| Author: | Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-15 of 83 | New Member Registered:July,2024 Posts:17 | | Review Date: August 15, 2024 | Recommended |Rating:6 |
| Pros: | | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 8 Aberrations: 2 Bokeh: 8 Handling: 8 Value: 5 New or Used: Used Camera Used: Pentax ME Super, Sony A6000 | |
My sample is used on Pentax ME Super. As expected with large aperture lens, focus is easy. Result on film is quite sharp. Sharper than my aftermarket 28mm but not exquisite. I was expecting more actually so I bought an adapter to use it on my Sony A6000 crop sensor. The result is less than stellar. This lens is purple fringing monster. With the crop sensor it will not disappear even up to mid aperture.
I may keep it to use exclusively on film camera. Not good enough for my Sony digital. | | | | | | Senior Member Registered:February,2011 Location:Brno Posts:297 2 users found this helpful | | Review Date: November 12, 2023 | Recommended |Price:$450.00 |Rating:7 |
| Pros: | Size,weight, F2 | | Cons: | 6 bladed aperture = hexagonal bokeh, purple fringing, problems on contrast edges | | Sharpness: 9 Aberrations: 7 Bokeh: 7 Autofocus: 7 Handling: 8 Value: 8 New or Used: Used Camera Used: K20D, K5, K3, EPL-6 | |
Years ago I liked this lens much as it was able to provide my K20D with enough light even in low-light scenarios and it also had very pleasant F2 bokeh when shooting wide open. I've captured many portraits with this lens. It is capable of providing quite good resolution. But it has also the dark part. Aperture has 6 straight aperture blades and once you close the lens to lets say F2.8 to improve sharpness, you can also find unpleasing hexahonal bokeh in background if you have any light sources or contrast shapes in background. For example light reaching through tree leaves. Lens was perfectly sharp at F2-2.8 on older low-resolution bodies like K100D, K10D. With K20D the optimum is rather from F2.4 and for hi-res bodies like K3 aperture value around F2.8-F3.2 is needed to feed the sensor with enough fine detail. If you have some light sources or again those contrast areas in background it can show nasty pink artifacts around (purple fringing). Sometimes it can be removed in PP, sometimes not.
When I bought Sigma 17-50/2.8 I used this lens and FA*24/2 and FA50/1.4 less and less. That zoom is more resistant to any fringing, has less aberations, has no issues with light sources during concerts and provides very good image even with F3.2 aperture. So then the FA35/2 has less advantages.
And later I bought mighty Sigma 35/1.4 and also brutal zoom Sigma 18-35/1.8. Both those lenses are generation above FA35/2 with better fine resolution, much less CA, no PF etc.. and so now my FA35/2 mostly resides in cabinet. But it has one advantage - it is small light lens. So sometimes Im using it as low-light complement to DA18-135/3.5-5.6 WR for small bag light walks. Or even on my Olympus M4/3 adapted. AF is fast, quite usable, mostly hits close, but it is not extremely accurate. Live view sometimes helps with accuracy. Lens can also be reversed using 49mm K mount reverse ring and it then is turned into high magnification macro lens, which I used couple times for taking pictures of SMD component microsections. And of course it has aperture ring, so it works even on my fully manual Revue film camera, while Sigma 35/1.4 cannot be used there as it requires aperture control from camera. In general if the price is good and you have no plans with Sig35/1.4, buy this lens and be happy. It does the job well. Just keep thinking about limitations while shooting. Check background when taking pictures. And do proper AF fine tuning for your camera. K20D, F2: 
Hexagonal bokeh in background.. F2.8
| | | | New Member Registered:August,2022 Posts:11 2 users found this helpful | | Review Date: January 21, 2023 | Recommended |Price:$169.00 |Rating:10 |
| Pros: | Rich contrasty colors | | Cons: | Some distortion I think | | Sharpness: 9 Aberrations: 9 Bokeh: 8 Autofocus: 8 Handling: 9 Value: 10 New or Used: Used Camera Used: K70 | |
[IMG][/IMG]First of all I am not a technical lens reviewer. I just shoot and I know if I like the pictures or not. In 2021 I purchased a K70 and a 40 MM XS. I wanted this to be my primary set up. However I found the 40 mm field of view to be a bit tight. The reviews here helped convinced me to give it a try. I purchased on a Ebay for a whopping $169 and it was in near mint from Japan. Anyway I absolutely love this lens. The rich contrasty colors are fantastic. Part of my photographic process is to only shoot with one prime lens and this lens has been perfect for that. I shoot a lot of buildings in rural Iowa and I do notice some lens distortion. I couldn't be happier with this lens combined with the K70. Perfect weight, I often walk with the camera held by the camera grip and the weight and balance is perfect.[IMG][IMG][/IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG] | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered:January,2019 Posts:1,531 | | Review Date: November 24, 2021 | Recommended |Price:$300.00 |Rating:9 |
| Pros: | Lightweight Sharp great colours focal length looks good | | Cons: | flare | | Sharpness: 9 Aberrations: 8 Bokeh: 9 Autofocus: 10 Handling: 10 Value: 10 New or Used: New Camera Used: K-70 | |
