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SMC Pentax-F 80-200mm F4.7-5.6 Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-F 80-200mm F4.7-5.6

Sharpness 
 8.4
Aberrations 
 7.7
Bokeh 
 7.3
Autofocus 
 8.6
Handling 
 8.7
Value 
 9.1
Reviews Views Date of last review
27 124,178 Wed September 29, 2021
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
89% of reviewers $52.93 7.96
SMC Pentax-F 80-200mm F4.7-5.6

SMC Pentax-F 80-200mm F4.7-5.6
supersize
SMC Pentax-F 80-200mm F4.7-5.6
supersize

Description:
This lens features the same aperture range as its A version. It is of much lighter construction than the smc Pentax 70-210mm zoom.



SMC Pentax-F 80-200mm F4.7-5.6
© 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
11 elements, 7 groups
Mount Variant
KAF
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F4.7-5.6
Min. Aperture
F32-38
Focusing
AF (screwdrive)
Quick-shift
No
Min. Focus
110 cm
Max. Magnification
0.25x
Filter Size
49 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 20-8.2 ° / 17-6.9 °
Full frame: 30-12 ° / 25-10.3 °
Hood
RH-RB 49mm
Case
Lens Cap
Plastic clip-on
Coating
SMC
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
65 x 110 mm (2.6 x 4.3 in.)
Weight
295 g (10.4 oz.)
Production Years
1994 to 1999
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-F 80-200mm f/4.7-5.6
Product Code
27567
Reviews
User reviews
Features:
Screwdrive AutofocusAperture RingAutomatic ApertureFull-Frame SupportDiscontinued
Sample Photos: View Sample Photos
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-F 80-200mm F4.7-5.6
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-15 of 27
New Member

Registered: September, 2021
Location: North Country
Posts: 18

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: September 29, 2021 Not Recommended | Price: $25.00 | Rating: 3 

 
Pros: Price, Size, Weight, Bokeh
Cons: Sharpness, Chromatic Aberration
Sharpness: 1    Aberrations: 3    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 5    Camera Used: Pentax K-1 II   

This lens barely manages to resolve the K-1 II sensor at 80mm F8.0 and is notably soft at pretty much every other setting, getting worse and worse the longer the focal length. It is softer at every setting compared to the Minolta Maxxum 75-300 4.5-5.6 which, itself, is also an ancient lens known for its rather poor optical quality. This lens is just straight-up soft. It might have been a "hidden gem" on film and old 10MP sensors, but it simply cannot handle 36MP.
Noticable green fringing around most areas of moderate contrast even when stopped down one stop.
Autofocus is relatively quick and accurate for a screwdrive lens, the lens does not hunt and usually hits focus on its first try.
As an autofocus lens, it's small and easy to handle, the zoom ring has a nice short travel. The light weight for the 200mm focal length is a little deceptive and I do find myself under-supporting it, but stabilization is usually able to pick up the slack here.
One redeeming thing about this lens is that despite the slothful aperture, the bokeh is gorgeous, especially at the long end. At the short end, you can still sometimes make out the aperture blades, but at the longer end it produces some really nice big bubble-like bokeh. The quality of the bokeh did surprise me a little for a lens of this caliber. I really wish the rest of the optical properties were a little bit better so that I could more confidently use this as a portrait tele, but the green fringing around eyelashes and overall softness make that a no-go.
This is a small, light, and inexpensive lens, so there's not much harm in trying it out, but it's probably one best left in the film era.
   
