| Review of: SMC Pentax-DA 40mm F2.8 Limited by ripper2860 on Mon November 2, 2015 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 576037
Reviews: 148
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The Pentax-DA 40/2.8 Limited is quite compact and light. Frankly, it took a bit to get used to how it looked on the camera. In fact it is so small, I thought -- how good can this be? How can they cram all of the magical pixie dust and optics into such a small package? Well, they did! The lens proved to live up to all of the great reviews it has earned, but it wasn't all rainbows and flowers. It did take me a bit to get used to this lens, as it was not really a lens that initially fits my shooting style (Close-up/Macro). This lens is not what I would call a "Close-up" lens as it has a longer MFD than I liked and made me feel a bit out of my element . It is also not a FAST lens so it's not one that fared well when attempting to shoot indoor / fast-action like volleyball. The 40mm focal length just seemed a bit odd to me, not wide enough and not telephoto enough, but the more I used it the less it bothered me.
There are very compelling good aspects, however. The lens is EXTREMELY sharp, allowing for significant crops without loss of image quality. This allowed me to crop and give the impression of a close-up shot. Color rendition was excellent and it produced a very nice bokeh, as well. The wonderfully surprising aspect of this lens is that it is seemingly impervious to flare. This allowed me to brave taking sunset shots with the sun in frame with very nice results!!
All-in-all, it was a fun month with the 40/2.8 Limited. It is certainly a lens worth of the praise it has received and is one I will likely use over and over again. It is highly recommended and if it suits your shooting style, certainly worth taking a look at.
(Some images from this month)
 IMGP3964-2 by Richard, on Flickr
 IMGP4461-2 by Richard, on Flickr
 IMGP4365 by Richard, on Flickr
 IMGP4070 by Richard, on Flickr
 IMGP4221-2BW by Richard, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-M 50mm F4 Macro by ripper2860 on Sun September 21, 2014 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 203218
Reviews: 35
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Can't say enough good things about this lens. The M and K series 100mm f/4 Macros seem to get all attention, but this lens is amazing and deserving of some attention. On an APS-C body it makes for a very nice walk-around lens performing extremely well in non-Macro, as well as Macro situations. Nice to know that you can have one lens that will likely accommodate whatever you come across in your walk-around. With this level of sharpness, crops are not a problem so situations where the 50mm is a bit of a stretch present no issues. The color rendition and contrast is stellar while the edge-to-edge SHARPNESS cannot be over-stated.
If you don't have one and are not intimidated by a full manual lens -- GET ONE!! You will not be sorry. Below are some captures for my PF "Single In... " challenge w/ this lens...
 IMGP2164 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
 IMGP2240 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
 IMGP2406-2 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-A 35-105mm F3.5 by ripper2860 on Sun July 27, 2014 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 343116
Reviews: 79
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Can't say much more than has already been said. An impressively constructed lens that performs very well in all aspects. The sharpness is very good and consistent across the entire focal range, especially when stopped down a bit. Color rendition is wonderful as is characteristic of Pentax lenses. Max aperture of f/3.5 across the range is extremely nice to have making it a good mid-range tele-photo for lower light situations. And it's an "A" lens, which makes it even better!! Bought mine from a forum member and it was very much worth it!! If you can find one in nice shape and at a reasonable price -- get it!! Looking forward to spending more time with this lens and pitting against the Vivtiar Series 1 28-90mm f/2.8-3.5.
 IMGP2610 by Richard, on Flickr
 IMGP1860 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
 IMGP1858 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
 IMGP1880 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-A 28mm F2.8 by ripper2860 on Thu June 19, 2014 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 318750
Reviews: 63
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Needed a little bit wider FOV than my 35 or 50 could give me and I didn't want to reach for my DA 18-55 zoom. This lens certainly fits the bill. Over-all very nice contrast and good sharpness across almost all stops. Provides a nice and aesthetic softness but it is not at the expense of color, contrast or sharpness. Contradictory, I know, but it is something you have to see to understand. It's a good thing. Color rendition is like most Pentax -- excellent. The Focus ring seems a tiny bit loosey/goosey but it still instills the feeling of a well built lens. There are some pretty good 28/2.8 lenses out there from Sigma and Vivitar, etc.; however, the Pentax-A 28/2.8 should be on your list if you are looking for a a quality lens to give you a bit more FOV.
