| Author: | | New Member Registered: January, 2024 Posts: 24 | | Review Date: February 5, 2024 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | cheap, good zoom range | | Cons: | not sharp | | Sharpness: 5
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 8
Camera Used: k-5
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This lens is cheap, and I got it along with an old pentax camera(don't remember its name, but it's like K-10D).
This lens was my major lens for about 4 years when I was using the k-5, mainly because it's much more flexible than a prime lens, and it's also light weight. It is very good in certain conditions, but not so sharp and has a small ghosting in some images.
I think it does better for landscapes than portraits.
Overall is good for price range like this.
 | | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: February, 2023 Posts: 38 | | Review Date: February 13, 2023 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Economical, Wide Focusing Ring for an AF Lens, Metal Lens Mount | | Cons: | Not much for a lens that was bought new at $40CAD | | Sharpness: 7
Handling: 7
Value: 8
Camera Used: ME, ME Super
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The Pentax-FA 28-80mm f3.5-5.6 above is a typical late film-era kit lens. Compared to earlier 28-80mm lenses (the f3.5-4.5, A or F versions) made by Pentax, this particular model is inferior in both optical and built qualities. However, to be fair, the FA 28-80mm f3.5-5.6 is also much cheaper and its design and built are both relatively good when compared to kits lenses from other manufacturers at the same time. First of all, its mount is made of metal instead of plastic which is much much better than its counterparts from Nikon and Canon. In fact, I believe Canon is the first in going plastic on lens mount and even body mount. Another nice feature of this kit lens is its relatively wide focusing ring with distance scale on it. This makes using the lens on an older manual focus body much easier. Of course, a true manual focus lens is still miles ahead in term of ease of focusing.
To get the best optical performance from a kit lens, you need to find a “sweet spot” for the lens, a particular (range of) focal length and a particular range of aperture values. Most of the time, the lens would perform best at mid focal length with aperture set at f/8 or f/11. Thus, unless where you live is sunny most of the time during a year, you will need to load the camera with ASA400 film on an overcast day to maintain a handheld shutter speed. On the other side, most basic 50mm prime should give satisfactory results starting from f/4 which gives you a 2-stops advantage under imperfect weather and lighting conditions.
After some use, I found that the FA 28-80mm f3.5-5.6 performs best at around f/11. The sample image below is a 100% crop of a 2400 dpi scan from a frame of Kodak Gold 200, with lens zoomed at around 50mm. Right after this is the original full frame image.
For the telephoto side, the lens surprisingly gives better than expected results even at f5.6 (see photo below, shot with Ilford Delta 100 and a yellow-green filter).
Finally, let’s take a look of a sample image that was taken at 28mm with Fujifilm XTRA 400 color negative.
Beside optical quality, the built of this lens is surprising strong based on my personal experience on this particular copy. I once dropped the lens with a ME Super body on concrete. When the camera and the lens landed on the ground, the lens cap flew off and some of the black paint of the Heliopan yellow-green filter chipped off. I thought for a plastic lens that would be its end. However, so far I still haven’t noticed any problem due to the drop. One last thing, the focusing ring of this lens does not have a infinity hard-stop (in other words, it can move past infinity) which I found somewhat troublesome.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: February, 2020 Location: Smoky Mountains, NC Posts: 1,602
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 22, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $15.91
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | size, weight, build quality, IQ, AF speed | | Cons: | none to mention | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: KP, KS2
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I bought a silver version of this lens from Used Photo Pro for $15.91 total to use on my KS2 which has a broken aperture solenoid. This is an FA lens, so I can use the aperture ring to set the aperture on my KS2. Overall, I really like this lens. My copy was listed as "fair with small scratches on front element and scuffs on the body". The build quality is very good, with NO zoom creep whatsoever, and no rattling or looseness anywhere. It has a metal mount, and I added a metal lens hood to avoid any more scratches!! The photos I have taken have been nice and sharp as far as I am concerned, so I think the IQ is great. The zoom ring is nice and fat, and the manual focus ring is nicely rubberized to provide good grip. The autofocus is Super fast and accurate on the KS2 and KP. High contrast scenes will give some fringing if you pixel peep, but I only do that on the initial testing, then view images on the full screen to determine sharpness and fringing. I think this is a well made lens that performs well for general walk around everyday use. A copy in "excellent" condition would look nicer, but I like a little wear! Here are some pics:
ISO12800 f5.6 1/20sec 80mm
ISO1600 f8 1/45sec 43mm
ISO800 f5.6 1/30sec 80mm
ISO200 f16 20sec 80mm Canon 500d close-up filter
AND A GLAMOUR SHOT WITH THE LENS ON THE K-S2. SWEET!
