| Author: | | Forum Member Registered: October, 2018 Posts: 60
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 13, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $70.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Image quality, lightweight, compact | | Cons: | Noisy autofocus | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: KP
| |
Fantastic prime lens, surprising there isn't a more up to date equivalent. I have used both the A and M 28mm 2.8 lenses, and I find this autofocus version surpasses both in terms of sharpness and overall image quality. It's the 28mm plastic fantastic.
Update: I have since used this lens on a K1,where it performs just as well.
| | | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: October, 2018 Location: Quebec City, Quebec Posts: 6,565
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 5, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $240.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp and brilliant WA lens on the K1, short normal on the K3 | | Cons: | None. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K3, K1
| |
Optimum aperture range : f/5.6 to f/11.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: March, 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Posts: 9,357
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 9, 2011 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Small, light, smooth bokeh, fast AF | | Cons: | Feels a tad cheaply made (just an impression) | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 6
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
| |
I'm pleasantly surprised by this lens. And that's saying a lot, considering that I also own the DA21 Limited...
Build quality
The lens is ok... no more. It's well made but doesn't feel that way, sadly. Nothing will fall apart, nothing is loose, everything works as expected but it lacks the feeling of tight tolerances every DA lens I've seen has, and it lacks the rock-hard feel of the manual focus era lenses.
The focus ring is small (the lens doesn't allow for a larger ring) but decently damped. The throw is very short. The aperture ring feels as weird as do all the F or FA rings I've seen. Anyway, there is no reason to use it at any setting except A...The central body is plastic, not as cheap as I feared (but worse, far worse than the metal on my FA 50 macro). The focus distance window is very classy and enhances the general look of the lens.
It's a very light lens, surprisingly so (thanks to the plastic). It's a few dozens grams heavier than the DA21. It's almost twice as thick but that's not saying much, given the size of the 21. The lens looks very good mounted on the K20D, more so than an F lens, say.
AF
AF is surprising : very fast and accurate. I find it very reliable. It seems a tad slower than the DA21 but is seems to spend less time double-checking its position, so all in all it's almost a draw. Impressive. The short focus ring throw helps with this. the closest focus distance is 0.3m, not bad but sometimes when taking advantage of the f2,8 aperture, you find yourself wishing for closer focus capabilities.
IQ
Image quality is pretty darn good. Colours are rich and well saturated, contrasts are deep but not overdone like with the 18-55 WR. The DA21 has more punch, that little something that is rightly associated with the Limited label. But in itself, the FA28 is excellent, surprising and pleasing.
Bokeh is smooth, smoother than the DA21 (but lacking the 3D effect many like). Nothing special here, it's not creamy like the FA50 macro, but it's not distracting either. Anyway a wide lens is not meant to be used in difficult bokeh conditions (for me at least).
Sharpness is not quite up there with the DA21, but it's more than good enough. It's quite good even at f2,8, though it definitely improves at f4 and beyond. To my informal testing it seems better in the center than in the corners, but the differences are not very important.
CA and distortion are not objectionable in the test shots I have taken. They are not absent but not bothersome at all.
The focal length is very comfortable on an APS-C sensor, I like it a lot.
Final word
This lens has surprised me. I did not expect it to perform this close to the DA21. It's not quite on the same level, but they are not in different leagues. The rich colours, in particular, are typical Pentax but I did not expect them to be so pleasing.
I will probably end up selling the lens considering I own the DA21 and like it more, but by itself, that lens is a keeper. The build quality could be better, but that's really the only downside of this lens. A well-deserved reputation!
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: December, 2009 Location: Christchurch, New Zealand Posts: 2,437
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 30, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $192.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp enough for K-1, great colours, small, great value | | Cons: | FA plastic guild, bokeh just Ok | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-1
| |
Good sharpness even across FF frame - although I would not go as far as to call it tack sharp.
Really like the colours from this one and being so small and light it is a lens you can always have in your bag (makes up for the typical FA plastic build in my books). Bokeh is Ok (although not on same level of a fast 50 of course) - in some shots can look quite cool if you get close enough to your subject.
Overall I'm calling it an 8 but in terms of value its a 10.
