Autofocus Kit Lenses of the Late Film Era

Lord Lucan · 08-19-2021, 02:35 AM

I have been looking on Ebay for a F 35-70mm zoom because it gets good PF reviews. They seem to be relatively rare, while all over the place there are F and FA 28-80mm, FA 28-90mm, FA 28-105mm, and similar Takumars and FAJs. I'm guessing the 36-70mm is optically superior partly because it does not have to stretch over such a wide zoom range, and also I notice many of those others are not SMC.

It makes me wonder what the kit lens(es) were during the late film era. If you bought one of the Z series cameras, or an MZ or an SF, what lens would they have come with by default? Presumably not the F 35-70mm. It is an era I'm not familiar with.

**TwoUptons** · 08-19-2021, 02:53 AM - **2 Likes**

In my experience, there are a ton of 28-80s and a couple of 35-80s (including a manual focus one sold for K1000s and MZ-Ms) that were kits as film went away.
There was also at least one 28-90, as I recall, but I don't know if that was a kit or an upgrade...

I've never really liked the 35-80s and have found the samples I've seen worse than the F35-70.
Most of the 28-80s I've had have been OK. They tend to distort more at the wide end than the 35-70 and be less than great at 80mm, but I wouldn't throw one away... and it's a very useful focal length range on full frame...
But the nice thing about the 35-70 is there really isn't anywhere you have to remember "oh, I'm at this focal length, it will be a bit soft or distorted", so you just shoot...

I do have a 28-80 FA-J that came with an *ist that feels really flimsy (and it has no aperture ring); it is also tiny, so ergonomics would be a strike against it.
I'll also note the later 28-80s are better than the power zoom 28-80s in my experience. And some of them feel better in the hand than the 35-70, which does not have a good focusing feel.
The PZ28-105 was decent, and possibly better than the other non-PZ 28-105s, though the DFA is optically much better.

So if you're looking for a film-era walk around zoom, those FA28-80s could be a decent option if they are cheap enough.
Really, that's what all the fuss was about with the 35-70 -- not that it was the best lens ever made, but that it is a good lens that was being sold remarkably cheap...

-Eric

Lord Lucan · 08-19-2021, 03:06 AM

I have just looked at the PF reviews of the SFX (introduced 1987) ...

Pentax SFX / SF1 - Pentax Autofocus Film SLRs - Pentax Camera Reviews and Specifications

.... and a couple of people say that it came with the F 35-70mm, so it looks like it was used as a kit lens in some markets at least.

bobore · 08-19-2021, 03:58 AM

Yes indeed, the F35-70 was very commonly sold as a starter or basic lens with SF series cameras. I had one back in the day & thought it was a good lens, but the zoom range just seemed soooo boring. Also had the SF-1n body, and really liked it.

garywakeling · 08-19-2021, 04:16 AM

Yes the SFX I purchased came with the F35-70, a fine combination and still able to deliver nice results on the K1, the "macro" setting added to it's usefulness and the compact size is a bonus as well

AfterPentax Mark II · 08-19-2021, 05:12 AM

In the Netherlands the SF-series was sold at launch as a body with a choice of lenses like the 50mm's or a 28mm (usually it was advertised with the F 50mm f1.7). A bit later there came some F zooms like the F35-70. The zooms were not available at the launch of the SFX, but when the SFXn was released there was a choice of zooms. The first time that Pentax sold a camera with a kit lens in the Netherlands was with the MZ-5 accompanied by the new standard lens (instead of a 50mm) the FA 28-70mm F4. For this MZ5 you could buy the dedicated bag either for the 50mm combination or the 28-70 combination. This 28-70 was Made in Japan. I still own this lens (and the MZ-5).

bdery · 08-19-2021, 05:44 AM

Originally posted by Lord Lucan

I have been looking on Ebay for a F 35-70mm zoom because it gets good PF reviews. They seem to be relatively rare

The F 35-70 isn't rare by any stretch.

It's optically excellent, even though the range is limited, it shoots above its weight.

It's not from the "late" film era, it's from the beginning of the AF era.

It's vastly superior to lenses like the FA 28-80.

**boriscleto** · 08-19-2021, 06:00 AM

The 35-70 is much more common than the F 50/1.7 with SF cameras. And much more common than the 35-105 or 35-135. The F 24-50/4 seems to be rarest of all...

The F 35-80 is much later.

**AstroDave** · 08-19-2021, 06:45 AM

Originally posted by Lord Lucan

I have been looking on Ebay for a F 35-70mm zoom because it gets good PF reviews

Get one, I think you'll like its performance.

I have both the SMC Pentax-A 35-70mm F4 and the SMC Pentax-F 35-70mm F3.5-4.5, both acquired via Ebay for very nice prices. I find them very useful for product shots - sharp, especially at f/8, and nice zoom range - but haven't used them at all in "the wild." For general walk around, I find the range is a bit limiting.

