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SMC Pentax-A 28-80mm F3.5-4.5 Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-A 28-80mm F3.5-4.5

Sharpness 
 8.5
Aberrations 
 8.0
Bokeh 
 8.0
Handling 
 8.3
Value 
 9.3
Reviews Views Date of last review
7 136,414 Sun September 18, 2022
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $46.00 8.83
SMC Pentax-A 28-80mm F3.5-4.5

SMC Pentax-A 28-80mm F3.5-4.5
supersize
SMC Pentax-A 28-80mm F3.5-4.5
supersize

Description:
This auto-aperture SMC 28-80mm lens was succeeded by an autofocus version with the same aperture range. Note that there is also a cheaper version without super multi coating and with a simpler optical design.



SMC Pentax-A 28-80mm F3.5-4.5
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
Full-frame / 35mm film
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
Yes (A setting)
Diaphragm
Automatic, 5 blades
Optics
12 elements, 9 groups
Mount Variant
KA
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F3.5-4.5
Min. Aperture
F22-32
Focusing
Manual
Min. Focus
80 cm
Max. Magnification
Filter Size
58 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 55-20 ° / 46-17 °
Full frame: 75-30 ° / 65-25 °
Hood
Unknown
Case
Hard case HB-120
Lens Cap
Plastic clip-on
Coating
SMC
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
63 x 75 mm
Weight
355 g
Production Years
1986 to 1988
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-A ZOOM 1:3.5~4.5 28~80mm
Product Code
27017
Reviews
User reviews
Notes
Lens hood RH-B 60mm designed for the smc Pentax-A 24-50 mm F4 zoom lens will fit
Features:
Manual FocusAperture RingAutomatic ApertureFull-Frame SupportDiscontinued
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-A 28-80mm F3.5-4.5
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Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-7 of 7
New Member

Registered: November, 2013
Posts: 14

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: September 18, 2022 Recommended | Price: $45.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: very sharp PENTAX lens, fit to 1.7x AF converter
Cons: nothing
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: pentax k-5 k-x k200 k-s1 Fuji x-t100 z5p   

This lens is very similar to the TAKUMAR A lens (12/9 elements,too)

MY TIP FOR YOU:

The resolution is by approx 85 LP/mm = 170 black and white lines - this is a professional value (with 20-24 MP, naturally, not with 10 or 16 MP) - my cameras are all programmed to highest sharpness and contrast.

I've self made a test pin wall of 40 x 60 cm with very fine graphics and extreme fine lines - much more smaller than EAN codes. Test institutes with their ratings are not totally reliable because of obvisious sponsoring of some brands, unfortuntely.. A lens shaws its capacities especially by close ups. Far distant SIEMENS stars can show only raw CAs. And test photos with dark parts, sky or water - as often shown - are saying nothing about sharpness or CAs in the corners.

+++ the resolution of this lens for APS-C sensor ist phantastic (similar to a single lens) - stopped down a few to f 6.3, naturally.

++ scarecely CA visble only 1/2 pixel

++ AF goes very exact with 1.7 x AF converter (very rare to find)

++ with converter 70 LP = 140 black and white lines resoluted - this is a few below PENTAX 1.4/50 M single lens in same constellation.

+ few flare against the light

++ very sharp macro photos possible with achromatic diopter element on the top.

totally 9.5 points from me - because its outstanding sharpness as a zoom lens.
   
Senior Member

Registered: November, 2009
Posts: 158
Review Date: November 20, 2019 Recommended | Price: $10.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: IQ, Low price
Cons: zoom creep
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K-5   

Got it with a P30n for a total of 20€ didn't expect much, but was positively surprised! (As was my cat...)

Will write more, as I use this lens more. Just one image worth sharing so far.

@80mm, wide open.
   
New Member

Registered: June, 2017
Posts: 2
Review Date: December 29, 2017 Recommended | Rating: N/A 

 
Pros:
Cons:

I have 8 blades Automatic Diaphragm.
   
Forum Member

Registered: August, 2011
Posts: 99

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: February 16, 2012 Recommended | Price: $45.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: sharp and good build quality
Cons: none

I got this lens when i bought my Pentax ME, it is one of my favorite lenses as it contains good all around sharpness. It also has Macro mode for those close ups, and mine has produced many good photos, overall a briiliant little lens!
   
