| Author: | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2010 Posts: 753
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 17, 2011 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Compact body, sharp, creamy bokeh, quick AF, | | Cons: | Purple fringing, loose MF ring, 6 leaf iris, too expensive | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
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I had this lens for just a two weeks to try, provided by my friend. I compared it with my DA*50-135 and in some ways it compared favourably, in some less. Let's start with the body - lens is beautifully balanced on K-7, body feels very solid and lens has just about a right size for me. Build quality is high with both lenses, FA gets the advantage when it comes to size and balance. On the other hand DA*'s focusing ring is way better then that of FA135.
IQ wise - FA135 is less contrasty than DA lens. Both lenses are moreless equaly sharp. Bokehwise - FA has a more creamy bokeh, but tends to display iris shape in highlight which is sometimes quite unpleasant. DA has more rounded iris. FA 135 also displays purple fringing easily in high contrast situations.
I would say DA*50-135 is a bit better lens, but FA is really strong contender: way cheaper, much more compact and with quicker AF - these are strong points for me to consider.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2009 Location: San Francisco Posts: 471
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 23, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Can see in the dark, sharp, compact | | Cons: | Hard to find, none otherwise | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
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I got this lens for shooting events, in poorly lit auditoriums and halls, and it is working out perfectly. The focal length is perfect from shooting from seats and the wide aperture range allows for all kinds of cool shots.
Some people complain about the focus ring, but I have to say that I found shooting in a dark place, and trying to catch performers jumping, and moving around in general, the otherwise speedy auto focus is not enough and use it on manual mostly. I have had no issues at all with the focus ring. If you were only not getting one of these due to all the folks complaining about the focus ring being hard to use, I say, get it. The ring works well.
Couple shots, one in the dark where it shines (pun intended) and one outside.
Graduation by j@ys0n, on Flickr
Patas Focus by j@ys0n, on Flickr
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2010 Location: Lyon Posts: 11 | | Review Date: December 6, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | very fast AF, lightweight, unexpensive | | Cons: | no weather sealing and SDM | |
I think it's the fastest AF Pentax lense.
Even in low light I can focus.
I prefer the FA 135mm than my Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 because it's lightweight and AF is really faster !
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: April, 2010 Location: Wiltshire/Hampshire Posts: 1,760 | | Review Date: November 9, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $305.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Very sharp at f3.5, robust build quality, fast focus, great colours | | Cons: | Only moderately sharp at f/2.8, slight PF wide open | |
A fantastic lens, but I find it a bit long on APSC.
Pros:
Lightning fast focus (fasted Pentax AF I've ever used) on K10D
Great SMC colours
Incredibly sharp at f/3.5+
Close focusing
Build quality (metal barrel)
Compact and light (compared to DA50-135 for example)
Cons:
A touch soft at f/2.8 (understandable)
Slight PF in high contrast situations wide-open
Err... not that great looking?
I'm talking myself into keeping it here! A great lens - the focusing is superb, photos show virtually no softness or distortion. PF not an issue in day to day use.
Very close to a 9 actually.
| | | | | | | Forum Member Registered: April, 2008 Location: Australia/Victoria Posts: 99
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 17, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Super Sharp, great contrast, speed, close focus, size | | Cons: | sloppy man focus ring, | |
I picked this lens up about three years back with a second hand K10, not knowing anything about it, it was a spur of the moment purchase.
Since that date this lens can be found on my K20 as it is the lens that gets used more than any other in my kit, it is avery versatile lens.
If it wasn't for the sloppy focus ring this lens could be put in the Limited catagory for image quality in my book.
With its ability to close focus and its great bokeh it can also fill in as a macro if needed. Great for candid and portrait work.
If I had to chose one lens I guess this would be it.
Nico.
[IMG]https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/images
/6558/1_K20D8252.jpg[/IMG]
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 6,513
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 28, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | fast aperture, fast auto-focus, IQ, bokeh, sharpy,IF lens, close focus, built-in hood | | Cons: | a bit of CA, flimsy manual focus ring, focus hunting | |
I got this lens because I need something fast at such focal length for my telephoto use for portraits, candid and street photography. my 55-300mm would have done ok IQ-wise but is not fast enough on those demanding situations, like night photography and lowlight shots. also my need for a really excellent IQ, sharp from wide open, contrasty and detailed images. bokeh is smooth and very pleasing. my FA100/2.8 was great as well but find it short on some occasions that I wanted to do more. the extra 35mm reach is undeniable especially for demanding longer shots.
