| Author: | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2009 Location: Strand Posts: 1,366 | | Review Date: May 24, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $210.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Small, light weight, sharp | | Cons: | no build in hood | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: k5, k20, nex
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A perfect lens for concert. Small, light, sharp wide open, far sharper than tokina, soligor.
Very good for manual focus.
I have used this lens in many events. Delivers superb results, both daylight, indoor, and concert in relatively lowlight.
I also have several 90mm, 100mm and 105mm, both AF and MF, but this lens is just perfect. MF when AF is giving up, small and light for walking tour. Currently the sharpest 100mm at f2.8
Highly recommend.
 | | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2011 Location: Minahasa, North Celebes (Sulawesi) Posts: 586
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 7, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $150.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, very sharp. Compact, almost like a 50mm. Color/Contrast is very good. | | Cons: | Hood is badly needed. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K20D, Super Program, KX
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The best lens I ever purchase so far -price & IQ wise. Sold several of my off-brands 135s to get shorter portrait lens. I was thinking of getting a 85mm at first, any brand is fine, since none from the Pentax house I can afford. I was also eyeing Adaptall 90/2.5 since I thought it could do portrait and macro altogether, yet again I must swallow hard looking at the skyrocketed price. A friend of mine was trying to sell this lens from December, but probably people are a lot more interested in 135s and 85s, so this lens was still on the shelf when I saw and grab it fast about two weeks ago. This lens has never been out of my camera bag ever since it arrived a week ago. For macro work, I couples it with a convenient screw-in Vivitar Macro Adapter. I don't think that Adaptall 90/2.5 can beat this now.
I'm willing to bet that this lens @f2.8 is just about as sharp as the M 50/1.7 @f1.7 and almost as compact in size. Images are very good, I was even startled at the first shot. What it needs is a hood, a fairly long one, then it really sings.
 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: November, 2011 Posts: 4,310
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 19, 2011 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Compact, light, sharp, well-made | | Cons: | Manual focus | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
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This was a favorite lens for years on film with the LX, and now sees occasional use in digital on my K-x. There, I use stop-down metering with the green button, in M mode. For good meter readings on landscape, I've found a 50% sky/50% land mix to give the best results under most conditions (where the M50/1.4 works better with a 33% sky/67% land mix).
The lens has all the usual M-series characteristics: compact, light, sharp, solidly made. It is not as directly contrasty as many Pentax lenses, but the contrast is easily boosted in PP.
Here is a pair of MTF charts, at f/2.8 and f/5.6. I usually shoot this lens at f/5.6, where both the 40 lp/mm curves stay above the 50% level right out to the edge of the APS-C frame just shy of the 15mm radius.
A sample from the street:
Center crop:
Edge crop:
 | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: February, 2011 Location: San Francisco Posts: 128
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 22, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $41.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharp, small, lightweight, low cost, great length, fast | | Cons: | | |
I've had this lens for about a month now. It is about as perfect as a manual lens can be. I've had great success with taking portraits (though it's a bit long - just stand back further!), birds in flight (you can focus it that fast), and candids (since you can be a distance away). It's sharp from f2.8, but of course tack sharp at f4 and above. I'm shocked at how light and small it is.
For the cost, even for 2x or 3x what I paid, it's well worth it. This is one lens I can't imagine ever parting with.
See a set of photos taken with it here.
| | | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: June, 2010 Location: North Zealand, Denmark Posts: 1,516
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 8, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, fast, well built, compact and light | | Cons: | none whatsoever | |
I bought this lens together with an SMC 35/3.5 ("K" version) and some more inferior stuff at a lump sum of USD 110 - so the 50 dollars are my assed "partial value" of that deal.
Perhaps a bit mad to give any lens maximum rating and 9.5 would rather be more appropriate - if only permitted. Of course, this lens has neither A-functionality, nor autofocus - but when you buy a purely manual lens, you do know what you are NOT buying and paying for and thus, it would be unfair to let that influence one's rating. (Or, that is a least how I feel about it).
Anyway, this lens has taken me with surprise: Not only sharp but very sharp even wide open, excellent colur rendition, very easy to focus, light and compact, yet with a reassuring feel of good solid workmanship.
I have read about potential purple fringing issues in high contrast situations, but I have yet to discover those myself. I feel lucky with this deal.
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1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 19, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Size, weight, image quality | | Cons: | None really | |
As various versions of the Pentax 85mm lenses are demanding absurd prices in the second hand market, this 100mm is an excellent alternative.
Light but strongly bulit as all M lenses. Not much differernce in the focal length comparing with 85mm, and with the much sought after milky bokeh.
It handles nicely, with excellent sharpness and image quality, although with the APS-C crop factor it is a 150mm equivalent, and is no longer a traditional "portrait lens"
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1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 22, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $150.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | very sharp | | Cons: | manual | |
Very great and sharp lens.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2013 Posts: 7
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 31, 2023 | Recommended | Price: $110.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, good saturation, great bokeh, lightweight | | Cons: | Flares sometimes | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Sony A7R2
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This lens, which is overlooked by many, was a great surprise to me. Tested this lens against the highly regarded Minolta 100mm f/2.5 (late 5 element version), and the Pentax has similar performance.
https://flic.kr/p/2oQdpk7
The Pentax even a bit sharper wide open (also the corners). Great for portraits or as a landscape lens. The Minolta has slightly better control of CA's wide open. CA control of this lens is still much better than the Pentax-M 85mm f/2. Bokeh is great.