New Member

Registered: August, 2020
Location: Cremona
Posts: 11

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: September 9, 2021 Recommended | Price: $40.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharpness, weight, colors, starlet on the lights.
Cons: Coma at the edges.
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 5    Autofocus: 7    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-1, K-1 ii   

I bought this used lens for 40 euros, from a private individual, because I needed a light telephoto lens for my K-1,
to always keep in my bag for 100% landscape use. In this case I was not interested in the maximum aperture,
although at night over long distances it can be useful, I compensated with bulb exposures.
This lens has left me extremely incredulous, its sharpness is absurd over almost the entire frame,
even if I have to say that when it reaches the edges it suffers from coma and therefore elongation and curvature of the lights.
This is not at all focal lengths, and especially not during the day.
However, it is a negligible defect since the shooting portion that suffers from a coma is really small.
As chromatic aberration we are fortunately on the minimum perceptible, we have some green fringe and a bit of magenta but
nothing that cannot be corrected in PS. That said I think considering it's a lens born for film, it's a superb lens,
I really recommend it a lot.
In fact, I state that my enthusiasm for this lens made me think that other F- lenses were all the same in quality,
and instead it is not true, but we will talk about this in other reviews.

Single shot:

HDR:
   
Forum Member

Registered: February, 2020
Posts: 92
Review Date: June 28, 2021 Recommended | Price: $12.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Very Sharpe, fast AF, good contrast
Cons: Dated look, but hey.. who cares
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10   

Just 20 minutes ago this lens arrived in the post from fleabay.
Despite the weather being very dark and gray I took a few test shots and was very impressed.
My hold isnt very steady so at 1/100 sec @ 135mm it surprized me.
   
Forum Member

Registered: April, 2008
Location: Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, UK.
Posts: 62

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: May 10, 2020 Recommended | Price: $24.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp, no CA, light, cheap
Cons: Skinny MF ring, not very fast, fiter thread lens hood only
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 10   

I'm not sure if some purists would regard this as a vintage lens but I got it yesterday from eBay for only £19. It is the curious SMC Pentax F 80-200mm f4.7-5.6. This copy is in very good condition with no fungus or dust. The focus is quick and accurate. At 100% the images are tack sharp and there seems to be no noticable CA.
I have taken some test shots on the K1ii, on of which is attached. I think that this is a surprisingly good lens and a real bargain.[url="https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/index.php?n=58873"]
   
Junior Member

Registered: July, 2016
Posts: 49
Review Date: April 29, 2019 Recommended | Price: $30.00 | Rating: N/A 

 
Pros: Sharp, fast AF
Cons: Slow
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K1   

I love this lens.

I bought it for $30 at a camera show thinking "I have all these Pentax A/M/K lenses; maybe I should get one AF one. Just in case." That 'Just in Case' has become 'most of the time' I want to do portraits out on the street.

It's very sharp for what it is. Put your K1 on group continuous and let it rip. The K1 drives it very fast and you can get pretty good results on moving subjects. The bokeh isn't too bad, but it's obviously no f2.8 or lower.

Best thing to do is look at some sample pictures! All of these were shot wide open at f5.6 (in most cases).







   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: April, 2015
Location: Bay Area California
Posts: 796

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: April 2, 2019 Recommended | Price: $30.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Light, compact, useful range
Cons: Slow
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 7    Handling: 7    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-3ii   

I didn't expect much; got this lens in a group via a Goodwill buy. But I got a great copy and it is much sharper than I would have thought. And works on full frame. A rather interesting part of its utility is also its big drawback: it's really slow at 4.7. But that also means it's quite small and light; one doesn't see such a lens that much anymore. My Tamron 70-200mm 2.8 must be at least twice as big, and wants the monopod. With this on a K-3ii crop sensor you're getting a long reach with M43 size. So as long as the light's adequate, it's nice to have in the kit...and did I say I got it for $30?

   
New Member

Registered: November, 2013
Posts: 14
Review Date: November 11, 2018 Recommended | Price: $80.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: very sharp lens - excellent quality
Cons: nothing
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: k-s1 k-x, k200   

this lens is much more better than the actual 50-200 lens


I've got a macro ring with pin contacts from chineese production with AF. the maco shootings of butterflies extremely sharp at f 11

for me this zoom lens is a macro lens with high qualities
   
New Member

Registered: January, 2018
Location: London
Posts: 2

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: February 13, 2018 Not Recommended | Price: $50.00 | Rating: 4 

 
Pros: Small, light, cheap
Cons: Poor sharpness, slow, significant distortion and CA
Sharpness: 3    Aberrations: 4    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 7    Value: 5    Camera Used: K-1   

I was eager to try out this lens as others here were quite positive, and being such a small light and lens it could have been a useful addition to my kit. However I was very disappointed.

