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SMC Pentax-A 70-210mm F4 Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-A 70-210mm F4

Sharpness 
 8.6
Aberrations 
 7.6
Bokeh 
 8.2
Handling 
 7.9
Value 
 9.2
Reviews Views Date of last review
65 305,541 Thu August 5, 2021
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
98% of reviewers $92.02 8.45
SMC Pentax-A 70-210mm F4
supersize


Description:
This popular lens has a macro function (at 70mm) in addition to its good speed.



SMC Pentax-A 70-210mm F4
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
Full-frame / 35mm film
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
Yes (A setting)
Diaphragm
Automatic, 8 blades
Optics
13 elements, 10 groups
Mount Variant
KA
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F4
Min. Aperture
F32
Focusing
Manual
Min. Focus
120 cm
Max. Magnification
0.25x
Filter Size
58 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 23.2-7.8 ° / 19.5-6.5 °
Full frame: 34.5-11.8 ° / 28.8-9.8 °
Hood
Built-in
Case
Hard case HD-190
Lens Cap
Plastic clip-on
Coating
SMC
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
One-touch Zoom
Diam x Length
72 x 149 mm
Weight
680 g
Production Years
1984 to 1988
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-A ZOOM 1:4 70~210mm
Product Code
27297
Reviews
User reviews
Features:
Manual FocusBuilt-in HoodAperture RingAutomatic ApertureFull-Frame SupportDiscontinued
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-A 70-210mm F4
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-15 of 65
New Member

Registered: August, 2017
Location: Ronneburg
Posts: 1

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 5, 2021 Recommended | Price: $60.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: built like a tank, constant arperture, a-setting, SMC Colours
Cons: None for me
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-3,K-7,Z-1   

Pentax K-3 HIghest Resolution /70mm Macro Mode/Center Weighted
Out of cam no post processing. JPEG

   
Forum Member

Registered: April, 2010
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 84
Review Date: June 22, 2021 Recommended | Price: $21.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Picture quality. Handling. Amazing value.
Cons: Not much.
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: Super-A, K-1   

I picked this up in 2017 just before I sold my K-5. I don't think I tried it on the K-5 but I did try it on my Super-A. I recently bought a K-1 and this lens shines on that camera.

I bought it on Ebay and was the only bidder. It was for sale locally and I felt a little ashamed for paying so little when I picked it up.
   
New Member

Registered: September, 2020
Location: Derbyshire
Posts: 3

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: October 18, 2020 Recommended | Price: $79.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Great optical performance at all apertures and focal lengths, well made
Cons: None that I can recall
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: MZ5n/MX   

This is one of those Pentax lenses that I really miss using.

On the MZ5n, switched to 'A' it made photography very easy indeed. It balanced well too plus and on the MX. It's a one touch push pull zoom with a built in lens hood to boot. A lot of bang for your buck.

This is a very consistent lens optically in my view on film throughout the aperture and focal length range (I did not use these lenses on digital) and the consistency of performance reminds me of my Nikkor 50-135mm zoom which is saying something as that zoom is really sharp even wide open.

Colour photography was great - the SMC coatings doing their job really well. Distortion was not evident to me in pictures and focussing was easy to achieve. It is also a good lens in high contrast situations, coping admirably well with bright light sources.

Build quality is simply superb - it's built to last and looks the business. Construction is robust and precise.

Highly recommended that you try one.
   
New Member

Registered: May, 2020
Location: Evansville, IN
Posts: 17

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: October 6, 2020 Recommended | Price: $40.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: handling, sharpness, heft if you like heft
Cons: heft if you don't like heft, mild CA
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10   

High on the fun factor, great color, gets plenty of attention. Built well. My copy has no zoom creep issues. Used outdoors/in brighter light, images are sharp enough, at center areas anyways, and there are the common and relatively mild chromatic aberrations visible here and there. Below are 2 images, handheld at 210mm, 1/1000, ISO 400, on K-3 crop sensor DSLR, with first one at f4 = wide open, and second at f4.5. Remember, the resolution of the photos after upload are limited - these don't do the actual sharpness justice when compared with original images on my home computer. Realizing that the iPhone camera development continues its encroachment on hobby (and professional) photography, I am glad to say that there is just no satisfaction in using their AI to artificially create the small depth of field or pleasing bokeh or far reach that this affordable lens can mechanically and optically provide on both film and digital sensor.