 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: May, 2008 Location: London, UK Posts: 1,697 | | Review Date: January 24, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | Used & cheap | | Cons: | Not sharp on film or digital! | | Sharpness: 4
Aberrations: 4
Bokeh: 4
Autofocus: 6
Handling: 4
Value: 3
Camera Used: MZ5N & GX10 (K10D)
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Bought a used one many years ago for film and later I tried it for digital use - but didn't use it much at all on either because it was not "sharp", even on film, and so sold it a few years later
| | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: April, 2019 Location: West Yorkshire UK Posts: 28
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 24, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $13.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Light Weight Easy to Use and Inexpensive | | Cons: | Basic not so sharp | | Sharpness: 5
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 7
Camera Used: K-70
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I bought this in a sale recently for very little outlay. I checked it for dust etc and it looked pretty good condition for an old lens with lens caps made in Vietnam. Tried it on today on a dull cloudy day and it handles well and not at all that bad though compared to prime lens I'd say only half as sharp. There's not much to say to fully recommend it but its useful as a extra lens to carry light for the focal length needed for quick shots in situ. I could use it on my systems compact with adaptor instead as it covers that kit when I'm using that lighter camera. All in all this lens is ok for what it's worth and I think it's what it is inexpensive and basic for my needs.
img]https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/images/118608/large/1_IMGP1176.JPG[/img] 
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| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: November, 2015 Posts: 4,224
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 20, 2019 | Not Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | Light, Inexpensive, works with nearly anything K-mount | | Cons: | Corner performance, not terribly sharp, not terribly fast | | Sharpness: 5
Aberrations: 4
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 7
Value: 5
Camera Used: K1, ZX-L
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I recently compared this lens to the 28-80 f3.5-5.6 AL, and the AL variant won.
There's nothing fatally wrong with this lens, but it is definitely a product of its era and market placement.
It isn't terribly sharp anywhere, though it does clean up stopped down a bit.
Corner performance wide open at 28mm is what I would call a "dreamy mess". I'm not sure what was going on with that, but it wasn't good... it may be it just wasn't meant to be trying to record 36Mp of pixel-peeped image...
I've had good results out of this lens on film. It's a useful range and easy to carry and use.
But it doesn't hold up well against anything modern, and even against the 28-80 AL, it's a bit behind.
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: November, 2017 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,982
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 14, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | cheap, good enough, don't care if it gets damaged | | Cons: | lost of better lenses | |
I like this lens because of what it is. Everything that has been said about this lens previously is accurate and I have found mine is not different. I got this lens initially as a replacement for the 18-55 DA kit lens that got broken and I needed an autofocus lens within a couple of days. I found it locally for $30 and figured why not.
