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09-22-2015, 06:50 AM   #1
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Pentax-A 35-105 on Pentax K20D

I'm tempted to buy a used SMC Pentax-A 35-105/3.5, but I'm uncertain how useful it will be on my K20D. I guess it won't report the focal length to the camera, so the SR will have no info to calculate the sensor movement. Worse is that the focal length will not show in exif, am I right? How do you guys handle older zoom lenses on digital cameras?

09-22-2015, 06:53 AM   #2
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The pictures you take will be gorgeous.... you are focusing on the wrong thing. That lens is sharp and contrasty and has incredible colors.

There is only one negative to that lens with your K20, and that is the lens is freakin heavy.... :-)
09-22-2015, 06:58 AM   #3
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AKA the Stack of Primes...

I don't worry about the EXIF data reporting focal lengths, etc.... it will report aperture, ISO, etc

and you input the focal length for SR into the camera directly....

if it's a good price, don't blink....
09-22-2015, 07:43 AM   #4
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I've shot with the A35-105 on my K20d and K5. I will admit that it's a great lens but I've never found the love for it that others have. In fact, I've owned two of them and sold them after a while. It was hard to use on my K20d (to get sharp focus) and easier to use on my K5. For me, my issue with it is that on a cropped sensor, 35mm is too long and 105 isn't long enough. Using it (or any older manual zoom) on any Pentax DSLR, is essentially the same. Personally, I set the focal length to the longest value of the zoom, in this case it would be 105 and forget about it after that.

That said, it's a classic lens built like a tank and I've seen a lot of good results from it. In my case, with too many other lenses, I've just found this redundant.

09-22-2015, 08:10 AM   #5
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I think that Jamey777 and blackcloudbrew covered my thoughts. I just picked up this lens on eBay for $60. It's a heavy piece of gear but it is sharp and seems to measure up to its "stack of primes" rep." The focal length for cropped sensor cameras was a concern but the price was great and I plan on using the lense on my film camera and the pending full frame (whenever that camera decides to make its appearance!).
09-22-2015, 08:48 AM   #6
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there's a Manual Zoom lens club in the Lens Club forum with some shots by the 35-105 and it's bigger sister, the 70-210....
09-22-2015, 09:28 AM   #7
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It's not that heavy and it is a lovely lens. It's just not plastic, but you'll know you're handling a piece of precision equipment. To get something modern with that build quality will cost $1,000.


Last edited by troika; 09-22-2015 at 10:05 AM.
09-22-2015, 10:02 AM   #8
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speaking of the 70-210.... also phenomenal... I imagine they will double in price shortly after the FF releases...
09-22-2015, 10:50 AM   #9
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Sure, why not?
09-22-2015, 11:15 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by pepperberry farm Quote
there's a Manual Zoom lens club in the Lens Club forum with some shots by the 35-105 and it's bigger sister, the 70-210....
Well, while both lenses mentioned are excellent lenses, the "bigger sister" (or brother, or sibling) to the A 35-105/3.5 is the A 28-135/4, and not the A 70-210/4.

While the two-touch 35-105 and one-touch (focus/zoom sleeve) 70-210 may make a good complementary pair for shooting, the 35-105's "genetic" relationship to the two-touch 28-135/4 (using the same sort of "pseudo-macro" mechanism as well) should be very easy to recognize.

EDIT: Take a look at the optical diagrams of these three lenses -

A 35-105/3.5 -


A 28-135/4 -


A 70-210/4 -


Furthermore, having owned both of the "big and lil' 2-touch siblings" for many years (as well as the A 70-210/4 for an even longer time), I would say that, if the 35-105 is a "stack of primes", the 28-135 is a "tower of primes", and was my favorite "wedding lens" for quite a few years back in "Ye Olde Film Days of Yore" [TM]. Of course, for those that find the 35-105 to be "very heavy" (I don't), the 28-135/4 will seem "OMG heavy" - LOL.

The optical diagrams above, BTW, are from Boz's excellent K-mount site - Welcome to Bojidar Dimitrov's Pentax K-Mount Page

Last edited by fwcetus; 09-22-2015 at 11:40 AM. Reason: an addition
09-22-2015, 11:21 AM - 1 Like   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by fwcetus Quote
Well, while both lenses mentioned are excellent lenses, the "bigger sister" (or brother, or sibling) to the A 35-105/3.5 is the A 28-135/4, and not the A 70-210/4.

While the two-touch 35-105 and one-touch (focus/zoom sleeve) 70-210 may make a good complementary pair for shooting, the 35-105's "genetic" relationship to the two-touch 28-135/4 (using the same sort of "pseudo-macro" mechanism as well) should be very easy to recognize.


(makes a note to look for the bigger sister...... )
09-22-2015, 12:19 PM   #12
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The A 70-210 is a very good buy. There's one for sale locally for $40 from a reputable shop right now and they seem generally available for a bag of chips like that. It is a big lens.

The 35-105/3.5 is a really nice lens and I vastly prefer the 2 touch operation to the push pull. There's no zoom creep and it's more like dialing into a focal length and framing for it the way that you would with a prime. It's a good experience.

That said, I don't use mine as much as I thought I would. Probably because I have primes through that range that are both faster and for whatever reason, I tend to prefer. Whenever I use it I'm happy, but I just don't reach for it that much.
09-22-2015, 01:00 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by deus ursus Quote
I'm tempted to buy a used SMC Pentax-A 35-105/3.5, but I'm uncertain how useful it will be on my K20D. I guess it won't report the focal length to the camera, so the SR will have no info to calculate the sensor movement. Worse is that the focal length will not show in exif, am I right? How do you guys handle older zoom lenses on digital cameras?
I think the only real thing to be concerned about is that the lens will behave as a normal to telephoto, rather than a wide-angle to short tele. But it's still a great lens and certainly worth adding to your collection for its versatility

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09-22-2015, 08:02 PM   #14
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My A 35-105 got its greatest use on the K20D. Not that I won't use it on the later bodies. My preference is to set the lens info at 65mm on start-up because that tends to be unique for EXIF purposes, and a conservative setting for SR. I am more likely to use this lens only from about 65mm to 105mm because it is especially good in this range (I have one fast 85mm prime that outperforms it, otherwise it rules the range). Great for portrait work - and can be shot wide open without worry once past 50mm.

It is a fine portrait lens used on the long end, allowing for perfect, varied framing of the subject when shooting from 6-8 feet away. Not only sharp, but lovely color and rendering.
09-22-2015, 08:45 PM   #15
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The only issue I have with my A35-105, which I bought secondhand when I was shooting film, is that with digital it tends to have poor contrast in some lighting situations, which I have read is attributed to the inadequate coating on the rear element surface, which causes secondary reflections from the surface of the sensor array. It is recoverable to some extent in post-processing, of course, but nonetheless it is a nice bit of glass to have.
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