Recommendations for best Zoom lens (on Pentax film cameras)

RMabo · 09-03-2015, 12:59 AM

My vote goes for the Pentax FA 28-105 f/3.2-4.5 AL (IF). I had it myself to my MZ-5N. Now, Pentax has had three FA 28-105's... They were:

FA 28-105 f/4-5.6 *power zoom*. Originally made for the Z-series of cameras with power zoom function. It's quite heavy, but it's optically good. It's internal zooming, so it stays the same length when zooming in and out.

FA 28-105 f/4-5.6 (IF). This one is a rebadged Tamron 28-105, comes in silver or black. Build quality is not as solid as the 28-105 but it is a good performer.

FA 28-105 f/3.2-4.5 AL (IF). The most compact of them all and it has the best optical performance. Very nice colour rendition and it's sharp across the range. Comes in silver or black.

I also had the FA 28-70 f/4 AL and this was a stellar performer, especially at the 28 end - however, the 28-105 f/3.2-4.5 is as sharp!

The FA 24-90 has good optics, but some sample variation.

pentax_rob · 09-03-2015, 01:14 AM

Originally posted by Another dyemention

Hers the picture. Sorry

---------- Post added 09-02-15 at 04:17 PM ----------

And I just save this pic from my Fb page to post here so it's not as good as the original. I've always been amazed at the detail on the towels. Especially for a $30 lens.

Superb image, it has an almost classic or even vintage look I really like.

---------- Post added 3rd Sep 2015 at 01:52 AM ----------

Wow, thank you everyone for all your help, lots of fab recommendations! The lenses that seem to stand out so far include:
Pentax FA 28-105 f/3.2-4.5 AL (IF) - online reviews seem to mention great colours on this
FA 24-90 - that wide angle is very appealing
Promaster/Tamron 28-105
Also I need to check out more on the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 & F 35-70 (but don't think this is quite wide enough).
Does anyone know how these vary in sharpness & rendering styles, to help differentiate?

**mgvh** · 09-03-2015, 09:37 AM

I'm holding on to my Tamron 24-135 f3.5-5.6. On full frame that extra 4mm at the wide end will be useful!

fwcetus · 09-03-2015, 11:19 AM

IMO, you really ought to redo the misleading subject line -- after outlining a number of restrictions, the thread ends up being about lenses very far from "best Zoom lens (on Pentax film cameras)",

Ratcheteer · 09-03-2015, 03:21 PM

Originally posted by fwcetus

IMO, you really ought to redo the misleading subject line -- after outlining a number of restrictions, the thread ends up being about lenses very far from "best Zoom lens (on Pentax film cameras)",

I think the guy was after the pentax equivalent of the nikon g lens

pentax_rob · 09-03-2015, 03:50 PM

Originally posted by fwcetus

IMO, you really ought to redo the misleading subject line -- after outlining a number of restrictions, the thread ends up being about lenses very far from "best Zoom lens (on Pentax film cameras)",

Hi there, they weren't meant to be absolute restrictions so much as ideal elements for me in looking for a good general walkabout lens (& I've found the contributions incredibly helpful). I'm sure there are many different views & subjective criteria of what constitutes the "best zoom lens" - & welcome every contribution into the mix :-) Would even be interesting to hear suggestions on telephoto or wide zooms...

fwcetus · 09-03-2015, 05:23 PM

Originally posted by pentax_rob

Hi there, they weren't meant to be absolute restrictions so much as ideal elements for me in looking for a good general walkabout lens (& I've found the contributions incredibly helpful). I'm sure there are many different views & subjective criteria of what constitutes the "best zoom lens" - & welcome every contribution into the mix :-) Would even be interesting to hear suggestions on telephoto or wide zooms...

Hi, pentax_rob.

Well, my comment was in regard to a subject line that likely caught the eye of probably well over half of the forum members, yet would probably (when all was said and done) not get input from too many of them, due to the restrictions not showing in the subject line. I apologize for being so persnickety -- I guess I was in a curmudgeon mood at the time - sorry.

I have little to offer you. My only AF zooms are a lovely FA* 80-200/2.8 (which is definitely ~not~ much of a walkabout lens), a handy Tokina AT-X 80-400/4.5-5.6 AF-II (ditto) and a mundane FA* 28-200/3.8-5.6 (the "family pix zoom", which is OK to walk around with, but which has no more than decent IQ). If a manual focus zoom were a possibility, I'd suggest the sweet A 35-105/3.5, which is quite compact and reasonably light, has a half-decent "macro" mode, but otherwise is ~fully~ deserving of its "stack of primes" nickname, and its sibling, the A 28-135/4. After that, "I got nuttin' ".