In my testing, this lens has very poor sharpness. It gets slightly better around f8, but generally it's bad across the whole aperture range.

Distortion is not apparent at the short end, but there is significant pincushion distortion at the long end. Purple/green fringing is also a problem throughout the whole focal length and aperture ranges.

This lens claims to be 200mm at the long end with 0.25x (1:4) magnification, but my calculations put it at maximum 180mm with 0.225x (1:4.4) magnification.

Build quality is fine, though it does have a bit of a cheap feel due to the all-plastic construction.

The good points? It's small and light, which may be useful for some (though the tradeoff is a rather slow lens of course). Autofocus is fast and accurate. Bokeh is quite pleasing wide open.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: July, 2007
Location: North West UK
Posts: 390
Review Date: October 26, 2017 Recommended | Price: $10.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Internal focusing, compact, nice colours, great Bokeh!
Cons: soft wide open, some CA. not the sharpest, but not bad at all
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-1   

I got this lens as part of a bundle with the Z-1 and SMC-F28-80 lens. I got the bundle due to the Z-1, and the lenses were a bonus.

So what is it like? Well it is nice and compact with internal focusing, which is good.
Contrast wide open is less so, and very reliant on the light in question. In soft light is far too dreamy, when the light gets harder, it improves a lot more. Modern lenses are less suseptable with this. Stopped down improves matters.
The zoom ring is light in use, possibly too light, maybe a little more friction would not go a miss.
CA is reasonably well controlled, not perfect, but quite good.
Sharpness? Very acceptable, not Star lens standard, but not mushy either.

This is the sort of lens that could do with a modern version, light, agile, compact, yet provides good results. Imagine it with a revised optical profile to counter the softness and slight CA, give it silent focus and sealing and Pentax could be onto a winner.

Perfect as a travel lens is my sum up.
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: October, 2016
Location: Euless Texas
Posts: 265

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: November 12, 2016 Recommended | Price: $10.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Light, Sharp, Zoom is internal, AF works well with my K-S2, Did i mention price
Cons: Bokeh is good but not great
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-S2   

My niece is having a baby in December and I got her and her husband a K100D with a 18-55mm kit lens for her baby shower as all she had to take pictures of her newborn was her phone. I was looking for an inexpensive zoom to put in their Christmas stocking and was able to pick up this lens for $10. The copy I received looked like it had little use and the glass was very clear.

I was very pleasantly surprised with sharpness of the lens. (see attached picture). In addition it seems to work extraordinarily well with my K-S2 autofocus. I love that the lens is relatively light and that the zoom mechanism is inside the lens. The Bokeh is not the best of my lens but it is pleasant.

I work from home and sometimes I see a butterfly or other subject outside my office window, In order to be able to shoot quickly I always leave a zoom on my camera. This lens is perfect for that role as it is easy to maneuver and shoot quickly. I can be confident I will get sharp shots.

The bottom line is I will end up giving my niece a Sigma 70-210 instead as I like this lens better. It is a keeper and a bargain.

200mm, F-14, ISO 200


   
Junior Member

Registered: March, 2015
Posts: 41
Review Date: July 21, 2015 Recommended | Price: $125.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Very light - Sharp
Cons: Not fast
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: k30   

I've bought this lens cause I was looking for something in between the 100 and 200. I've read the review and I decided for this.
It is very light (which is a good point) and I have to say I was surprising by the sharpness of this glass. Of course it is not comparable with A*85 as image quality, but it is definitively a 8/9
I will raccomand if you have a small budget and you want something value for money.
   