f4 = wide open


f4.5
   
New Member

Registered: February, 2019
Posts: 15

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: May 11, 2020 Not Recommended | Price: $40.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: It's all good
Cons: It's not as good as the SMC M 80-200mm
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 6    Handling: 6    Value: 6    Camera Used: KX ME Super K-X   

Because it looks and feels BIG and feels heavy some people will like this lens a lot. A nice robust lens across a great zoom range. Good performance. Not as sharp or as good image quality wise in comparison to an SMC "M Series" 80-200mm lens. I have both and they are both in mint condition.

Keep an eye on what you pay for this as some people seem to have forked out incredible prices for what is just a neat zoom lens. Mine was mint condition for $40 in 2019 and they hang around at $30-$60. Above that and the seller is laughing at you.

Rather long and heavy and unwieldy, but also compact in terms of girth. You can get your hand around this and grip it easily for taking photos. A beautifully made piece of gear. Pretty smooth to operate if you have Popeye arms, although it is more difficult to get to sharply focus in comparison to a M Series 80-200mm lens. I think it makes viewing darker than the wonderful M series 80-200 lens, so it makes focussing more difficult in some light conditions. And it can make images come put slightly lacking in contrast and rather flat and dense in some lighting conditions. The edges tend to blur slightly more than the M 80-200, also. And the bulky weight and length can add shake.

Macro facility is rather limited, but it's nice to see on this zoom.

So a nice neat robust heavy lens that gives good results. But always plays second fiddle to the M Series SMC 80-200 lens.
   
New Member

Registered: April, 2015
Posts: 11

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: February 1, 2020 Recommended | Price: $180.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Exposure is correct with TTL flashes; sharp wide open; robust construction
Cons: CA; zoom creeping
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 3    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 5    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-30; K-S2; NX500   

The best thing about this lens is that its Pentax-A; meaning, the exposure is correct with TTL flashes. This alone makes this lens perfect for any Pentax DSLR in indoor environment. Sharp wide open; CA control is not good.
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: February, 2014
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 2,698

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 26, 2019 Recommended | Price: $45.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: IQ, Colors, Handling, Sharp, Inexpensive
Cons: A bit soft at F4,
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-3, K-5iis, KP, K-1   

My review will be brief. The positive aspects of this classic Pentax A series zoom are impeccable build quality, SMC lens coatings, IQ from short to long, easy one touch zoom and focusing and very good to excellent sharpness across the frame from f5.6 to f11. The built in lens hood and 58mm filter size are a bonus. The macro capability at the 70mm end is useful, with good IQ and even at 210mm the lens focuses to a close 120cm/ 4 feet.

Negatives? Yes, there are a couple. Images aren’t exactly tack sharp at F4, though they are useable with some PP sharpening. Contrast often needs a small PP boost and magenta/green CA can appear at Wide apertures in high contrast lighting. Manual focusing is aided by the bright, constant F4 aperture, however I highly recommend using the Pentax 1.3X magnifying eyecup to increase accuracy.

Compared to my DA HD 55-300mm WR, the SMC-A lens holds its own in the center but kicks the modern zooms posterior where edge sharpness and distortion are concerned, especially at 210mm. Also, colors have that special Pentax look.
I really like this lens for shooting trains and cars. The lack of distortion and smooth tonal rendition of benefit in these situations.

Verdict, if you can find a clean copy for $80 or less, the SMC-A 70-210mm should follow you home.

I recently acquired a K-1, the 70-210 REALLY shines on full frame! From f4.5 to f11 at all focal lengths .
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: June, 2013
Location: Utrecht
Posts: 250

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: May 5, 2019 Recommended | Price: $40.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Well build, sharp, shines on full frame
Cons: You have to pop up the contrast, a bit fringing wide open
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 9    Camera Used: K-1ii, K-01, film   

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....

