[Docrwm]

The worst of my lenses are probably too good for my photo skills, but it gives me confidence and makes me feel good that the images i attempt will never be limited or spoiled by the optics I'm using.


SUGGESTION-REQUEST: FROM THIS POINT ON, (previous posters welcome to contribute) ALSO MENTION WHAT IN YOUR OPINION IS OR WAS THE WORST, MOST DISAPPOINTING LENS YOU'VE EVER OWNED OR USED.


For me it was a 1000mm f11 reflex Takumar. I worked for weeks with one trying everything I could, but didn't manage to capture a single acceptable image. IMHO, IQ was just awful.

Worst for me was the FA28-80 power zoom model. Just fuzzy and a pain. The 28-105 power zoom is a completely different lens and rather pleasant to use IMHO.

[pepperberry farm]

the highest rated lenses of mine:

Sigma 70mm f2.8 EX DG Macro - 9.71

Pentax HD DA 35mm f2.8 Limited Macro - 9.70

Tamron Adaptall-2 SP 72B - 9.63

Pentax DA 40mm f2.8 Limited - 9.58

Pentax FA* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF) - 9.56


there are several I have that are severely underrated, also....

[WPRESTO]

Worst for me was the FA28-80 power zoom model. Just fuzzy and a pain. The 28-105 power zoom is a completely different lens and rather pleasant to use IMHO.

I think I had that same 28-80 on my power-zoom body. Motorized zoom, like the panoramic crop, was never anything but a gimmick.

[Kerrowdown]

My harem winner is “Sweetheart”(Pentax-A* 85mm F1.4) with a 9.93

[RobA_Oz]

I think I had that same 28-80 on my power-zoom body. Motorized zoom, like the panoramic crop, was never anything but a gimmick.

I rather like power zoom on the FA*28-70 and FA*80-200. Both of those lenses are fairly hefty, and not having to twist the zoom ring very far whilst composing is an advantage, in my opinion. You can, of course, opt for manual control, just by sliding the ring backward. Auto->manual focus works similarly.

The FA*80-200 gets a rating of 9.53, btw, which relatively-speaking is about what it deserves, based on my collection.

[PKMike]

Worst for me was the FA28-80 power zoom model. Just fuzzy and a pain. The 28-105 power zoom is a completely different lens and rather pleasant to use IMHO.

I think I had that same 28-80 on my power-zoom body. Motorized zoom, like the panoramic crop, was never anything but a gimmick.

Agreed. It was a gimmick and a pain. And the power zoom switch eventually fell off for no apparent reason. My least liked Pentax lens ever. I junked it. That said, I am still a happy Pentax user.

[northcoastgreg]

My highest rated lens is that HD DA 21 with its 9.85 score. While I wouldn't consider the DA 21 necessarily my best lens (my DA* 300, HD DA 35 Ltd, and DFA 100 are all probably a bit better), it may be my favorite lens, more due to the focal length and small size than anything else. My highest rated zoom lenses are the Tamron 70-200 (9.28) and the FA 20-35 (9.23). I would rate neither as high as my DFA 15-30 (8.95) and DFA 28-105 (9.12).

Most disappointing lens I've ever used is the FA 100-300 f4.7-5.8, which actually has a fair number of admirers (it has a score of 8.57, which is the highest of the cheap Pentax FA telephoto zooms). Its somewhat high rating and all the gushing praise some people lavish on this cheap and light-weight optic gave me unrealistic expectations about the lens, and I was rather taken aback to discover poor sharpness away from the center, even when stopped down, at the wide end of the lens on APS-C.

[monochrome]

Very early in my eBay lens and camera ‘trading’ career - maybe this happened in 1999 or 2000 - I bought a Takumar Bayonet 135/2.5 thinking I had purchased a K135/2.5 for a good price. The lens itself wasn’t really all that bad in the proper light but boy was I disappointed when I opened the box.

In my early 20’s I asked for a 70-200 zoom lens for my birthday (they asked what I wanted and I replied). It would have been a K at the time to match my KX. I wasn’t specific about what I wanted, but it wasn’t an Albinar variable aperture lens. I smiled, and I used it for 15 years or so but it was a pretty bad lens compared to a Pentax K or M.

That being said a friend who was selling the big house and buying a condo once dropped off a box of cast-off Pentax gear that included an SF10 and Takumar F 28-80. I’d call that the worst lens I have ever used. Even that low contrast lens is rated 7.29. Aside from actual broken Pentax lenses they’ve all been at least interesting, though not all keepers.

[Rondec]

Worst lens was probably an old Sigma 70-300 variable aperture zoom with a "macro" switch that allowed for close focusing. It just felt as though the colors were muddy and nothing was terribly sharp with it. It wasn't too bad at the wide end. I also thought the FA-J 28-80 was pretty bad. It just had bad corner, flared terribly if there was any strong light source around and didn't have the usual good Pentax colors I like.

[Gary H Perth]

Highest rating on the overall score is my SMC 21mm Limited, and highest rated sharpness is the Sigma 50mm macro, followed closely by the DA 70mm Limited.

Highest rated zoom is the DA 16-85mm, closely followed by two 30-year-old Tamron Adaptall SPs: the 50-300mm and the 35-80mm.[COLOR="Silver"]

.