On top of that, the lenses weights is only twothirds of the already tiny and compact Minolta new MD 100/2.5, and has better build quality. Because the quality of Pentax-M is somewhat of a mixed bag, the lens is practically ignored by most and can be found at a modest price.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2019 Posts: 2
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 21, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | size, build quality, IQ | | Cons: | None to sepak of | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: Sony a6000, Pentax me super
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This is a lovely lens. Typical of all m lenses, it is very small and light for the focal length. In fact, it is barely any longer than my Pentax m 50mm f1.7 lens. Sharpness and IQ wide open are decent enough although not up to the incredible standards set by the Nikkor 105 2.5. Sharpness at infinity when using this as a telephoto rather than portrait lens is ok but not outstanding.
The bokeh is lovely and smooth, colours typically Pentax quality and the build quality outstanding. It feels built to last. This is such an easy lens to use because it is small and light. Great for street photography as people don't realise you have a short telephoto lens on the camera with great reach. Definitely recommended.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: July, 2017 Posts: 42
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 14, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Inexpensive, very sharp, low CA | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K-3II
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I have been using this lens on a K-3II, strictly for astrophotography. For that purpose it is one of the best lenses I have. When it is stopped down to f/4, it is very sharp and the CA is relatively low for a non-ED lens. Here is an astrophoto taken with it (tracking by Astrotracer):
 | | | | | Forum Member Registered: May, 2018 Location: NYC Posts: 80
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 11, 2018 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | colors, bokeh, focal length, rendering | | Cons: | none for the price | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: Sony A7III
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I did not list the price as I picked this up at a yard sale for $20 and that would skew the prices.
I got this a few years back not knowing what it was - I did not have a camera at the time to use it on.
I thought it looked like a good lens and it had the original case and caps so I picked it up with the idea of using it some time in the future.
I was finally able to try it this year when I got the Sony A7III.
I used the K&F Concepts PK-NEX adapter and was amazed at the results of this lens right away.
In fact this was the lens that got me into seriously considering other vintage manual lenses to use with the A7III (now I have mild LBA).
The 100mmm length is actually quite handy once you figure out where you need to be to get an effective shot.
Not surprisingly, its like having a slightly longer 85mm and shorter 135mm with a combination of what those two focal lengths offer - the DOF of the 85mm for portraits and the reach of the 135mm.
Colors are rendered very nicely, images are sharp and low light images are good (at least they are with the A7III which is an excellent low light camera).
Bokeh is pretty easy too - it is smooth and pleasing.
Great lens!
Here are a couple of shots I first took with this lens:
 | | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2017 Posts: 3
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 16, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Nice bokeh and usability | | Cons: | none really | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Samsung NX1
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I'm using this on a Samsung NX1 with the official NX to PK adapter. Fully manual, but works great. Great lens for outdoor portraits and landscapes. Photos come out sharp enough and very adjustable in lightroom. I also have the 135mm, but prefer using this 100mm more. Photos edited to taste in Lightroom.
  | | | | | Forum Member Registered: January, 2015 Posts: 71
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 9, 2017 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp wide open, small & light, nice bokeh | | Cons: | Mega PF | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-5, K-50
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I bought my copy at a bargain price because it is stuck wide open and has a scratch on the front element but otherwise clean and good mechanically (hence no price listed to throw off the average). I used to own the "A" version and can confirm that sharpness improves as you stop down, but the real draw here is that IQ is very very good wide open at f/2.8. I have some pixel peeping tendencies and while f/8 is certainly sharper, I cannot in good faith knock the wide open IQ at all. This is especially true if you consider the diminutive size, ease of MF, buttery bokeh and price/value.
I use this M lens exclusively in Av mode on the K-5/K-50 since it won't stop down anyway.
Purple fringing.....if you shoot a tree against a bright sky at f/2.8 you may find that entire branches turn purple. It is borderline comical in some situations, but still easy to remove in PP. You can spend a bunch more and get a modern lens with similar specs that doesn't exhibit PF, but personally I'll suffer through a few mouse clicks on my keepers to get where I need to be.
I recently took some test shots comparing this lens to the Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro (mint copy). At portrait distances this SMC-M 100mm f/2.8 is noticeably sharper, easier to focus, and has smoother bokeh. Interestingly, the Kiron seemed to have a shallower DOF at the subject yet did not blur the background as smoothly. All comparisons were made wide open at f/2.8.
This lens can produce pro-quality (or close, at least) portraits and won't break the bank.
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2014 Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 14, 2015 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Excellent sharpness across the frame stopped down | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Handling: 9
Camera Used: Sony A7
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The SMC Pentax-M 100mm f/2.8 is a very good M prime. Very compact for a 100mm, smooth focusing and solid construction.
The lens is usable from f/2.8, but stopping down to f/4 boosts the contrast and sharpness noticeably, even in the center. From f/5.6 the lens is very sharp all the way to the full frame corners. CA is very low.
All in all, an excellent performer
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Copenhagen Posts: 10
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 12, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Small, light, well built, sharp, nice bokeh, cheap | | Cons: | Purple fringing at full aperture against the light, a bit long for portraits on digital camera | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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Despite this lens doesn't have automatic aperture (for those using it on a digital body) I have given it a 10 for handling due to the fact that it's diminutive size combined with light weight and the buttery-smooth focus ring makes the handling exquisite and for me I like to use it on 2.8 due to the great bokeh for portraiture, so I havn't really missed the "A"-setting. Suprisingly I havn't been able to find many images online taken with this lens so I have attached some images that I have shot with a K5 - making it a 150 mm effectively but still with the size of a 50 mm standard lens! This lens though, is abit challenged from purple fringing when shooting against strong light. This lens is a very inspiring little gem! Enough words, I will let the images will speak for themselves 
   
  
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