| Author: | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2011 Posts: 258
11 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 19, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $285.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | very sharp from 2.0, very small and light, fantastic build quality, great contrast and colors, from 2.8 it is amazing | | Cons: | the biggest problem is the blue(yes blue, not purple) fryings at 2.0, I would like it a little lighter 1.8 for example, the bokeh is too hard and not touching and it is an M(no auto metering), only 6 blades | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 8
Camera Used: K200D
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F4.0 with tripod and bracketing, then HDR combining
F2.0
F2.0
100% crops on F2.0
comparison between Jupiter 9, Helios 40 and M 85 wide opened
as you can see it is not a perfect lens but it has some good qualities.
The bad thing is that if a pentaxian wants 70-85mm lens he must pay more then the others and pay for M lens. Other companies have 85s with AF for about 400$ with 1.8 apertures.
As a conclusion I can say that the lens is very nice for the money and I like it more then other old lenses for this kind of money.
EDIT
Well after a long time using this lens, I'm starting to like it more!
About sharpness  .
It is the sharpest lens I have ever tested in it's sweet spot (F2.8-11).
If you know it's strong sides it can be quite great!
2.0
2.0
2.8
2.8
2.8
| | | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: June, 2013 Location: Utrecht Posts: 255
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 15, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $180.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Compact, very nice build quality, excellent performance | | Cons: | Blue-ish halos wide open in out of focus highlights | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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This lens has the same look & feel like the M-50 F1.4, a very compact relative havy piece of metal filled with nicely coated optical glass, it's just a little bit bigger than the 50 is. Wide open spot on it already is decent sharp with a small DOF. As mentioned here before, at F2.0 in harsh areas that are not in focus you can see even in your viewfinder the blue / purple halos at the highlights. One stop down these almost disappear, the best results are delivered between F4 - 5.6. You get pixel sharp contrasty pictures with enough out of focus to deliver that 3D view. This lens often is mentionned inferior to its K-sibling, but it is so sharp on 36 MP I hardly can believe that.
Arnold Stark published an interesting article about the 77-85 Pentax lenses: http://www.yaaastark.de/pentax/aufloesung85er.htm
Wide open on K1ii:
Extreme crop:
Pictures shot between F4 - F5.6, only levels adjusted in post...
 | | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2017 Posts: 12
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 16, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $180.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness, bokeh, lightness | | Cons: | chromatic aberrations/halo at full aperture | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K50, Fujifilm XT-20
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There is something very pleasant in this lens, so that I was tempted to give an overall score of 10, I really like it. But a few issues prevent me from doing so, especially the blue haze in high contrast areas, but the 9 is well deserved, especially for the excellent bokeh.
I have tested this lens (against the Sonnar 85/2.8) here:
https://www.rustichelli.net/Hobbies/Photography/LensTests/85mm-Pentax-M-and-...iss-Sonnar.php
It is worth to see were it excels and where it has some weak spot. A longer focus throw, a shorter min focus distance may be something you want.
Softness at f/2 may prove useful for portraits, it is not necessarily a con.
Good reading!
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: April, 2015 Location: Lower Saxony Posts: 181
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 20, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | smooth bokeh, compact, sharp - but not too much | | Cons: | - | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-30
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down scaled out of camera jpg, K-30, f/2.0:
(click into to enlarge original out of camera jpg)
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2010 Location: singapore Posts: 467
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 17, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | small, sharp when wide open , nice colours | | Cons: | negligible to mention | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: Sony A7
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#1
 DSC02525 by maverick_h, on Flickr
#2
 DSC02327 by maverick_h, on Flickr
Much has been said about this lens. I simply love it and it travels with me whenever i am overseas. Portable. does not take up much space. Loves the colour it renders. Probably I am lucky to have a sharp copy.
I rather let the picture speaks for itself.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 10,911
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 6, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $205.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Small size, typical solid M series build quality, great colour & contrast, 3D rendering, smooth bokeh | | Cons: | A bit soft wide open, blue fringing especially wide open, a bit slower than many other 85mm lenses | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 8
Camera Used: K200D, K-3, various film SLRs
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Please note that this review is based on use on the K200D with a Katzeye split-prism focusing screen installed. With the standard screen this lens will be considerably harder to focus properly when close to maximum aperture.
