Pentaxian Registered: February, 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,272
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 6, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $475.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Small, sharp | | Cons: | Some variability in perfomance from lens to lens | |
There are two versions of the 45mm, both are optically the same. The pre-1990 version has rougher aperture ring grip and slightly different rubber focusing ring. I have owned one since 1990 and is probably my most used lens. Needless to say, it is great for landscapes and seascapes. I always take this lens for travel work as it is small and has the angle of view for travel landscapes. This 9 element cross section is very similar to the 21mm Super Angulon-R used for the Leicaflex cameras. Its thick central elements show that the design has Biogon heritage, although modified to clear the mirror box. It uses a floating element for better close up spherical aberration correction. An obvious atttempt to correct the traditional barrel distortion seen in wide SLR lenses, was made. Its slight mustache distortion is not a show stopper. One can have the ocean in the shot without worry of it being noticably curved. I have found that the 45 is better corrected for distortion than Pentax's wide lenses for its 35mm cameras. This lens has an 8 blade diaphragm. The rear of the lens has a gel filter clip, should one want to use one. I use mine stopped down to at least f/8 and mostly to f/22. I have shot it at f/4 a few times with good results. This lens is well corrected optically and is pretty sharp in the corners at f/5.6. This lens is easily sharp enough for publication purposes. My estimate for lp/mm is 85. When comparing chromes from this lens with the 55-100 zoom, they look very similar until you look way off axis, then you can see just how sharp the zoom really is. That's why the zoom is a 10 rating and the 45 is a 9. There are reports of variation in performance from copy to copy, so my estimate above is from what I have seen. Once again, the DOF scale is a bit optimistic, so one has to be a little conservative when setting up shots with DOF. I suggest at least a half stop different on the scale. I have only seen lateral color with this lens in a few shots with extreme contrast . This equates to 4 shots out of 2000 over 20 years. Be careful when using a polarizer with this one, since it is wide enough to cause differential light/dark areas across the sky.
I would have preferrred that the 45 be upgraded like the 55mm to a Distagon-like design but the 45 was probably left alone because it performed so well as is. If I have a choice between using the 45mm or my 55-100 zoom, I usually choose the zoom.
Overall a great lens.
| |
Senior Member Registered: February, 2009 Location: SLovakia Posts: 141
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 5, 2009 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | This lens is optically near perfection, very good sharpness, no flares in direct sun | | Cons: | Just one negative - only 8 aperture blades !!!! | |
This lens is very close to be perfect. Sharpness is very good, also in corners, flares are very well controlled.
I donīt like just one thing - this lens has only 8 aperture blades,
what is a pitty, because when sun is photographed, there are only
8 light strokes. If it would have non-pair number of blades, like 9,
there could be beautiful 18 strokes!
Lens has very nice bokeh:
 | |
Site Supporter Registered: February, 2008 Location: MT Posts: 1,350 | | Review Date: March 6, 2008 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | compact size, image quality, rugged | | Cons: | no modern hood available | |
The color rendition of subjects is very impressive. Though the lens isn't billed as having any high tech elements...aspherics, ED or anything. Both color and minimal distortion would suggest to me that typically unhyped Pentax just didn't say anything about it. Overall color cast is a bit cool, but I use a Pentax Cloudy filter almost always which warms it to where I like it.
30x40 enlargements are still quite crisp. Recently had a magazine run a full-page spread of an image shot through this lens. Of course, it came out great! Full page isn't much enlargement from the 6x7 cm original transparency.
Like the rest of the 67 system, it's built like a brick house and survives my field use very well.
The optional Pentax hood isn't very substantial and there is no modern tulip shaped hood available from Pentax. Good news is this lens is generally flare free considering the wide angle. With a better hood, this lens could get a 10 rating from me.
| |
Junior Member Registered: February, 2007 Location: Okinawa, Japan Posts: 25 | |
;)
;)