Definitely recommended - for APS-C or the K-1.
Samples:
* f8: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwi_jono/37702062921
* f8: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwi_jono/37620368856
* f2.8: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwi_jono/37420378041 | | | | | | | New Member Registered: September, 2020 Location: Derbyshire Posts: 3
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 21, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $150.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Size, colour rendition, flexibility, sharpness | | Cons: | Not really a true 28mm, slight barrel distortion, poor focussing scale | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax MZ5n/MX
| |
Note that all my reviews refer to lens use with film, NOT digital.
I was a bit sceptical about this 28mm from Pentax as I'd had a poor experience with the A28mm 2.8 (a lens that is so pedestrian it was beyond belief - and I'd had two copies) plus also the M28 2.8 whose corners were absolutely awful.
I was pleasantly surprised by this unassuming FA lens. It - like the FA50 1.4 that I had - seemed to be well made for an modern AF lens with quality tactile plastic.
But the real surprise was in the beautifully rendered colours I got from the perfectly well exposing matrix meter of the MZ5n I had. I even got the same results from an MX I had as well (using Velvia 50 and Kodak VS100 slide film).
Putting aside the obvious slight barrel distortion, the lens was also very sharp too, my favourite apertures being f8 to f11. But even at f2.8 to f5.6, the centre was well rendered and this, and its relative close focussing capability meant I could use the lens for shots of children, groups and also very useable with the onboard flash of the MZ5n etc.
Off axis composition would show up the barrel distortion - but as said, the colours and sharpness more than made up for this.
It had the popular 49mm filter thread too. The focussing scale though on the FA range was not very good and hyperfocal focussing was hard if like me you tended to do landscapes.
I sold the lens well before Pentax started to get into digital - but I still feel that it was perfectly good and with the post processing capability of digital, its distortion could become non-existent. I sold it because I got 20-35mm zoom. What a lens that was!
Highly recommended although I hear that the previous 28mm 2.8 F is a formidable lens too.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: March, 2016 Location: British Columbia Posts: 41
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 18, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $62.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Quieter AF than expected | | Cons: | Discontinued | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-30
| |
I bought this as a normal lens for an APS-C body that could still find use with my K-1000 film body (or a K-1 should I ever pull that trigger). I already had the current DA 35mm plastic fantastic lens, but the AF in the 35 is atrociously loud. This old FA 28 is quieter in the sense that the ‘thud’ of the focus reaching its limits is less pronounced and the rotating mechanism itself sounds a little bit more subdued. I can’t say between the two if I like the IQ of one over the other, but the quieter operation and slightly wider field of view are two pluses. I suspect if this lens were still in production it would outsell the DA 35mm as a best choice for a normal perspective on a crop sensor even at a higher price point. Only thing I would change is the narrow focus ring.
| | | | | New Member Registered: September, 2014 Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 1, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $210.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, small, easy to use | | Cons: | ? | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K30
| |
Very good lens.
| | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2012 Posts: 6
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 17, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Great color, contrast and sharpness. Light and compact. | | Cons: | Plastic body. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-01
| |
Performance-wise this is a great lens. Produces very contrasty image and typical Pentax color. For its size and weight and equivalent focal length, it serves perfectly as the walk-around lens for my K-01.
| | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2008 Posts: 6
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 4, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $160.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, contrasty, lightweight, great colors | | Cons: | Hard to find, Ugly plastic feel, Performance wide-open | |
It's my first fixed lens. It is really good if we close a little. The only problem for me is the build quality.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2008 Location: Facebook - See ya there. Posts: 248
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 17, 2009 | Not Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | Size and focal length | | Cons: | Performance wide-open, sharpness, contrast, focus speed, build quality | | Sharpness: 5
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 5
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 6
Value: 6
New or Used: New
| |
The focal length of the FA28 on digital (a 43 equivalent) is very nice for a walkaround lens or some casual shots - that is where my praise ends with this lens. Oh, and it is fairly compact - approximately the size of the FA50.
