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Showing all 30 reviews by Henrico

Review of: SMC Pentax 200mm F4 by Henrico on Mon September 7, 2020 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 129093 Reviews: 20 I doubted buying this one but I was curious if it is better than the M200 I also own. It is a bit longer and has no build in hood. This lens makes me think of my K135 F2.5. Same look & feel (quality), same coatings, same rendering. It has a longer focus throw also what makes focussing more precise. I use the metal hood from the Takumar era, made for the 135 & 200 mm lenses. I compared this one on a tripod with my M200 and the SMC-A 70-210. My pixel peeping observations are: K200 has the "pop" the other two lenses lack: it is sharper, crispier and contrastier wide open and at F5.6. From F8 the differences are smaller. K200 has a narrower FOV than the M200, about the same as the A70-210 at 210. K200 has almost no abbarations, it delivers clean images. A210 shows stronger vignetting. Hand hold and focussing works fine for me on a K1, better than the M200. So this one is a hidden gem. If you can find one, get one.

Review of: SMC Pentax 50mm F1.2 by Henrico on Fri September 4, 2020 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 305556 Reviews: 60 Besides the K35 F2.0 this one also got on my way. My very first camera was the black Pentax K2 with the K55 F1.8, I still have that camera and now in 2020 the lens that was made for it is in my cabinet too. This lens feels like a hand grenade, coupled on a K1 this is a 1.5 kg combo. My copy is quite mint with clear and clean glass in it and everything works as intended. This is a good lens for what it is, it shines in low contrast evening shots. Always use the hood, also in the dark. Be aware you must underexposure in that kind of situations, the standard metering wants to overexpose to daylight but that is not what you want. It is also better to shoot in RAW, wide open the RGB-diagram must be adjusted manually at 16 bits to collect all the sensor has caught without having bandings. Focusing wide open must be done in live view and the 8x magnify function, this is very accurate. Using just the viewfinder, "in-focus" beeps and focus-peaking are not adequate enough, the DOF is extremely narrow nearby. Wide open nearby objects are rendered nice and sharp, at infinity wide open shots are quit soft and hazy. This lens is made for object isolation nearby, so this is OK. I compared the K50 with my M50 F1.4 and K55 F1.8. Besides weight, a half stop difference, an even more narrow DOF and smoother bokeh wide open there is very little in between the 1.2 and 1.4. At F2.0 and further on the differences are negligible, both lenses perform superb and shine with contrasty and super sharp images between F2.8 and F8. The K1.8 stays a little behind those two, over the whole range not as crispy. The DFA 28-105 comes in at F4.5 and also is not as crispy as the two primes. I also like the color rendering of the two bright primes better, more vivid. In case you own a F1.4 this F1.2 adds little functionality. But it is so nice build, feels so sturdy, and looks so great on your camera that am very happy owning and using it now. It is the best and most versatile 50mm I own. Here are some recent shots, all wide open: K 1.2 shot wide open, flower in the center was my focus point: M 1.4 shot wide open, same flower in focus:

Review of: SMC Pentax 35mm F2 by Henrico on Tue September 1, 2020 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 122345 Reviews: 16 I could buy this one for € 200 in pristine shape, I couldn't resist although owning a M35 F2.0. I do not regret, this is a wonderful lens as well in performance as in looks. I did some test shots to compare it with its M sibling and with the DFA kit lens at @35. My first impressions : I do not believe this lens is radioactive. It has different optics than the Takumars, it shows not yellow at all and I could not find one K-serie lenses being listed radioactive. The reason Pentax did not copy the Takumar lens formula for the K35 F2.0 is to produce it non-radioactive. The K-coatings differ much from the M-coatings, the K shows much clearer elements. The M35 is a little bit wider than the K35. The K35 vignettes less than the M35 does. Wide open the K35 is a bit soft, but easy correctable in post. From f2.8 it shows nice contrast. The M35 really glows wide open, and remains very vulnerable for front light closing down. Seriously worse than the K35. Wide open the K35 shows some red aberrations, the M35 shows some purple ones. Both lenses are wide open decent sharp all over the frame. I did not expect that from the much smaller M35. Closing down the K35 is crispier than the M35 that is visible softer and suffers even then from flare in contrasty situations. Compared to the DFA 28-105 at @35mm there is little between this and the K35. Both lenses perform extremely well. The K35 offers two stops extra. The next three test shots are taken with a dimmed sun shining in the lens. I developed it from RAW. The JPEG of the M35 was much softer and mistier than the here showed recovery from RAW. I only adjusted the sliders of the levels to result in comparable diagrams.

