William, You're right, my screwmount has a metal focusing ring. Sounds as though it's the K; get back to that store at opening time and nab it! $575 would be the best price K-mount price I've seen; the K usually goes for above $1000. Two pre-SMC Takumar 500/4.5s recently went on EBay for more than $500 each. In January I bought the SMC screwmount version for $223 via a BIN on German EBay. That's the only way I could justify getting a lens I'd use so seldom.
A felt-lined case is supposed to come with the lens. If it doesn't, ask them to knock off $50. I agree with those who say that the main reason to get a 500/4.5 is to use it as a 700/6.3. I've affixed a Pentax 1.4X-L teleconverter to it. Now I can move the beast from body to body without fiddling with the screwmount-to-K converter ever again. You can't use a front filter, but the built-in hood extends generously to protect the front element. The beast weighs 7.5 pounds. If you don't have a tripod and head that can support 10 pounds, now is the time to invest in one. On the tripod collar you'll want to use a heavy-duty QR mount, preferably one with an anititwist ridge for vertical shots. The lens's tripod mount is flanked by a pair of security holes but none of the holes on my Cullmann QR plate line up with the two on this lens. There's a nifty little external sighting finger to help you line up your target without peering through the lens. Focusing is far stiffer than any lens I've encountered. Arnold Stark, who also owns this lens, has explained to me that the stiffness could be caused by decades of disuse, or by the fact that during focusing the lens extends both in front the ring and behind it. Check your sample before buying to make sure you can live with the stiffness. By contrast, the aperture ring turns easily and clicks into place with a satisfying snap. I haven't yet finished a roll of film on which I've taken shots with the 500/4.5. I must say that the stopdown metering and stiff focusing make it less pleasant to use than my 400/5.6 PKA. Depth of field, as you can imagine, is limited at wide apertures, yet small apertures make it difficult to focus and shoot quickly at moving objects. I wouldn't even consider using the lens with a 2X-L, though I've read postings of people who have done so with happy results. You'll almost certainly prefer using the 500/4.5 with a body that is free of a central split rangefinder patch, and stick to nonmoving or slow-moving objects. Paul Franklin Stregevsky 13 Selby Court Poolesville, Maryland 20837-2410 [EMAIL PROTECTED] H (301) 349-5243 - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
