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Showing all 33 reviews by Belgarchi

Review of: SMC Pentax-FA* 24mm F2 AL [IF] by Belgarchi on Sun March 13, 2022 | Rating: 8 View more reviews

Views: 211447 Reviews: 43 What's Good: Convenient MF/AF shift; Well built Okay: Weight, Sharpness What's Bad: Chromatic aberration at f/2 The C.A. is so bad that I will never use this lens at f/2.0. Then, why pay more and carry something heavier than a good 24/2.8? The sharpness is poor at f/2.0, becomes slowly better going to f/5.6.

Review of: SMC Pentax-FA* 300mm F4.5 ED [IF] by Belgarchi on Sun March 13, 2022 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 110785 Reviews: 21 First the goods: this lens is well built, and there is a convenient MF/AF shift function. Okay: bayonet hood, weight. Unacceptable: No Collar! For a 300mm lens, absurd. ..... What about the optical quality? EXCEPTIONAL. And I mean it. Better than Contax Zeiss 300/4.0, better than Nikon 300/4.5 ED-IF, better than Minolta 300/4.5 MD-III, better than all kind of zooms, even slightly better than the excellent Canon 300/4.0 L New FD. By 'better' I mean no chromatic aberration, with high resolution and high contrast from edge to edge at f/4.5!!! Highly recommended.

Review of: SMC Pentax-A 50mm F2.8 Macro by Belgarchi on Sun January 27, 2019 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 184732 Reviews: 37 A long time ago, I used that lens with film cameras and my remembrance is that it was 'very good but not excellent'. Same for tests in magazines in the 1980's. Because I like the light weight, the smooth focusing ring, and the 'built-in' hood, I decided to buy another one last year. I was very surprised by the high image quality; very similar to my legendary Nikon 55/2.8 Macro AIs (used on a Fuji X-T20). The only thing I dislike is the plastic aperture ring (not used with Pentax DSLRs, but used when adapted on mirrorless cameras). Be careful, many Pentax 'A' lenses have issues now, stiff focusing ring, stiff aperture ring, haze, separation of glued elements, etc. Not more than other brands, but these lenses are 30+ years old.

Review of: SMC Pentax-A 50mm F1.4 by Belgarchi on Tue November 28, 2017 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 297406 Reviews: 58 This lens is well built, has a smooth focusing ring, and it is among the sharpest 50/1.4. The Canon FDn and Contax Zeiss are a little bit sharper at 1.4, but not anymore at 2.0 and above. The Nikon AIs at 1.4 is a little bit inferior. Colors and flare resistance are second to none. Compared to the Pentax 50/1.7 A, as expected, the 50/1.4 is slightly less good at full aperture (1.4 versus 1.7) but still usable, a little bit better at 2.0, equivalent at 2.8 and above. Vignetting is visible but negligible on an APS-C digital camera.

Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 31mm F1.8 AL Limited by Belgarchi on Tue June 13, 2017 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 419393 Reviews: 97 On the negative side, the price, the lack of quick shift, and an unacceptable Image Quality at full aperture: the entire field is veiled. Also, it is a little bit heavy. But the I.Q. is stunning, and I mean stunning, at f/2.8 and above! Better on the edges than a Leica R 28/2.8 or a Nikon 28/2.8 AIs, and similar at the center! Compared to the rare Pentax 28/2.0 A, this 31/1.8 is inferior at full aperture, but better at f/2.8 and above.

Review of: SMC Pentax-A 100mm F2.8 by Belgarchi on Sat April 29, 2017 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 96283 Reviews: 18 A wonderful all-round lens, under the radar due to common focal length and aperture. It is already very good at 2.8 from center to edge, and excellent everywhere at f/4.0 and above. Very convenient also: light, telescopic hood. Its only problem in my opinion is the 100/2.8 Macro D-FA-WR: a little bit larger and heavier, but not so much, and it has macro capability and autofocus.

Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 77mm F1.8 Limited by Belgarchi on Fri April 28, 2017 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 439349 Reviews: 107 This is one of the best, if not THE best Pentax lens! I.Q. is outstanding: - Center and Corners: Very Good - Good at 1.8, Excellent - Very good at 2.8+ - Excellent bookeh, colors - Very little vignetting, flare, distortion. Excellent built quality, very practical telescopic hood. The minor minuses are the absence of Quickshift, and a little bit of Purple Fringing at full aperture in front of a light source. What killed me is that, after 15-20 years, despite a perfect overall condition, two elements became slightly separated, creating a haze and killing the I.Q. I had to sale for a song my beloved lens, and buy a new one!

