Originally posted by MJKoski 
How do you like the lens? Capable of sharp image stopped down @ f/5.6? Some copies for sale here locally for like 50$.
I like the lens well enough. While it's not necessarily blazingly sharp (my Tamron 70-200 is sharper), it's sharp enough for my purposes. It features the classic Pentax pictorial rendering of detail, with emphasis on smoothness of transitional lines rather than mere acutance. Be that as it may, the images the lens produces nevertheless can often tolerate quite a bit of sharpening in post --- more so than is usually the case. What I like most about the lens is its slowish f3.5 aperture. The smaller aperture means smaller size (it's wonderfully compact, like a DA limited lens) and less glass (only five elements). Less glass means better flare control and better contrast. In landscape work photographing scenes at a distance (which is what I chiefly use the lens for), contrast is more important than sharpness, since you're losing resolution due to atmospheric disturbance. The lens is not, in terms of numerical specs, on the level of modern, over-corrected 135mm lenses. It's suffers from some minor aberration flaws which need to be fixed in post. But if used in a way to emphasize its strengths it's capable of producing beautiful images.
One more image from the lens, also shot with the KP:
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