This lens is the newest addition to my collection of old (mostly M-series) Pentax glass. I hadnīt planned on getting it but I had wanted a fast 85mm & I saw this one for a decent price (129 GBP), which makes it the most expensive manual lens I own. The build quality is very good, typical M series, and the focusing ring, which was a little stiff from lack of use when I got it, has loosened up to an almost perfect amount of resistance. The big front element, which barely fits within the 49mm filter thread, also makes it look very nice on the camera.
Looking at reviews of Pentax 85mm lenses, this one seems to be the runt of the litter. It is often criticised for itīs lack of sharpness when compared to K-series, older Taks & also newer versions. Bear in mind that any Pentax 85mm lens produced after this model is a * lens, meaning that it will be of superb optical & build quality, and the price will reflect that. Many people rally to the defence of this lens, even claiming that it is sharp wide open. Just remember that sharpness can be subjective. Although I do not own others to compare myself, many others have done, and all seem to conclude that this lens is the slowest & least sharp Pentax 85mm. But in itīs defence, old Tak 85 1.9 or 1.8 lenses in the same condition sell for double, need an adaptor and are larger & heavier.
I do not usually use this lens wide open (except for Brenizer method photos), although Iīve done some tests and I would do it if I had to to get the shutter speed or DoF necessary. Most of the time I use it at 2.8, where it is very good, and even at f4 at this focal length you can isolate a subject from itīs background. The other problem with this lens at F2 is the considerable blue fringing, which is apparent in almost every photo, even when contrast is not very high. Thankfully, 80% of this is gone by F2.8.
However, as others have commented and many people will already know, speed & sharpness are not the only qualities in a lens, and it is often these mysterious other qualities that are why people love it. There is the 3D effect, though this is claimed for a great many lenses. I believe this effect to be down to a combination of DoF, good contrast & good colour. This lens excels in all of these factors, and thatīs why itīs such a good lens. The images from it are never flat or dull, even if they are of uninteresting subjects. Bokeh is very good and Iīve never seen any bad examples in my photos or others'.
I have removed one point for the softness & colour fringing wide open, and for not having a aperture click between F2 & F2.8 (why do they do this???).
If I ever come across a K85 for a reasonable price I will most likely get it, then assess the two & make a decision on which to keep, as these lenses in good condition have already lost any value theyīre going to lose, and re-selling will not lose you anything.
In summary, this lens has excellent image quality with a couple of caveats. If you want it for shallow depth of field to isolate a subject it's a good buy, if you want it to stop down for great telephoto landscapes or cityscapes then it's great too. On extension tubes it also performs exceedingly well in macro work.
A few examples are below.
14/01/2016 - updated this review with newer (better) photos. I'll also add that on a K3 it isn't so hard to focus, even without a Katzeye, and on my little Fuji -M1 (like all old manual lenses) it works like a dream.
01/09/2020 - update to say that I recently compared this lens to the SMC DA 70mm f/2.4 Limited wide open as a favour to another forum member. The result was that there isn't a huge amount in it. The 70mm is sharper with less fringing but the 85mm holds it's own and wide open is sharper than I originally thought, but accurate focus is absolutely critical to getting that sharpness. The comparison shots can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathandmacdonald/albums/72157714449826816
On film:
Agfa 200, Edin April 2014, K1000 015a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
NY Gold 400 023a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
To take Brenizer method stitched panoramas with shallow depth of field:
Brenizer 14th July 2015 by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
At f/4:
Wet leaf by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Unknown aperture but at minimum focus distance:
IMGP6636a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
At f/2.8:
IMGP7275a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Unknown aperture:
The Arch by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Playa de las catedrales, Galicia by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2009 Location: Temecula Posts: 3,675
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 2, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp - beautiful rendering - nice bokeh - smooth focusing ring - compact | | Cons: | Blue fringing can get quite bad - A bit slow (F/2) - No "A" setting (obviously) - no AF (again obviously) | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
| |
Well, like many before me, I purchased this lens because of Jshermans photo's 
He really seems to be able to get the most out of any lens, which becomes quite costly to us *normal* people 
I call this lens the poor man's 77mm ltd.... its qualities are incredible. Every shot I take with it looks great and has the *pop* you get with much more expensive lenses. Its bokeh is very pleasing in most cases, and its sharpness is unreal wideopen. It is extraordinarily small and compact for such a lens meaning it goes with me everywhere. F/2 is not the fastest by any means but is not slow either. My negatives are all me nitpicking since I really can't find anything wrong with it  Anyways im not good at talking so I'll let the lens talk for itself:
Just to show how sharp the m 85mm is I give you massive crops from the K200d (10mp)......