Good luck in your quest.

Last edited by fwcetus; 09-05-2015 at 05:27 AM.

pentax_rob · 09-03-2015, 11:56 PM

Originally posted by fwcetus

Hi, pentax_rob.

Well, my comment was in regard to a subject line that likely caught the eye of probably well over half of the forum members, yet would probably (when all was said and done) not get input from too many of them, due to the restrictions not showing in the subject line. I apologize for being so persnickety -- I guess I was in a curmudgeon mood at the time - sorry.

I have little to offer you. My only AF zooms are a lovely FA* 80-200/2.8 (which is definitely ~not~ much of a walkabout lens), a handy Tokina AT-X 80-400/4.5-5.6 AF-II (ditto) and a mundane FA* 28-200/3.8-5.6 (the "family pix zoom", which is OK to walk around with, but which has no more than decent IQ). If a manual focus zoom were a possibility, I'd suggest the sweet A 35-105/3.5, which is quite compact and reasonably light, has a half-decent "macro" mode, but otherwise is ~fully~ deserving of its "stack of primes" nickname. After that, "I got nuttin' ".

Good luck in your quest.

Hi Fred, thanks a lot for those suggestions which definitely give some added food for thought with regards to telephoto zooms. You are probably right regarding subject line, I will try to be a little clearer in future :-) Thanks again, Rob

**TER-OR** · 09-04-2015, 06:51 AM

The trick here is the autofocus part. That's where you're going to find a lot of really mediocre lenses in the 35-80 type range and a few nice ones. The nice A-series zooms aren't autofocus.

Don't forget a lot of these lenses will be found without hoods. I put a collapsible rubber hood on the 24-105 and it seems to help. Don't forget to look into the Sigma and Tamron offerings, and use the lens review database. It's helpful though sporadic.

**TER-OR** · 09-04-2015, 07:58 AM

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/24-photographic-equipment-sale/302602-sal...00mm-1-4x.html

An F 35-70 for not a lot of money. That's tempting on an autofocus 35mm camera.

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09-03-2015, 12:59 AM	#16
RMabo Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 845	My vote goes for the Pentax FA 28-105 f/3.2-4.5 AL (IF). I had it myself to my MZ-5N. Now, Pentax has had three FA 28-105's... They were: FA 28-105 f/4-5.6 power zoom. Originally made for the Z-series of cameras with power zoom function. It's quite heavy, but it's optically good. It's internal zooming, so it stays the same length when zooming in and out. FA 28-105 f/4-5.6 (IF). This one is a rebadged Tamron 28-105, comes in silver or black. Build quality is not as solid as the 28-105 but it is a good performer. FA 28-105 f/3.2-4.5 AL (IF). The most compact of them all and it has the best optical performance. Very nice colour rendition and it's sharp across the range. Comes in silver or black. I also had the FA 28-70 f/4 AL and this was a stellar performer, especially at the 28 end - however, the 28-105 f/3.2-4.5 is as sharp! The FA 24-90 has good optics, but some sample variation.

09-03-2015, 01:14 AM	#17
pentax_rob New Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 14 Original Poster	Originally posted by Another dyemention Hers the picture. Sorry ---------- Post added 09-02-15 at 04:17 PM ---------- And I just save this pic from my Fb page to post here so it's not as good as the original. I've always been amazed at the detail on the towels. Especially for a $30 lens. Superb image, it has an almost classic or even vintage look I really like. ---------- Post added 3rd Sep 2015 at 01:52 AM ---------- Wow, thank you everyone for all your help, lots of fab recommendations! The lenses that seem to stand out so far include: Pentax FA 28-105 f/3.2-4.5 AL (IF) - online reviews seem to mention great colours on this FA 24-90 - that wide angle is very appealing Promaster/Tamron 28-105 Also I need to check out more on the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 & F 35-70 (but don't think this is quite wide enough). Does anyone know how these vary in sharpness & rendering styles, to help differentiate?

09-03-2015, 09:37 AM	#18
mgvh Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: MD Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,029	I'm holding on to my Tamron 24-135 f3.5-5.6. On full frame that extra 4mm at the wide end will be useful!