Review of: SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR by Belgarchi on Fri April 28, 2017 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 460414 Reviews: 106 This lens is wonderful. Compared to the older D-DA 'non-WR', the built quality is in a totally different league. Higher quality plastic, optical elements in metal barrel, tight focusing ring, weatherproof. For a reason I don't know, the sharpness is very, very good but slightly inferior to the older version. Probably due to manufacturing variability. It is Very Good at full aperture, but only 'Good' in the corners. Excellent-Very Good at f/4.0, Excellent everywhere above. Nice to use thanks to its light weight, 1:1 magnification capability and Quickshift.

Review of: SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro by Belgarchi on Fri April 28, 2017 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 171672 Reviews: 40 Ultra-sharp lens, Very Good from center to corners at full aperture, Excellent above! Low distortion, low vignetting, low flare, very good colors. It is also very light, good for my shoulders! What I don't like is the built quality, especially the focusing: it is 'lose'.

Review of: SMC Pentax-D FA 50mm F2.8 Macro by Belgarchi on Fri April 28, 2017 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 237911 Reviews: 39 The sharpness is outstanding, Very Good to Good at full aperture, excellent at f/4.0 and above. What I don't like is the absence of focusing range limiter - the camera, often, search for a long time to focus) and the so-so built quality: focusing ring not tight, 'plastic' feeling. Quickshift is very convenient.

Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 50mm F1.7 by Belgarchi on Fri April 28, 2017 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 269328 Reviews: 42 Very nice lens. To reach perfection, it need a telescopic of bayonet hood, Quickshift and a larger / nicer manual focusing ring. Compared to 50/1.4 A or FA, it is better at full aperture, identical from 2.8 up.

Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 43mm F1.9 Limited by Belgarchi on Fri April 28, 2017 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 401070 Reviews: 100 Very light, small and gorgeously built. Image Quality is outstanding. Not so much the sharpness, similar to many 50mm lenses, but color rendition, resistance to flare, '3D' effect. Quickshift is missing. I love it.

Review of: SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL by Belgarchi on Fri April 28, 2017 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 767220 Reviews: 157 Very sharp, very light, cheap. The sharpness is 'only' good at full aperture at the center, but is as good on the edges (rare). Very good everywhere at 3.4, excellent above 3.4. Quickshift is sorely missed, as well as a hood (telescopic or bayonet would be great).

Review of: SMC Pentax-DA 50mm F1.8 by Belgarchi on Fri April 28, 2017 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 429836 Reviews: 74 This ultra-cheap, ultra-light, plastic lens is actually very well, tightly built. The sharpness, center and edges, for reasons I don't know of, is better at full aperture than the A 50/1.7 and FA 50/1.7. Quickshift is sorely missed. I would have like a hood also.

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 150mm F3.5 by Belgarchi on Sat August 6, 2016 | Rating: 8 View more reviews

Views: 89271 Reviews: 18 Interesting focal length, I always felt that the 135mm was too short or too long. Becomes a 300 mm on a Micro Four Third camera, sometimes enough for wildlife. Excellent mechanically, like all M serie pentax lenses. The sharpness, though, is not good enough (I am very demanding) to use at full aperture, but is already very good at f/4.5, and excellent at f/5.6. Very little difference between corners and center. Note that I tested it (very carefully, brick wall, magnifier for manual focus) with a Micro Four Third camera, the angle of field is therefore reduced, and I don't know what the corner would be on a full frame camera. Also, a MFT camera is more demanding at the center of the field (higher pixel density).

Review of: HD Pentax-DA 1.4x AW AF Rear Converter by Belgarchi on Fri August 5, 2016 | Rating: 7 View more reviews

Views: 114478 Reviews: 29 This tele converter is very convenient, but I am disappointed by the image quality with lenses under 100mm, or at apertures larger than 2.8. The center is bad, the corners are extremely bad. It gives very good results though with Pentax D-FA 100mm 2.8 Macro, and excellent results with Pentax FA* 200 mm 2.8. Also, I found out that with autofocus lenses with no 'Quick Shift' or 'MF / AF' selector, it is practically impossible to focus manually. Finally, for a simple 4 small elements, no diaphragm, no focusing system, the price is ridiculously high. It should be $250 instead of ~$550.

