Originally posted by k100d i'm not really looking for very very technical details, but more about the philosophy and some good stories about lens development.
How could I forget to mention the wonderful Marco Cavina's website. If you don't read Italian, you'll have to use an online translator, but it's definitely worth the effort. The site is not specifically about Pentax, but there are great stories about the development of some of the legendary Pentax lenses. Here's a link to the main page:
ARTICOLI TECNICI DI ARGOMENTO FOTOGRAFICO by MARCO CAVINA
Here's an article about Pentax 20/2 and 18/2 prototypes:
I FIGLI PERDUTI DI PENTAX
This one is about the 20/1.4 prototype from 1976:
LO SMC PENTAX
This one is about the Zeiss Distagon 28/2, which later became the SMC Pentax 28/2:
ZEISS DISTAGON 28mm f
And here's the story of the SMC Pentax 28/2:
SMC PENTAX 28mm f
This one is about the Ultra-Achromatic Takumar 85/4.5:
ULTRA
This one is about the Pentax M 40/2.8 "son of Tessar" pancake:
IL TIPO TESSAR EVOLUTO
This one is about the legendary SMC Pentax 35/1.4:
SMC
This one is about the birth of the Pentax 50/1.2 lens:
ASAHI PENTAX ED UNA PRIMIZIA RIMASTA SCONOSCIUTA
This one is about the Pentax A* 85/1.4:
ASAHI PENTAX A
... and dozens of other fascinating articles. This site is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in camera lenses. Highly recommended.
Cheers!
Abbazz