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Pentax Lens Review Database » Pentax 645 Medium Format Lenses » 645 Telephoto Primes
SMC Pentax-A 645 200mm F4 Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-A 645 200mm F4

Sharpness 
 7.0
Aberrations 
 7.0
Bokeh 
 8.5
Handling 
 9.0
Value 
 8.0
Reviews Views Date of last review
3 43,884 Sat May 4, 2019
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
67% of reviewers $260.00 8.00
SMC Pentax-A 645 200mm F4


Description:

Telephoto lens, manual focus.


smc Pentax-A 645 200mm F4
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
645 film
Lens Mount
Pentax 645
Aperture Ring
Yes (A setting)
Diaphragm
Automatic, 8 blades
Optics
4 elements, 4 groups
Mount Variant
645 A
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F4
Min. Aperture
F32
Focusing
Manual
Min. Focus
200 cm
Max. Magnification
0.13x
Filter Size
58 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

645 Digital: 16 ° / 13 °
645 Film: 20 ° / 16 °
Hood
Built-in, slide out
Case
S80-160
Lens Cap
Plastic clip-on
Coating
SMC
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
74 x 116 mm (2.9 x 4.6 in.)
Weight
570 g (w/o attachments) (20 oz.)
Production Years
N/A
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-A 645 1:4 200mm
Reviews
User reviews
Features:
Manual FocusBuilt-in HoodAperture RingAutomatic ApertureMedium-Format SupportAdapter needed for DSLRsDiscontinued
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-A 645 200mm F4
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-3 of 3
Forum Member

Registered: February, 2015
Posts: 93

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: May 4, 2019 Recommended | Price: $30.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp, build quality
Cons: Can't think of any
Sharpness: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: 645   

I recently bought a 645 to experience medium format photography and found this lens at a swap meet for $30.
After reading the previous review I wasn't expecting much but was truly blown away by both the lens and by medium format in general. Very sharp (at least at f5.6 - f11 where I was shooting at), and very 3d. I'm not sure if the 3d effect is what I can expect from this format in general but it was a true revelation for me. Photos from my first shoot are here : kagreen.myportfolio.com if anyone's interested in seeing full size. Pics were shot with Delta 400 pro and developed in D76.
Highly recommended
   
Site Supporter

Registered: May, 2015
Location: Kaneohe, HI
Posts: 3,526

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: January 21, 2016 Not Recommended | Price: $450.00 | Rating: 6 

 
Pros: Relatively light.
Cons: Soft; not sharp.
Sharpness: 5    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 6    Camera Used: Pentax 645   

I've owned and used this lens new since acquiring my 645 body, 35mm & 75mm primes, back in the late 80's. Compared to the exceptional sharpness and rendering qualities of those wide-angle and normal primes, this telephoto produces disappointingly soft and low contrast images. 4 elements in 4 groups may be problematic.

Considering the other reviewer's assessment, I may have gotten a flawed copy, but have assumed it was just the nature of this lens and its design. As a prime, I do have higher expectations and the 200mm f/4 has what I would consider the equivalent of below average zoom quality at that focal length. A majority of my photography is enlarged and printed to at least 16x20" gelatin silver prints or A3+ (13x19") inkjet from scans, so perhaps I'd be more satisfied with smaller images with less magnification.

Today I shot a test roll of 120 Ilford Delta 100 developed in Kodak Xtol. In full sun, I shot the posted examples of two mops wide open at f/4 @ 1/1000" as well as mid-aperture f/9.5 @ 1/250". The negs were scanned on a Minolta Dimage Scan Multi Pro at 3200 dpi, saved as TIFF files. In PS CS6, I optimized the levels and put in a 3 pixel high pass filter that was overlay then merged.


As a point of comparison, I've also uploaded two shots from my 75mm f/2.8 prime (spider webs and ladder).



With the scan and image editing, I find the sharpness and contrast acceptable, but still low enough that I wouldn't change my evaluation of the lens. If I had to work with the negative in the darkroom, I am certain the print would be considerably softer with my standard 16x20 gelatin silver enlargements, and much lower contrast than would be expected of TMax 100.

Before making any final judgement, I need to run a good color test to assess color rendition and any chromatic aberration. Based on my tests, this lens is distortion free and shows very little vignetting.
   
Junior Member

Registered: January, 2011
Location: Perthshire
Posts: 29

5 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 6, 2011 Recommended | Price: $300.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Small, light, very sharp even at f4
Cons: Somewhat difficult to focus on the 645D

I've done extensive testing with this lens with this lens since buying the 645D, as I expect it to be one of my workhorse lenses. I can find no negative aspects at all, except a slight difficulty in being certain of sharp focus with certain subjects. This appears to be due to some property of the ground-glass screen in the 645D which does not permit the image to "snap" into focus. I find the same problem with any lens longer than 100mm.

The 200mm A f4 is small, lightweight, sharp and has pleasing bokeh at f5 and 5.6
Add Review of SMC Pentax-A 645 200mm F4



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