Eventually Pentax relented and added Zooms, >but for a long time only the M zoom was the 40-80mm and that was >introduced as by Pentax with an 'apology' on quality.
I'm not sure there were any K zooms that were not simply updated screw-mounts.
Zoom chronology:
Mid 75. K bodies and lenses appear.
The 45-125, the 85-210/4.5 and the 135-600/6.7 were SMC Takumar zooms fitted with K mount. The 85-210 got auto aperture as a bonus.
Photokina 76 (end of 76). First M bodies and lenses are presented. 35-70 and 28-50 prototypes
The first new K-mount zoom to appear was the huge (and rare) 85-210mm f3.5 in oct 1976. Dropped after less than a year.
Spring 78: 28-50 and 80-200 are available (non-M) 35-70 and 24-35 prototypes
Spring 79: M35-70 is available (2 versions, one being fixed 2.8 AF) M28-50 and M80-200 (same as non-M)
Later in 79: M40-80, M24-35 (78-11), M75-150
80-04: M24-50 prototype
Etc...
Andre