I only bought this at the end of October and then was without my camera for a week as it suffered the dreaded aperture block. So now I have paired them up I must admit I love this combination. Before buying I was stuck between the DA 35 mm F2.4 AL and this one. The reason I went for this one is that Amazon had a great deal on it and my experience with the PENTAX-da 50mmF1.8.is that the colours to me although really sharp are too saturated only way I can describe it is it is "too digital" for my liking. I also much prefer the look and feel of this lens to the DA 35. I know that's subjective but it feels more like an old school lens and makes the camera look more grown up with the aperture ring. I Paid 100 quid more for this than the asking price for the DA 35mm (and 200 quid less than Jessops were asking) and for that there is a hood and pouch also included( mind you it needs the hood). I love the focal length it is of course the closest to the film era 50mm I had on my me super, on the K-70 but that would be true for any of the 35s. So usage wise I have had it on the camera a few days pre camera repair and was shooting in low bright sun conditions and found that it does or is prone to flare and fringing in high contrast tree tops. The hood does make a difference however not really been able to get into the detail of the best apertures. The pictures are really sharp and focus on those days was exceptionally quick very little hunting. Indoors pretty much it's the same so no issues for me with the autofocus. I haven't tried manual focus so the handling rating is based on how well balanced the K-70 feels with this lens attached. I feel with this lens unlike using my zooms at this focal length I don't have to worry about losing too much sharpness at any of the apertures it performs brilliantly wide open to closed. For these reasons and probably more that I will find with more use I would say get it. For me it is a brilliant travel and street lens without too many compromises I think my 40xs will be getting a lot less usage in future. | | | | | | New Member Registered:September,2020 Location:Derbyshire Posts:3 1 user found this helpful | | Review Date: August 21, 2021 | Recommended |Price:$180.00 |Rating:9 |
| Pros: | Sharp even wide open, very well made for a plastic lens, great colour, easy to focus manually | | Cons: | Still too expensive | | Sharpness: 9 Aberrations: 9 Bokeh: 9 Autofocus: 9 Handling: 9 Value: 9 New or Used: New Camera Used: MZ5n / MX | |
Note that my reviews refer to film use. Having returned to Pentax with another KX, this is one lens that I wish that I'd not sold!! A common refrain here I note! I have very little of anything negative to say about it. It was a joy to use, it was commendably sharp from wide open - sharper more evenly across the frame than the Nikkor AFD f2 I had. And the colour rendition was something else - like the FA AL 28mm 2.8 but even more so - there was certain almost 3D effect on the slides I got back. For a plastic lens, it was very well put together - more so I felt than the FA50 1.4 or 28mm f2.8 or even the 20-35mm. The tolerances seem to be much higher in terms of its construction. The best form factor I've ever seen or felt on a plastic bodied lens. It was almost like handling a piece of sculpture. - even the aperture ring seemed to be super smooth. It was though the plastic had been grown around the lens train. If I had the money, I'd buy a new one straight away but there you go. Even second hand they attract silly prices. Wish me luck. Flare was very well controlled too. The lens bag, hood etc., all made for great package. Anyhow, I'd highly recommend this lens to any Pentaxian. At the moment I'm using a K 35mm 3.5 that I got much cheaper. It too is beautifully built and I am evaluating it at the moment. Update 31.10.21: I have now evaluated my Pentax K 3.5 35mm and I think it is as sharp as this modern lens. The only downside is the smaller aperture which makes focussing harder and limits subject separation. If I could afford them, I'd have both but the K 35 3.5 is much much better value for money performance wise for me. | | | | New Member Registered:April,2021 Posts:16 1 user found this helpful | | Review Date: May 4, 2021 | Recommended |Price:$300.00 |Rating:9 |
| Pros: | Sharp to corners at f8 | | Cons: | Minor infinity focus flaw (explained in review) | | Sharpness: 9 Aberrations: 9 Bokeh: 9 Autofocus: 9 Handling: 8 Value: 9 New or Used: New Camera Used: K1 | |
I concur with previous reviewers that this lens is sharp corner to corner. However, it does have a minor (manageable) focusing flaw. There is an almost imperceptible amount of play in the focusing mechanism, such that the elements can be moved forward and backwards, barely the thickness of a sheet of paper, about 0.1mm without turning the focus ring. This may not seem significant but can make the difference between an image being sharp or not. At the infinity end stop, pushing the focus ring towards the body to take up play is necessary to achieve perfect sharpness at far distance, otherwise it is out of focus. This is required whether manually or auto-focused. My F lens does not have this play, nor do my original M lenses, which seems to confirm other reviewers suspicions that the FA series is less well made. | | | | Forum Member Registered:March,2007 Location:California Posts:67 2 users found this helpful | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered:July,2008 Location:Luxembourg Posts:8,782 10 users found this helpful | | Review Date: October 19, 2020 | Recommended |Price:$350.00 |Rating:10 |
