| Author: | | New Member Registered: September, 2020 Location: Brno in the Czechia, or, Nové Zámky back home at Slovakia Posts: 3
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 10, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | amazing sharpness and no glow, focus/zoom ring smooth and easy to use | | Cons: | maybe a bit of CA, but thats a one click fix nowadays ... | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Nikon Z6
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This lens. Simply amazing. Bought for around 25€ delivered in mint condition, with original protective case and paperwork/catalog from manufacturer 
The value of this piece is simply amazing. How much you get for essentially the price of a better lens shade is amazing. Great sharpness and contrast at f4, even better at f5.6. As a rule of thumb i usually shoot vintage lenses stopped down one aperture number so almost all of my pictures with this lens are taken at f5.6. The bokeh is pretty good too considering this is not the fastest lens out there, but can be a bit ... busy ? from time to time. As far as flaring goes, i would say its pretty average but considering its large lens hood, not a problem. I think i will let the results speak for themselves ...
 | | | | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2018 Posts: 1
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 24, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Well Built, Sharp, Great Colors, Inexpensive | | Cons: | Weight? | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: Nikon D600
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I think this is a great lens (like most of the Tamron adaptall & SP lenses), its a little heavy, but if you want quality you have to give up something, very sharp (even wide open, relatively), easy to use (love the 1 touch operation), great colors and light catching, cost very little, smooth focusing and zooming, i got my copy in great shape for $20.00, with Nikon adapter.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: December, 2009 Posts: 25
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 6, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | excellent build, sharp, versatile, cheap even in excellent condition | | Cons: | a bit heavy, needs expensive pk/a for AE, pk/m works only in M mode | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K-x
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My first zoom lens on a Canon A-1 back in the '80s. I sold it in 1986 but never forgot how good it was. Recently I found a guy clearing old stock and had one in excellent condition, case, hood, papers etc. I had kept the SP 2x extender but I did not have a Pk mount. Luckily he found a Pk/m in excellent condition and the whole set was bought for €60.
The lens is sharp even open in f/4 at 210mm. Th Pentax SR works as magic producing clear images at 1/10 ISO1600. Colors are simply beautiful. Handling the lens and manually focusing with the large ring makes me happy and brings back old memories.  
A first set of SOOC jpgs can be found here:
[ ~ https://flic.kr/s/aHskKUFFeT ]
and here with some images of the lens
[ ~ https://mega.nz/#F!xQIB2KRD!7INV-C1XvmMVb8ELWsJCRA ]
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 | | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2014 Posts: 6
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 8, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | quite sharp, nice colors, nice and creamy bokeh, good handling | | Cons: | very soft focus ring | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
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One of the better and more reliable manually focusing zooms a photographer may use. It produces above average pictures, it is fast enough (especially in Spring and Summertime with the abundant and clear sunlight), and can be used as a moderate macro-zoom lens to produce decent results. I like it! Its only con (which exists in the 03A version, too) is the soft focus ring that slides back and forth too easily. Its price is more than tempting, and if you are lucky you can find them with a genuine Tamron AD2 adapter attached to it. (Avoid the imitation adapters cause they suck!).
My recommendation: Go get one!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/123729477@N05/albums/72157645922646067/with/14552668741/
 | | | | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2013 Posts: 14 | | Review Date: November 30, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | very sharp at f 5,6,very nice bokeh, excellent colors | | Cons: | some very few CA's | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: k-x,k200,K-5, fuji x-e1 x-t100
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this lens has one achromate more than its precedor 03A, which means that I can use it without stopping down so much.
If I shoot with my focal reductor (2/1=achromatic, too), my close-ups become marvellous:
03A is very good, 103A is excellent.
both lenses have very nice color rendition, very good contrast.
I've used both exemplaries (4items) in school with my pupils. very good experiences with them.This lens will give you very sharp results. Pictures can be used for big posters after interpolation by Photoshop f.e., and sharpening. If you find one, buy it. | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: November, 2012 Location: North Wales Posts: 2,869 | | Review Date: January 24, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | I share the opinions of the previous reviewers | | Cons: | slight fall off in IQ towards 200mm | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
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My 103A is very much in the same ballpark to my Viv series 1 (tokina) and kiron 80-200 f4. Comparing some shots of the same subjects the VS1 is marginally the best IQ, the kiron softest wide open and slightly more prone to CA, but otherwise second in sharpness, while the 103A is close behind, particularly at the 80mm end. There is a distinct (but not great) drop in sharpness/contrast towards 200mm (aperture, focus and shake are normally more significant). I recall reading somewhere that this lens is more optimised for close up work WABOL I'll get more perspective withsome macro opportunities..
So I would say 8/10 compared to 8.5 for the kiron and 9 for the viv. A solid performer.
For comparison with 03A see my review of that lens.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: October, 2008 Location: Great Plain, Hungary Posts: 204
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 11, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Built, zoom range, price, performance | | Cons: | IQ at open aperture | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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Very good lens in most aspects. The built quality is classic '80 when companies were still not saving on material: nice metal lens barrel that gives a good heft for the lens.
Most (if not all) of these lenses come with original hard case and lens hood which is a nice bundle especially for the price people ask for them.
The most important factor, its image quality is very good although wide open this lens is definitely soft. Stepping down half step or to 5.6 it becomes really good with nice colour rendering.
Initially I bought this lens as part of a lot and did not want to keep it but considering it came with a P/K adapter and that I could not sell it for probably more than £5 I rather keep it and use it occasionally.
