Junior Member Registered: August, 2019 Posts: 31 | | Review Date: November 8, 2019 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | cheap | | Cons: | not yet tested | |
Could not test the lens yet, but wanted to add, that my copy has a filter diameter of 55mm, so there are out 52, 55 and 58 mm filter diameter versions (sorry for the handy picture)
And for the record above: it has 6 blades
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Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Posts: 12,285 | | Review Date: November 17, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $9.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Well built, relatively fast, smooth focus | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 8
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As said before, it functions as an M lens. Focus ring is smooth and well dampened with the full throw being 270 degrees. 6 blades and mine is 58mm unlike previous reviewers. Nice lens but weighs almost double what the M135/3.5 weighs and 50% more than the 135/2.8 Takumar Bayonet. Those two are superior IMHO and the Tak focuses about 30cm closer than this lens.
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Moderator
Site Supporter Registered: June, 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Posts: 17,377 | | Review Date: January 8, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $35.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Reasonably Sharp | | Cons: | M series | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 7
Value: 9
Camera Used: K2
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This lens essentially functions like a M series Pentax. This lens has a 52mm filter ring and NOT 58mm.
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Forum Member Registered: April, 2011 Location: Gwynedd Posts: 93 | | Review Date: June 15, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Colour & Contrast, Bokeh | | Cons: | Purple fringing, long minimum focus, long focus throw | |
Firstly mine i different to the one illustrated and differs in spec. Mine has a 52mm filter thread, the branding is around the outer edge of the front rig rather than actuall on the front of the lens. It's similar to the Vivitar Komine one but is not the same lens. Not sure on original manufacturer.
I initially wasn't especially happy with this lens s in testing it seemed softer than the Vivitar, which I also own. However on a bit more testing, I've found it's actually got a few plusses over the Vivitar in te contrast, colour and bokeh department. All are slightly better, despite my Focal being full of fungus.
Downsids are the focus throw, which is rather long for quick focussing, however the ring is very smooth and feels solid. The minimum focussing distance is 1.4m/4.5ft which is a bit on the long side, though a few inches closer than the Vivitar manages.
Overall I lke this lens. In harsh contrast yes it produces purple fringing wide open, but it's sharp enough and contrasty enough that it can be overlooked. In decent lighting wide open produces some lovely images, with nice slightly swirly bokeh.
My tests can be found here. | |
Veteran Member Registered: August, 2009 Posts: 1,235 | | Review Date: February 13, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Cheap and reasonably sharp. | | Cons: | Low contrast and fully manual. | |
What I like about the lens:
- Nice build quality.
- Built-in hood.
- Sharp images.
- Cheap telephoto lens.
- Large maximum aperture.
What I’m not too fond of:
- Manual focus and aperture take more effort, and the focus ring had a long range to rotate through.
- No data connection to the camera body means no focal length or aperture information stored in EXIF data. That makes it difficult to identify images taken in the past.
- Low contrast in strong sunlight.
- Prone to green/purple fringing.
Conclusion:
So it it worth $50 or so? I’d say it certainly is. Good build quality and decent optics should keep these lens away from the trash bin as long as Pentax users can mount old glass. The major negatives to not buying the lens in my opinion would be the physical size of the lens as well as the substandard lens coating that tends to result in washed out images. On the flip side, it’s quite easy to modify contrast in post processing that tends to bring out vivid and sharp results. With some care, this lens can be a cost effective way to get a moderate telephoto for your Pentax camera.
More information and photos in my blog posting about the lens.
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