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SMC Pentax-M 75-150mm F4 Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-M 75-150mm F4

Sharpness 
 8.7
Aberrations 
 8.0
Bokeh 
 8.3
Handling 
 8.7
Value 
 9.4
Reviews Views Date of last review
58 198,299 Mon February 5, 2024
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
97% of reviewers $58.46 8.70
SMC Pentax-M 75-150mm F4

SMC Pentax-M 75-150mm F4
supersize
SMC Pentax-M 75-150mm F4
supersize

Description:
The M-series 75-150mm is a compact manual-focus short telephoto zoom.

SMC Pentax-M 75-150mm F4
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
Full-frame / 35mm film
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
Yes (no A setting)
Diaphragm
Automatic, 6 blades
Optics
12 elements, 9 groups
Mount Variant
K
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F4
Min. Aperture
F32
Focusing
Manual
Min. Focus
120 cm
Max. Magnification
Filter Size
49 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 22-11 ° / 18-9.1 °
Full frame: 32-16 ° / 27-13.7 °
Hood
Built-in, slide out
Case
Dedicated hard case
Lens Cap
Plastic clip-on
Coating
SMC
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
One-touch Zoom
Diam x Length
64 x 111 mm
Weight
465 g
Production Years
1980 to 1985
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-M ZOOM 1:4 75-150mm
Product Code
27267
Reviews
User reviews
Features:
Manual FocusBuilt-in HoodAperture RingFull-Frame SupportDiscontinued
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-M 75-150mm F4
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-15 of 58
Site Supporter

Registered: January, 2024
Posts: 24
Review Date: February 5, 2024 Recommended | Price: $50.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Good image quality, very light
Cons: manual focus
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 9    Camera Used: k1   

If you want a cheap yet quality lens this is the one to go. Very light weight and small.
I am using this now for landscapes, need more time to review. So far it's pretty good.
One possible problem is some vignetting at f4.


   
New Member

Registered: August, 2019
Posts: 1
Review Date: June 15, 2023 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: sharp, colours, size
Cons:
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10   




   
Pentaxian

Registered: June, 2014
Location: Florida
Posts: 3,209

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: November 19, 2020 Recommended | Price: $25.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Build quality, price, IQ
Cons: Sharpness is a little low, but expected for an old manual zoom
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 7    Value: 10   

The pentax M75-150 is a very interesting zoom lens. I'm not usually a big fan of older manual zooms as the IQ and image rendering tend to be really poor on them. This lens is absolutely an exception.

Let's start with the pros of this lens. For one this lens is build like an absolute unit. Nothing loose or iffy in terms of build quality. The weight and size are also pretty acceptable. The constant F4 aperture makes using this lens pretty easy and the IQ wide open is more than acceptable throughout the range. Colors and rendering on this lens are really the star of the show. This lens is pretty excellent at showing depth even at higher f stops. Contrast out of the camera is pretty good even without editing. At higher F stops the lens becomes pretty sharp corner to corner making this lens suitable for landscapes as well.


The only cons I'd really say with this lens are that:

1. The zoom creep can kinda be annoying.
2. The sharpness throughout the range is not the best. However this is just the compromise you get on a lens like this and it doesn't affect usability.
3. I'm really glad we don't use push/pull zooms anymore.

But that's about it. If you're looking for a lens in this range, especially for telephoto landscapes, I'd highly recommend this lens. It's a joy to use and the pictures really sometimes feel like they have some pixie dust in em. Just don't pixel peep too much and you'll really enjoy it.

For the price I think it's basically unbeatable, I'd take this over the 50-200 any day.

