| Author: | | New Member Registered: September, 2016 Posts: 3 | | Review Date: November 21, 2016 | Not Recommended | Price: $35.00
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | Inexpensive. Certain retro-look to images. | | Cons: | Next to useless in bright sunlight | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 4
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 6
Value: 7
Camera Used: K-30
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Negatives:- It's got barrel distorsion.
- My copy is not sharp at f2.8 but ok above that.
- Flares enormously in brigh light with both ghosting and veiling (pic 1)
Positives- "Made in the GDR" spelled out in large writing on the bezel adds to the hipster factor
 - Because of the abberations your pics get a certain retro look that's not as clinical/neutral as modern glass.
- Nicely saturated colors except in bright light.
Neutral:- Bokeh seems to differ depending on lightning and motive, it's not uniformly creamy but can be pleasant at f2.8 (pic 2). But it doesn't calm down too busy pf a background ie foilage, city street.
- Handling is ok, not Pentax manual lens quality but certainly robust. My focus ring offers a lot of resistance but I think that is due to years gone by.
Conclusion:
It's fun to play around with the flares sometimes but for any other use I'd pick any other 28-30 mm lens over this one.
  | | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2007 Location: Singapore Posts: 348 | | Review Date: October 13, 2010 | Not Recommended | Price: $130.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | above decent performer, value for money, fun to use an old manual lens from time to time! | | Cons: | flare control - as with all old manual lenses | |
I had the electric version of this lens for a short while. It is a very decent performer, with no obvious flaws except for its tendency to flare when used wide open without a hood (but the majority of old lenses are prone to this problem). Sharpness wide open is alright, bokeh is alright too. All in all, a very decent performer. Problem is, there is nothing exceptional about this lens, and I already have the 31mm Ltd and at that point the FA*24mm, so this lens did not compare well with either. However, it is a good lens in its own right, and can be quite a bargain at a lower price.
Some sample pictures I got on film from this lens:
 | | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2023 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: November 30, 2023 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Fujifilm x-h1
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I picked up this lens for a crazy £20.00, and was gobsmacked at how a lens of this price could achieve the results, probably no modern glass could achieve the same character to the images!
It was bought mainly as a shorter portrait lens, one to use in the field for street, allowing for the subject to be seen in a context of environment.
The lens is tack sharp, and produces a nicely balanced ethereal swirl to the background, not to busy or distracting, if used at f4-f5.6
Amazing to play around with this.
Will make you a better photographer if you put in the effort!
| | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2022 Location: North-west of Italy Posts: 11 | | Review Date: December 5, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Very nice results with fine grain films | | Cons: | Ghosting and flares, but a simple lens hood should solve this | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 8
Camera Used: Olympus FTL
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I've used this lens for 3 years now. I use it on an analog camera, an Olympus FTL, and I tried it with different film rolls.
I thought I'd add a contribution that may be useful for analog photographs, without going into the detail of pixel analysis on different digital cameras.
I find it a very fun lens to have with me. I really enjoy taking wide shots, including portraits of people with context around, and this became my primary lens to bring with me over my 50mm. The perspective distortion is very well handled and never disturbing. Vignetting is present but barely visible if you don't really pay attention to that, and limited to the very corners of the image.
It's not the sharpest lens, but I noticed big differences when using bigger grain films, such as Ilford HP5 400, vs lower ASA films. I obtained satisfying results using an 400 asa film like Ilford Delta 400 (here is an example: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9H6lyeohTn/), and I can't wait to try the lens on more detailed films like Pan F.
I also shot some color photos with Kodak Portra 400 and the results were amazing. A little +contrast was enough to get great results when scanning the negatives. Examples here and in the following photos from Colombia I'm posting these days: https://www.instagram.com/p/Clsx5CgNQ4J/
The big issue with the lens is ghosting and flares. I noticed them a lot when scanning my first color films in photos shot outdoors in bright sublight. Before I had only used B&W films until then and those flares got a bit lost in the "vintage" look of the B&W analog picture and I didn't mind them at all, but it can get annoying in color. I now bought a lens hood for wide angles to use outdoors and this should solve it. I guess it's something you should have on any lens outside, anyway.
Bokeh - I'm not judging it since I rarely use it in my photos. I love wide lenses for their capacity of including wide scenes in focus, and I don't particularly like the bokeh effect in pictures, so I don't really have any ground to judge it on my experience.
I recommend this lens overall, taking note that a lens hood is recommended in bright sunlight.
You will have fun and you get a good 2.8 wide angle lens for less than 80-90€.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2019 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: March 1, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $13.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 8
Value: 10
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Got this lens in M42 mount for a bargain £10 off eBay.
It's a fairly chunky lens for 29mm focal length. Like most M42s it's very solidly built.
Wide open this lens is very useable but not particularly sharp. Stopped down it does sharpen up a lot but I still wouldn't describe it as tack sharp and not as sharp as its big brother the 1.8/50.
Bokeh isn't particularly pleasing to my eye. Quite swirly.
I haven't noticed any CA to be overly concerned about.
Contrast is pretty good, 8/10. Saturation seems slightly flat but setting my camera to Vivid corrects this and brings it from a 6 to an 8.
It's easy to focus and handles pretty well.
The biggest plus for this lens is how easily you can take it apart to clean the elements.
