Pentax K 28mm f2 or Carl Zeiss Distagon T* ZK 28mm f/2 lens for Pentax K

fwcetus · 11-20-2015, 06:35 AM

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Originally posted by Thingo

Here's an article that talks about the K 28/2 and the Zeiss "Hollywood" 28/2. Written in July 2013, predating this thread's start.

Yeah -- it's an interesting article (and just one of those about the "K 28/2 - Zeiss 28/2 connection"). However:

1. I still can't figure out whence the "$60 Pentax" in the title (it's not explained). The K 20/2 could never have been even close to $60 when released in the late 1970's, even as a "street price". [Does anybody have a Pentax price list to check the original list price?] As a used lens, possibly there were a few sold for less than $100 "way back when" (although I tend to doubt it), but certainly it has been a "premium" used lens for many years now.

2. Cringe Alert : From the article : "It requires a modification to make it work on the 5D Mark III without a mirror hit. To do this you need to unscrew 3 small screws on the side of the mount holding the protruding piece of redundant plastic casing and bend back and forth the aperture lever for old Pentax bodies until it snaps off – you don’t need that bit on a Canon DSLR. It has no function and instead stops the mirror moving up or down during a shot or when entering live view. That part is relatively simple but I actually went a bit further than I needed to. I took the whole back off to find out if it was possible to remove the aperture lever altogether so it could be added back in later in case I needed it on an old Pentax body. It can’t but this did lead to a useful discovery – the possibility of a stepless aperture ring. The de-clicking is done simply by removing a ball bearing fixed in position behind the aperture ring. Doing so however is quite fiddly." See the current https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/94-pentax-price-watch/307778-k-28-f-2-hol...bay-425-a.html for one of these travesties...

**gofour3** · 11-20-2015, 10:36 AM

Originally posted by fwcetus

1. I still can't figure out whence the "$60 Pentax" in the title (it's not explained). The K 20/2 could never have been even close to $60 when released in the late 1970's, even as a "street price". [Does anybody have a Pentax price list to check the original list price?] As a used lens, possibly there were a few sold for less than $100 "way back when" (although I tend to doubt it), but certainly it has been a "premium" used lens for many years now.

In January 1978 the list price for the K28/2 was $471.00USD. Which was almost $200 more than the K50/1.2. Not chance on getting one for under $100, unless it was "hot" or damaged/fungus ridden.

Phil.

PS the guy that wrote the article is a Canon user, so enough said...

Fenwoodian · 11-20-2015, 10:56 AM

Originally posted by Michaelina2

Can someone provide a link, or post an example that conclusively demonstrates the K28/2's distinctive "3D look"?

Just curious...

Internet lens reviewer Ming Thein rated the Zeiss ZF 28mm lens highly in his review of this lens. He claims it does have a 3D look to it. He says - " And the micro contrast structure is beautifully detailed, which works well with the lens’ high native color transmission to deliver a very 3D image. "

Please note that the Zeiss 28mm f/2 ZF lens is identical to the Zeiss 28mm f/2 ZK lens except it has the Nikon F mount instead of the Pentax K mount. I used to own the ZF version, and currently own the ZK version

Click here for a webpage where Ming Thein lists his favorite lenses. He says that "my all time favorite wide lens is the Zeiss ZF.2 2/28 Distagon."!

I have never shot the Pentax 28mm f/2 lens so I can not compare it to the Zeiss ZK 28mm f/2 lens. However, if you offered me the older Pentax 28mm f/2 Hollywood lens for my Zeiss ZK 28mm f/2 lens I would not take it, I would keep the Zeiss!
.
.
.

**gofour3** · 11-20-2015, 11:58 AM

Originally posted by Fenwoodian

I have never shot the Pentax 28mm f/2 lens so I can not compare it to the Zeiss ZK 28mm f/2 lens. However, if you offered me the older Pentax 28mm f/2 Hollywood lens for my Zeiss ZK 28mm f/2 lens I would not take it, I would keep the Zeiss!

The 1976 Zeiss "Hollywood" 28/2 was in a Contax/Yashica mount and is a different design (9 elements/8 groups) than the newer Zeiss Distagon 28/2 (10 elements/8 groups). It would not surprise me that the newer digitally optimized 28/2 would be slightly better over all than the older Pentax/Zeiss Contax 28/2 lenses. However for close focusing on a Pentax FF film body I doubt it.