Review of: HD Pentax-D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR by Henrico on Sat January 4, 2020 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 167125 Reviews: 41 Came as a kit-lens with my K1ii. I doubted to go for the 24-70 but wisely did not. I do own several wider & brighter primes so I choose for the 28-105. This is a nice lens, weather resistant, very sharp one stop down and not too heavy. It also performs well on the K-01, it autofocusses nice too. I compared this lens with some primes, the A 28-135 and K 45-125. In the far corners and below F4.5 most primes do a better job for sharpness. But what is noticable this kit lens is very well controlled for abberations, even wide open. There are almost none... See also: https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/SMC-Pentax-A-28-135mm-F4-Zoom-Lens.html and: https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/SMC-Pentax-K-45-125mm-F4-Zoom-Lens.html and finaly: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/390869-some-low-budget-nifty-fifties-compared.html

Review of: SMC Pentax-A 400mm F5.6 by Henrico on Wed December 11, 2019 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 117726 Reviews: 22 The A400 is a very nice and solid lens. I bought it as an upgrade for my K300 F4 and RMC Tokina F5.6. The A400 has better IQ then the K300 for aberrations and is a little bit sharper overall then theTokina is. All three lenses are sturdy build, the K300 has the nicest looks and the most attractive coatings. I had some fungus in the center between the front elements and I had to do some small destructive cutting to get it unscrewed, but it is fully operationalnow and very clear and bright. See also my post how I managed that. [COLOR=#0000ff]https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/283513-dis...400-5-6-a.html K-01 shots both taken at F8, 1/180 sec (bright moon) resp 2 sec (blood moon). The latter is less sharp due to the movement of the moon... [/COLOR] [COLOR=black] [/COLOR] [COLOR=black]Dec 2019 addition: I use it now on Full Frame [COLOR=black]K1ii,this lens even shines more on it then on APS-C. APS-C shots in fact are physical crops of what this lens was intended for. On full frame this lens delivers real nice equally sharp pictures on your screen. Shot taken on 225 meters distance at F8 ISO 1600: Cropped x5: [/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][COLOR=black] [/COLOR][/COLOR] Edit Feb 2021: I compared K300 / A400 / Tokina RMC400 in ideal situation on 24 MP Pentax KP. Resolving power of both 400 mm lenses is real good at F8 - F11, The A400 performs a bit better for aberrations and has an A-setting of coarse. On an object 60 meters away I can read the labels on the cables...

Review of: SMC Pentax 300mm F4 by Henrico on Sat October 26, 2019 | Rating: 8 View more reviews

Views: 173131 Reviews: 35 This lens feels so solid, beautiful crafted lens. It is real sharp when you focus with live view, the DOF is very narrow. Water shots in bright light have to be corrected because of the green/magenta aberations in front and behind your object. In that sort of situations the aberations help you in pin point focussing, the narrow area without aberations is in focus... :). Aberations are easy to correct on post btw. Stopped down this lens is very sharp. Very nice focus throw also. On K-01 : On K1ii : Edit Feb 2021: I compared K300 / A400 / Tokina RMC400 in ideal situation on 24 MP Pentax KP. Resolving power is quite good, only aberrations around blinking objects are an issue.

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 200mm F4 by Henrico on Tue October 15, 2019 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 303223 Reviews: 66 This lens is a real surprise. Not in the same league as the K2.5/135 but decent sharp stopped down. At F4 there is a lot of green/red fringing in contrasty areas, almost gone at F5.6. F8-F11 is the sweet spot for this lens for clean sharp pictures, even on full frame in the corners. As with most tele's, you have to correct the levels a bit in post because the lower contrast (stretch the diagram). Low price, true build quality, portability and build in hood makes this lens a no-brainer. In good light situations I often grab this with me because it is so compact and sharp enough. Pictures on Full Frame:

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 135mm F3.5 by Henrico on Fri October 11, 2019 | Rating: 8 View more reviews