For £10 I can't complain.
| | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2016 Posts: 4 | | Review Date: April 21, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $15.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness, color rendition | | Cons: | flare | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: Samsung NX / Pentax K-r
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Bought it with a 135mm (Pentacon auto, not preset) and a Super Takumar 50mm f1.4 to complete my beginner set
And i absolutely love it...it has a don't-know-what "vintage" effect that gives something special. My copy is tack sharp, i did some nice macro shots with it, and mostly use it for family and street purpose
 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2013 Posts: 456 | | Review Date: April 8, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $52.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Great color, effective closeup lens, sharp with smooth bokeh stopped down | | Cons: | flare, squirrely bokeh wide open, not sharp until really stopped down | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax K30
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I had somethings specific in mind when I bought this lens - getting to bubbly bokeh with some degree of sharpness. As it turns out, you can't have both at the same time. The lens simply is not sharp even close to wide open when the bubble factory is in full swing. As a normal lens for everyday shooting, it is fairly ho-hum. And if that were the whole story, I would probably consign it to ebay and try for something else.
Why I'm keeping the lens if for it's closeup capability. Not a macro, but it is possible to get really close. With a 45mm 35mm equivalent FOV this can produce some engaging pictures. If you shoot at f10 or so it provides a real sense of foreground depth (dare I use the term 3D) and the background blur is completely smooth. The colors are nice too, even when I haven't done a little LR manipulation. This picture (click url), while not great art, illustrates the point.
So this lens has a niche use in giving small things like flowers a sense of vitality from a slightly unusual perspective. For that its worth keeping in my bag. Overall an inexpensive lens to have some fun with.
Mine is the m42 auto version. Just as a note, you need an m42 adapter that will depress the auto switch or you can glue tape or surgerize the lens. I'm using the Kipon adapter with auto aperture depress that seems to do the job.
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2014 Posts: 6 | | Review Date: August 12, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | warm tones, romantic stills, balance, handling, good construction | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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It is a decent lens. It has its own personality and performs very well in short distance romantic, land/sea-scape and flower photography. It creates a slightly diffused and warm effect. I have used it on two Nikon DSLRs and a Minolta SLR (film shooting). It offers good balance and handling, it is not extremely sharp but I like it! 
 | | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2015 Posts: 7 | | Review Date: April 23, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness | | Cons: | Nothing really | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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I got this as part of a bundle, and only got round to using it today. I have to say it's incredibly sharp on my GF1. Here is a 200% crop straight from the camera, no editing at all other than the crop. It says it better than I could.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2013 Posts: 14 | | Review Date: March 12, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | stopped down good sharp | | Cons: | CA's flare | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 8
Value: 6
Camera Used: spotmatic
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the Zeiss 1.8/50 and even 2.8/50 are much more better
stopped dowt to f8-11 it is a good performer, but flare and CA's are its problems.
not so content with it. I sold it. | | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2015 Posts: 5 | | Review Date: February 24, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharp, nice bokeh, cheap, close focus | | Cons: | flare, soft on corners | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: Fuji X-M1
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Il don't own the same one. I have this one :
I really like this lens. Short focus, quite sharp. I don't regret my money
(clic to enlarge)
my complete review (in french) with all the pics here | | | | | Forum Member Registered: December, 2012 Posts: 94 | | Review Date: December 29, 2012 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: N/A |
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Image quality filming
 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: March, 2010 Location: Frankfurt am Main Posts: 1,241
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 14, 2012 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | See Review | | Cons: | See Review | |
I don't own this lens, but want to add some missing information.
This lens is based on the "Meyer Görlitz Orestegon 2.8/29". When the East German Government melted all the smaller optical companies into one, they renamed most of the lenses to "Pentacon". Only what was seen as premium lenses got (or stayed with) the label "Carl Zeiss Jena".
As an Orestegon, the lens had not been multi-coated. However, the general opinion here in Germany is, that - despite the added multi-coating - IQ had suffered as a Pentacon lens. I cannot judge myself, but in German photo blogs many say quality control had become worse, and some also think they started using a cheaper quality of glass.
Most (or all?) of the Orestegons are in "Zebra" design.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2011 Location: Lost in translation ... Posts: 18,076 | | Review Date: October 13, 2012 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | WA, Solid build, Inexpensive, Close focus, Sharp enough ... | | Cons: | Flare, Soft corners | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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Bonjour,
I picked up a good copy at my favorite thrift shop for next to nothing and quite happy with this find.
Previous reviews are correct, thus I would add too much other than to mention that this lens will "close focus" relatively well (see image below). Minimum distance is at 0.25m and works well here IMHO.
If you find a copy "cheap" then do not hesitate, a good solid performer from what I seen thus far ... worthy of an "8" in my books.
Allez et salut, John le Frog
K-5, No flash ...
K-5 with pop up flash ...
 | | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2011 Posts: 2 | | Review Date: December 5, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $52.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, solid, smooth focus ring, cheap, good colors... | | Cons: | Prone to flare, soft on the edges, a tad difficult to focus on infinite because it goes beyond infinite... | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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"PENTACON auto 2.8/29 MULTI COATING", m42 mounting, serial: 8098xxx
I brought this lens on ebay, front coating has a pinch but its very small, in the second group of lenses 1/6 of the lens had a small translucent colony of fungus, but made the image a lot more soft on the edge, after cleaning and a small tightening on all screws and lenses holders, it has become a very nice lens...
I love the bokeh, not perfect as it big brother, Pentacon 135mm f/2.8 (preset), but really nice.
At center and wide open is very sharp but a tad soft on the edges, even in small apertures this problem remains.
This lens is so easy to use and focus that even a 8yo girl can literally with ease obtain a focused portrait using the live view on modern dslr (with m42 mounting adapter).
P.S.-sorry if my English it's not clear ...
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