Review of: HD Pentax-DA 70mm F2.4 Limited by Belgarchi on Tue June 21, 2016 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 93966 Reviews: 17 Very nice lens. My only 'problem' is that I own the FA 77mm f1.8, and except for the weight, it is better. The 70mm 2.4 has strong vignetting at full aperture. It is sharp at 2.4 and improves at smaller apertures, but less sharp than the FA 77mm f/1.8 at all apertures. The hood is very smart: screw-in semi-permanent, semi-telescopic.

Review of: SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited by Belgarchi on Tue June 21, 2016 | Rating: 8 View more reviews

Views: 411888 Reviews: 103 Cute, small, light, well build lens. Very nice focusing ring. Telescopic hood. What I don't like is that the 'full' aperture, pretty small already (f4.0), is barely usable. At f/4.0, vignetting is strong, sharpness is good in the center but so-so in the corners. It improves markedly at f5.6. Good resistance to flare. Another disappointment: the way the telescopic hood is build-in precludes the use of accessories larger than the lens (step-up rings, add-on lens).

Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 28mm F2.8 AL by Belgarchi on Tue June 21, 2016 | Rating: 8 View more reviews

Views: 163043 Reviews: 31 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.

Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 20mm F2.8 by Belgarchi on Tue June 21, 2016 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 188614 Reviews: 25 Usable at f2.8 (limited distortion and vignetting, okay sharpness), really excellent at f5.6. Slightly better than A 24mm f2.8. Well build, light. The only thing I dislike is the focusing ring: too thin, badly located, rubbery.

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 50mm F2 by Belgarchi on Tue June 21, 2016 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 367731 Reviews: 101 I don't understand why this lens gets a lower score here than the 1.7. I owned the M 1.4, the 1.7 and the 2.0. In my opinion, the 1.7 and 2.0 are both excellent, the 1.4 inferior (not really usable at 1.4) Yes, you lose 1/2 aperture compared to the 1.7. But that is known, factored in the price. Is it important practically? Hardly. The quality of the photos is stunning, very good already at f2.0 (better than the 50mm 1.7 at full aperture), excellent at f2.0 and above. Excellent color rendition, light vignetting at full aperture, very sharp and sharp at f2.0 and improving at small apertures... Built quality is exceptional, not like today's cheap lenses... Superb focusing ring... My only disappointment is the absence of specific hood (no telescopic hood, no baionet). But flare resistance is pretty good, the SMC coating was one of the best at the time.

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 35mm F2 by Belgarchi on Tue June 21, 2016 | Rating: 7 View more reviews

Views: 170216 Reviews: 21 Very well built, light, and nice to handle lens. Unfortunately, the I.Q. is not acceptable at full aperture. Except if you want f2.0 to have a bright image in your viewfinder and never take a photo below f2.8, not recommended. The 35mm f2.8 is better at f2.8 (except vignetting), cheaper, lighter, and as good above f2.8.

Review of: HD Pentax-DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR by Belgarchi on Mon March 10, 2014 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 282638 Reviews: 65 Except for the limited zoom range, this lens is very practical: small, light, all-metal, low minimum focusing distance, 49mm filters, very good autofocus and manual focus. I took only 5 'test' photos with it, the brick house of my neighbor. The results are really excellent, and I don't understand some other reviews: - I cannot see vignetting! - Sharpness: - at 20mm / 2.8: Center 90, Edges 80 - at 20mm / 4.0: Center 100,Edges 90 - at 20mm,5.6: Center 100,Edges 90 - at 40mm/4.0: Center 90,Edges 80 - at 40mm/5.6: Center 100,Edges 90 '100' being near-perfect. I love it!

Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 35mm F2 AL by Belgarchi on Tue September 10, 2013 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 329903 Reviews: 82 This lense has nearly everything right: sharpness, contrast, low vignetting, low distortion, shade, good resistance to flare, lightweight, good aperture, full frame, you name it. The manual focusing ring could be wider, and I don't like the rubber it is made of (common problem of most of the 'FA' serie). Sharpness is already good at f/2.0, becoming excellent at f/4.0.