Phil.

**Pepe Guitarra** · 11-20-2015, 12:31 PM

Originally posted by Thingo

Here's an article that talks about the K 28/2 and the Zeiss "Hollywood" 28/2. Written in July 2013, predating this thread's start.

I think the author made a mistake, instead of $60, it should have been $600, if you can find it.

fwcetus · 11-20-2015, 01:23 PM

Originally posted by Pepe Guitarra

I think the author made a mistake, instead of $60, it should have been $600, if you can find it.

...and higher, depending on condition.

Now, if we could only get people to stop butchering such lenses, which is not only a shame itself, but which also cuts down on the supply of certain desirable lenses...

**clackers** · 11-20-2015, 03:11 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by fwcetus

...and higher, depending on condition.

Now, if we could only get people to stop butchering such lenses, which is not only a shame itself, but which also cuts down on the supply of certain desirable lenses...

Yep, in the distant future, I'd like one.

Perhaps to keep the numbers up they could start a captive breeding program?

**Pepe Guitarra** · 11-20-2015, 03:40 PM

I had the Pentax 28/2, one of the sharpest lenses, I paid $700 and sold it for $650 because I needed the money. Since then, I found the Kiron K 28/2 and the Kiron KA 28/2. I decided that the Kiron gave me almost the same quality. I also have some Vivitars 28/2 that claim to be the same formula as the Kiron. However, the Kiron KA 28/2 gives me the quality I need without having to push the green button. That one is difficult to find and not cheap either.

**monochrome** · 01-02-2016, 05:28 PM

It seems I have lately been on a personal mission to conserve one copy of as many of these lenses as I am able. Or so I keep telling mrs monochrome

I want one of those K 45/2.8's mentioned in the article.

blende8 · 01-03-2016, 01:38 AM

I once owned the K28/2 and tested it in sharpness and contrast.
In both cases there was no difference to the A/M 28/2, which are also excellent. I also tested close focus, if the floating elements have an effect, but no difference.
Since I couldn't find the K28/2 to be any better than the A/M 28/2, I sold it.
I kept the A28/2.

If one wants to test those lenses do astro.
Here optical aberrations can be easily seen.

fwcetus · 01-03-2016, 07:29 AM

Originally posted by blende8

If one wants to test those lenses do astro.
Here optical aberrations can be easily seen.

Did you do that?

whojammyflip · 02-20-2016, 05:57 AM

for anyone interested, I've just seen a K 28 2.0 "hollywood" on ebay:
Pentax K SMC 28mm F2 / F2.0 Very Rare Prime | eBay

its beyond my budget/wife's threshold for acceptable purchases, so I am not buying it...I've had the M 28/2.0 before, and decided that the lowly 28/3.5 was sufficiently sharp (a lens which is really sharp is the k 24/2.8)

i've got nothing to do with the sale, I just thought it might be nice to give the heads up to people on Pentaxforums

fwcetus · 02-20-2016, 07:05 AM

Originally posted by whojammyflip

for anyone interested, I've just seen a K 28 2.0 "hollywood" on ebay:
Pentax K SMC 28mm F2 / F2.0 Very Rare Prime | eBay

its beyond my budget/wife's threshold for acceptable purchases, so I am not buying it...I've had the M 28/2.0 before, and decided that the lowly 28/3.5 was sufficiently sharp (a lens which is really sharp is the k 24/2.8)

i've got nothing to do with the sale, I just thought it might be nice to give the heads up to people on Pentaxforums

And it seems to be a better deal than another one where the auction ended early recently on eBay - SMC Pentax K 28mm F 2 0 w Hood Zeiss UV Filter Excellent Condition RARE | eBay - (click on "See original listing" to, well, see the original listing).

[The jen-you-wine SMC Pentax filter and the dedicated hood, even if the hood is a bit hard to find, are nice, but not essential.]

[It might or might not matter to the buyer - they're optically and mechanically identical - but it might to some collectors, that the lens that whojammyflip mentioned is an M-era version ("smc PENTAX 1:2 28mm"), while the one I mentioned is a K-era version ("SMC PENTAX 1:2/28mm").]

John Poirier · 02-20-2016, 07:05 AM

Originally posted by ChristianRock

From what I have seen from the FA 28mm 2.8, it's a fantastic lens. Much better in rendering and contrast than previous Pentax 28mm designs, which are usually considered "boring" lenses. I have had a couple of the older ones (M, which I sold and A, which I still own) and agree with that assessment...

