explain what im looking for i suppose to see what they have to say

 

[Nikki White]

*******
Such a lens would be o.k. Your advantage at Henry's is the ability to mount used lenses on your camera body; plus easy return privileges.

I do not know, for sure, from what you have posted, if the Sigma actually fits your camera i.e whether it is a K mount. If it is, the 70 mm setting would make a good people portrait lens; and if, as Ian says, it might not be the sharpest lens on the block, that's not so much of a problem when shooting people.

I uploaded a few pictures in an album here that show portrait work with my current lens (the sigma) its okay but i want a lens that can get in closer and stay sharp I find my lens can't get a really sharp focus

 

[Anscojohn]

I uploaded a few pictures in an album here that show portrait work with my current lens (the sigma) its okay but i want a lens that can get in closer and stay sharp I find my lens can't get a really sharp focus

*******
The key to sharp focus in a people picture is what is called the "catch light" in your subject's eye(s). Look closely at any sighted person and you will see it. Either focus the lens or move your camera in and out an inch or so, until that catch light is sharp. It takes some seeing and some doing but once you get the hang of it, it shall be second nature.

 

[dougjgreen]

That Chinon lens is a decent lens, but it's way over-priced. You should be able to get a K-mount 50mm lens for under $25 including shipping on ebay. In fact, just this morning a Ricoh KR-5 (comparable to a Pentax KM or K1000) with a 50mm lens, sold for under $20 including shipping. So, for < $20, you could have gotten a comparable 50mm lens and a second K-mount body.

 

[Ian Grant]

I paid less than that price for a Chinon CE-4 with an f1.4 50mm, power winder and a Spotmatic body.

Those Chinon f1.7 lenses are very good, incredibly sharp, mine was stolen a few years ago unfortunately.

Ian

 

[Nikki White]

That Chinon lens is a decent lens, but it's way over-priced. You should be able to get a K-mount 50mm lens for under $25 including shipping on ebay. In fact, just this morning a Ricoh KR-5 (comparable to a Pentax KM or K1000) with a 50mm lens, sold for under $20 including shipping. So, for < $20, you could have gotten a comparable 50mm lens and a second K-mount body.

Really? On ebay im only finding lens after shipping for around $60

 

[dougjgreen]

Really? On ebay im only finding lens after shipping for around $60

To get a good price on ebay, you need to actually play out an auction, not go for an over-priced "Buy Now" bid.

Although, for $41, here's an example of a good Ricoh K-mount body with a 50mm Pentax lens - The KR-5 Super II is a very decent camera - IMHO nicer than the K1000:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ricoh-KR-5-SUPE...6:3|39:1|72:1205|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:100

 

[srs5694]

There's an option on eBay to show completed auctions. Use that option to see what items actually sell for (or if they sell!). You'll then have a better idea of what a good bid price is, so that you don't end up paying a ridiculous price because of a too-high starting price or because you and another person get into a bidding war.

 

[dynachrome]

My favorite standard lenses for K mount cameras are the 55/1.8 SMC Pentax and the 55/2 SMC Pentax. The 50/1.7 SMC Pentax M is also nice but I prefer the other two lenses. I think the f/1.8 and f/2 55mm lenses are identical with the f/2 lens just having a slower marked speed. Earlier this year I picked up a 50/1.7 SMC Pentax-F for a good price. I don't have any AF K lenses so I use it as a manual focus lens. I haven't tested it much but it's supposed to be good and to have slightly newer coating than the 50/1.7 M lens.