Views: 453494 Reviews: 112 This M135 is extremely compact with a build in hood as bonus. I like this very much on my K-01, on APS-C this is a good performer stopped down a little. On full frame this M-lens shortens at the edges and corners until F5.6 and wider. Unsharpness and fringing will appear while opening the blades to F4 and F3.5. I compared this on full frame with the K135 2.5. The K is real good on full frame, the M is not. I would score this M135 for Full Frame a 7 and on APS-C a 9. Shot on K-01 at F8 Shot on K1ii, RAW, day light, auto settings, no sharpening:

Review of: SMC Pentax 135mm F2.5 by Henrico on Fri October 11, 2019 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 372897 Reviews: 71 Most is said about this lens, it's sharp and has a "special" rendering and bokeh. Yes, there is some fringing at the edges and corners wide open, but from F4 this almost disappears. Because of the narrow DOF wide open, while the sharpness is already there, manual focusing goes quick and accurate. I compared this with the M135 F3.5. At wider apertures the K is sharper (much sharper in the corners on full frame), stopped down the M comes close. Big difference is the amount of aberations, the M shows noticeably more purple fringing at the edges and corners. On APS-C the differences are less. I always use the metal hood from the Takumar era for the K 2.5, it never comes off... All pictures here K1ii : Following pictures develloped in RAW, day light AWB, auto settings, no sharpening

Review of: SMC Pentax 24mm F2.8 by Henrico on Wed September 18, 2019 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 234914 Reviews: 34 This is a bit strange review because mine has a serious fault. It badly suffers balsam separation. So I score it for IQ like my A24 that I also own (and reviewed) wich has the same optics but a different housing and A-setting. I bought this lens six years ago looking unused and brand new in the original box but later discovered it was a bad bargain. In bright light it flares like hell, in fact it's now a special effect lens for me and a "presse papier". I tried to separate the faulty two lens elements apart and repair it but I didn't manage that. Several solvants, putting it in hot oil, nothing worked, the two elements remained Siamese twins ;). For build quality, estethics and color of the coatings I find the K-version more attractive than the A-version. It's a beautiful looking lens that was sold as a K-lens but in fact is a 100% M-era-lens. The K3.5/24 is the real K24 to mine opinion. If you can find a prestine K2.8/24 I can recommend it.

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 100mm F4 Macro by Henrico on Thu September 12, 2019 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 245303 Reviews: 37 Nice old school all manual 1:2 macro for a few bucks. Wide open a bit soft but stopped down very sharp. Contrast stays a little bit behind its modern siblings, but is easely adjustable in post. Be aware of lens separation and haze. My lens is very clear and clean. This very old optical formula seems to shine for bokeh and it delivers… If you want a low budget versatile 100 mm this might be a good option. On full frame this is a nice portrait lens either. The 1:2 macro is a bonus. I always was very happy with it. Now I own the DFA 100 mm macro this one became redundant. But it's a keeper, recommended! See also: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/392245-my-...dern-dfas.html Ideal for DSLR-scanning too: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/107-film-processing-scanning-darkroom/38...aw-camera.html

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 100mm F2.8 by Henrico on Mon September 9, 2019 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 273365 Reviews: 58 I bought this long time ago for fl 100,- ( no euro's that time) and it was my most used short tele / portrait on film. This lens also shines on digital. Always use a hood to avoid flaire. This lens is well build, light weight, decent sharp already wide open (though little contrast), has superb color reproduction and at from F4 - F8 nice contrast. I compared this with the DFA 100 macro 2.8, you can find it here: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/392245-my-100mm-lenses-do-my-m-lenses-hold-up-modern-dfas.html The DFA is sharper wide open, frings less and produces more contrast. But the difference is minor. If you can grab it for little, you won't be disappointed. It's not a macro b.t.w.. If you own it for portraits, you can save the money buying a DFA for that purpose. Digital on K-01: Scanned older color negative:

Review of: SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR by Henrico on Sun September 8, 2019 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 460409 Reviews: 106 Beautiful lens, feels good (aluminum), clever hood, top notch IQ. Only wide open a little bit fringing around highlights. Rounded blades for nice bokeh. AF can be hunting, so I prefer MF. Compared tot MF macro lenses this one has a bit short focus throw. I got it as a free bonus with my K1 + 28-105. I am very happy with it. Ideal for DSLR-scanning too. See also: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/392245-my-100mm-lenses-do-my-m-lenses-hold-up-modern-dfas.html and for scanning: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/107-film-processing-scanning-darkroom/387682-my-best-methodology-film-scanning-raw-camera.html