A year on and this lens is still serving the purpose I got it for. It is a good lens for snapping pics of bouncy cub scouts at events. If it gets broken, scratched, etc. it isn't a big deal as it is a $30 lens and for capturing images where the moment is more important than absolute quality it is great. For these kinds of pictures it is good enough. I recently picked up a tamron 28-300mm f3.5-6.3 for $60 that I intend on using in a similar fashion, but with more reach, so this will likely become the body cap for my k-2000 that I let my youngest kid use when he wants to take pictures.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2014 Location: Nagoya Posts: 577
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 9, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $15.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Cheap, light, good colours | | Cons: | Slow at 80mm, does nothing outstanding | |
This lens is nothing special, but for the price you can't complain. It is not the crispest or sharpest lens, it's a bit slow at the long end and it feels cheap. But it is cheap, really cheap. And for that cheapness you get very nice Pentax colours, quick and snappy AF, decent bokeh when you close focus and a lens that you won't mind bashing around in a bag. Don't go out looking for this lens, but if you see one going cheap then it's certainly worth snapping up.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2013 Location: Nevada, USA Posts: 3,348
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 18, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $8.50
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Fast and solid autofocus, good exposure | | Cons: | A little bulky, could be sharper | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 5
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 7
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K-30
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I bought this lens for $8.50 off of eBay plus S&H. At this price the lens can do whatever it wants and I think I got a bargain. Excellent value! It's cheaper than going out to the movies and getting take-out from your favorite restaurant. 
Pros:
The autofocusing was quick and accurate. My K-30 did not hunt around with this lens.
Colors are good and exposures are balanced.
It has an aperture ring which I appreciate for mounting to other systems even though I only use the A settings.
Most people would list this as a con but I'm going to go pro here. The flare and internal reflections this lens can produce are awesome! If you can leverage this feature then you can get some great artsy shots! It's super easy to manipulate with the zoom and aperture settings. It's quite dramatic!
Neutral:
This is just me but for those that care this lens has a metal mounting surface. I'm OK with plastic since it can be engineered to be tough. Plus, plastic makes the lens lighter.
Con:
The front element spins when focusing. This could make the use of filters difficult.
There is no depth of field scale on the focus ring. I do like having this feature but not a deal breaker. Still, I will list it as a con.
The lens lacks contrast, even with a hood. This can be corrected in post processing, especially if you shoot in RAW. Still, I would rather the lens transfer contrast without a helping hand.
The lens could be sharper. It's not bad. Think of it as better than a good P&S camera but noticeably softer than a "high quality" modern lens. I think the apparent softness comes from the lack of contrast. You can easily recover a lot of sharpness in post processing by adding definition, mid contrast, and sharper edges. While it's all doable I think this should be unnecessary. The sharpest images will come when you stop down the aperture a bit.
Conclusions:
I bought this lens for $8.50 knowing that the ratings here were low. I can understand why people would give low ratings in general but I do think that they are a bit harsh. Small 6"x4" prints will look wonderful. Larger prints may suffer a bit but the printing process is often softer than any lens so the loss would be small. A lack of contrast is truly this lens' achilles heal for a lack of contrast probably drives the IQ more than anything.
I was wonderfully surprised when I saw how this lens can flare. It's a wonderful prismatic effect that I think would be nearly impossible to recreate digitally. This gives analog effects some positive publicity as far as I'm concerned! This effect isn't for everyone but you should know it's there.
I consider this a high value lens if you can get it very cheaply.
Here are some samples.
IMGP0131 by Never Off, on Flickr
With some post processing you can get very deep colors.
IMGP0146 by Never Off, on Flickr
The prismatic effect can be easily leveraged for a dramatic show of color ... if that's your cup of tea.
IMGP0156 by Never Off, on Flickr
Pixel peeping will show some softness in the details in the boot and the bricks. It's not terrible but other lenses are obviously capable of better. I would still challenge many P&S cameras to recreate this image with the same color depth and exposure.
IMGP0157 by Never Off, on Flickr
Shot through a dirty window, I was pleased with the detail shown in the cob webs. Again, a lack of contrast is the lens' achilles heel.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: April, 2011 Location: near Berlin Posts: 9 | | Review Date: January 30, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | super fast AF, light weight, warm color rendition | | Cons: | cheap build, not very sharp, no hood | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 7
Value: 10
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Maybe I am a bit spoiled by my fix-focals, but sharpness isn't best here. The older kit-lens does well on my K-5, when I just walk around and take some snap-shots. Due to the fact I haven't got any WR-lens with such focal length, I also use it when I lie in dirt or when it rains - no problems until now! I also like the warm color-rendition. Pictures look old-fashioned... that's nice if you want that! Also bokeh isn't decent but ok. To put it in a nutshale: cheap lens with fasted AF I know!
