| Author: | | Junior Member Registered: December, 2008 Location: Liberty, Maine Posts: 33 | | Review Date: December 21, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Heavy Duty, Smooth focus, nice details | | Cons: | none really, heavy perhaps...but that comes with quality | |
I got this lens as a gift. I had in the same focal length a Vivitar in the M42 format, and an Albinar ADG. Compared to those this lens is gold. The clarity is unsurpassed for any lens I have yet used. The build is rock solid, reminding me of the old Takumars. For a manual focus lens, this one is great
| | | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 17,891
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 1, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | good build, KA mount | | Cons: | none yet | |
picked this up even though I don't really need it, I already have a Kiron 28F2 modified from Minolta to K mount (stop down metering only) and a tamron 28mmF2.5 adaptall, BUT it was a KA mount lens, and for the price it seemed like a good idea,
The lens has a very smooth focusing throw of 180 degrees which is a little more than most 28mm, making accuracy perhaps a little better.
Aperture detents are every 1/2 stop through out the entire range, with none missing.
The lens focuses to about 6 inches, and boasts a 1:4.5 reprodcution ratio at minimum focus, which is why they call it a "mini macro" I suppose.
it does have a useful magnification scale on thelens barrel as well.
For price and quality it seems to be very good. I can't judge fully yet the performance but will edit the post as I use the lens.
Tested in some outdoor shots and find a considerable amount of lateral chromeric aboration at modrate apertures.
in focus detail was quite good, but CA seems more dominant than my Kiron 28F2 and my vivitar 28F2.5 although I will need to do a head to head comparison
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: August, 2010 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 91 | | Review Date: August 20, 2010 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | feels robust, good image quality | | Cons: | | |
The focus and aperture rings feel very smooth but tight, and the body has an excellent mechanical robust feel; this is the only 28mm I have or need.
The picture quality is very good, very sharp and with good contrast. The equal of the Pentax M series 28mm 2.8 in my opinion.
My grandmother gave me this lens from my late grandfather's collection, so I do not know how much it cost. Still working fine after at least 20 years in the family!
| | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2010 Location: Middle of the forest Posts: 11 | | Review Date: September 17, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $10.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Super sharp, close focusing, compact | | Cons: | none so far | |
Bought this lens for cheap on ebay few days ago and am very pleased. It's very sharp even wide open. Didn't see it sharpen when closed down but that's probably because it's totally sharp at f2.8.
Build quality is pretty decent. Mostly metal, glass and some plastic elements here and there.
Generally really good lens. If you can get one for a good price don't hesitate!
Few samples can be found here.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2008 Location: Modbury North, South Australia Posts: 351 | | Review Date: October 8, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Well built - mostly metal - clarity | | Cons: | Non really | |
Mine has the A contacts and is a perfect match for my 24/ 2.8.
This is a poor man's version of Pentax A but is probably more solid and less plastic.
As with many Sigma lens of this vintage it perhaps has a more blue/ cold look than the usual Pentax warmth in photos taken. Apart from that which can be corrected via PS it performs exceptionally. It is sharp from 2.8.
What a bargain.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2009 Location: NY/NJ Posts: 952 | | Review Date: November 10, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Solid build, smooth focusing ring, good sharpness and bokeh | | Cons: | A hood is essential to have with this lens. | |
I got this lens from a forum member here. I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the build and the operation of the focusing ring. The aperture ring though, is plastic and doesn't have that same reassuring feeling as metal ones in the Pentax-M series lenses. Still, this is an "A" lens so my copy stays in that position, making this a non-issue.
Sharpness in the center is good wide open and the whole frame gets sharp at f3.2 already. The lens is probably sharpest between f8 and f11.
Some red/cyan chromatic aberrations can be seen throughout the whole aperture range, but I find them very minimal and easily correctable in post processing. There is a slight amount of vignetting present.
I suppose the biggest problem I keep having with this otherwise great little lens, is its vulnerability to stray light. This is probably due to the inferior coating on the lens. Therefore a hood is ESSENTIAL with this lens.