09-03-2015, 11:19 AM	#19
fwcetus Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New England Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,286	IMO, you really ought to redo the misleading subject line -- after outlining a number of restrictions, the thread ends up being about lenses very far from "best Zoom lens (on Pentax film cameras)",

09-03-2015, 03:21 PM	#20
Ratcheteer Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 223	Originally posted by fwcetus IMO, you really ought to redo the misleading subject line -- after outlining a number of restrictions, the thread ends up being about lenses very far from "best Zoom lens (on Pentax film cameras)", I think the guy was after the pentax equivalent of the nikon g lens

09-03-2015, 03:50 PM	#21
pentax_rob New Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 14 Original Poster	Originally posted by fwcetus IMO, you really ought to redo the misleading subject line -- after outlining a number of restrictions, the thread ends up being about lenses very far from "best Zoom lens (on Pentax film cameras)", Hi there, they weren't meant to be absolute restrictions so much as ideal elements for me in looking for a good general walkabout lens (& I've found the contributions incredibly helpful). I'm sure there are many different views & subjective criteria of what constitutes the "best zoom lens" - & welcome every contribution into the mix :-) Would even be interesting to hear suggestions on telephoto or wide zooms...

09-03-2015, 05:23 PM	#22
fwcetus Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New England Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,286	Originally posted by pentax_rob Hi there, they weren't meant to be absolute restrictions so much as ideal elements for me in looking for a good general walkabout lens (& I've found the contributions incredibly helpful). I'm sure there are many different views & subjective criteria of what constitutes the "best zoom lens" - & welcome every contribution into the mix :-) Would even be interesting to hear suggestions on telephoto or wide zooms... Hi, pentax_rob. Well, my comment was in regard to a subject line that likely caught the eye of probably well over half of the forum members, yet would probably (when all was said and done) not get input from too many of them, due to the restrictions not showing in the subject line. I apologize for being so persnickety -- I guess I was in a curmudgeon mood at the time - sorry. I have little to offer you. My only AF zooms are a lovely FA* 80-200/2.8 (which is definitely ~not~ much of a walkabout lens), a handy Tokina AT-X 80-400/4.5-5.6 AF-II (ditto) and a mundane FA* 28-200/3.8-5.6 (the "family pix zoom", which is OK to walk around with, but which has no more than decent IQ). If a manual focus zoom were a possibility, I'd suggest the sweet A 35-105/3.5, which is quite compact and reasonably light, has a half-decent "macro" mode, but otherwise is ~fully~ deserving of its "stack of primes" nickname, and its sibling, the A 28-135/4. After that, "I got nuttin' ". Good luck in your quest. Last edited by fwcetus; 09-05-2015 at 05:27 AM.

09-03-2015, 11:56 PM	#23
pentax_rob New Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 14 Original Poster	Originally posted by fwcetus Hi, pentax_rob. Well, my comment was in regard to a subject line that likely caught the eye of probably well over half of the forum members, yet would probably (when all was said and done) not get input from too many of them, due to the restrictions not showing in the subject line. I apologize for being so persnickety -- I guess I was in a curmudgeon mood at the time - sorry. I have little to offer you. My only AF zooms are a lovely FA* 80-200/2.8 (which is definitely ~not~ much of a walkabout lens), a handy Tokina AT-X 80-400/4.5-5.6 AF-II (ditto) and a mundane FA* 28-200/3.8-5.6 (the "family pix zoom", which is OK to walk around with, but which has no more than decent IQ). If a manual focus zoom were a possibility, I'd suggest the sweet A 35-105/3.5, which is quite compact and reasonably light, has a half-decent "macro" mode, but otherwise is ~fully~ deserving of its "stack of primes" nickname. After that, "I got nuttin' ". Good luck in your quest. Hi Fred, thanks a lot for those suggestions which definitely give some added food for thought with regards to telephoto zooms. You are probably right regarding subject line, I will try to be a little clearer in future :-) Thanks again, Rob

09-04-2015, 06:51 AM	#24
TER-OR Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dundee, IL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,699	The trick here is the autofocus part. That's where you're going to find a lot of really mediocre lenses in the 35-80 type range and a few nice ones. The nice A-series zooms aren't autofocus. Don't forget a lot of these lenses will be found without hoods. I put a collapsible rubber hood on the 24-105 and it seems to help. Don't forget to look into the Sigma and Tamron offerings, and use the lens review database. It's helpful though sporadic.

09-04-2015, 07:58 AM	#25
TER-OR Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dundee, IL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,699	https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/24-photographic-equipment-sale/302602-sal...00mm-1-4x.html An F 35-70 for not a lot of money. That's tempting on an autofocus 35mm camera.

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