So I'm curious to know what these Zeiss (Cosina) and Pentax f2 lenses bring to the table, other than a stop of light, that would be worth the huge price difference.

I briefly tested an FA 28mm 2.8 on my A7r. It worked extremely well at mid apertures. I didn't test wide open because that is of no relevance in my work. The only reason it isn't in my camera bag is that I also have a very good MF lens that is more pleasant to focus. (By very good I mean capable of 2x3 foot prints with excellent detail across the entire frame.)

I certainly recommend the FA for the K-1.

I also tested SMC Takumar and K 28/3.5s. They weren't bad. A bit soft in the corners on the A7r, which has issues with a lot of wide angles due to the filter stack design. Lower contrast than the FA, but a touch of clarity in ACR goes a long way toward fixing that.

It will be interesting to see how they are on the K-1, as its filter stack will of course be optimized for the Pentax registration distance.

fwcetus · 02-20-2016, 10:22 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by ChristianRock

From what I have seen from the FA 28mm 2.8, it's a fantastic lens. Much better in rendering and contrast than previous Pentax 28mm designs, which are usually considered "boring" lenses. I have had a couple of the older ones (M, which I sold and A, which I still own) and agree with that assessment...

So I'm curious to know what these Zeiss (Cosina) and Pentax f2 lenses bring to the table, other than a stop of light, that would be worth the huge price difference.

For Pentax 28/2 lenses, I've had the A 28/2 and I have the K 28/2. The A is a nice lens (and maybe better than just "boring"), but the K is nicer in nearly every respect (except for Ka functionality, of course, and for compactness, if that's important to the user -- the A 28/2 is indeed pretty small, while the K 28/2 looks and feels like a short telephoto lens in comparison) -

Certainly part of its "worth" (at least to some serious Pentaxers, alhough many other people wouldn't care) is its history - https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/60011-smc-p...-distagon.html

For optical qualities, it is known for sometimes showing an enhanced "3-D" look, which may be due to some field curvature, Certainly it produces oftentimes superb bokeh.

11-20-2015, 10:56 AM	#63
Fenwoodian Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,874	Originally posted by Michaelina2 Can someone provide a link, or post an example that conclusively demonstrates the K28/2's distinctive "3D look"? Just curious... Internet lens reviewer Ming Thein rated the Zeiss ZF 28mm lens highly in his review of this lens. He claims it does have a 3D look to it. He says - " And the micro contrast structure is beautifully detailed, which works well with the lens’ high native color transmission to deliver a very 3D image. " Please note that the Zeiss 28mm f/2 ZF lens is identical to the Zeiss 28mm f/2 ZK lens except it has the Nikon F mount instead of the Pentax K mount. I used to own the ZF version, and currently own the ZK version Click here for a webpage where Ming Thein lists his favorite lenses. He says that "my all time favorite wide lens is the Zeiss ZF.2 2/28 Distagon."! I have never shot the Pentax 28mm f/2 lens so I can not compare it to the Zeiss ZK 28mm f/2 lens. However, if you offered me the older Pentax 28mm f/2 Hollywood lens for my Zeiss ZK 28mm f/2 lens I would not take it, I would keep the Zeiss! . . . Last edited by Fenwoodian; 11-20-2015 at 11:32 AM.

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11-20-2015, 06:35 AM	#61
fwcetus Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New England Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,286	Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here. Originally posted by Thingo Here's an article that talks about the K 28/2 and the Zeiss "Hollywood" 28/2. Written in July 2013, predating this thread's start. Yeah -- it's an interesting article (and just one of those about the "K 28/2 - Zeiss 28/2 connection"). However: 1. I still can't figure out whence the "$60 Pentax" in the title (it's not explained). The K 20/2 could never have been even close to $60 when released in the late 1970's, even as a "street price". [Does anybody have a Pentax price list to check the original list price?] As a used lens, possibly there were a few sold for less than $100 "way back when" (although I tend to doubt it), but certainly it has been a "premium" used lens for many years now. 2. Cringe Alert : From the article : "It requires a modification to make it work on the 5D Mark III without a mirror hit. To do this you need to unscrew 3 small screws on the side of the mount holding the protruding piece of redundant plastic casing and bend back and forth the aperture lever for old Pentax bodies until it snaps off – you don’t need that bit on a Canon DSLR. It has no function and instead stops the mirror moving up or down during a shot or when entering live view. That part is relatively simple but I actually went a bit further than I needed to. I took the whole back off to find out if it was possible to remove the aperture lever altogether so it could be added back in later in case I needed it on an old Pentax body. It can’t but this did lead to a useful discovery – the possibility of a stepless aperture ring. The de-clicking is done simply by removing a ball bearing fixed in position behind the aperture ring. Doing so however is quite fiddly." See the current https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/94-pentax-price-watch/307778-k-28-f-2-hol...bay-425-a.html for one of these travesties...