Review of: SMC Pentax-A 50mm F1.7 by Henrico on Wed August 14, 2019 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 567644 Reviews: 143 This lens performs identical with it's M-sibling. Optical it is very good. It came 15 years ago or so with a Super Program-A for 35 Euros. Compared with the M-lens this is a "plastic not so fantastic". Only usable in A-setting, manual aperture setting is really horrible because of worn out plastic mechanics. I think I better remove inner spring-ball so for this one I can use my aperture ring silently without clicks for video shootings :). Using this lens in A-mode anyway works fine. See also https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/390869-some-low-budget-nifty-fifties-compared.html

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 50mm F2 by Henrico on Sun August 11, 2019 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 367730 Reviews: 101 Wide open this lens is less good compared with the M1.7 at F2.0, visible less sharp, visible more ghosting. Stopped down this lens is realy good. But... For a few more €$ you can get a M1.7 which is clearly a better performer. Build quality and handling of the M2.0 are great like all M-lenses. I own the metal "made in Japan" version. See also https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/390869-some-low-budget-nifty-fifties-compared.html Picture wide open:

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7 by Henrico on Fri August 9, 2019 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 942337 Reviews: 247 Works fine on everything, snappy aperture, decent sharp wide open, super sharp stopped down, only a very little CA wide open in out of focus areas. I bought this ten years ago as a ME-super set (camera + M2.8/28 + M1.7/50 + M135/3.5) for € 45,- :). Lenses and camera were like new, camera was hardly used. I often mount this on my K-01, but also on Full Frame this is a stellar perfomer. Everyone with a K-mount camera should have this lens, they are often offered for little. Pentax made millions of it.... See also https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/390869-some-low-budget-nifty-fifties-compared.html Pictures taken with K-01, (almost) wide open. Original test report 1978

Review of: SMC Pentax 55mm F1.8 by Henrico on Thu August 8, 2019 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 312899 Reviews: 77 Very good performer from corner to corner. Wide open it is a bit soft. You only need to boost levels/contrast a bit in post for brilliant pictures. Long throw for focusing, it goes very precise. Build to last forever. I got this as kit lens together with my 2nd hand K2 20 years ago. For both I paid € 75,-. See also https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/390869-some-low-budget-nifty-fifties-compared.html Original test report 1975

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.4 by Henrico on Tue August 6, 2019 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 659994 Reviews: 113 Together with my M2.0/85 this is my most adorable piece of glass. A compact heavy brick of aluminum with lots of nicely coated bright elements in it. I bought it new as a kit lens with my ME in 1978. I always shot wonderful pictures with it, much more punchier than my friends who used standard zooms that times. At F1.4 it is dreamy and difficult to focus spot on on film cameras. For one reason images spot on in the split screen finder were often not spot on on the film. F2.0-2.8 was ideal for contrasty object isolation, between F4-F5.6 it was sharp as hell. And it still is on 36MP Full Frame. I always use the original hood to avoid the front lens catches direct sunlight from beside, that results in flair. Great build quality, after 40 years it still works like new. See also https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/390869-some-low-budget-nifty-fifties-compared.html Wide open on K1ii: F2.0 or 2.8 on film (1995), scanned on Coolscan V: Original test report 1978:

Review of: SMC Pentax-DA 40mm F2.8 XS by Henrico on Thu August 1, 2019 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 205363 Reviews: 49 In 2013 I grabbed this new with a white K-01 for $ 350 from Amazon, my best deal ever. On the K-01 it works fine, for my needs it focuses well too with the latest software update. APS-C is covered completely, only little vignetting wide open. At F2.8 this lens shows a lot of sharpness, although around contrasty areas you will get deep blue halos. At F4 this completely disappears, from F4 - F11 this little lens is very sharp. Compared with other lenses the 40XS renders somewhat flat, you can pimp this up in post with the levels and contrast sliders. Focussing is fast and snappy. Looking at the optical formula this XS40 is very similar with the FF pancake M40. So it is not surprising this XS40 is very useful on the K1 too. Wide open you get noticeable vignetting and the extreme corners (only) are unsharp. Stopped down a bit the vignetting almost disappears and 95% of the frame renders sharp. A XS40 on a K1 looks a bit odd but for street shooting it really is an ideal combo. I never had any problems with the rubber cap, it works fine. Full Frame Pictures: Fields at F 5.6, Castle wide open, extreme crop with blueish halos.

