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Pentax Lens Review Database » Pentax 645 Medium Format Lenses » 645 Wide-Angle Primes
SMC Pentax-A 645 45mm F2.8 Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-A 645 45mm F2.8

Sharpness 
 8.0
Aberrations 
 6.8
Bokeh 
 7.6
Handling 
 9.4
Value 
 9.6
Reviews Views Date of last review
7 74,833 Wed May 17, 2023
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $188.00 8.83
SMC Pentax-A 645 45mm F2.8
supersize


Description:

Manual focus wide angle lens with a field of view corresponding roughly to 30mm in the 24x36mm film format.


smc Pentax-A 645 45mm F2.8
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
645 film
Lens Mount
Pentax 645
Aperture Ring
Yes (A setting)
Diaphragm
Automatic, 8 blades
Optics
9 elements, 8 groups
Mount Variant
645 A
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F2.8
Min. Aperture
F22
Focusing
Manual
Min. Focus
45 cm
Max. Magnification
0.15x
Filter Size
67 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

645 Digital: 63 ° / 52 °
645 Film: 75 ° / 64 °
Hood
RH-RA 70mm screw-in
Case
S80-120
Lens Cap
Plastic clip-on
Coating
SMC
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
74 x 66.5 mm (2.9 x 2.6 in.)
Weight
400 g (w/o attachments) (14.1 oz.)
Production Years
N/A
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-A 645 1:2.8 45mm
Reviews
User reviews
Features:
Manual FocusAperture RingAutomatic ApertureMedium-Format SupportAdapter needed for DSLRsDiscontinued
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-A 645 45mm F2.8
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-7 of 7
Pentaxian

Registered: January, 2009
Location: East Bay Area, CA
Posts: 6,612

6 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 21, 2014 Recommended | Price: $200.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: small, good IQ, smooth focus ring. good price
Cons: not as sharp as the A35, but faster and less $
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: 645D   

This focal length fits perfectly between the 35 and 55 and for its compact size, i find it a useful lens. Build is excellent, on par with the other sturdy metal A-lenses and the focusing ring is super smooth. I find the A35 to edge this out slightly in sharpness, but I would not avoid using the lens for that reason, as the results are very nice and the price is right.

Here are some pics using my A45/2.8
The Gold Coast (Explore #100)

China Camp (Explore #38)

Black Diamond Sunset
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: October, 2018
Location: Quebec City, Quebec
Posts: 6,493

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: December 1, 2019 Recommended | Price: $200.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Useful focal length for landscapes, sharp at middle apertures, light, very well-made..
Cons: Much maligned in technical reviews but an excellent lens in reality.
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: PENTAX 645Z   


The bottom half of the picture has been magnified and holds great sharpness in fine details right up to the extreme corners of the image. Taken handheld,1/320 sec @ f/9. This lens is very usable in landscape photography. Maybe there was a great variability in the production of the lens, I consider myself lucky as this particular optic has always given me excellent pictures, contrasty and sharp from corner-to-corner.

Very uniform sharpness corner-to-corner.

No ghosting, no veiling.


OPTIMUM APERTURE OPENING : f/11
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: November, 2011
Location: pontiac mi.
Posts: 392

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 3, 2019 Recommended | Rating: N/A 

 
Pros: light.good iq
Cons: none really
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 3    Bokeh: 5    Handling: 9    Value: 9   

I bought this lens for wide angle work, but as I picked up on the crop factor between the film and digital models, I found it to be s normall lens for the 645D.
the 75mm f2.8 now becomes a good portrait lens. others may see the 55mm as better, but to my eyes the 45mm is just fine.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: October, 2008
Location: Albuquerque NM
Posts: 9,830

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: July 14, 2010 Recommended | Price: $150.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp, compact and fast
Cons: Manual focus only

I lusted after the 35mm, but this is the widest I could afford. The IQ has been terrific for me so far, and the field of view, about like a 28mm on 135, is extremely useful. It is part of my "compact" kit for the 645.
   
Senior Member

Registered: September, 2009
Location: LA, CA
Posts: 131

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: December 3, 2010 Recommended | Price: $130.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Pretty sharp, even wide open. Low CA. Amazing durability.
Cons: A bit heavy for field shooting, loose aperture ring

I'm constantly impressed with Pentax medium format primes, and the to shoot wide angle & sharp at 2.8 for low light and some portrait work has really come in handy. It shoots sharper and is faster compared to Mamiya RZ67 65mm f/4 and that's amazing. The barrel distortion is minimal as well.

I did lug it around backpacking in Kashmir and I take it hiking every so often. It definitely weighs a bit, but if you're shooting in the field with MF - you know what to expect. That said, the lens has taken quite a few falls, bumps, and immersion in mud, snow, etc. without any issue. My lens has a loose aperture ring that doesn't have a firm click. I bought it used, cheap so no surprises and no issues.
   
Senior Member

Registered: October, 2018
Location: Paris
Posts: 215
Review Date: May 17, 2023 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: character, bokeh, usefull focal lenght
Cons: not sharp for far distance subjects at wider apertures
Sharpness: 6    Aberrations: 5    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: 645N, GFX   

This is not an all time favorite for many, but now that I have it I can explain why.

This lens is supposed to be less sharp than the Pentax 645 45-85mm F/4.5 at the same focal lenght, and without pixel peeping my pictures this is an evidence in some situations (far distance subjects, so probably not your main lense for landscapes...). Note that the zoom may not be perfect either, it disappointed me sometimes at full aperture at 85mm, but it is really trustable at 45mm, where this tiny prime can't compete for every uses.

Closed down, the sharpness is better, this is true, but I can't shoot handled everyday at F/11 under the clouds or when the night fall early, which means at least half of the year in Paris.

But I can't say this lens is bad. For close subjects, like portraits in an interior environnement you have 1.5 stops more than the zoom, which may be an important gap for your iso and speed choices. In this kind of situations, that fit perfectly the use of a 35mm FF equivalent prime, and this lense really convinced me, even it is not perfect.

In facts, at F/2.8 with close subjects, you will produce a very nice bokeh around your subject, with a lot of characters. Which includes chromatic aberrations, sometime untreatable (large cyan and greens area in the out of focus zone with strong contrasts, where you would have expected some grey). Yes.
But does it remember you something ? For me this is exactly how SMC Pentax FA limited works, and I may use this lense with that in mind.

This thing is not the 645 35mm ou 75mm, this is another proposal from Pentax that can't be completely ignored.

At 75mm, adapted on my GFX i chose the 645 prime when I want a perflectly clean and sharp image, but I ofen adapt the smc pentax 77mm limited for the brighter aperture and its magic rendering; and it has never been over sharp on 645 sensors at 1.8. This will be the same thing with the 45mm; if I want a sharp image for landscape or everyday use, the 45-85 zoom or the 45mm F/4 for 67 are good lenses. If I want some magic in my pictures, or if i want a light kit for street photo this light prime lens would be in the one on the camera.
   
New Member

Registered: February, 2013
Posts: 11
Review Date: April 16, 2013 Recommended | Price: $260.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros:
Cons: Dispersion is heavy than the DA lens
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 9    Camera Used: K-5 IIs   

Add Review of SMC Pentax-A 645 45mm F2.8



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