CCC Forum

Hello Mike & All,
I have a wonderful Pentax 50mm f2.8, KAF2-mount, macro lens, that came with a Pentax PZ-20 autofocus 35mm film SLR, an 28-80mm lens and flashgun that the CEO from Japan let me borrow to use back in 1993 when I was promoting Asahi Pentax in my tropical fish publications.

Seeing your images with retro lenses aroused my interest in trying to use the Pentax Macro lens on my Canon 70D dslr camera.

Among a large selection, these three Adapters are available from Amazon:
Fafada Pentax PK K Lens to Canon EOS EF Mount Adapter Ring Camera Converter
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B017U35FGS/ref=dp_cerb_1
Similar but cheaper: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0734L8ZW2/ref=psdc_10658611_t2_B017U35FGS
or
PK to EOS Adapter,K&F Concept® Mount Lens Adaper PK to EOS EF Adapter Pentax K PK Mount Lens to Canon EOS M EF-M Camera PK-EOS M
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adapter-Concept%C2%AE-Adaper-Pentax-Camera/dp/B06VYDGYMY/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1518373247&sr=1-10&keywords=adapter+Pentax+PK+Lens+to+Canon+EOS+EF

The wider one would act as extension tubes and is probably not the best choice as I wish to retain the original lens characteristics as far as possible.

Do you think its worth a try? Are the adapters likely to damage the Canon camera?
Iggy

Iggy wrote:...... an 28-80mm lens and flashgun that the CEO from Japan let me borrow to use back in 1993 ......

25 years. Wow, that is some loan.

Without having done too much research, it is definitely worthwhile buying an adapter for your macro lens. Pentax lenses have a very good reputation and this one seems to be no exception. For the outlay of a few pounds you will be able to use your lens again. True, it will be manual focus but when focussing close I rarely rely on AF. The other consideration is that with the 1.6 crop factor, a 50mm lens has a full frame equivalent of 80mm on your Canon DSLR.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreview ... -Lens.html

When mounting lenses, tolerances in the adapter can be crucial and as a rule of thumb the cheaper ones are best avoided. I mainly use K & F Concept adapters which have a reputation for quality at a reasonable price. The one you found on Amazon looks a bit expensive and you should be able to find it cheaper elsewhere. The link you provided shows the PK-EOS-M mount, which will not work on your camera. There is an option on the page to show different adapters and the PK-EOS version is what you want.

At least, that is my assumption. I have no experience of the KAF2 mount, although it is my understanding the the manual K mount is compatible with the later AF ones. If you want to evaluate it before committing to any expenditure, I have the K&F PK-FX adapter and we can try it out on my Fuji X-E2. Alternatively, you can do your own investigation via the Internet which is a wonderful resource. There is, quite literally, a world of knowledge out there.

When it comes to focussing, you have a couple of options. Some adapters for the EOS mount have a chip for focus confirmation. I have never tried those and from what I understand compatibility can be a bit hit and miss. Once again, the Internet will be your friend. Unfortunately, K&F does not manufacture any adapters with focus confirmation chips and a lot of what is available is of the "no name" variety. Alternatively, utilise live view on your camera and use the magnification option to refine the focus.

I hope that this helps. Let us know how you get on. A word of warning, though. Adapting older lenses can be addictive and you might find parcels acquired via eBay and elsewhere coming to your door with a regular frequency.

Just one further thought. You will need to be be able to set the aperture, especially on a macro to control DOF, so it helps if the lens has an aperture ring. Some lens mounts, such as Canon EF, control the aperture from a dial on the body. So far as I am aware, your lens will be OK but I write that without having seen it.

It is possible to adapt lenses without an aperture control to mirrorless bodies if the adapter incorporates a diaphragm. Due to space requirements, it is not possible to have such a contrivance for DSLR bodies as the adapter ring is too thin. I might investigate that option further as a I have a Voigtländer APO-Lanthar SL II 90mm f/3.5 which is a superb lens. It came in a choice of mounts, Nikon F or EF, with mine being the latter. The Nikon version had an aperture ring, the EF does not.

If you search the forum, you will find a number of examples I have posted of shots taken with the lens. One of which is below.

Thanks Mike for all that information.
After 6 months use of the Pentax Z-20 in 1993, the London office demanded the equipment back as they were having an audit. I returned it and asked for it back. When they were not forth coming, I said that I was going to write to their Japanese CEO again at which they supplied me with totally new equipment and never asked it for back! With the digital age I purchased the wonderful Fuji S7000 and never looked back.
Last year, while preparing Adventures in Fish Photography, I put a new battery into the Z-20 that fired up immediately. I didn't put a film through the camera though.

The Pentax macro lens does have an external aperture ring f2.8 to 32. Manual focus is nice and smooth. This old lens looks rather different from those available now and cost ~ £400 in 1993.

Thanks for pointing out the correct K & F Concept adapters for this lens and camera combination, although it is rather expensive at £23.99.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Concept-Adapter-Pentax-Camera-PK-EOS/dp/B00Y2BHJ4I/ref=pd_sbs_421_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00Y2BHJ4I&pd_rd_r=WRM4PB09E2C35XHPSJ7F&pd_rd_w=rLGIv&pd_rd_wg=kmveN&psc=1&refRID=WRM4PB09E2C35XHPSJ7F
It looks no different from the Fafada Pentax PK K Lens to Canon EOS EF Mount Adapter Ring Camera Converter at just £8.39.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B017U35FGS/ref=dp_cerb_1
I wouldn't be surprised if both adapters come from the same Chinese supplier and K & F just puts in in a nice box and charges a lot more!