 IMGP0726 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7 by ripper2860 on Thu June 19, 2014 | Rating: 0 | View more reviews | |
Views: 942296
Reviews: 247
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Got this from a forum member a couple of months ago. I had been using my 50mm f/2 from my old ME Super and the focus band started slipping a bit, so I though it was a good time for a wee upgrade. This lens is SHARP across virtually all aperture settings. I would have to give it an edge over my Pentax-A 50 f/1.4 and maybe even the Pentax-A 28 f/2.8 (that's saying an awful lot for a lens in this price range.) Contrast and color are excellent and the build -- well it's an M!! These seem to be available at a pretty reasonable price and worthy of some LBA loving!!
 IMGP0778 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-A 50mm F1.4 by ripper2860 on Thu June 19, 2014 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 297400
Reviews: 58
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I stumbled across this MINT condition lens at a bargain and had to go for it as my 1st A lens (I was previously using a M50 /f:2). This lens opens up a new level of possibilities for low light indoor shooting given its wider aperture. DOF is much narrower wide-open which is good or bad, depending on the situation. It can be difficult to get focus close-up or in Macro situation wide-open, but that is to be expected -- Live View with Focus Peaking is a big help in these rare situations. The lens doesn't feel as "bullet-proof" as the M lenses or the Helios, but it certainly not fragile by any means. Images are crisp with very good contrast and the typical Pentax color excellence. A great lens and in A mode all you have to do is FOCUS. It would be a toss-up between this lens and my Helios 44-K4 58/2 but the A has won me over.
 IMGP0740 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL by ripper2860 on Thu June 19, 2014 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 767209
Reviews: 157
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After reading about this "Plastic Fantastic" I had to get one. It was One of my first purchases to add to my kit lenses and boy am I happy to have added this lens to my portofoio. Very sharp at center with slight softening as you go out to the edges -- across virtually all aperture settings. I would definitely call this a "Sharp" lens and it does make for some very crisp photos. It is a very useful FOV on a APS-C sensor camera -- not too wide and not too narrow -- a "what you see is what you get" lens. The color reproduction and contrast is OUTSTANDING!! Images taken with this lens require little to no post-processing if taken properly. Highly recommended!!
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-M 135mm F3.5 by ripper2860 on Fri June 13, 2014 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 453474
Reviews: 112
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Happened to stumble upon this lens in MINT condition and could not resist. Received it 2 days ago and took it out for a spin. It's very durable yet not too heavy. It makes for a nice portable telephoto prime. Colors are rich and very good contrast. Bokeh is very good although not the absolute best, IMHO. If you get the chance to pickup a nice copy of this lens for a good price, do it!! You will not be disappointed.
 IMGP0687 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
 IMGP0677 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED by ripper2860 on Thu June 12, 2014 | Rating: 8 | View more reviews | |
Views: 155749
Reviews: 58
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All-in-all a pretty good lens for shots that are not too demanding -- especially given the going price for this lens. It's light, compact and easy to tote around. Handy as it definitely adds reach for those shots where you need a bit more zoom. Definitely a lens that does better in relatively well lit situations and a hood is recommended. Pictures have nice contrast and the expected excellent Pentax color rendition. A little light Post-processing via Photoshop and it really does make for pictures that are rather appealing.
Surprisingly good as close-up, too...
 IMGP0659.DNG by Ripper2860, on Flickr
 IMGP0656.DNG2 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
 IMGP0668 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
 IMGP0060 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
 IMGP0464 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
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