great thing about this lens is that the IQ is superb. it is the only old and last AF Pentax prime version of such focal length existing today. it's extremely rare and very rarely sold in the used market. I think only less than 10 copies are seen being sold in the used lens market last year and very easily sold due to scarcity of such lens. it is also an IF lens which is convenient since the focus barrel doesn't extend out. another undeniable benefit and great capability and advantage is it's minimum focusing distance of 70cm which enables you to shoot close up shots or focus closely to your subject. it has the shortest MFD and unique in it's class of 135mm counterparts which have an MFD of 150cm as opposed to only 70cm for the FA135. it also has a built-in hood which eliminates the need for a separate hood. hood is necessary for flare control adn contrast retention.
my complaints regarding the lens is it's flimsy and loose MF ring which is unpleasant. it is also slippery loose which is uncomfortable for gripping when you are manually focusing under different conditions such as lowlight or darkness. the autofocus is very fast but I find it difficult to lock focus and would occasionally focus hunt and fail to focus. now this might be because of the K-7's fast AF motor and lack of friction on the IF lens which makes the focusing on the lens run loose.
overall this is a great lens and gave it a 9.
breakdown evaluation
sharpness - 9.5
CA - 8
resolution - 9
contrast - 9.5
detail - 9.5
build - 9 (pretty solid lens)
color - 10
bokeh - 10
control (AF operation) - MF - 4 (plasticky, loose and flimsy)
AF - 7.5 ( it's very fast, but focus fail as well on my K-7)
edit: revised score for AF: 10 ( under normal days )
7.5 ( under low contrast areas, honestly what lens doesn't struggle under such situation? )
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 528 | | Review Date: April 21, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | size, inbuilt hood, sharp, bokeh, fast af | | Cons: | purple fringing | |
My only tele lens for various events, e.g. weddings, concerts and indoor events. Coupled with a *ist DS, the FA 135mm's compactness (for this focal length) allows me to venues without looking like a "professional photographer"
At 2.8 with ISO1600, I find I get sharp images even when wide open in fairly low light. With the K-x it would have been even better with better high ISO performance and SR.
I love the bokeh - it's nice and dreamy.
AF is internal and is by far of the fastest FA lenses I have. It's nice how the hood is internal and I don't have to carry extra.
As others have said, PF is fairly pronounced when wide open. Most of the time I just convert them to b & w, rather than spending extra time correcting it.
Overall, a great lens!  | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2007 Location: Nove Zamky, Slovakia Posts: 7,183 | | Review Date: February 10, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $195.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | sharpnes + OOF stopped down, size, speed of AF | | Cons: | tad soft at f2.8, MF, PF | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 8
| |
I have only had this lens for few weeks.
Built quality is very good. The outer jacket is metal. The lens is compact, and has good weight. Balanced nicely on K10D + grip.
IQ was good from f3.5 onwards. Sharpness excellent and the bokeh very good.
Wide than f3.5 it was good. Usable, but not as sharp as I thought it would be.
It did show quite a bit of PF in high contrast too.
At the end I sold it because it was just bit too long on APS-C for my style of shooting.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: July, 2008 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Posts: 11,590 | | Review Date: April 21, 2009 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | sharp, compact, nice IQ | | Cons: | sloppy MF ring, fringing | |
I bought this lens because I like to take candid indoor portraits and prefer to do it discretely, sans flash, and at a reasonable distance from my subjects. This is the perfect lens for the job: unobtrusive, sharp, fast, reliable AF, nice IQ. For that specific application, I'd certainly rate it a 10.
It does have fringing issues, however, which have discouraged me from using for other purposes. While I can usually address the fringing in pp with decent results, it makes more sense to use other, less susceptible lenses in high contrast situations.
I agree with others who've noted that the focusing ring, while well-placed, is quite narrow and feels a bit sloppy. Since I only use AF, that's not really an issue for me but it does compromise an otherwise solid build.
Not that it really matters, but this is not a pretty lens--looks like a piece of plumbing to me.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: July, 2008 Location: montreal Posts: 136
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 5, 2009 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharp,close focusing | | Cons: | manual focus ring,some CA | |
I gave this lens a 9 because of the focusing ring and some CA.Other than that it's a great lens,it was my favorite when shooting with my 35mmSLR.I use it with ext. tubes because it already close focus to 0.70 Meter ,it makes an excellent macro lens!I use it to shoot frogs and close-up of flowers also.