I did look at a YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxM6mGRgXKg

Let me know if you are at club this Wednesday and I will bring the Pentax lens for you to try on your setup.

Word of warning though for full frame cameras: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/R1MJV4PUI8MP6B/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00Y2BHJ4I
which is giving me second thoughts about using old lenses on the Canon 70D. Also have some Nikon lenses somewhere that need trying out!

Nice image above!

Iggy

PS: The KA mount is the second generation of the K mount and allows for the camera to set the aperture. A lens with a KA mount is preferable over a plain K mount because it makes all exposure modes of your K-5 work as was the lens a modern DA lens. You just need to always have the aperture ring on the lens set to the "A" position.

Iggy wrote:Thanks for pointing out the correct K & F Concept adapters for this lens and camera combination, although it is rather expensive at £23.99.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Concept-Adapter-Pentax-Camera-PK-EOS/dp/B00Y2BHJ4I/ref=pd_sbs_421_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00Y2BHJ4I&pd_rd_r=WRM4PB09E2C35XHPSJ7F&pd_rd_w=rLGIv&pd_rd_wg=kmveN&psc=1&refRID=WRM4PB09E2C35XHPSJ7F
It looks no different from the Fafada Pentax PK K Lens to Canon EOS EF Mount Adapter Ring Camera Converter at just £8.39.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B017U35FGS/ref=dp_cerb_1
I wouldn't be surprised if both adapters come from the same Chinese supplier and K & F just puts in in a nice box and charges a lot more!

The PK-EOS adapter is a bit cheaper buying direct from K&F, albeit it is coming from China. The price, which includes shipping, should fall within the limit for importing goods without having to pay any import dues. Even taking VAT into account, the Amazon price looks a bit over the odds.

https://www.kentfaith.com/KF06.130_pent ... W0QAvD_BwE

Alternatively, there is a used K&F PK-EOS adapter at a good price currently on eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/K-F-Concept- ... Swkh9adg0S

The seller has good feedback and the overall cost with postage is about the same as the inexpensive ones on Amazon. If you do not snap it up, at that price I probably will.

I cannot really comment about the source of the K&F products, but I would be astonished if there is only one production facility in China. What I do know is that I have seen complaints about the quality of some low cost adapters, whereas those from K&F generally get good reviews. You pay your money, etc.

Iggy wrote:Let me know if you are at club this Wednesday and I will bring the Pentax lens for you to try on your setup.

I will not be at club this week and will probably be busy with the Nature competition the following week. It might be better if you popped by my place to try out the lens on an adapter and we can take the time which we need.

Iggy wrote:Word of warning though for full frame cameras: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/R1MJV4PUI8MP6B/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00Y2BHJ4I
which is giving me second thoughts about using old lenses on the Canon 70D. Also have some Nikon lenses somewhere that need trying out!

It is only usually a problem for lenses with a protuding rear element and should not affect crop sensor DSLRs such as yours which have smaller mirrors. Beyond that, I cannot really comment as my experience with adapted lenses is almost entirely with mirrorless bodies. If there is an issue with the 70D, without doubt someone else has already tried that particular combination of camera and lens, and most likely posted on the Internet.

Iggy wrote:Nice image above!

Thanks. It is one of those which I took during my 365 project a while back. It was towards the end of the year and I saw the buds as a harbinger of the spring which lay ahead.

Thanks Mike for the further suggestions.
Here is the offending metal bits that protrudes from the back of a Pentax K lens.
We are both quite busy at the moment, but I would like to take you up on your kind offer to pop over to try out the lens on an adapter.
Thank you for giving me first refusal on the ebay adapter which I have now purchased.
Iggy

Iggy wrote:Here is the offending metal bits that protrudes from the back of a Pentax K lens.

It looks very similar to my SMC-K 50 f/1.4. Of course, I have only mounted it on my X-E2 so there are no mirror issues. However, I have just had a quick look at my 7D and I would not expect the lens to foul the mirror. The Canon EF mount has one of the shortest flange distances which means that the adapter will also help to keep a degree of separation.

Iggy wrote:We are both quite busy at the moment, but I would like to take you up on your kind offer to pop over to try out the lens on an adapter.
Thank you for giving me first refusal on the ebay adapter which I have now purchased.

By all means you are welcome to come over, but you will soon have an adapter of your own. Who knows, that first purchase might be the first of many. Welcome to the world of adapted lenses.

The PK to EOS adapter arrived yesterday. I decided to try it on today on my old Canon 400D camera rather than the Canon 70D just to be the on the safe side.
The Canon 400D is so tiny!
No instructions on the box so checked out the fitting on a YouTube video. Simple enough.
Adapter fitted the Pentax 50 macro lens like a glove and then straight on to the 400D camera lining up each with the red dots.
Nice tight fit with no rattling.
In our back garden, fortunately there was just the one camilia in bloom. Some potted azaleas had a few blooms still on. And the standby rose was also used without and with on camera flash.
It took a few goes to get used to manual focusing.
Results below.
Iggy

A couple more images with the Pentax macro lens on the Canon 400D.

Hi Iggy

That looks like a good result. I would have been greatly shocked if the mirror had hit the rear of the lens on an APS-C sensor.

My preferred method to focus manual lenses is focus with the lens wide open and then stop down as required. That can be awkward, especially if handholding at short distances. It does mean, though, that the actual point of focus can be achieved without depth of field being a misleading factor.