Senior Member Registered: February, 2010 Location: Colorado Posts: 105 | | Review Date: July 18, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Nice and wide, Wonderful focus movements, | | Cons: | A bit heavy | |
Equivalent to a 21mm, I use this lens a lot for landscape. I couldn't afford or even find the auto-focus version, but I am extremely happy with this lens. Using hyperfocal technique works very well for this 35mm lens: set lens at a smaller aperture and place the focus distance in the middle of my focus range.
The mechanical smoothness of focusing on these manual P645 lenses is just a dream. I also like the yellow nub that helps line up the lens, a cosmetic/vanity detail missing in the FA lenses. 77mm works with my Nikon filters.
Ebay and KEH pricing in 2009 was around $500 for exc+ quality. I consider that a very good price, and these seem to be priced higher in mid-2010.
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Forum Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Ventana Wilderness, CA Posts: 83
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 13, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $285.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Extremely sharp, nice sunburst shapes shooting into sun | | Cons: | Data to 645N body sometimes dithers between f/19-f/22 when set at f/22 | |
This lens is the reason I bought into the P645 system and it's the only one I own for my P645N. It does near-far compositions with amazing results, though DOF improves when set using the hyperfocal distance. I haven't run tests but I am reasonably sure that the lens can put down on film a lpmm resolution that exceeds what a Nikon Coolscan 9000 is capable of recording (~67 lpmm), which indicates a need for a drum scanner at a native 5000 dpi or greater to scrape all the detail off the best images made with this lens.
The focusing helicoid could not be improved upon, it is absolutely wonderful.
Really nicely color balanced. Lens achieves such high sharpness at a cost of being excessively contrasty in some circumstances like snow and beach scenes with transparency films; better stick with Astia 100F (works better than Velvia 50 with this level of contrast). Renders best of all used with a polarizer and Ektar or Fujicolor Pro 160S.
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New Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Tennessee Posts: 3
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 21, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Durable, good optics, smooth action, well made | | Cons: | None; exceeds expectations. | |
I'll say "Estimated $400" on the price because I picked up this lens as part of a package deal on consignment; four lenses and a 645 with some extras at just under $2000.
This is one of my most frequently used lenses. Daily carry. I use it on my Pentax K1000 with a 645 Adapter K; my 645 will hold my workhorse zoom 80-160mm, between those two cameras and two lenses; that's my basic daily kit.
I also use this lens on my K200D DSLR; 100% completely satisfied.
With the small format cameras, performance has the focus benefits of wide angle and a field of view comparable to a normal 50mm lens. Good for snap-shots in the classical sense; quick to gain focus through acceptable DOF. A small format street shooter would like it. Also good for medium format landscape work. Overall, very versatile; a strong answer to any type of wide angle lens application.
With my 645, I'd have to say there's minimal vignetting in the viewfinder only. I have never had any problems with unevenness of exposure of a frame; that's limited to appearance in viewfinder. Negative exposure is consistent corner to corner.
77mm diameter filter fittings are a great convenience; I prefer that diameter for my medium format gear, and that's what this lens has.
Aperture to f/3.5 is fast enough for me. I like this lens.
It's a well made wide angle lens. My angle of view with this lens; I estimate composing with it as four handspans at arm's length on the long side and two handspans at arm's length on the short side for use with a 645.
Smooth action, durable, frequently used. Great utility lens.
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Administrator Registered: September, 2006 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Posts: 4,408 | | Review Date: January 16, 2007 | Recommended
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | Super wide angle | | Cons: | Vigneting in the finder, microprisms hard to use (645) | |
I checked this lens out in a store with a 645, but have no practical experience with it and can therefore not rate it. But I wanted to report on the following:
The image in the finder is somewhat dark for an f/3.5, and the corners are very dark. At first I thought there was a fault with that particular lens, but various sources indicate that the dark corners are caused by the fresnel lens on the focusing screen combined with the high angle with which the light rays hit the screen and that the actual pictures have no vigneting.
I have not checked the finder image with a 645N or Nii.
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