Overall, the Sigma Mini-Wide II is a strong performer, and has a permanent place in my photo bag.
For examples of shots taken with this lens, please look at my gallery here: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/members/voytech-albums-single-november.html
These were shot for the "Single (lens) in November" photo challenge.
P.S. I am giving this lens a grade of 7 because I feel many reviewers over-rate here. This lens for example is still far behind the Pentax M50/f1.7 in terms of optical performance. So don't get me wrong, the Sigma is great, just not THAT great.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: July, 2008 Location: Detroit Posts: 3,491 | | Review Date: February 28, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | sharp with good contrast | | Cons: | Needs a hood | |
I bought this lens from at photorama show.
At first blush I thought it's contrast was lacking.
All it really needed was a lens hood to bring out the contrast.
Shooting from a shaded location works as well.
Solid build quality and nice focus feel.
A fine 28mm on the used market.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: May, 2011 Posts: 262 | | Review Date: June 6, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Solid, Cheap | | Cons: | Lacks contrast - Needs a hood | |
I have the earlier Mini Wide (not II) version of this lens. It lacks the A setting and is fully manual.
I've had it for eons back to film days. It will outlast me for sure.
Lacks contrast and definitely needs a hood. The flange next to the aperture pin needed trimming on my lens to get it to fit on a k-r.
Macro is fairly low at only 1:4.5 (less than even the DA 18-55 Kit Lens). Note it isn't a "Mini Macro" as posted in another review but a "Mini Wide". It's brother was the more expensive 24 mm "Super Wide". Figure they never had just a "wide"
Recommended if you can get it for cheap and want a reasonable fast (compared to kit lens) fixed manual lens to play with. The II version or a newer FA lens would be a better purchase than the plain old "I".
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2011 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 366
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 26, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Close focusing distance, sharp open wide, metal construction | | Cons: | rough CA, lacks contrast (get a hood) | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
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I too, have the earlier version of this lens, the Mini-Wide, but it performs very well and produces great photos.
Beside the the exterior (it's bigger, but still 52mm thread), I don't know how much the II versions improved on optics.
It's sharp at wide open, but suffers from CA. Not unacceptable, but it's one of those "could be better" thing.
Bokeh is not bad. blurring characteristics are superb for (mini) wide angle lens.
Minimal focus distance is about 4 inches from the outer glass.
It's not the best lens for other 28mm lens out there for pentax cameras, but it certainly does the job.
If you consider the price of this lens, this one is a good catch.
Pardon my Anime nerdiness, but I've done some testing shots at f/2.8.
Note: THIS IS THE MINI-WIDE I, NOT THE II, so the actual II might be a different story, but shouldn't be all that different.
IMGP7901 by RickyFromVegas, on Flickr
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2008 Location: Hawkesbury Posts: 1,899 | | Review Date: November 25, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp across a wide range of apertures, close focusing | | Cons: | Easily blows highlights on K-5, poor hood design | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
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Bought this lens new in box, long after it had been discontinued (thus my blip on the price chart).
Build and handling: The lens seems to be soundly built with a nice long throw focus ring and mostly metal construction. My copy has a Ricoh pin, but it is the small, well restrained type so I have not bothered to remove it and it has not given me any grief on the K-5. The supplied hood which would have been designed for film, uses a filter thread grip and is not reversible, so I have replaced it with a collapsible hood. The near focusing feature of this lens is very useful being able to frame objects down to just 110 mm across the frame with a Pentax digital. The image quality remains quite good at these close focus distances.
Sharpness: This is one of the advantages of this lens. It remains sharp at a wide range of apertures, focus distances and across most of the frame. There is some softness to the corners when using large apertures in close focus situations, but the chances are they won't be in focus anyway.
Bokeh: More than acceptable wide open, however the aperture blades seem to be somewhat straight edged and give sharp hexagonal highlights which some may find distracting. Over all though, it seems pretty good.