Giveaway winner!

Registered: December, 2007
Location: beantown
Posts: 944

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: December 13, 2010 Recommended | Price: $45.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Does do the job and the SMC is working
Cons: Still needs a hood
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 9   

This is not a bad lens thanks to the fact it is a SMC version... compared to the non-SMC I also own.

Right off to say I've gotten about 48-55 lpmm neighbourhood of average sharpness at f6.3 to f11 and with the addition of a hood seemed to be the biggest improvement, add another 7 to 12 lpmm is my guess at the chart. Real world is that the center sharpness is acceptable, but the edges do drop off a little. I've used it for walking around and it was great for that, but I was still swapping it for primes. It has been on two different vacations now and has been a decent lens. The wide angle hood accommodates the 28mm side some, but the 80mm end of things still needing my hand position over the front to block the glare? To bad the the front spins when focused or I could have fitted it with a petal hood instead and this again is the SMC version.

Update: Some more vacation picture processed and since I didn't mark the shots, I can't distinguish prime from zoom shots. Given that I was using in daylight or bright and with an average of f8, only under the microscope can I see the difference on the negatives... scanned images are not informative... chemical prints would be better. So I would say that generally... not a bad lens.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: November, 2008
Location: The Untied States
Posts: 1,881

4 users found this helpful
Review Date: July 10, 2009 Recommended | Price: $85.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Prime quality throughout zoom range, even wide open
Cons: Really useless macro mode (quality-wise)

As stated by other reviewers, the lens currently pictured is NOT of the SMC-A 28-80. It's of the Takumar/A (non-SMC) 28-80 (both having similar appearances). The SMC-A has the standard waffle grip trademarked on all SMC-A lenses.

Now, about the lens. This lens has FANTASTIC image quality, even wide open (which is recognized as f/4 throughout the range on my K20D). It really is "prime quality", for example, images taken with this lens at f/3.5 (wide open) versus an SMC-A 50/1.7 at f/1.7 (wide open) yield about the same amount (or lack thereof) of coma, CA, etc. Very, very sharp and great, saturated, accurate colors.

Another plus is the construction of the lens. I love the sturdy waffle grip that's on almost all Pentax MF lenses. This lens also has a 'loose' focusing ring which I personally like. It's not heavily damped and you can traverse the entire focus range quickly and easily. It's also VERY small and compact, no bigger really than the 135/2.8 prime or other lenses around that size.



Now onto the cons: first and foremost, the macro mode sucks. You can't get incredibly close (I mean sure, it's closer, but not even close to 1:2 if my judgment is on). You can go into macro mode from 50mm to 80mm, and it's awful no matter what focal length you're at. Huge, unbearable amounts of coma all the way until f/9.5 or so, and even then, there are odd abberations in the quality of the image, almost like shot through a poor-quality teleconverter/fisheye attachment. Not CA, but like how the edges get warped and streched looking. All throughout the image. Even past f/9.5 Macro focusing was DEFINITELY an afterthought with this lens.

Another con is the zoom ring. I guess it had to be quite small in order to fit onto the tiny body of this lens, but it's not very easy to find or turn. It's about the width of a modern focusing ring on an AF lens -- that is, small.

This lens is really perplexing. The image quality in regular focusing mode is truly excellent, really genuinely deserving of the "prime quality" (indistinguishable from my primes past f/5.6) moniker. Great but not perfect colors, and being an A lens with accurate exposure makes it very very easily recommendable. However, the macro mode is so bad, at least on my copy, that you shouldn't expect to use it for... anything.

If you just respect this as a super-sharp classic Pentax-quality 28-80mm lens, you will be extremely satisfied!
   
Veteran Member

Registered: February, 2007
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 614

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: February 20, 2008 Recommended | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Well built, good IQ, inexpensive.
Cons:
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 7    Value: 8   

A good all round lens - very usable as an all-rounder.

I have used this lens to take ALL my photos from 1990-2006, and it has produced some lovely images.

Bearing in mind I have only printed 4x6 images, I suppose if you enlarge them you'll find some flaws with the piece, but it has been across three continents and is still a great piece.

Recommended for amateurs and 4x6's.

The 8/10 rating is based on everything including my own personal feeling and experiences, performance to price ratio, and image quality.
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