A very good alternative if you do not use tele lenses much as it can deliver very good results with hardly any strain on your budget.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2011 Location: Lost in translation ... Posts: 18,076
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 24, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $35.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, build, handling, close focus | | Cons: | Not good wide open, start at 5.6 & + | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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Bonjour,
I picked up a really great condition copy of this lens with the hood and its original case, plus a Nikon AI mount which I have traded off already. I really like this lens and it feels much better in your hands as compared to the 46A successor. I will post a few samples later, but overall I agreee in general with previous reviewers' opinions.
Allez et bonnes photos! J Frog | | | | | New Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Milano Posts: 9
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 15, 2012 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | cheap, build quality, quite fast | | Cons: | aberrations | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
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Nice lens, I use it for trap-focus with some good results.
Not so sharp at f/4, but very interesting at f8-f11
Some shots here: http://giulionic.altervista.org/blog/tag/80-210/ | | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2011 Posts: 18
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 22, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Cheap, good build, great colours | | Cons: | None as yet...potentially weight | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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So, just grabbed one of these guys as a lot of 3 Adaptall lenses. Paid £40 for the lot with postage, if I'm honest I'd have paid that for this lense alone. Only played around with it a bit, but I love the smoothness and action of the zoom and focus mechanisms. The whole one touch thing is great (slide to zoom, twist to focus). Takes great macro shots with heaps of sharpness and great rendition. Considering I've recently see one go for £3.50 on eBay, I'd say everyone should get one...aside from the small issue with finding an adapter that'll allow for auto aperture...
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2011 Location: Minahasa, North Celebes (Sulawesi) Posts: 586
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 27, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $45.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | A very fine lens overall. Plenty of stock on the used market. | | Cons: | The "A" mount costs 10 times the lens. | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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Bought this three times. The fist one I got was without anything, even the mount. My last copy comes in the original box, a shinning leather case, manuals, papers, stickers, even the original price tag for $189.55! Boy, now this lens could be snatched for as low as $10, if you're lucky. Do you know that Tamron protected this lens with six years warranty? This lens is so good that my friends always envy my shots using this, ending up in a "may-I-borrow-your-lens-for-good" thing  Well, I don't have many Pentax-users friends, but, God help, it's an Adaptall and Chinese-made Adaptall mounts is only like $10..
What I really love about this lens is it gives SMC'ish colors. Bokeh is great, too. Build is very well-made. Praise for the one-touch system, making operational pretty simple. The 1:2ish macro is great for close-up works, do plenty of flowers & plants with this lens. Max F4 aperture really spoils me, did almost all of my "controlled lighting" still-lfe & products photography with this lens. If by any chance you stumble on lens reviews that is started by me (here at PF Lens Database), those item's pics are all taken with this great lens
With too many uses, now this is the kind of lens I just can't live without. This is a very well crafted lens, a champion from the past. I think of it as the Volkswagen Beetle. Yes, it was a mass product, it was dirt cheap, but it performs.
Say, if another friend of mine 'steal' my last copy (again).. 
 | | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2009 Posts: 14 | | Review Date: December 7, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $15.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | cheap, all metal constuction, handling | | Cons: | little heavy, 5.6 working apeture neccesary, CA | |
The tamron 80-210mm 3.8-4 103a adaptall lens is a decent lens, that really stand out because its so ridiculously cheap, I got my copy for $15 (10 of which was the shipping) in very good, condition with a Pentax K mount (I already owned a KA mount). This lens is rather soft wide open with a lot of purple fringing, stopping down to 5.6 improves its performance tenfold. It exhibits some CA threw out the aperture and zoom range. The lens provides rather consistent results regardless of zoom setting but is a little softer towards the long end. This lens is best used in strong sun or on a monopod due to the long focal length and slow working aperture. It is defiantly sharp enough for doing portraits, and has a very nice bokhe to it. It also performs surprisingly well in close focus or macro situations. The results with a Tamron adaptall 6 elemnt 2x 01f converter are sub par in my opinion, even when used at middle apertures on a tripod. The lens has a very solid build to it, it is entirely metal and glass. Mine actually survived a four foot fall (camera bag failure) with out any real damage besides a bent filter ring that I was able to pound back into shape (try that with a plastic lens) well enough that it can still take filters no problem. The lens is a one touch zoom which I prefer but is not to everyone’s taste. Zooming is very smooth and focusing is phenomenally smooth and precise. Between its smooth operation, all metal build, and nice distribution of weight, it is a very pleasant lens to use. It balances well on a k10, not quite as good on a ZX-L 35mm but it is still perfectly manageable. This makes a very good budget walk around long zoom that performs well enough for most work.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2009 Location: Saffron Walden, Essex Posts: 362
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 30, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Good wide open, sharp, constant(ish) aperture | | Cons: | Zoom creep, weight | |
An excellent lens for a very low price. Good wide open performance. I used mine with a PK/A adapter but the almost constant aperture would be useful for use with a normal PK adapter.
My copy suffered from major zoom creep if you pointed the lens downward. The loud clunk isn't so worrying when the lens only cost £20 though | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2009 Location: Springe Posts: 3,693
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 11, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, good build quality | | Cons: | CA in high contrast situation | |
Excellent value for money. A very sharp lens with solid build quality. My copy shown no zoom creep at all. Compared to modern "plastic" lenses it may appear a heavy to some - but compared to my 2.8/80-200 it is lightweight
Here's a sample shot taken with my copy
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: October, 2009 Location: houston Posts: 165
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 9, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $45.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharp, great bokeh, cheap | | Cons: | bit heavy on a k-x | |
this lens is great! the bokeh is excellent, cant believe i only paid 45 bucks shipped to my house!
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