Pentax-F SMC 35-70mm f3.5-4.5 Macro
This may be one of those lenses which, like me, you've either never heard of or completely overlooked. It's a variable aperture, not very bright, not particularly exciting focal range, and is an eighties plastic fantastic look like the rest of the F series, and it has a macro function that's not true macro. Can it be any good?
Well, yes. Yes it can! I picked this up at a film photography shop for $50 after trading in a couple of orphan SLR lenses for mounts I don't own, but which I somehow still acquired. They were asking $79 originally. It's really, really small, and it balances really nice on the K-1, so I figured even if it wasn't very good, it would still offer a fairly useful zoom. But, spoiler, it's really good! I'll provide some shots tomorrow to prove it.
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Some samples.
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Some more.
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This is a great lens, from the F series that I consider very nice.
I have had it in the past and it's very nice. Yet I had too many lenses and they were overlaping so I sold it.
I have insisted to a friend of mine who started in photography to buy one of those instead of an 18-55mm for his K5, yet he went for the 18-55mm kit lens.
I like this 35-70mm and most likely if you add a lens hood it would produce even better photos.
Quote from agentlossing on February 6, 2023, 3:36 pmSome samples.
These are great!
That shot with the Space Invaders and the red colors is so refreshing! Super cool! With an otherwise lackluster lens, shows to go a little know how and creative mind can make an awesome photo with constraints.
I always assumed this was a junk lens as well until I discovered a cult following on PentaxForums for this one. I picked one up a few months ago in a bundle of film gear and lenses for $15 - but it turned out to be really fungus ridden. It actually still looked quite well, but since I wanted to use it and make a video about it potentially, I decided I should give it a fair shot and not just with fungus 😛
Now with the move and everything it's pushed way back on my list of things to try, but one day I will. I love these overlooked lenses you can get for cheap.
Quote from James Warner on February 9, 2023, 8:58 pmI always assumed this was a junk lens as well until I discovered a cult following on PentaxForums for this one. I picked one up a few months ago in a bundle of film gear and lenses for $15 - but it turned out to be really fungus ridden. It actually still looked quite well, but since I wanted to use it and make a video about it potentially, I decided I should give it a fair shot and not just with fungus
Now with the move and everything it's pushed way back on my list of things to try, but one day I will. I love these overlooked lenses you can get for cheap.
I think it's probably pretty important to get a copy without fungus, most of these older lenses already aren't great with flare, and I could see the presence of fungus and loss of the SMC coatings wreaking some havoc on this particular lens. But if the optics are good, like mine, it's a champ!
A few more images.
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A few more samples from this lens. I tend to process everything from DNG with the K-1 mark II using DXO PhotoLab 5 and the Color Fidelity profiles for good colors (otherwise colors from Pentax DNGs look rather off in Lightroom and Photolab).
IMGP2727_DxO by Andrew Lossing, on Flickr
IMGP2631_DxO by Andrew Lossing, on Flickr
IMGP2572_DxO by Andrew Lossing, on Flickr
