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Description:
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This lens was bought from E-bay in order to gain experience of M42 screw-mount lenses on a digital camera (specifically a Pentax K-5) at low cost. I have not as yet determined whether Samigon were their own company or whether others built their lenses for them - and if so, which lenses were built by whom. Any input in this regard would be appreciated.
Build quality appears good, from what I can judge - it feels very heavy, betraying the fact that it was made in the era before plastics were widely used (if at all), and appears solidly built. My example's aperture controls work smoothly, although I cannot accurately judge stop-down performance in automatic mode on a camera not dedicated to M42 lenses. (When I set an aperture in auto mode and push the selector to M, however, stop-down is immediate.)
Performance-wise, it is a disappointment. The lens has a very soft quality about it - everything appears washed out, sharpness is generally poor, and chromatic aberration is noticeable with minimal amounts of pixel peeping. Bokeh is a strong suit, relatively speaking; the background is easily reduced to blurred shapes, especially at short distances and wide apertures. Focusing on rapidly moving objects (small dogs, for example) is difficult, and leads to many out-of-focus shots, but this may be a matter of operator inexperience coupled with lack of a split-prism screen.
My copy has severe difficulties focusing at or near infinity, despite the use of an authentic Pentax M42-to-K adapter, and all semblance of sharpness is lost at these distances.
Many good things have deservedly been said about many 135mm f/2.8 prime lenses, but it is my conclusion that this lens is not one of those. Those seeking anything more than 6 x 4 inch glossy prints for their albums (if not smaller) are likely to come away disappointed if my example is anything to go by. Those who as a matter of art or nostalgia are deliberately seeking to reproduce a low-image-quality appearance in their work may find this lens of interest. In any case, a fast prime in this focal length is a good thing to have, being roughly equivalent to a 200mm full-frame FOV.
I will be endeavouring to repeat my tests of this lens once I acquire a film body and can shoot with some ISO 400 film. If the results are significantly different, I will amend or supplement this review.
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