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 35mm F2 by Henrico on Mon July 29, 2019 | Rating: 8 View more reviews

Views: 170215 Reviews: 21 I bought this one 10 years ago for just € 40 because it had to be cleaned for sticky blades. All glass was infected with grease, probably vaporized oil because of extreme heat or so. So I dissembled it and cleaned it with pure ethanol and iso propanol, now it is snappy with clear glass in it. Despite this maintenance it is very soft wide open with a lot of vignetting on full frame. The sharpness is already there but it is really misty. Attached picture in the bush is taken full open on full frame, it results in a low contrast dreamy tube-style photo. For that situations it is quite nice. Don't shoot wide open in contrasty conditions, for sure you get blurred pictures with lots of blue ghosts in harsh areas. Stopped down to 2.8 it gets lots better and at F4-F8 this little lens really shines with contrasty sharp results. Always use a cap because this lens is very vulnerable for flare. The miniaturization compared with its K-sibling makes it better for APS-C than for Full Frame. I do not own that K-version but the K will do a better job wide open and at the outer areas of the image circle.

Review of: SMC Pentax 28mm F3.5 by Henrico on Tue July 23, 2019 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 294902 Reviews: 64 Everything is said about this lens, sharp and clean images even wide open. Reliable distance scale in case the finder is too dark. I compared this with the DFA 28-105, the K-lens is even sharper overall and noticebly in the corners. Almost no fringing or whatever. Best results between f4 - f8. Balances well on the K1 also.

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 28mm F2.8 by Henrico on Tue July 23, 2019 | Rating: 8 View more reviews

Views: 498862 Reviews: 93 Years ago bought this little beauty together with a prestine ME, M1.7/50 and M135/3.5 for €40. My sample is like new without dust or whatever. I compared this little lens with my K 28 3.5 and this M-lens has two faces. On APS-C it perfoms very well. At 2.8 a bit soft and some vignetting, from f4 - f11 it is very sharp and contrasty and very usable. On Full Frame this lens really lacks corner and border sharpness. Wide open this is even visable in your finder, but all apertures stay behind the K-version. Also the fringing in the corners does not disapear completely. The miniturization results in inferior border & corner performance, there is too little gl ass in it to deliver sharpness on the whole image circle. Perfectly usable on APS-C, there is no reason to use this on Full Frame except weight reducing. On APS-C this lens scores a 9, on Full Frame a 6. The K3.5 is a much better lens on Full Frame, it nicely covers the whole frame with sharpness and contrast. There is a lot more glass in in it and you can see why… Fisherman on K-01 at f5.6, wall picture on K1ii wide open. Original test report 1978:

Review of: SMC Pentax-A 24mm F2.8 by Henrico on Mon July 15, 2019 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 144676 Reviews: 23 Nice wide angel on full frame and APS-C. The smaller sensor avoids the weaker outer aereas of this lens. You have to stop down a little bit to get the best results in the corners on full frame. CA and fringing are well controlled and center sharpness is good (wide open) to excellent (F8). Beautifull build, aperture ring works fine too. A-setting is not good calibrated, it results in some over exposure. In M-mode this works fine. I previously had the K-version of this lens, it looked untouched brand new but suffered balsem separation (low contrast, lots of flare). This A-version has none and is fine.

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 20mm F4 by Henrico on Thu July 4, 2019 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 172785 Reviews: 32 This is my standard walk around lens on my white K-01. Together with the M 28 F 2.8 this 20 mm performs extremely well without any serious flaws. Both are very sharp om APS-C, show contrasty colorfull rendering and have great flare resistance. They look cool on the K-01 either with those purple/blue coatings. On Full Frame you have to stop down to F8 or F11 to get good corner performance, at wider apertures the corners suffer a bit. I would rate this a 10 for APS-C and a 8 on Full Frame. See also my quick & dirty comparrison with other ultra wides at https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/389036-my-old-wide-angles-compared-full-frame.html

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 85mm F2 by Henrico on Sat June 15, 2019 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 254560 Reviews: 47 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...