**pres589** · 08-19-2021, 06:58 AM

The FA-J 18-35 is supposed to be excellent optically. Normhead has one and I think he's given it a full two thumbs up. The build quality and general feel of the thing is not supposed to be so great.

pschlute · 08-19-2021, 07:22 AM - **1 Like**

I bought a Z-1 in the early 1990's. It came with FA 28-80 3.5/4.7 zoom. I was never impressed with that lens and later bought the FA 24-90 3.5/4.5 which was an excellent lens.

**jatrax** · 08-19-2021, 09:57 AM

The F 35-70 is quite good. So is the F 28-80 f/3.5-4.5. The 28-80 doesn't get reviewed quite as well as the 35-70 but at least my copy has always done well. Certainly not in the DFA 28-105 class, but quite good for the time.

The FA versions of the 'kit' lens went down hill a bit IMHO. But the F versions were still solid, well made lenses.

jslifoaw · 08-19-2021, 01:54 PM

The MZ-S was frequently pictured with the 24-90. It's an excellent (kit?) lens.

**ramseybuckeye** · 08-19-2021, 06:29 PM

Originally posted by Lord Lucan

I have been looking on Ebay for a F 35-70mm zoom because it gets good PF reviews. They seem to be relatively rare.

Try shopgoodwill, there seems too always be one or two bundled with cameras.

MarkJerling · 08-19-2021, 07:00 PM

Originally posted by Lord Lucan

I have just looked at the PF reviews of the SFX (introduced 1987) ...

Pentax SFX / SF1 - Pentax Autofocus Film SLRs - Pentax Camera Reviews and Specifications

.... and a couple of people say that it came with the F 35-70mm, so it looks like it was used as a kit lens in some markets at least.

I've bought 6 or 7 SFX and SFXn cameras over the years (Also sold as SF1 and SF1n) and almost all of them came with the F35-70mm lens. One came with a F50mm1.7 and one came with a F35-135mm lens.
Interestingly, both SFX/SF1 and SFXn/SF1n owners manuals have on the front cover, a photo of the camera with the F35-70mm lens but all diagrams inside the manuals shows the F50mm1.4 lens.

The lens range booklets from the same era all showed Pentax-F and Pentax-A lenses. The F35-135mm lens appears very similar in construction to the F35-70mm lens.

08-19-2021, 02:35 AM	#1
Lord Lucan Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: South Wales Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,960	Autofocus Kit Lenses of the Late Film Era I have been looking on Ebay for a F 35-70mm zoom because it gets good PF reviews. They seem to be relatively rare, while all over the place there are F and FA 28-80mm, FA 28-90mm, FA 28-105mm, and similar Takumars and FAJs. I'm guessing the 36-70mm is optically superior partly because it does not have to stretch over such a wide zoom range, and also I notice many of those others are not SMC. It makes me wonder what the kit lens(es) were during the late film era. If you bought one of the Z series cameras, or an MZ or an SF, what lens would they have come with by default? Presumably not the F 35-70mm. It is an era I'm not familiar with.

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08-19-2021, 02:53 AM - 2 Likes	#2
TwoUptons Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 4,210	In my experience, there are a ton of 28-80s and a couple of 35-80s (including a manual focus one sold for K1000s and MZ-Ms) that were kits as film went away. There was also at least one 28-90, as I recall, but I don't know if that was a kit or an upgrade... I've never really liked the 35-80s and have found the samples I've seen worse than the F35-70. Most of the 28-80s I've had have been OK. They tend to distort more at the wide end than the 35-70 and be less than great at 80mm, but I wouldn't throw one away... and it's a very useful focal length range on full frame... But the nice thing about the 35-70 is there really isn't anywhere you have to remember "oh, I'm at this focal length, it will be a bit soft or distorted", so you just shoot... I do have a 28-80 FA-J that came with an *ist that feels really flimsy (and it has no aperture ring); it is also tiny, so ergonomics would be a strike against it. I'll also note the later 28-80s are better than the power zoom 28-80s in my experience. And some of them feel better in the hand than the 35-70, which does not have a good focusing feel. The PZ28-105 was decent, and possibly better than the other non-PZ 28-105s, though the DFA is optically much better. So if you're looking for a film-era walk around zoom, those FA28-80s could be a decent option if they are cheap enough. Really, that's what all the fuss was about with the 35-70 -- not that it was the best lens ever made, but that it is a good lens that was being sold remarkably cheap... -Eric

08-19-2021, 03:06 AM	#3
Lord Lucan Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: South Wales Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,960 Original Poster	I have just looked at the PF reviews of the SFX (introduced 1987) ... Pentax SFX / SF1 - Pentax Autofocus Film SLRs - Pentax Camera Reviews and Specifications .... and a couple of people say that it came with the F 35-70mm, so it looks like it was used as a kit lens in some markets at least.