Closed Account

Registered: February, 2014
Location: Sumner, WA
Posts: 965

4 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 16, 2014 Recommended | Price: $20.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: quick auto-focus, sharp enough, good color redering
Cons: physically unattractive, not fun for manual focus, not good for use with a CPL
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 6    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 7    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-50   

One of the first lenses I purchased when I was looking to play around with cheap. lower-end glass. I only paid a combined $35 (the seller also had it's littler brother, the 35-80) + shipping, and was pleasantly surprised when I received both lenses in almost new condition, complete with papers. I learned right away that these were slow lenses that needed light to have a chance, so I waited until we had a little sun, and then took the 80-200 out. I was not disappointed. Auto-focus was very quick, without much hunting, and I really liked the color rendering. Sure, it's not very attractive on your camera body (if that matters to a person), and the manual focus throw is really touchy/short, so tough to dial in a sharp manual focus, but with it's excellent auto-focus capabilities, no need to use manual focus for me. The only CA I really see is when I put it in a position to fail (reflective services) and that's easily ironed out in PP, so nothing to worry about.

Hard to frown on this lens (or it's little brother) considering how much I paid. It's built in a way that makes me think it will be on this planet long after I leave, and if I were to damage it, then not a lot of money lost. I don't really use it anymore (have upgraded to the F 70-210mm), but I won't sell it for a couple of reasons.

1) I would get next to nothing for it (there are a ton of these on eBay)
2) I plan on including it in the kit I hand down to my daughter (along with my K-50) when she gets a little older. I have plenty of keepers with this lens, and I'm barely a novice, so I think it would be an easy lens for her to have some success with, as well.

   
Pentaxian

Registered: September, 2013
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 1,070

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: April 19, 2014 Recommended | Price: $33.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp, little to no Chromatic Abberation, cheap price
Cons: Not fast aperture, plasticky build, not the prettiest looking lens
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K30   

My copy of this lens produces excellent images, especially for the price (I paid $23 USD plus $10 shipping). If I stop it down a little it can outperform lenses that cost much more. I was shocked at the sharpness of some images I took on a sunny day at 200mm, f8 aperture, and there wasn't even any purple fringing or chromatic aberrations. It also performs pretty well wide open too at all focal lengths, and makes a great outdoor wildlife or portrait lens. Since it doesn't have a super fast aperture you get a compact size instead, but when mounted on my K30 I can always up the iso and still get very usable results. This lens is small enough that it won't draw attention to you. It can autofocus very quick and accurately, and it is very light in weight which makes carrying it around a breeze. It It has a metal mount and is built well enough for my needs. It has an aperture ring which isn't really needed for a dslr, but could be used on a Pentax 35mm film camera too if you have one. And it also has a distance scale, which, believe it or not, does not come on many new modern Pentax lenses these days. I like how the lens barrel doesn't telescope outward when you zoom, but the barrel does rotate when you focus which makes using polarizing filters a bad idea. The manual focus ring is small and sensitive, but is still usable if you muster up some skill. Having a smaller diameter lens barrel (with 49mm front filter size) means the lens barrel can fit between the links on a chain link fence which is highly desired if you ever have to shoot through one. Some people think this lens looks ugly but if so that's good because then nobody will ever try and steal my camera! I personally like the 90's vibe this lens gives off! This lens has great colors and quite a bit of character. The bokeh is not bad at all. It all comes down to the fact that I love using ultra low cost equipment that gives awesome results and for this purpose this lens is a winner.

All of these samples have been significantly cropped. See links below:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/15904090887/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/14192710512/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/13917280436/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/13917281866/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/14084909614/in/photostream/
   
Veteran Member

Registered: September, 2013
Posts: 306

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: September 22, 2013 Recommended | Price: $150.00 | Rating: 6 

 
Pros: Weight,size,zoom not extend
Cons: Flare, no lens hood
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 5    Bokeh: 5    Autofocus: 6    Handling: 8    Value: 7    Camera Used: K5   

Not really use anymore much...
   
Senior Member

Registered: April, 2013
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 114

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: August 19, 2013 Recommended | Price: $70.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: quite sharp, pentax color, compact, light
Cons: slow at f4.7
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-01   

I found this used locally for $70. Pretty shocked at the sharpness and general lack of major aberration issues. It's light, compact, easy to handle, focuses nicely. I find the colors are GREAT too. A real stunner of a lens at this price.

B











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