About 180 mm at F8
   
Forum Member

Registered: August, 2018
Posts: 72

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: October 18, 2018 Recommended | Price: $300.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: cheap
Cons: ... basic
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 7    Camera Used: K-x K-1ii   

Buy with my Super-A camera... in 1984. Incredible for an old and manuel cheap lense.


   
Pentaxian

Registered: February, 2010
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 6,155

5 users found this helpful
Review Date: October 12, 2018 Recommended | Price: $45.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Reasonably sharp edge to edge when stopped down; very inexpensive
Cons: Heavy, zoom creep, not as sharp as modern lenses
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 5    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K-1   

Generally I've relegated most of my telephoto work to my KP. I find full-frame telephoto lenses to be too large and heavy to carry around, and I don't like leaving expensive glass in the car. So more often than not, when out shooting with the K-1, I bring along the KP and DA 55-300 PLM to provide a lightweight solution for telephoto photography. But sometimes I don't feel like bring along a second camera. Since it would be nice, in such circumstances, to be able to shoot beyond 105mm, I began looking for some of the older legacy telephoto zooms that can be had for very low prices to fill the gap. I came across a good deal for this old manual focus zoom from mid-eighties and purchased the optic. How, then, does it perform on the K-1?

First, the good news. The biggest issue with many of the older zooms is that they're not sharp away from the center, even when stopped down. That's not a problem with the A 70-210. At f11 through f16, it doesn't seem to suffer any significant loss of sharpness as you move toward the far corners. This standard of performance seems to persist throughout the entire zoom range, even at the long end, where many older telephoto zooms begin to weaken. In addition to this, the A 70-210 has reasonably good contrast and color, and it renders beautifully.

Now for the not so good news. I've compared what the A 70-210 can do when combined with the K-1 against the DA 55-300 PLM combined with the KP. Despite the smaller size and MP count of the KP, the DA 55-300 nonetheless, in the FOV range it shares with the A 70-200 on the K-1, is able to capture as much detail as the old A series zoom --- which is actually rather impressive given the built-in resolution advantages of the K-1's full-frame sensor. And while it may be a draw between the DA 55-300 and the A 70-210 in terms of detail captured, the DA 55-300 is clearly the better lens when it comes to contrast, saturation, handling, auto-focus, size and weight. The A 70-210, of course, enjoys a clear advantage when it comes to price.

One important caveat to the above findings. I bought the A 70-210 to exclusively for landscape photography, which means my comparisons with the DA 55-300 PLM involve capturing detail at long distances. At closer distances, you may get different results.

Some images, all taken somewhere between f11 and f16:





   
Senior Member

Registered: April, 2012
Location: Endeavour Hills, Victoria, Australia
Posts: 210

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: August 21, 2018 Recommended | Price: $400.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Surprisingly sharp
Cons: Suffers from lens creeping
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 9    Camera Used: ME Super, K-1   

I bought this new in 1985 to use on my ME Super. I wanted to use it for sport but was disappointed with the manual focus being difficult. When I purchased a camera with auto focus, this lens became redundant. However, I kept it and when I purchased my K-1 I wondered how it would go. I knew it would be ok for full frame, but I was more than pleasantly surprised by how sharp it was. I also discovered that the manual focus actually became a strength. This was because sometimes, auto focus just will not focus on what you really want. With the manual focus you have much finer control. To my mind this lens is now sharper than it ever was when using film.
   
Junior Member

Registered: May, 2018
Posts: 34
Review Date: June 5, 2018 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Using this a lot with my K-1
Cons: It's a zoom, not fast, not optically perfect but what do you expect?
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 9    Camera Used: Pentax K-1, Ricoh KR-10   