11-20-2015, 10:36 AM	#62
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,090	Originally posted by fwcetus 1. I still can't figure out whence the "$60 Pentax" in the title (it's not explained). The K 20/2 could never have been even close to $60 when released in the late 1970's, even as a "street price". [Does anybody have a Pentax price list to check the original list price?] As a used lens, possibly there were a few sold for less than $100 "way back when" (although I tend to doubt it), but certainly it has been a "premium" used lens for many years now. In January 1978 the list price for the K28/2 was $471.00USD. Which was almost $200 more than the K50/1.2. Not chance on getting one for under $100, unless it was "hot" or damaged/fungus ridden. Phil. PS the guy that wrote the article is a Canon user, so enough said...

11-20-2015, 11:58 AM	#64
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,090	Originally posted by Fenwoodian I have never shot the Pentax 28mm f/2 lens so I can not compare it to the Zeiss ZK 28mm f/2 lens. However, if you offered me the older Pentax 28mm f/2 Hollywood lens for my Zeiss ZK 28mm f/2 lens I would not take it, I would keep the Zeiss! The 1976 Zeiss "Hollywood" 28/2 was in a Contax/Yashica mount and is a different design (9 elements/8 groups) than the newer Zeiss Distagon 28/2 (10 elements/8 groups). It would not surprise me that the newer digitally optimized 28/2 would be slightly better over all than the older Pentax/Zeiss Contax 28/2 lenses. However for close focusing on a Pentax FF film body I doubt it. Phil.

11-20-2015, 12:31 PM	#65
Pepe Guitarra Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: California Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,223 Original Poster	Originally posted by Thingo Here's an article that talks about the K 28/2 and the Zeiss "Hollywood" 28/2. Written in July 2013, predating this thread's start. I think the author made a mistake, instead of $60, it should have been $600, if you can find it.

11-20-2015, 01:23 PM	#66
fwcetus Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New England Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,286	Originally posted by Pepe Guitarra I think the author made a mistake, instead of $60, it should have been $600, if you can find it. ...and higher, depending on condition. Now, if we could only get people to stop butchering such lenses, which is not only a shame itself, but which also cuts down on the supply of certain desirable lenses...

11-20-2015, 03:11 PM - 1 Like	#67
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by fwcetus ...and higher, depending on condition. Now, if we could only get people to stop butchering such lenses, which is not only a shame itself, but which also cuts down on the supply of certain desirable lenses... Yep, in the distant future, I'd like one. Perhaps to keep the numbers up they could start a captive breeding program?

11-20-2015, 03:40 PM	#68
Pepe Guitarra Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: California Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,223 Original Poster	I had the Pentax 28/2, one of the sharpest lenses, I paid $700 and sold it for $650 because I needed the money. Since then, I found the Kiron K 28/2 and the Kiron KA 28/2. I decided that the Kiron gave me almost the same quality. I also have some Vivitars 28/2 that claim to be the same formula as the Kiron. However, the Kiron KA 28/2 gives me the quality I need without having to push the green button. That one is difficult to find and not cheap either.

01-02-2016, 05:28 PM	#69
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	It seems I have lately been on a personal mission to conserve one copy of as many of these lenses as I am able. Or so I keep telling mrs monochrome I want one of those K 45/2.8's mentioned in the article.

01-03-2016, 01:38 AM	#70
blende8 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bremen, Germany Photos: Albums Posts: 1,521	I once owned the K28/2 and tested it in sharpness and contrast. In both cases there was no difference to the A/M 28/2, which are also excellent. I also tested close focus, if the floating elements have an effect, but no difference. Since I couldn't find the K28/2 to be any better than the A/M 28/2, I sold it. I kept the A28/2. If one wants to test those lenses do astro. Here optical aberrations can be easily seen.