Sunset Bokeh by Brian Mckee, on Flickr

Great Blue Photoshoot by Brian Mckee, on Flickr

Gulf fritillary taking a rest by Brian Mckee, on Flickr

Lake View 2 by Brian Mckee, on Flickr

Everything has gone sideways! by Brian Mckee, on Flickr
   
New Member

Registered: February, 2019
Posts: 15

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: September 23, 2020 Not Recommended | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Relatively small and light
Cons: Not as good as some say
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 5    Handling: 7    Value: 7    Camera Used: Film   

Many lenses are very good on digital cameras because the camera software partly compensates for sharpness and chromatic wobbles. This is one of them. You can see the digitised images, below, and those that show editing beyond the basic image. Put this on a film camera and it's good, but not outstanding. Sharpness is pretty low through the two extremes of the zoom capacity and f-stop scale. That leaves you with the usual zoom range of minus 10% top and bottom end of the mm scale and the top and bottom f-stop. In other words, you can use a 135mm and 50mm Prime Pentax M for better, sharper, images - and with a far greater mm and f-stop range - for the same price. Bokeh is nearly impossible, so I don't know why so many people rated this high. It's a neat and nice lens, but it's not outstanding and falls far short of prime lens equivalence. It does "feel" good and it's great to use in a tactile sense, but both of these factors do not take better photos.

Beware! many people on some online auction sites ask a fortune for this. Don't think that means it is worth a fortune.
   
New Member

Registered: April, 2015
Posts: 11
Review Date: February 1, 2020 Recommended | Price: $130.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp wide open; small size; light-weight: robust construction
Cons: Bit haze wide open. CA
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 3    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-S2; NX500   

Sharp wide open but a bit hazy. Verry small in size and weight. One of the best lenses to carry in bag all the time. CA control is not good.
   
Senior Member

Registered: August, 2018
Posts: 240
Review Date: November 4, 2019 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Solid build. Short for a 150
Cons: Heavy. Zoom creep at high vertical
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: KP   

If you want a professional lens, then this might not be it. But if, like me, you want to do some art, this is great. I printed out test shots today on 4x6 and it was like being back in the 80's again. Good results in terms of colour. I have a bit more work to do on getting the manual focus spot on, but, that will be practice. I've ordered a lens hood for it, as the built in isn't very long.
   
New Member

Registered: February, 2016
Location: lake constance
Posts: 1

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: January 22, 2019 Recommended | Price: $30.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: surprisingly sharp at all the focal lengths even at wide open
Cons: out of production
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: ME Super, MX, Sony A7   

This vario lens is phantastic - I bought it for a low price - 25 Euro, in use for school events.


Mechanics are on top, like on the first day after production. This is Pentax M like. Optics have a slight fog between the first two lenses. But only in the edges of the lenses.

I took this lens to a favourite place in my favourite light in very wet weather. I wanted to find out, how this lens is working under extreme conditions. I have not been disapointed. It is a sharp and very handy lens, which has a reasonable range of focal lenghts. You are able to use it on cold days with stiff fingers, because it has a big distance/focal ring. The built in hood is a great help on rainy days to keep the front almost dry.

Even wide open, it is a sharp lens. It has a little CA, but you only can see it on digital images. In considering the lens is almost 40 years old, you will love this solid, old school zoom. Like the other M lenses!!!



   
New Member

Registered: November, 2013
Posts: 14
Review Date: November 10, 2018 Recommended | Price: $40.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: extremely sharp
Cons: very few CA's in the corners
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: k-s1, k-x, k200D   

I use the zoom lens for macro shootings in combination with an achromatic focal reductor and a macro ring.

Excellent results with f 11
   
New Member

Registered: March, 2013
Location: NE England
Posts: 13
Review Date: October 4, 2018 Recommended | Price: $20.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Build, sharpness, colour, Pentax, cheap.
Cons: None for the price.
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: KP   

As others have said this is a wonderfully sharp lens and really nicely built. Quite heavy but balances well on the KP with a grip. The one touch zoom/focus system is a joy and something I'd not used previously. It gives lovley colour and feel to images: great old-school M lens rendering. Good examples can be found very cheaply. I would highly recommend getting one if you like to use legacy glass.
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: April, 2018
Location: Ottawa
Posts: 8,417

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: April 10, 2018 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Compact, sharp, smooth
Cons: f4
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K7 and K-3 II   

Yes, it's manual, yes DXO can't deal with it automatically, yes there's no EXIN info, but it is a great lens. I am more of a 18-55mm guy so when I clip this onto my camera I am usually in the mood to really think about my shots and manual doe snot bother me then. That said, I have, more than once, just left the camera in auto and let it shoot at f4. If you are like me and a long lens is something you like to have in your bag but you want to avoid the $$$, try this out. I am including a couple of shots with this lens.