This lense surprised me. I bought a K-1 to use with my legacy Pentax and PK third party manufactured prime lenses. Now I'm not scared to carry tripods around with me. Stop this down to f8 or f11 and it's perfectly good enough to shoot library / stock image footage to the extent where I leave this on my K-1. I prefer manual focus and often shoot in poor light so I get sick of DSLRs and AF lenses hunting around for something to focus on in poor light before the shutter will fire. It's big, it;s heavy, has a built-in lense hood, can be picked up cheap. Let's put it this way, it seems Pentax were making very nice zooms in the 80s and if you have a load of APS-C lenses and can't justify spending a lot of money on a load of lenses to use with a FF, this is worth looking at. I will, eventually, look at more modern zooms and compare them to this but so far, I've been please with what this delivers on my K-1. The FA 50mm 1.4 and Pentax-A 28mm f2.8 are probably my go to lenses for absolute quality at the moment but I don't think enough clients of picture editors are doing so much pixel peeping they're going to reject anything from this lense
   
New Member

Registered: January, 2018
Location: London
Posts: 2
Review Date: January 17, 2018 Recommended | Price: $50.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Useful zoom range, 1:4 macro, constant f4 aperture, built-in hood
Cons: Not sharp at f4, purple/green fringing towards edges
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 5    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-1   

Overall this is a well-constructed lens that can give good results.

70-210 is a useful range and this lens provides a maximum aperture of f4 over the whole range.

There is a 1:4 macro mode at the 70mm end - not as much magnification as you would want for proper macro photography, but still useful when out and about.

Sharpness is not good wide open, but improved at f5.6, and good at f8. Upwards from f11 the sharpness starts to reduce again. I've compared many similar zooms in this price range and this is one of the sharpest.

Bokeh looks great at f4, and not at all bad at f5.6 and f8.

Purple/green fringing is a significant problem towards the edges of the frame at all apertures.

Build quality, as with most Pentax-A lenses, is excellent. All-metal construction gives this lens a great feel but also quite a lot of weight.

If not for the poor sharpness wide open and the purple fringing, this would be an excellent lens. But it's still pretty good, and for the price at which you can pick these up (I got mine for US$49), they are very good value.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: May, 2015
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 892

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: May 23, 2017 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp, constant F4, A series.
Cons: None really.
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-5   

This is a very good zoom at it's price.
Just to indicate what it can be bought for, I paid more for the postage and packaging. I have not indicated a price on this review as the purchase must have been blessed and it would reduce the average price paid.
Like other reviewers I did have to tighten the screws under the focus ring rubber to improve the handling and even though it has a slow creep and requires a little effort to turn to the focus ring it is so much better than a lens with a sloppy focus/zoom ring.
IQ at F4 is not brilliant, CA is evident at this aperture. Stop down to F4.5 or F5 the images get much better.
I have the Pentax-A 35-105mm and this 70-210mm is close for IQ, I preferred it to the Tamron SP 70-210mm!
I also prefer the images to my Pentax-M 200mm at the long end.
Focussing is easy for me even on a digital camera, who needs AF? (though AF can be great).
The Pentax-F 70-210mm is also a great lens but noisy focussing and the violent way it hits the stops do annoy me. especially when the violent stops make you lose infinity focus and require the lens to be adjusted.
The "macro" at 70mm is handy too and provides good images.
This is a cropped image taken at 210mm not macro.

   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: December, 2016
Location: Silverstone
Posts: 331

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: April 23, 2017 Recommended | Price: $15.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Value, IQ
Cons: Weight, zoom creep
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-S2   

This lens is massively under-rated, and has clearly fallen from favour, given the way prices have fallen. My copy was found on eBay for £11.50. One day, there will be a reappraisal...

My copy arrived with a wobbly zoom barrel, as many do. The repair is very easy, though.

Remove the zoom rubber by prising up an edge near the mount (that's where the screws are). Insert a thin flat knife or spatula and work the rubber off with a twisting motion, lifting it away from the barrel. You can remove the rubber completely if you want, or stop after exposing the retaining ring.

Slide the zoom into the Macro position at 70mm to get a fixed position (this lens focuses past infinity), ensuring you are up against the stop. Tighten the four retaining screws with a PH000 precision screwdriver. Finger tight only. Refit the rubber, pushing with your thumb whilst turning the lens.

I prefer to use mine for action sports. I've used both catch in focus and good old fashioned subject tracking here:

Add Review of SMC Pentax-A 70-210mm F4



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