Colour: This is the biggest hurdle to get over with this lens. Images tend to be slightly under saturated and the input curves getting through to the sensor tend to cause blown highlights, particularly for yellow through red. The result is that bright blue and green tones tend to be better represented in the image, giving a colder tone. To a large degree this is correctable in processing but be careful of those blown highlights. In camera, I have been able to counteract the effect by using the highlight correction function of the K-5 but often I have to use up to 1.5 stops of exposure compensation as well.
On the up side, high contrast scenes rarely produce colour fringing and it is pretty difficult to get the lens to flare.
Overall I can recommend the Sigma mini-wide II, but be aware of the blown highlights issue and learn how to deal with them.
This example was shot at minimum focus distance and f11 with the K-5 built in flash, 1 stop of exposure compensation and highlight correction turned on.
 | | | | | Forum Member Registered: July, 2011 Posts: 76 | | Review Date: January 29, 2012 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very Sharp detailed images | | Cons: | Lens Flare Problem | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
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I bought this lens from ebay recently. The one I have is older version of this lens which is without the 'A' setting meaning I cannot set auto aperture when using under aperture priority and have to use it in manual mode. To my knowledge the optics and glass are the same except for the 'A' setting. So my review will not be mentioning anything about this feature.
I love this lens, especially the unique look it creates for my pics. As its a 28mm lens on my aps-c pentax body it gives a field of view similar to that of a 42mm lens which is just short of 8mm from a 50mm lens. Anyway what I am trying to say is that the look created with this lens is more close to that of a 50mm lens [on full frame bodies] than a 50mm lens on an aps-c body which gives an field of view of 75mm. The images are sharp and crisp. Not much purple fringing [my 50mm has serious purple fringing issues under certain conditions]. Bokeh is very good though not as good as a 50mm 1.7 pentax but the blurring is quite smooth and not harsh but one or two occassions when shot from certain angles it might produce rough looking bokeh. Plus the aperture blades inside help create round looking bokeh lights compared to other lens with create hexagonal shaped bokehs When I shoot close ups I get to shoot more visual data than with a 50mm lens. Images are sharp even at 2.8 and supersharp at 11.
Now after all that praise let me add some criticism. This has already been pointed out by another reviewer and I fully agree with him that this lens has a lens flare problem . This happens especially if you are shooting directly or from certain angles of a light source such as street light or bright sun light. One thing which I dont agree with the other reviewer is the use of lens hood to solve this problem. It doesnt! I tried shooting pics with a lens hood on and sadly it produces lens flares and worse it's an ugly hexagonal shaped flare and not the cool looking round ones [which look kinda great]. I felt maybe this was happening due to stray light falling through the viewfinder and so I clicked a pic after covering the viewfinder but it still happens! Maybe fitting certain filters might solve the problem but I am yet to find out. But then I ask what use is a lens which has a feature which can only be solved when used with an external filter. By the way the lens flare is very pronounced in long exposures but in short exposures its not strong but can still be seen.
Below are two pics I clicked which highlight this problem:-
All said and done I still love this lens and should avoid using them in situations where bright lights are in front to avoid potential lens flares!
| | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2010 Posts: 23 | | Review Date: September 27, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $19.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Close-up, sharper than Super Wide II, solid construction | | Cons: | Need good light to produce good image | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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I had the original (Mk I) with Pentax k mount. Compared to its sibling, Super Wide II, I found that, to my surprise, it is sharper on corners/borders and more flare resistant. People often rave about Super Wide II and tend to ignore this sleeping beauty. Grab one while it is still cheap.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: November, 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 42 | | Review Date: September 27, 2012 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
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I've used this lens for decades. It always delivers nice results.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: August, 2007 Location: Helsinki Posts: 2 | | Review Date: October 15, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Small size, sharpness | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
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Great little 28mm prime. Very sharp.
Here you can find more my experiences about it:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/post/42581450 | | | | | | | | Review Date: December 6, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | good sharpness, cheap, build quality (for the price), smooth focus ring | | Cons: | flares (needs hood) | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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I would really buy it, if i had such a nice possibility again! Solid build, very very! smooth focus ring, A-setting. Itīs small and a such an universal focal length on aps-c.
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