The Beginnings
It started a little over a year ago with an innocent purchase. I was looking for a cheap macro lens to do some film negative scanning with my Pentax K-1. So, I hopped over to UsedPhotoPro to see what they have in stock. They are the first place I check when shopping around for gear for their great prices and warranty. The only problem is their stock runs quickly so you have to be fast. Luckily for me not only did they have a Pentax macro lens, they had, unbeknownst to me at the time, a particularly uncommon one.
My First F-Series Prime: The Pentax-F 100mm f/2.8 Macro
A bit of research on PentaxForums satisfied me that it would be a good investment. The price was right so I snagged it. Turns out I picked up an absolute gem at almost half the running price.
Not only did it serve my film scanning purposes well, it took beautiful portraits and macros. The sharpness wide open at f/2.8 impressed me. I did not expect that for a type of lens most people stop down for expanded depth of field. Immediately hooked, I started researching more about the other F series lenses which I had never even heard of.
What Lenses Are These?
Sure, they all share the same awkward late 80s transitioning to early 90s aesthetic. Bright orangey red lettering mixed with bright green, yellow and blue markings. That grey color that reminds you of VCRs and the first flat screen TV sets. Some oddly chosen lumps on the aperture ring that look like some plastic bits in my old Dodge Caravan. I digress; it’s a dated look that hasn’t come back yet. But more importantly they all have another thing in common.
Much like my highly-rated Pentax-F 100mm macro lens, the other Pentax-F prime lenses share unusually high user scores on PentaxForums. All are in the 9’s over all, with many in the upper range approaching 10. The Pentax-F series of lenses are comparable to the legendary Pentax FA limited lenses ratings, and yet I had never heard of them?
Perhaps this is in part due to their relatively short production run. Made from 1987-1991, they were replaced by their longer lasting and more popular FA series lenses. Those lenses went on from 1991 to 2004, or in the case of the limited series, carry on even now.
It appears that the Pentax SLRs sold at the time also had limited success. The first auto-focus SLRs from Pentax, the SFX series, maybe didn’t sell as well as the later Z series. In any case, the number of these lenses out there beyond the F-series kit zooms seem fairly limited. Feel free to fill me in on some research gaps here.
I Finished My Search
After a few months of searching for the right deals, I finally acquired a set of four Pentax-F series primes. I don’t have a ton of experience with some of them yet, but my initial findings are very good. Each lens is incredibly sharp with lovely character. The Pentax-F 135mm f/2.8 separates the background like a dream. The Pentax-F 50mm f1.7 is a standard length and quite sharp when it wants to be (my copy may have some issues). The Pentax-F 28mm f/2.8 surprised me the most. It is fantastically sharp, has very nice close focusing and beautiful bokeh. Of course I have already spoken about my love for the Pentax-F 100mm f/2.8 macro, the one that started this whole thing.
Now I know I knocked their looks pretty good earlier, but it is starting to grow on me. And don’t let the old electronic plastic look fool you: These lenses are heavy with metal. I wouldn’t say they are up to the build quality of my lovely Takumars, but certainly the insides are.
It’s been fun purchasing some of them attached to old SFX bodies knowing that this is their first time on a modern digital camera. My Pentax K-1 is making them shine again in new light, and they are looking really, really good. Expect more content and individual reviews and sample images in the future.
Happy snappin’!
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Pentax-F 100mm f2.8 macro lens. 
Pentax-F 50mm f1.7 lens 
Pentax-F 135mm f2.8 lens with built-in hood extended. 
Pentax-F 28mm f2.8 lens
Hello,
I have both the Smc-F 28mm and smc-f 50mm… While the 28 is absolutely fantastic, I have a major back focus with the 50mm. I don’t use it at all, having the much better Da* 55mm.
But God… the 28mm is such a gem. Mounted on my Kp, it is the perfect combo for street photography 🙂
My 50mm is also a little defective. The focus is a little stuck in the middle, so AF only works close up or far away but not from one to the other. Unless I manually focus, of course. In which case it’s great. I got it for only a few dollars attached to a SFX though, so not a huge loss. I’ll grab another one day, but for now just manual focus.
I have only used the 28mm in my backyard so far, but it is incredible. With the KP sounds like a fantastic combo. On my K-1 it is great. More to come with that one.