Here you can clearly see my blinds and window....
^wideopen or F/2.8
No sharpening done, just some minor medieval PF removal...
I believe I am the guy in the white shirt.... Idk I took that shot a while ago
^wideopen
AND one more of the above girl
Here you can clearly make out several people...
Wideopen^
and one more of a plant at F/2
check here for more http://www.flickr.com/photos/tanneryates/sets/72157624638446503/ | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: July, 2020 Posts: 131
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 3, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $336.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | really sharp; compact; great handling | | Cons: | none seriously | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: K10D, K-3 II, K-1 II
| |
One of my sharpest lenses, for sure. I got a superb copy off eBay from Japan. This is a delightful lens to use, and it looks great. The focusing ring is typically good of the M- and A-series K-mount lenses; its width occupies about a quarter of the length of the lens barrel, and it rotates about 250 degrees (i.e., not quite 3/4 of a full turn) from infinity counterclockwise (as seen from behind the camera) to its closest focus -- and this allows for easy, precise focusing. The aperture ring is excellent; it is reasonably thick and not set right against the camera/mount, so it is easy to move from any point 360 degrees around the camera barrel, and it has a nice feel to the movement between f/-stops. Just a really functionally good lens to use for manual focusing.
I get really good, sharp star images from time exposures with a clock drive at night. Photos of flowers with bees shows good sharpness, color, contrast, and bokeh. The lens seems pretty sharp from f/2 onwards. I got this lens to fill a void in my primes collection between 50mm and 105mm, and this one is a real keeper. I have the original clip-on round hood that goes with the lens from Pentax, and it works fine. I notice that the hood has "SMC PENTAX 1:2 85mm" and "1:2.8-4 100mm" on the side, but the lens itself has "smc PENTAX-M 1:2 85mm" engraved between the filter thread and the objective lens. I'd like to have paid a little less, but with used lenses I'm not content for going with anything less than "mint" condition, and I'm very content and I realize that I may have gotten a good deal. These days I don't do much in the way of "portraits", but this lens would be really good for that purpose.
Again, I bought this lens after reading the reviews here (and of other 85-mm lenses in the Pentax line-up), and I'm writing reviews of all my lenses in appreciation for all the help that I've gotten from the Pentax Forum reviewers; I have yet to have any regrets buying a Pentax lens after reading these reviews -- they are invaluable to the Pentax community. The price that I paid is listed and includes (as with all my reviews) shipping and the state taxes levied by eBay.
photos with the lens on my camera, with the dedicated clip-on lens hood:
 | | | | | Forum Member Registered: February, 2016 Location: Moab, Utah Posts: 90
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 28, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $375.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Color punch, Fine Contrast, Bokeh, Sharpness, non-radioactive in that order | | Cons: | 6 aperture blades, blue-ish tinge at long exposures | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: Sony Alpha bodies
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Colors and contrast are supreme with this lens. Bokeh is "luxuriously swirled," but not too much and it's still perceivably sharp even wide open. It gets very sharp at 2.8. There are sharper 85mm's, but this one has fine contrast which gives that "pop" one might expect from a low element count prime lens. The size is very small and compact. Perfect M series build quality. This matches well with the M series 135mm f.5, for they're both way too small for how good they are.
The only drawback to this lens I can tell is that on long exposures and moreso when the aperture is opened up it seems, it leans blue. At least on my Sony's. As a trade-off, my night blues are gorgeous with this lens. Works well if going for a teal-orange graded image. It benefits from a hood, especially when wide open where I get a loss of contrast in some situations without one. As a bonus, this lens is not radioactive like the Super-Takumar 1.9. I example images in my video for anyone interested.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: March, 2015 Posts: 41
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 28, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, small, fast | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: k30
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I had at the same time the A*85 1.4, the FA* 85 1.4 and this lens. I have done a couple of test with the tripod with all of them and I have to see it is very closed to the other two (if you ask me the best is the A* but is it absolutely smaller and lighter and cheaper than the other two!!
