Originally posted by lats Are there any articles (unbiased) that discuss the quality of the old glass?
I'm always interested to read these differences.
Hi lats,
These aren't articles, but here are some links to sites that have info on some of the older lenses.
SPLOSdb This info is pretty old, but that's what we're talking about here. . .
J Colwell's ratings are pretty close for those lenses that I've gotten. From experience, I've found (*) to be very good, (**) to be very good+, (!) to be excellent, and (!!) must be outrageously good, but I've no way to tell because I've never been lucky enough to get one. Considering the price, of course, I wouldn't hesitate much buying any of the lenses with these 4 ratings. He also has lists for the big 4 (at the time) 3rd party lenses. See their new site for current lenses.
jcolwell.ca - SPLOSdb
The old Photodo site -- Again this is pretty old info, but it lists the adjusted MTF ratings for a lot of A, F, and FA lenses.
http://old.photodo.com/prod/lens/pentax.shtml#Pentax
The Photozone Lens Performance Survey for Pentax K mount has a lot of good info, but the survey ratings are pretty critical in general. I don't go by these ratings, but it's a good source to confirm ratings from other sources. They also include 3rd party lenses. Full reviews are also posted for current lenses in the review section.
Pentax Lens Performance Survey
Might not be what you're looking for, but there's good info in each of these.
Scott