01-03-2016, 07:29 AM	#71
fwcetus Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New England Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,286	Originally posted by blende8 If one wants to test those lenses do astro. Here optical aberrations can be easily seen. Did you do that?

02-20-2016, 05:57 AM	#72
whojammyflip Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 417	for anyone interested, I've just seen a K 28 2.0 "hollywood" on ebay: Pentax K SMC 28mm F2 / F2.0 Very Rare Prime \| eBay its beyond my budget/wife's threshold for acceptable purchases, so I am not buying it...I've had the M 28/2.0 before, and decided that the lowly 28/3.5 was sufficiently sharp (a lens which is really sharp is the k 24/2.8) i've got nothing to do with the sale, I just thought it might be nice to give the heads up to people on Pentaxforums

02-20-2016, 07:05 AM	#73
fwcetus Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New England Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,286	Originally posted by whojammyflip for anyone interested, I've just seen a K 28 2.0 "hollywood" on ebay: Pentax K SMC 28mm F2 / F2.0 Very Rare Prime \| eBay its beyond my budget/wife's threshold for acceptable purchases, so I am not buying it...I've had the M 28/2.0 before, and decided that the lowly 28/3.5 was sufficiently sharp (a lens which is really sharp is the k 24/2.8) i've got nothing to do with the sale, I just thought it might be nice to give the heads up to people on Pentaxforums And it seems to be a better deal than another one where the auction ended early recently on eBay - SMC Pentax K 28mm F 2 0 w Hood Zeiss UV Filter Excellent Condition RARE \| eBay - (click on "See original listing" to, well, see the original listing). [The jen-you-wine SMC Pentax filter and the dedicated hood, even if the hood is a bit hard to find, are nice, but not essential.] [It might or might not matter to the buyer - they're optically and mechanically identical - but it might to some collectors, that the lens that whojammyflip mentioned is an M-era version ("smc PENTAX 1:2 28mm"), while the one I mentioned is a K-era version ("SMC PENTAX 1:2/28mm").]

02-20-2016, 07:05 AM	#74
John Poirier Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Gabriola Island Posts: 619	Originally posted by ChristianRock From what I have seen from the FA 28mm 2.8, it's a fantastic lens. Much better in rendering and contrast than previous Pentax 28mm designs, which are usually considered "boring" lenses. I have had a couple of the older ones (M, which I sold and A, which I still own) and agree with that assessment... So I'm curious to know what these Zeiss (Cosina) and Pentax f2 lenses bring to the table, other than a stop of light, that would be worth the huge price difference. I briefly tested an FA 28mm 2.8 on my A7r. It worked extremely well at mid apertures. I didn't test wide open because that is of no relevance in my work. The only reason it isn't in my camera bag is that I also have a very good MF lens that is more pleasant to focus. (By very good I mean capable of 2x3 foot prints with excellent detail across the entire frame.) I certainly recommend the FA for the K-1. I also tested SMC Takumar and K 28/3.5s. They weren't bad. A bit soft in the corners on the A7r, which has issues with a lot of wide angles due to the filter stack design. Lower contrast than the FA, but a touch of clarity in ACR goes a long way toward fixing that. It will be interesting to see how they are on the K-1, as its filter stack will of course be optimized for the Pentax registration distance.

02-20-2016, 10:22 AM - 1 Like	#75
fwcetus Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New England Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,286	Originally posted by ChristianRock From what I have seen from the FA 28mm 2.8, it's a fantastic lens. Much better in rendering and contrast than previous Pentax 28mm designs, which are usually considered "boring" lenses. I have had a couple of the older ones (M, which I sold and A, which I still own) and agree with that assessment... So I'm curious to know what these Zeiss (Cosina) and Pentax f2 lenses bring to the table, other than a stop of light, that would be worth the huge price difference. For Pentax 28/2 lenses, I've had the A 28/2 and I have the K 28/2. The A is a nice lens (and maybe better than just "boring"), but the K is nicer in nearly every respect (except for Ka functionality, of course, and for compactness, if that's important to the user -- the A 28/2 is indeed pretty small, while the K 28/2 looks and feels like a short telephoto lens in comparison) - Certainly part of its "worth" (at least to some serious Pentaxers, alhough many other people wouldn't care) is its history - https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/60011-smc-p...-distagon.html For optical qualities, it is known for sometimes showing an enhanced "3-D" look, which may be due to some field curvature, Certainly it produces oftentimes superb bokeh.