[Frogfish]

Hey Kevin, one variety of the Zeiss "Jenazoom" was made specifically for the PKA mount. Have you heard of it?

Sorry I didn't come across that one in my research and all the Zeiss lenses in PK I can find over here seem to be mount conversions !

This first link is great (scroll down) :-

http://forum.mflenses.com/viewtopic.php?t=34946

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/76128-carl-zei...m-28-70-a.html

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Last edited by Frogfish; 08-12-2011 at 09:56 PM.

[RioRico]

It seems like you really like your 35-70 for what it is to you. This Zeiss Jena 35-70 Macro I am looking at has absolutely no info about it available on the internet, a mystery lens, but it comes in a PKA mount, which makes even more mysterious to me. There are great reviews about a Contax-Zeiss 35-70. Have you heard of either?

I know nothing of the Zeisses, sorry. Except that premium Zeiss lenses can be great, and some not-so-premium glass can be not-so-great. (Like my churned-out-by-the-gazillion CZJ Tessar 50/2.8 with 5 iris blades.) What I can say about the F35-70 is:

* I saw one on eBay with a BIN of US$20 a few days ago. Mine was US$10. If the cost was many multiples of that, I'd still call it a great deal.

* The pseudo-macro goes to a magnification of around 1:3.5, with a close-focus of about 35cm. Not quite as close as a DA18-55, but very handy.

* If you want good optics in that focal range, CHEAP, it can't be beat. And it's the smallest-ever Pentax zoom, just 230g, not much thicker than the FA50/1.4.

* It would be right at home on a Kx or Kr -- a tiny APS-C camera+zoom combo. On my K20D it's almost stealthy, being prime-size, with the lens fully-retracted at 70mm so tele subjects might not notice my attention.

In general: One reason I hate 18-55 plus 50-200 or 55-300 combos is the necessity to swap lenses at 55mm, when I do a LOT of shooting right in the 35-70 range. But that's not the most usable range on a crop-sensor camera. On 135/FF it's ideal, going from a bit wide to a bit long, rather like 24-50 would be on APS-C. That tight 2x range makes the optics so good (like I said, fewer compromises) but also limits its general applicability. Or put it another way: It's a good challenging walkaround range, forcing you to look at the world through its limited window. But it's still a niche range IMHO.

How much you value that niche may inform your decision of what to buy and for how much. Are Zeiss and Leitz glass 20x-100x better than Pentax, as the prices suggest? I'll leave that for you to decide, eh?

[les3547]

In general: One reason I hate 18-55 plus 50-200 or 55-300 combos is the necessity to swap lenses at 55mm, when I do a LOT of shooting right in the 35-70 range. But that's not the most usable range on a crop-sensor camera.

Yes, exactly my thoughts (RE: swapping out around 55mm). The Zeiss "Jenazoom" 35-70 I've been talking about can be had for under $200, and it is a dedicated KA mount. But I like that the Pentax F35-70 is smaller/lighter, and will have AF too. I am going to research that. Thanks.

Les

[josephleaf]

I also own a F35-70 and it's good for portrait, picnic, dinner and such. Too long for architectures but not long enough for architectural details. Would be good to go with a 15 and a long zoom to form a kit. It's very light and the kit i mentioned would be less than 800g. I would bring this as the only lens for nature walk.

[luftfluss]

* I saw one on eBay with a BIN of US$20 a few days ago. Mine was US$10. If the cost was many multiples of that, I'd still call it a great deal.

Wow, that's an amazing price!

* The pseudo-macro goes to a magnification of around 1:3.5, with a close-focus of about 35cm. Not quite as close as a DA18-55, but very handy.

If you MF, you can get that down to ~ 9".

[RonHendriks1966]

Well i was thinking about it when I made a poll about a fixet lens camera https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/153418-pentax-shou...mera-poll.html and came up with two options, 15-30mm/f2.8 as a streetphotographerslens and 40-80mm/f2.0 as a portraitlens. The last one is expensive.

To have 35-70 just as a cheap walk-around I think that Adam is right that it isn't wide nor long enough. But as with al lenses there would be demand for it to some extend.

[RioRico]

To have 35-70 just as a cheap walk-around I think that Adam is right that it isn't wide nor long enough. But as with al lenses there would be demand for it to some extend.

On a crop-sensor camera, the 35-70 range is about right for full-body to head-and-shoulders portraiture, among other things. But it's not general-purpose there. As I said, on 135/FF the 35-70 is an ideal super-normal range. The rough APS-C equivalent would be around 25-50 -- and Pentax indeed made an F24-50/4 that's unfortunately rather heavier than the F35-70. A small sharp agile inexpensive DA25-50/2.8 would fit that slot nicely.

[les3547]

On a crop-sensor camera, the 35-70 range is about right for full-body to head-and-shoulders portraiture, among other things. But it's not general-purpose there. As I said, on 135/FF the 35-70 is an ideal super-normal range. The rough APS-C equivalent would be around 25-50 -- and Pentax indeed made an F24-50/4 that's unfortunately rather heavier than the F35-70. A small sharp agile inexpensive DA25-50/2.8 would fit that slot nicely.

yyyzzz was selling one here, along with a SF1, for $39 shipped . . . I bought it (not sure what I'll do with that SF1). Thanks to everyone for their input. I decided I will likely rely on one of my primes when I can anyway, and for the price of the F35-70 how can I go wrong.

[luftfluss]

Congrats, it's a fine lens and $39/shipped is certainly a fine price. I'd suggest using a hood with it, as it readily loses contrast in contra-light.

[erkie]

yyyzzz was selling one here, along with a SF1, for $39 shipped . . . I bought it (not sure what I'll do with that SF1). Thanks to everyone for their input. I decided I will likely rely on one of my primes when I can anyway, and for the price of the F35-70 how can I go wrong.

Congrats ! If I'm out with two zooms (not often) It's the F35-70 and dal 55-300 Most often. Oh put a roll of film in the SF1 just for the heck of it ! You never know ?

Eric

[mgvh]

I put together a collection of shots using the Pentax F 35-70. Forest scenes and theater shots, both with somewhat challenging lighting.
HERE is the Flickr set.

[MegaPower]

I found the macro function on the F35-70 is not that useful.
It produce about 1:3 at 35cm.
The kit lens 18-55 can produce about 1:3 at 25cm too.
They could have put a macro function on the kit lens by using the standard of the F35-70.

I own the F35-70 and it is not so useful indoor. However, the color of it is very nice.
It's so cheap and so little that I decide to keep it as one of my collection.


I saw the CJZ 35-70 k mount somewhere too.
I don't even know if it has AF or not.
I couldn't find any info either.

[VladM]

I have the F35-70 which I find excellent in good light. In combination with my other F lens 70-210, it makes a good kit. If I think I will want to go wider, I take the 12-24 with me.

Also had CZ-Jenazoom 35-70 which i did not find as good as the Pentax (did not like the colours from it, and my copy had soft edges). i remember reading some time ago that this lens was actually made by Sigma for CZJ.

[MegaPower]

I have the F35-70 which I find excellent in good light. In combination with my other F lens 70-210, it makes a good kit. If I think I will want to go wider, I take the 12-24 with me.

Also had CZ-Jenazoom 35-70 which i did not find as good as the Pentax (did not like the colours from it, and my copy had soft edges). i remember reading some time ago that this lens was actually made by Sigma for CZJ.

what's the closest focusing distance for the CZJ? 0.8m?

is it manual focus only?

[VladM]

This was an auto-focus screw drive lens.
No macro mode, not sure about closest focus distance (0.8m sounds about right).
Did not use it much since i did not like the output from it.