08-19-2021, 03:58 AM	#4
bobore Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: North Oregon Coast Posts: 162	Yes indeed, the F35-70 was very commonly sold as a starter or basic lens with SF series cameras. I had one back in the day & thought it was a good lens, but the zoom range just seemed soooo boring. Also had the SF-1n body, and really liked it.

08-19-2021, 04:16 AM	#5
garywakeling Moderator Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,757	Yes the SFX I purchased came with the F35-70, a fine combination and still able to deliver nice results on the K1, the "macro" setting added to it's usefulness and the compact size is a bonus as well

08-19-2021, 05:12 AM	#6
AfterPentax Mark II Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2021 Posts: 1,458	In the Netherlands the SF-series was sold at launch as a body with a choice of lenses like the 50mm's or a 28mm (usually it was advertised with the F 50mm f1.7). A bit later there came some F zooms like the F35-70. The zooms were not available at the launch of the SFX, but when the SFXn was released there was a choice of zooms. The first time that Pentax sold a camera with a kit lens in the Netherlands was with the MZ-5 accompanied by the new standard lens (instead of a 50mm) the FA 28-70mm F4. For this MZ5 you could buy the dedicated bag either for the 50mm combination or the 28-70 combination. This 28-70 was Made in Japan. I still own this lens (and the MZ-5).

08-19-2021, 05:44 AM	#7
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,357	Originally posted by Lord Lucan I have been looking on Ebay for a F 35-70mm zoom because it gets good PF reviews. They seem to be relatively rare The F 35-70 isn't rare by any stretch. It's optically excellent, even though the range is limited, it shoots above its weight. It's not from the "late" film era, it's from the beginning of the AF era. It's vastly superior to lenses like the FA 28-80.

08-19-2021, 06:00 AM	#8
boriscleto Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: North Syracuse, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,475	The 35-70 is much more common than the F 50/1.7 with SF cameras. And much more common than the 35-105 or 35-135. The F 24-50/4 seems to be rarest of all... The F 35-80 is much later.

08-19-2021, 06:45 AM	#9
AstroDave Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2007 Location: Flagstaff, Arizona Posts: 1,637	Originally posted by Lord Lucan I have been looking on Ebay for a F 35-70mm zoom because it gets good PF reviews Get one, I think you'll like its performance. I have both the SMC Pentax-A 35-70mm F4 and the SMC Pentax-F 35-70mm F3.5-4.5, both acquired via Ebay for very nice prices. I find them very useful for product shots - sharp, especially at f/8, and nice zoom range - but haven't used them at all in "the wild." For general walk around, I find the range is a bit limiting.

08-19-2021, 06:58 AM	#10
pres589 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wichita, KS Photos: Albums Posts: 4,529	The FA-J 18-35 is supposed to be excellent optically. Normhead has one and I think he's given it a full two thumbs up. The build quality and general feel of the thing is not supposed to be so great.

08-19-2021, 07:22 AM - 1 Like	#11
pschlute Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Surrey, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,192	I bought a Z-1 in the early 1990's. It came with FA 28-80 3.5/4.7 zoom. I was never impressed with that lens and later bought the FA 24-90 3.5/4.5 which was an excellent lens.

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08-19-2021, 09:57 AM	#12
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	The F 35-70 is quite good. So is the F 28-80 f/3.5-4.5. The 28-80 doesn't get reviewed quite as well as the 35-70 but at least my copy has always done well. Certainly not in the DFA 28-105 class, but quite good for the time. The FA versions of the 'kit' lens went down hill a bit IMHO. But the F versions were still solid, well made lenses.

08-19-2021, 01:54 PM	#13
jslifoaw Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Toronto/Victoria Posts: 460	The MZ-S was frequently pictured with the 24-90. It's an excellent (kit?) lens.

08-19-2021, 06:29 PM	#14
ramseybuckeye Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hampstead, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 17,291	Originally posted by Lord Lucan I have been looking on Ebay for a F 35-70mm zoom because it gets good PF reviews. They seem to be relatively rare. Try shopgoodwill, there seems too always be one or two bundled with cameras.

08-19-2021, 07:00 PM	#15
MarkJerling Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: May 2012 Location: Wairarapa, New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 20,403	Originally posted by Lord Lucan I have just looked at the PF reviews of the SFX (introduced 1987) ... Pentax SFX / SF1 - Pentax Autofocus Film SLRs - Pentax Camera Reviews and Specifications .... and a couple of people say that it came with the F 35-70mm, so it looks like it was used as a kit lens in some markets at least. I've bought 6 or 7 SFX and SFXn cameras over the years (Also sold as SF1 and SF1n) and almost all of them came with the F35-70mm lens. One came with a F50mm1.7 and one came with a F35-135mm lens. Interestingly, both SFX/SF1 and SFXn/SF1n owners manuals have on the front cover, a photo of the camera with the F35-70mm lens but all diagrams inside the manuals shows the F50mm1.4 lens. The lens range booklets from the same era all showed Pentax-F and Pentax-A lenses. The F35-135mm lens appears very similar in construction to the F35-70mm lens.