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07-29-2018, 05:58 AM   #1
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How sharp the old SMC lenses are for the K1?

I wonder how good (sharpness / contrast / colours) the old Pentax SMC lenses may be for the K1 and if they can beat or at least be good contenders for my Zeiss Distagon 2.8/25, 2/28 and 2/35.

07-29-2018, 06:04 AM - 2 Likes   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by alvaro_garcia Quote
I wonder how good (sharpness / contrast / colours) the old Pentax SMC lenses may be for the K1 and if they can beat or at least be good contenders for my Zeiss Distagon 2.8/25, 2/28 and 2/35.
The SMC Pentax 28/2 "Hollywood" is a Zeiss Distagon...
07-29-2018, 08:51 AM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
The SMC Pentax 28/2 "Hollywood" is a Zeiss Distagon...
According to Zeiss, the 28/2 is the least sharp of their Distagons.

zeiss pentax k-1 - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com
07-29-2018, 09:13 AM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by lytrytyr Quote
According to Zeiss, the 28/2 is the least sharp of their Distagons.

zeiss pentax k-1 - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com
It's my favourite focal length :-(

07-29-2018, 10:19 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by lytrytyr Quote
According to Zeiss, the 28/2 is the least sharp of their Distagons.

zeiss pentax k-1 - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com
Yet it's one of the best and most liked lenses. Not really a surprise as people have only recently become pixel peepers. The old lenses have aberrations and other issues which lend themselves to creating special images (example being huge field curvature on the 28mm).
07-29-2018, 10:31 AM - 1 Like   #6
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Stopped down to f/4 28/2 distagon is in-your-face pin sharp. It is able to produce moire with pixel shift which is a feat in itself.
07-29-2018, 10:34 AM - 1 Like   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by lytrytyr Quote
According to Zeiss, the 28/2 is the least sharp of their Distagons.

zeiss pentax k-1 - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com
Which version of the Zeiss 28/2 does that link call out? There were three Zeiss 28/2 formulas - the original, developed from a cinema lens formula (Hollywood), the Contax T* 28/2 and the current version. The Pentax K28/2 co-developed version is #1.


Last edited by monochrome; 07-29-2018 at 11:39 AM.
07-29-2018, 11:15 AM   #8
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Comments on other lenses?
07-29-2018, 11:25 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by alvaro_garcia Quote
I wonder how good (sharpness / contrast / colours) the old Pentax SMC lenses may be for the K1 and if they can beat or at least be good contenders for my Zeiss Distagon 2.8/25, 2/28 and 2/35.
question: how old is old

" The modern SMC coating that DA lenses have been using for about a decade now isn't the same as the SMC coating that Pentax originally launched in the 1970's. In fact, most DA lenses have been said to have a "ghostless" coating, so while we don't expect the difference between SMC and HD coating to be be a game-changer, it should certainly still be easy to observe.

Read more at: HD vs. SMC Pentax Limited Primes Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

this in depth review of SMC vs. HD limited is dated 2013

so if you are discussing SMC

what time period ??
07-29-2018, 11:44 AM - 1 Like   #10
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As a general rule all the SMCP (K) lenses are as sharp on the K-1 as they were on film. The best of them are stellar lenses on K-1. IMO K28/2, K28/3.5, K35/3.5, K50/1.4, K55/1.8, K85/1.8, K105/2.8 are sharp enough to outresolve the sensor, not to infer the others are soft. Others can chime in. You can see from the link in my signature I own almost all of them.

Note that these are in many cases the S-M-C or SMC Takumar lenses remounted in K-mount. They render a bit warmer than M and A lenses and they are designed to an earlier film era taste for sharp centers and softer edges to promote the center subject of the image. If you are looking for the modern, clinical edge-to-edge sharpness you might be disappointed.

Review the later pages of the K Club. Many of those images were shot on K-1.
07-29-2018, 12:12 PM   #11
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Aslyfox, I assume they mean the "K" lenses, but I guess the OP could clarify.

Based on my research, it seems that only certain lenses are referred to as having ghostless coating, with no particular emphasis on DA vs. FA, other than eventually there would probably be more DA than pre-DA.
07-29-2018, 12:19 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by leekil Quote
Aslyfox, I assume they mean the "K" lenses, but I guess the OP could clarify.

Based on my research, it seems that only certain lenses are referred to as having ghostless coating, with no particular emphasis on DA vs. FA, other than eventually there would probably be more DA than pre-DA.
the article I cite to is discussing DA lenses

here is another source


" Lens Coating

The lens name prefix smc or HD indicates the type of coating. SMC stands for Super Multi Coating and was introduced back in the 1960'es. Naturally this coating has evolved and been improved over time. HD stands for High Definition and is a new coating introduced in 2012. The purpose of a lens coating is to reduce light loss as light rays travel through the lens elements and also to reduce stray light reflecting off the lens element surfaces. The net effect is less flare, less ghosting and better contrast.

Certain budget lenses from the film era lack SMC or HD coating and have no smc or HD prefix in their name. "

Pentax K-Mount Lenses Explained: The differences between various Pentax lens series
07-29-2018, 12:52 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by Aslyfox Quote
The net effect is less flare, less ghosting and better contrast.
But "less ghosting" is not the same as "ghostless", or Pentax ghostless coating.

The Ricoh/Pentax lens technology page says about HD coating "It is also effective in reducing ghosting and flare." But later on the page it says "Moreover, some lenses use PENTAX's exclusive ghostless coating for reducing reflections from specific types of light for minimizing the occurrence of ghosting."

Pentax Lens Technology
07-29-2018, 02:52 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by monochrome Quote
Which version of the Zeiss 28/2 does that link call out? There were three Zeiss 28/2 formulas - the original, developed from a cinema lens formula (Hollywood), the Contax T* 28/2 and the current version. The Pentax K28/2 co-developed version is #1.
And which one version is the best?

---------- Post added 07-29-18 at 02:53 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Aslyfox Quote
question: how old is old

" The modern SMC coating that DA lenses have been using for about a decade now isn't the same as the SMC coating that Pentax originally launched in the 1970's. In fact, most DA lenses have been said to have a "ghostless" coating, so while we don't expect the difference between SMC and HD coating to be be a game-changer, it should certainly still be easy to observe.

Read more at: HD vs. SMC Pentax Limited Primes Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

this in depth review of SMC vs. HD limited is dated 2013

so if you are discussing SMC

what time period ??
I'm refering to all SMC lenses advertised on Ebay.
07-29-2018, 05:09 PM - 1 Like   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by monochrome Quote
Which version of the Zeiss 28/2 does that link call out? There were three Zeiss 28/2 formulas - the original, developed from a cinema lens formula (Hollywood), the Contax T* 28/2 and the current version. The Pentax K28/2 co-developed version is #1.
The link refers to the current version.
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