Author: | | 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 | | | | 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
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