 | | | | | Inactive Account Registered: August, 2011 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 95
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 3, 2011 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | INEXPENSIVE lense | | Cons: | For the money, none. | |
Yeah, it's inexpensive but if anyone's been watching Ebay you know this is got to be one of the most common lenses to be found. Used? Yes, that's true. Very used. However, it's an excellent lense for the money. I picked mine up for $20 plus shipping, I have no complaints. All in all, it's an exepensive kit lense which is sorely underrated.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2009 Location: Oregon Posts: 5,079
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 14, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Cheap, Decent IQ, Fast AF, Good Colors | | Cons: | Can there be a negative when the lens is $25 | |
This lens came to me attached to a ZX-5n I bought but as it turned out the camera was broken. The lens turned out to be the only useful part of the deal. I wasn't expecting much after reading lots of bad reviews, but I decided to give it a try.
After a few shots I was quite surprised by this lens. Now granted the IQ isn't steller and it is rather slow, the AF speed seem is faster than any other lens I have tried on my K10. The zoom range makes for a nice walk around lens, could be a little wider, but the extra length compared to the 18-55 is nice to have.
The best part is that this lens can be picked up in good condition for under $30.
Now I probably wouldn't take it to a paid shoot, but for a decent walk around zoom, you won't find a better value.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2007 Location: North West UK Posts: 390
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 29, 2009 | Not Recommended
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | Light, cheap(mine came with the MZ-5n), | | Cons: | floppy focus ring, not fast, no hood, soft, 42-120 on APS-C, CA. | | Sharpness: 5
Aberrations: 2
Bokeh: 4
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 2
Camera Used: K20D, K10D, K-01, *istDS
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Well its light, and its cheap. But other than that, not much to recommend it.
Its too soft on digital, although the extra softness on the edges have gone.
I can understand why Pentax made this lens, as other makes were producing kit zooms, but in reality not a good one.
Not up to Pentax standards I'm afraid.
Edit. I have had another play with it. No point getting rid, so it just sits on the shelf most of the time. However I decided to give it another try on digital bodies. So it went on the K-01 and the K20D the same day. On the K20D it was just awful! lacks any sort of resolution and the CA is awful, and I mean awful! Ironically on the K-01, which we know the Sensor is superior, it was okay. The CA was reasonable, and resolution was better. Maybe it was the subjects I was photographing on each body, I don't know. Sharpness is still lacking, but in CameraRAW it can be pulled back to a decent level.
Would I still consider one if I did not have one as part of a kit? Probably no, but on the other hand it is small and light and has a respectable focal range. So in the end, unless you find one second hand for peanuts, I would say that there are other lenses, even older K-mount ones that are far far better for a small cost.
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2009 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 2
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 6, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Price, sharpness, color & contrast | | Cons: | Construction, manual focus ring | |
My rating of 8 is with reference to the lens' cheap price. I find it to be sharp enough for viewing images on a monitor or 8x10 or smaller prints, and that it renders lovely Pentax colors. Autofocus is quick and snappy. Despite its f3.5 max aperture, I have had no issues using this lens indoors.
It is light and plasticky, and things do wobble around disconcertingly if you are used to solid, big dollar lenses. The manual focus ring offers little resistance and is narrow -- I sometimes find myself accidently grasping the end of the lens when focusing manually.
I use this lens on a k100d Super and leave it on most of the time since it offers a useful zoom range, produces nice images and I don't have to worry about damaging an expensive lens during everyday use. If you are interested in a zoom in this range with Pentax SMC and a metal mount, this lens is a great option at $80 or less.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: December, 2007 Location: In the most populated state... state of denial Posts: 1,854 | | Review Date: June 12, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Price | | Cons: | Soft wide open | |
Good if you are in a budget.
Not as good as Tokina or Sigma alternatives thou
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