Buy one if you can.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2008 Location: Facebook - See ya there. Posts: 248 | | Review Date: February 24, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Bokeh, speed, size, focal length, build quality | | Cons: | CA, manual focus ring | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
New or Used: New
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A great lens that took me almost a year of searching to find (2008-2009). This lens is becoming rare as it has not been replaced in a digital equivalent... it translates to basically a 200mm on digital.
The lens has excellent bokeh and isolates subjects quite nicely for either portraiture or still life - and can also be used as a stand alone telephoto for 'some' wildlife. At 2.8 it is plenty fast for most applications (as it will be used outside primarily due to focal length - though it could handle a concert or indoor conference). The focal length is pretty amazing considering how small the lens is, and it balances quite nicely on a K20D. The build quality is mostly metal with a pretty sleek metal skin to the lens - much like the FA50/2.8 Macro which I've also owned. This is a fun and high-quality lens, great to carry around and pair up with a shorter focal length such as the FA43 or FA31. In addition, the AF on this lens is super fast... it rockets from minimum to infinity and back. The lens also includes a built in pull-out style hood - a very effective design; the hood is made of metal and stays put after you push it in or pull it out. Also, despite the stats listed here, this lens has 9 aperture blades which make for smooth bokeh (I've PM'd the mods here on this correction several times).
The lens does have some PF issues (wide-open and in high contrast situations primarily) with purple being obvious against a overblown white surface if not @f4 or tighter. Also, the focus ring comments are spot on... it is sloppy and just not fun to use. I would not reccomend this lens for someone without an AF body - it seems like the MF ring was just an afterthought by Pentax.
You can see my gallery with this lens here:
http://photobucket.com/PentaxFA135
FA135 @ f4
FA135 @ f3.5
FA135 @ f5
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2009 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa Posts: 316 | | Review Date: January 20, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $85.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, fast AF, great in low light, compact, internal focusing | | Cons: | Manual focus is loose | |
I bought this with an A series prime originally for use with film. As a result, before I got a digital body, I'd only used this as a manual focus lens, and my estimation of it went up enormously once I was able to use it the AF. (Nevertheless, I was most impressed with the results on film, the bokeh is fantastic, and even wide open it really shines). The manual focus ring feels extremely loose, which just means care has to be taken to keep it focused. Of course, this problem disappears when using it in AF.
This is my favourite lens for theatre and gigs, as it's the equivalent of 200mm (well, 202) on digital, and is wonderfully sharp, even at 2.8. Further, it's surprisingly inconspicuous, and the length is great for taking candid shots. On my K200D the AF is generally fast and accurate, and the results are glorious. Aside from being sharp, the colour rendition is superb. Obviously, it peaks stopped down a little, but the results wide open are excellent.
Despite being fairly compact (for it's length), and in spite of the loose focus ring, this lens feels extremely well made. It's a hefty piece of glass, and I've had many 'oohs and aahs' from people who can't believe it's so fast and so long for it's size.
The internal focus is great for those who want to use filters and don't want the front element rotating, and the built-in hood is handy. This is arguably one of the cheapest ways to get this sort of focal length with this sort of speed. You simply can't go wrong.
[I was fortunate enough to find this in a second hand store in Cape Town, and no doubt paid far less for it than it's worth]
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: April, 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 7 | | Review Date: November 4, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $425.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Size/Weight, Sharp and Good Colors, Fast Focus, Min. Focus Distance | | Cons: | Some PF/CA | |
Needing the fast reach end of the 50-135 but not the weight, this lens feels great in my hand and balances perfectly on my K100D Super.
I can't give it a 10 because of the false color which can show up (not a problem to take care of in PP, though).
No regrets buying this one!
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2008 Location: Miami, Florida Posts: 205 | | Review Date: October 18, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $390.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Super fast auto focus, light and sharp | | Cons: | Manuel focus | |
This is probably the fastest AF lens in the FA line. It locks on super fast, great at auto races. It is becoming very difficult to find. Manual focus is not great.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: February, 2007 Location: Michigan/USA Posts: 173 | | Review Date: April 6, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, small, fast focus, close focus distance. | | Cons: | Manual focus ring a little iffy, purple fringing. | |
I really like this lens a lot. Even on digital I like the 135 range, and this lens has the bonus of having a close focus distance. Image-wise the 50-135/2.8 is a rival but doesn't have the close focusing. That plus the smaller size is why I find it hard to part with the 135/2.8 prime even though I'm very happy with the zoom 50-135/2.8.
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