Review of: SMC Pentax-A 135mm F2.8 by Belgarchi on Tue September 10, 2013 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 216876 Reviews: 39 I bought this lense reluctantly, due to the 'cheap' 4 elements optical formula and some so-so professional reviews. I was immediately stunned by the sharpness! Very good from center to edge at 2.8, and excellent at 4.0! Vignetting and Distortion are negligeable. Good resistance to flare. Another plus is the compatibility with the Sigma Apo extenders. The results are near-perfect with the 1.4x Apo. Strangely, sharpness and contrast degradation are unacceptable with the 2x Apo. With my FA 200/2.8 IF-ED, the results with the Sigma Apo 2x are equivalent to the Sigma 1.4x Apo. Don't ask. The focusing ring is a little bit hard, I suppose it is only my lens, bought used.

Review of: SMC Pentax-A 28mm F2 by Belgarchi on Mon September 9, 2013 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 116788 Reviews: 13 Very nice lense, corresponding to 'normal' focal in APS-C format. Amazingly large aperture (f/2.0) for the weight. Hard to find, and therefore expensive, unfortunately. Very well built, smooth focusing. Sharpness and contrast, Center: - Already very good at full aperture (amazing for a light weight 28/2.0!) - Excellent from 2.8 and up! Sharpness and contrast, Edges: - So-so at full aperture - Becomes better and better at smaller apertures. Typical behavior.

Review of: SMC Pentax-A 24mm F2.8 by Belgarchi on Mon September 9, 2013 | Rating: 8 View more reviews

Views: 144676 Reviews: 23 Nice lense, compact, light, well built. Sharpness / contrast at full aperture are disappointing, even at the center, but improve markedly at smaller apertures. Distortion and vignetting (in APS-C) well contained. Colors slightly yellowish.

Review of: SMC Pentax-FA* 200mm F2.8 ED [IF] by Belgarchi on Sat January 5, 2013 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 87180 Reviews: 15 An excellent lense: sharp at full aperture and ultra-sharp at f5.6, nice minimum distance of 1.2m, useful MF/AF selector (done by moving the focusing ring), gorgeous metal build quality. It is heavy, though, and I wish that Pentax will make one day a 200 mm f3.4 for APS-C format only. It could weight something like 500g instead of 785g (without hood)

Review of: SMC Pentax-A 200mm F4 by Belgarchi on Sat January 5, 2013 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 73763 Reviews: 15 This lense is very nice to use: lightweight, has a telescopic hood, well build, very smooth focusing. It is fully usable at full aperture, but the sharpness, good, is never very crisp. Update: the 'good but not great' sharpness was due to my approximate focusing. When I have the time, I use now the LCD screen with a 5x magnification to focus, and the results are outstanding, already at full aperture, the maximum is reached at f/5.6.

Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 135mm F2.8 [IF] by Belgarchi on Sat January 5, 2013 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 133424 Reviews: 35 Near-perfect lense: good aperture of 2.8, lightweight, fast AF, telescopic hood, ratio 1:4 (0.7m), very sharp at full aperture. One big minus though: the manual focusing ring is near the front of the lense and is very loose, practically not usable. Two small other concerns: the focal is strongly reduced at short distances, which is inconvenient for macro photography of insects, and the sharpness, very good at 2.8 (rare!), doesn't progress at smaller apertures.

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 85mm F2 by Belgarchi on Sat January 5, 2013 | Rating: 7 View more reviews

Views: 254560 Reviews: 47 This lens lacks contrast and sharpness at full aperture, the full aperture is not usable. The I.Q. improves a lot, though, at F2.8 and above. I like the light weight, but a telescopic hood would have been useful. Very light and well built lens. To buy only if you consider it like a 85mm f2.8, providing a brighter image in the viewfinder.

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 120mm F2.8 by Belgarchi on Sat January 5, 2013 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 81488 Reviews: 12 Very good all-round lense. I like the focal of 120mm, uncommon but nice to use. This lense is good at full aperture, but improves only slightly at smaller apertures. I wonder if an increase of contrast using Photoshop would yield.

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 135mm F3.5 by Belgarchi on Sat January 5, 2013 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 453495 Reviews: 112 I am astonished that this lense didn't get a better rating for sharpness. It is absolutely exceptional, even at full aperture, equal to the Leitz R 135/2.8!!! Its only weakness in terms of I.Q. is vignetting at 3.5, but it is reduced in APS-C (or Micro Four Thirds) format. Way better than K135/2.5, M120/2.8, A135/2.8. I recommend high-quality close-up lenses, they yield outstanding results with this lense, and mitigate the unadequate minimum focusing distance of 1.5m