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 28-50mm F3.5-4.5 by Henrico on Sat May 25, 2019 | Rating: 8 View more reviews

Views: 77115 Reviews: 14 Another old zoom in my cabinet, still looks brand new with clear and nice coated glass in it. This lens always was (and is) very useful on my ME-super, this is a compact combo. I now compared this with the 40 years younger DFA 28-105 kit lens. Full open at 28 mm the center sharpness already is very good, towards the edges and corners it gets a bit blurry. This lens has strong field curvature, the focus in the corners is much further away than it is in the center. The DFA also has some curvature, but opposite to the M lens the corners just are sharper more nearby. At F8 the lens is sharp on the whole frame at all focus lengths and delivers perfect pictures. This lens is rather sensitive for flare, so always use a cap or cover strong backlight with your free hand. Full open the corners suffer a bit for blue/yellow CA and fringe a bit purple in harsh conditions. At F8 most of this is gone. The DFA anyway is the better one full open, more stopped down there is fewer between them. Full open 28 mm: F8 50mm:

Review of: SMC Pentax 45-125mm F4 by Henrico on Sun May 19, 2019 | Rating: 10 View more reviews

Views: 75362 Reviews: 16 This oldie goldie is a big surprise on my K1ii! I bought this lens many years ago and compared this now at 100% with my DFA 28-105 at 45mm, 70mm and 105mm at full frame. This lens shines as never before! There really is nothing in between this one and the DFA Kit Lens! Only at 45mm in the extreme edges in harsh conditions there is some purple fringing. My version is the 1977 one (3th/4), It is in excellent shape with very clean optics. Zooming goes fast and light (be aware for some zoom creep), focusing is nice and easy. Just focus at 120 mm and shift the zoom ring to wider view avoiding turning it. Very easy, fast and precise. At F4 there is some vignetting, but not by much. Top quality more then 40 years old now… Ca. 80 mm at F8 Ca. 120mm F4

Review of: SMC Pentax-M 35-70mm F2.8-3.5 by Henrico on Tue May 14, 2019 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 166066 Reviews: 29 I bought this lens years ago but I never understood why it rated so high. My pictures often were dull. Until I realized the infinity focus was not correct. So I removed the stopper under the rubber ring and now I can focus beyond infinity.This lens is a bit weak full open, but one stop down it starts to perform nice,the best results F8-F11. It is really sharp with good corners and almost no aberrations. As with most K, A & M lenses, expanding the histogram and tweaking the contrast finishes the job. Direct sunlight in the front lens from beside results in nice red halos, due to the typical red coatings Pentax used that period. Pictures taken with K1-ii. Recommended!

Review of: SMC Pentax-A 70-210mm F4 by Henrico on Sun May 5, 2019 | Rating: 9 View more reviews

Views: 306567 Reviews: 65 [SIZE=3]Another very cheap but interesting A-zoom that performs much better on FF than it does on APC-C. Wide open there is some fringing in harsh areas and some green magenta aberrations in the outof focus areas, but not by much. Stopped down this lens is serving the K1ii real nice delivering nice clean crisp images up to 800 ASA and SR. In post I only adjust the levels somewhat (stretching the histogram to full 0-100%) and adding some contrast in case the pictures might be a bit flat (low contrast). Always focus on the long end and then adjust your zoom range, old school focussing....[/SIZE] About 180 mm at F8

Review of: SMC Pentax-A 28-135mm F4 by Henrico on Sun April 28, 2019 | Rating: 8 View more reviews

Views: 89711 Reviews: 12 Lots of glass for only 40 euros, once it was an expensive lens for manual SLR's. I used it on my K-01 but for APS-C it's a bit too long. I was just curious how this beast survives on digital full frame and how it compares to the kit lens. This lens performs better on the long end as it does at 28 mm. Avoid F4 anyway, it's soft and glowing. At 28 mm, the far corners never live up and keep very smeary at most apartures. At 35mm this is almost gone, stopping to 5.6 results in good center sharpness and more than acceptable images from 35mm on to the long end. It renders a bit cooler than the kit lens does of the K1ii, but the images are sharp in the in-focus zone. Bokeh is a bit misty, different from the kit lens. What you prefer is a matter of taste.