So, if you have a budget of about 200 dollars think seriuolsly about this lens!
| | | | | Loyal Site Supportaxian Registered: September, 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 503
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 24, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $260.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Size, Sharpness. | | Cons: | No aperture automation. | |
Sharpness: Sharp enough wide open; Very sharp from f4-11. In some respects the wide open sharpness is ideal for portraiture because it's not so sharp (like the 85/1.8 can be at F2.8) that it's still forgiving to your subject if they have blemishes.
Abberations: Moderate Purple CA when wide open that is so broad that it's almost more like halation. Only a problem in certain conditions, and it's pretty much under control at 2.8. Not a big issue to me.
Bokeh:
Better than most lenses. Blur quality is quite smooth, and the optical formula favors blurring the background before the foreground when each is equidistant from the subject plane. This is ideal for subject isolation in typical shooting conditions. Could use more aperture blades, but the smoothness of the blur means that the hexagons are not as obtrusive as in many other lenses with 6 blades.
Handling: Excellent. Waaaaay smaller than the preceding 85mm 1.8's. The convenience factor is very high for this lens due to its size. Time and again, this has found itself in the bag due to size.
Color Rendering. Very good. Typical M series - slightly towards blue but not obtrusively so.
Value: Not cheap, but you get pleasing performance for the price.
On Full Frame: Special mention here - this lens is fine on APS-C like a K-01, but it's notably better on digital Full Frame where it really performs well and can turn the bokeh to beautiful creamy mush. Unlike some other reviewers, my copy is acceptably sharp in the corners on FF. Not super, but just fine for intended use.
Overall: The sweet spot for me is f2.8 with close subject. The strengths of this lens are it's size and portrait performance. I like it quite well. Lens hood recommended.
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2010 Posts: 1
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 14, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $260.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharpness compact | | Cons: | NA | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: pentax kx
| |
I enjoy the manual focus. after purchasing a DA 70 2.4, I want a more quick lens , I bought this one from a local fellow. It's very compact just like all pentax lens. The color render and boken is wondferful for me. | | | | |
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 7, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $177.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | aperture, length, weight, sharpness, bokeh and of course the focus ring | | Cons: | none | |
I bought this lens based on the three previous reviews on this page.
How anyone could give this masterpiece a 5/10 is a mystery. Its a clear 9,
because I dont know if I have found the perfect lens yet... 
I found that out this is a very sharp lens. Much sharper than I ever
hoped for. Super sharpness comes already from f/2.8+. A perfect portrait length
at 127,5mm on my K10D. I certainly dont think its wrong to compare the 85mm
f/2 to the legendary 77mm f/1.8 ltd. I am also a lucky owner of a 43mm f/1.9 ltd
and their sharpness is equally good.
The size and weight is favorable. It also comes with 49mm in filter size and those
filters are the really cheap ones. So give it some good protection and it will last
another 30 years.
And last but not to forget, awww...the focus ring...how perfectly smooth it is. 
Conclusion: If you come across one at a reasonable price, then buy it.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2007 Posts: 8,237
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 22, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $295.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp at f2.8+, beautiful colors, bokeh, contrast | | Cons: | none | |
(The first review - a '5' - is one of the reasons I don't hold the averaged ratings here as gospel - someone's opinion of a given lens can simply be drastically wrong, which is the case with that review.)
This is one of the best lenses I've ever used, period. I own the 77mm limited, and this lens compares favorably, and in fact shows less CA than the 77 in most CA-likely situations.
It has incredible resolution, sharpness, nice contrast, and creates that special 3-d feel that needs to be witnessed to fully understand.
It's fairly small and light, so it's very easy for shake-free handheld shots. It's solid, very well crafted.
I've almost sold mine several times, but have never been able to pull the trigger - it's just too much of a gem to let go. I'd sell my 77 before I'd sell this lens.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2013 Posts: 23
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 1, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $140.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Everything, especially price | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K5 iis
| |
Unbelivable value vs price. I couldn't expect more
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;)
;)
;)