K7



K7



K-3 II

   
Forum Member

Registered: April, 2014
Posts: 61

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: March 10, 2018 Recommended | Price: $140.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: weight, size, build quality, IQ, sharpness, colour, contrast
Cons: noner
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: sony a7r3   

This is such a great lens for those looking for a light and portable medium length zoom.
I use it with a FF system and the results are terrific.
Very easy to use and focusing is a dream with image mag and focus peaking.
Great bokeh despite being F4.
No CA, defringing or vignetting.
Built in hood is great.

My current travel bag (Billingham small) sony a7r3, pentax m20 f4, pentax k28 f3.5, pentax k55 f1.8 and pentax m75-150 f4. All work so well with this camera and together provide a very light and dynamic travel solution.

   
New Member

Registered: January, 2017
Posts: 19

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: October 2, 2017 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros:
Cons:

Super build quality, wonderful feel and accuracy in zooming and focusing, sharp, compact and it even has a built-in lens hood. I cannot think of any flaws in this lens - it's one of those lenses I'd like to take under my pillow at night =)

   
Veteran Member

Registered: July, 2014
Location: Nagoya
Posts: 577
Review Date: November 10, 2016 Recommended | Price: $40.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Build quality, compact, image quality
Cons: Built-in hood rather short

75-150 is a golden range in the M series anyway - the 85mm, 100mm and 135mm prime lenses are all lovely. This lens is much the same. Everything that can be said has been said, so I will simply agree with it - image quality is great, handling is superb and the focal length really does work for walking around, particularly street shooting. What surprised me when I first got hold of the lens was its compactness, and the fact that it is entirely internal zooming - the barrel does not extend at all when you slide the zoom mechanism.

If I had to pick holes, I'd mention that there's a little fringing (but no more than any other old lens, and less than some new ones), and that the built in hood is a bit short to be really effective. But Camera RAW and Lightroom exist for a reason, and metal tele lens hoods are silly cheap. As is this lens, so get out, buy one and enjoy it.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: May, 2015
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 892
Review Date: November 6, 2016 Recommended | Price: $15.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharpish, cheapish and it's a Pentax
Cons: Nothing major
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 9    Camera Used: K-5   

I compared this Pentax with a seemingly mint Tamron 70-150mm F:3.5 model 20A (nothing very technical, just took some images) and found it to provide sharper images with less purple fringing.

In a nutshell, it is not fast, has a limited range of focal lengths and I got my copy (well used with zoom creep) at a great price.

Recommended if you are looking to use this range....but a good 70-200(210)mm might be just as sharp with a better range.
   
New Member

Registered: June, 2016
Posts: 11
Review Date: September 26, 2016 Recommended | Price: $45.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Constant aperture, Size, Sharpness, useability
Cons: slightly heavy, CA
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: MX, K-1   

I don't use longer focal lengths often, but i'd prefer this lens over a good telephoto prime any day.

Not much to add on previous reviews, other than the following:

- Sharpness is really, really excellent. Not as sharp as a 50mm prime, but could easily make large prints of images taken with this lens. Example below is shot wide open and at the tele (softer) end of the zoom. I'd call that sharp


- The zoom creep is an issue on my copy, but as for the push/pull design I think it's a matter of preference... Unless you really don't like the push/pull design in general, don't let it put you off buying this lens! The focus is nicely dampened (i just wish the length of the zoom was, too), and the throw length is perfect.
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