Site Supporter Registered: October, 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,090
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 30, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Build, Focal range on film, constant aperture & one touch zoom design. | | Cons: | Length, speed and minimum focusing distance. | | Camera Used: K Series film bodies (K1000, KM, KX, K2, K2DMD)
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The K85-210/4.5 is one of the original three Pentax K series zooms released in mid 1975. (The others being the K45-125/4 and the K135-600/6.7.) The 85-210/4.5 zoom design dates back to the screw-mount days and there was a Takumar version released in the early 1970’s.
Note: A close-up lens attachment was made available for this lens. It reduced the minimum focusing distance from 3.5 to 1.9 meters.
Optics/Bokeh:
Not bad considering the age of this zooms design (1971) and that the Takumar version was the second zoom that Pentax ever released. The optics are very similar to the K series “budget” telephoto lenses (K135/3.5, K150/4 & K200/4). The minimum focusing distance is not very good (3.5 meters), so the close-up attachment helps narrow it down to 1.9 meters, this is still worse than most newer zooms that go down to 1.0 ~ 1.2 meters. It’s a pain having to screw in the close-up attachment to shoot from 1.9 ~ 3.5 meters and when you switch back to regular shooting having to take it off again. The close-up attachments optics are pretty good, but I’d use a prime for any portrait work. The K85-210/4.5 optical design is best suited for longer distance scenic shooting, where sharpness is less of an issue and you don’t have to bother with the close-up attachment.
Focal length:
On film 85mm-210mm is perfect and covers the portrait to medium telephoto range. On digital you loose the lower end of the close portrait range.
Build/Mechanics:
Superb K Series build, with a design also very similar to the K series “budget” telephoto lenses (K135/3.5, K150/4 & K200/4). These lenses feature a long, thin and fairly light design; it’s the physical length that’s terrible. The K85-210/4.5 is longer than any other Pentax zoom in this focal range and is up there with the super telephoto primes. This is not a “camera bag friendly” lens. The zoom features a one touch design which much better than the newer two touch type zooms. The filter thread is 58mm and the plastic clip-on hood is shared with the K135/2.5 and the K200/4 primes.
Speed:
Better than some newer zooms but way slower than the primes in the 85-135mm focal range. It’s at least a constant aperture zoom, which I prefer. I shoot mostly 100 ISO film, so f4.5 is too slow for indoor/low light work and is best suited for outdoor daylight shooting.
Summary:
This zoom shows it age and is way too big to travel with on a long distance trip. If you are looking for a versatile MF Pentax zoom in this focal range then get the A70-210/4. It’s better than the K85-210/4.5 in all respects, except for build and it's also much smaller.
Sample shot taken with the K85-210/4.5. Photo is a low resolution scan from an original negative. The second photo compares the size of the K85-210/4.5 to the K85-210/3.5 and the A70-210/4.
Camera: K2 Film: Kodak Portra ISO: 160 Focal Length: 210mm Aperture: f/8
Left to right K85-210/3.5, K85-210/4.5 & A70-210/4:
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Forum Member Registered: September, 2006 Location: Brisbane Australia Posts: 64 | | Review Date: March 28, 2009 | Not Recommended | Price: $39.00
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | resonable sharp wide open at 210mm, long focus throw and feel | | Cons: | At 250mm [10"] long it takes up a lot of room in the bag and the minimum focus distance is huge. purple fringing is bad, contrast is low wide open | |
This is a long heavy lens with bad purple fringing and contrast wide open where it is often used due to the slow F4.5.
the minimum focus distance is 3.5 metres but a dedicated close up lens is available with the new scale in white on the lens showing 1.9 to 3.5 metres
it seems reasonably sharp and the bokeh looks Ok
the focus throw is long making it easy to get exact focus and the zoom feel is nice and smooth
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