Others that deservedly rate very high include the K55mm/1.8, all the DA Limiteds, Tamron 52B and 52BB (I have both), M28mm/3.5 and my very old Vivitar (Komine) 135mm/2.8. One that has a surprisingly high rating but can justify is the F35-70mm.

The worst lenses I had in terms of both image quality and handling were a Makinon 28-80mm two-ring zoom with a giant front element (about 1980 vintage), Hanimex 80-200mm about the same time. And more recently a Sigma 18-50mm DC that came as kit lens with a K-m.

Special mention for a lens that is optically very good but has abysmal ergonomics is the FA 35-80mm/f4-5.6. It honestly feels like a cheap toy, and the silver version that I have is sloppy and stained.

---------- Post added 03-28-19 at 05:36 AM ----------

Most disappointing lens I've ever used is the FA 100-300 f4.7-5.8, which actually has a fair number of admirers (it has a score of 8.57, which is the highest of the cheap Pentax FA telephoto zooms). Its somewhat high rating and all the gushing praise some people lavish on this cheap and light-weight optic gave me unrealistic expectations about the lens, and I was rather taken aback to discover poor sharpness away from the center, even when stopped down, at the wide end of the lens on APS-C.

I had a similar disappointment for exactly the same reasons with a Sigma DL 100-300mm f4.5-6.7 - the first version (I also have a later version which gave slightly better images). A few online comments said it was quite good for a consumer lens but mine was not very sharp, clumsy to handle at full extent and felt really uncomfortable. To be honest, 300mm at f6.7 with a front-heavy lens on a K-m is never going to give a good picture, is it?

[gofour3]

I have many older K, M, A & FA Series zooms that I would not consider my "worst" lenses, but my most "annoying" lenses to use.

Every time I use a zoom it's handling, size, weight, speed or build start to bug me so much that I give up and switch to a prime lens.

On a recent trip I took my M24-35/3.5, FA77/1.8 and my FA28-105/4-5.6IF. After the first few days of using the zooms, my patience ran out and I switched to the FA77/1.8 for the rest of the trip. Surprising how versatile the 77mm focal length is as a one lens kit.

Guess I'm not really a zoom guy....

Phil.

[normhead]

I have many older K, M, A & FA Series zooms that I would not consider my "worst" lenses, but my most "annoying" lenses to use.

Every time I use a zoom it's handling, size, weight, speed or build start to bug me so much that I give up and switch to a prime lens.

On a recent trip I took my M24-35/3.5, FA77/1.8 and my FA28-105/4-5.6IF. After the first few days of using the zooms, my patience ran out and I switched to the FA77/1.8 for the rest of the trip. Surprising how versatile the 77mm focal length is as a one lens kit.

Guess I'm not really a zoom guy....

Phil.

You used a 77 for it's versatility, and wouldn't use a zoom. Interesting please explain.

[gofour3]

You used a 77 for it's versatility, and wouldn't use a zoom. Interesting please explain.

The FA77 is smaller, faster and easier to handle/manual focus than the two zooms I took. Also it has a proper distance scale for DOF calculations and a built in hood.

Had fun shooting everything with one focal length, enjoyed the experience and not having to fumbling around with the zoom lenses.

Phil.

[normhead]

The FA77 is smaller, faster and easier to handle/manual focus than the two zooms I took. Also it has a proper distance scale for DOF calculations and a built in hood.

Had fun shooting everything with one focal length, enjoyed the experience and not having to fumbling around with the zoom lenses.

Phil.

Looking at my Niagara Falls images from 2017-12, I have 22 keepers, 8 that could have been taken with a 77_approx. 68-85mm)
4 at 105.
9 between 28 and 55mm.
Using the 77 I'd be forgoing 2/3s of my images, and not one would be framed to my liking. The closest being two at 73mm.
And I've never considered framing my images to my liking "fumbling."
If you understand hyperlocal shooting, you don't need a distance scale.
I tend to go to the best angle free of obstructions etc. and pick the lens that suits it, not expecting the view in front of me to be suited to any of the prime lenses I have in my bag. Is it about the lens or the scene?

This kind of comment always blows my mind. It sounds like you are saying a zoom lens makes things too complicated for you. I go out for a walk with my dogs with a single prime on the same walk I do every day, day after day, but if I'm paying to go somewhere I want more memories that can be captured with a single prime. I usually see way more great images than I have lenses to capture, even taking a couple of zooms.

But each to their own. It's I guess a case of neither of us being able to comprehend how the other shoots even with similar gear.
But then I spent 20 years shooting with a 55 ƒ1.8. The limitations of single prime shooting are deeply ingrained. At some point, I became more aware of what I was missing. I don't think I could ever go back for more than an afternoon 1.5 hour dog walk.

So my speculation would be, once you master that 77, a great lens to master by the way, you may start to see the limitations.

[bilybianca]

My top trio according to PF users rating. Not by far a scientific rating system, but I hold these lenses high and wouldn't dismiss those ratings. The lenses are far better than my skills, anyway.

A*85mm f1.4 9.93
F*300mm f4.5 9.89
A*200mm f2.8 9.83

Kjell