The FA28 is a pretty poor performer in many optical areas until stopped down to f4 or so - these include local contrast, sharpness, and corner performance. It simply does not perform well at f2.8 - I hesitate to call it useable. The lens is also prone to flare and requires a hood for acceptable performance in bright light. The build quality is typical in the FA35/FA50 family - lightweight plastic and slightly cheap feeling, though workable. The focus speed is decent but not as quick as you would expect from a wide angle lens - it is also noticeably noisy when focusing.
FA28 @ f2.8
 | | | | |
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 18, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $195.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharp, light, fast focus, great picture quality | | Cons: | | |
I agree with the two above reviews - how can you rate a lens you love, with no "cons", a 7? This lens is a perfect match for any DSLR. People are clamoring all over the 50mm primes and not noticing this lens much. For me, the 50mm lens on a DSLR produces too narrow a FOV. This lens is perfect. Great picture quality and sharpness to boot.
I do wish it was a little faster just for those rare situation where it may come in handy. As it is, it's sufficient for 99% of my needs. Come to think of it, had it been faster, I wouldn't have been able to afford it.  | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2007 Location: Toronto/Victoria Posts: 460
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 21, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $125.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Compact, good optical quality | | Cons: | Thin focus ring | |
I have the A version as well, and its behaviour is more of an exception rather than the rule regarding Pentax lenses.
The FA is more typical. At apertures larger than F/4, it is a tad dreamy. Any other aperture, it's flawless.
For the convenience of autofocus, I use it about as often as the A version, but not for more thoughtful shooting where I prefer how the A lens draws images.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: January, 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 32 | | Review Date: June 21, 2016 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | I.Q. at f2.8, light, cheap | | Cons: | Never exceptional, focus ring | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K10D, Kx
| |
Inexpensive light lens.
What I really like is the very good I.Q. (all parameters) at full aperture.
But it barely improves at smaller apertures.
The focusing ring is inadequate: badly placed, too thin, rubbery and lose
Also, the hood is 'screw-in', I prefer a baionet or telescopic.
All in all, this is a very pleasant lens: it can be used without restriction at full aperture.
It is markedly superior to the older 28mm 2.8 A and M.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: March, 2015 Posts: 6,381 | | Review Date: June 18, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | More than adequately sharp; fast; good AF response; (see review) | | Cons: | Discontinued! | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-5
| |
I bought this lens because I wanted a wide-field-of view AF lens in this focal length to be able to take pictures of dogs and small children in a hurry - my eyes aren't good enough to do it without a split-prism screen.
The demands I place on the lens aren't harsh or exacting and I'm not a pixel-peeper, so if you are, perhaps look to another review. I'm more than happy with this lens.
Image quality: I see no specific flaws on full-screen monitor viewing, which is good enough for me.
Focus: AF is fast, with a minimum focusing distance of just under 1 foot/30cm, although it feels a few cm closer. Not a macro by any means, but you can certainly get close. Manual focus is reasonable; I could focus well enough on a particular close object that a narrow aperture would get me acceptable results. Beyond a couple of metres, you are very quickly into hyperfocal distance at any aperture.
Bokeh: At close distances and wide apertures, out-of-plane images are smeared into diffuse zones of colour. Good enough for me.
General notes: It's a film-era lens with an aperture ring, so it's full-frame ready and unlike the D-FA 100mm macro it's completely backwards compatible. It's also relatively inexpensive. My copy seems "bright" in low light, as if it occasionally needs -0.5 EV to bring it in line with what my eyes are seeing, but I consider this an advantage.
I had been considering buying the 21mm or 15mm DA limited, but after a short period owning a 28mm manual lens I realised that this was as wide as I needed to go for my purposes. IMO Ricoh should seriously consider re-establishing the production line for this lens.
I can recommend it to anyone looking for a second-hand wide angle prime for casual hobby or family photography. Undoubtedly the current crop of DA Limiteds are better, but I don't think the extra cost can be justified unless you're doing professional/commercial work or take your amateur photography much more seriously than I do (entering competitions, etc).
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2014 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: May 17, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp at 2.8, compact size, light weight | | Cons: | little plastic | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K5IIS, MZ-S, SuperA
| |
Sharp at 2.8, easy to use in low light condition, no auto focus error in low light condition, compact size and light weight
| | |
;)
;)