| Pros: | Fantastic travel lens | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 9 Aberrations: 8 Bokeh: 10 Autofocus: 8 Handling: 9 Value: 10 New or Used: New Camera Used: K-1 | |
A fantastic travel and night lens. 800 ISO
800 ISO
All my FA35 shots. | | | | Site Supporter Registered:July,2020 Posts:131 1 user found this helpful | | Review Date: September 2, 2020 | Recommended |Price:$340.00 |Rating:10 |
| Pros: | sharp optics, no obvious aberrations; compact, light | | Cons: | pricey brand new; not a very robust build | | Sharpness: 10 Aberrations: 10 Bokeh: 9 Autofocus: 9 Handling: 9 Value: 8 New or Used: New Camera Used: K10D, K-3 II, K-1 II | |
I bought this to give me both a fast lens in this focal length and good autofocus for family shots and other shots where I need quick focus, as well as to do occasional wide-field astrophotography with it. I was able to buy this new rather than getting the newer version of this FA 35-mm f/2 lens -- which I did after reading the reviews saying that this first version is much better than the second version. This copy gives me good, sharp images even wide open (but I tend to use it around f/5.6-f/8 just as I do with most of my lenses when I want real sharpness). It's nice to have the option of f/2 if you need it in low-light conditions, especially in cases where you're walking around without extra lenses at hand. I was pleasantly surprised as to how good the autofocus is on my K10D and K-3 II cameras, even in low light -- excellent for Pentax. My $340 price included shipping and tax. It's light and I would not want to drop it for fear that it might not hold up on much impact. The focussing ring is better than on my FA 50-mm f/1.4 -- no complaints about manual focusing, and the filter does not rotate when focusing. The focusing ring rotates about 120 degrees from infinity (toward the left, or counter-clockwise as viewed behind the camera) to the closest focus. Although the aperture ring sits close to the camera, this lens has a wider aperture ring, and it extends 360 degrees around the barrel, so it's no problem moving the ring from the side or bottom. Mine came with the black plastic "flower" hood with large PENTAX in sliver/gray letters; the hood rotates on and snaps in place, and it has two nice white lines to line up with a white line on the lens to let you know where the filter is supposed to go (a nice feature). You can have PENTAX on top, or on the opposite side you can have the "window" for the rotation of the polarizing filter on top; there is a black piece that snaps in and out to give you the option of putting your finger through the hood to rotate the filter (nice, but the window piece can be tricky to get in and out). Again, I'd prefer metal hoods to plastic ones, but this hood does its job well and looks fine. It's nice to not have a hood that screws into the filter's threads. I tested the lens' sharpness doing some longer astro/star photos with a clock drive, and I'm very pleased at the sharp star images. I tested the bokeh background on some garden flowers, and it's quite good along with very sharp photos of flowers and bees. I'm glad I got the lens and will use it a fair amount, but I wish that the price had been cheaper. photo showing the lens on my camera with the dedicated lens hood: <div> | | | | Veteran Member Registered:July,2007 Location:North West UK Posts:390 2 users found this helpful | | Review Date: June 19, 2020 | Recommended |Price:$200.00 |Rating:10 |
| Pros: | IQ. Small, quick AF. Rendition, lack of CA, great contrast. Sharp | | Cons: | Not much | | Sharpness: 10 Aberrations: 9 Bokeh: 10 Autofocus: 9 Handling: 10 Value: 10 New or Used: Used Camera Used: K-1 K-3II K-70 | |
What a lovely little gem of a 35mm lens. I bought mine second-hand for a mere £180, especially as I was about the splash out on the newly released HD version for more than twice the price. The one I have is immaculate and found at a local dealer. Oh how I love to find a gem from time to time. So what is it like? Well I DO have the DA35mm F2.4 as well, which is superb, even on the K-1, but why this? Well the aperture ring for starters, so as to use on film bodies.
Is it better than the DA? Having loved and still love (if I can prise it off my GF's K-3 these days) I was concerned if it gave that wonderful filmic look that you got with the DA? Well yes and more so. Sharp from wide open, superb contrast at F2. great control of CA (certainly one of the best FA lenses in that regard), and oh so natural punchy colours. Is it better than the DA? Yes, but in a different way. The DA is a big surprise on full frame on how good it is, but the FA35 is just that much better overall. Better build and slightly faster. Downsides?
Screw focus, but it is pretty quiet for screw AF
It Is a Lot more money than the DA, but you don't have to worry about vignetting at certain distances to subject (not all the time) that the DA will do.
Not weather sealed - but we are talking about a lens from the nineties.
and Finally
Why oh why did Pentax still charge more for the SMC-FA version at the same time as the HD-FA version was released. Hmmmm But overall, it is a tiny beast of a lens that is just superb. and a perfect complement to the DA35 should you already have one. If you don't, get the FA35 in either coating, it will be worth it. | | | | Site Supporter Registered:October,2008 Location:Vancouver, Canada Posts:8,236 5 users found this helpful | | Review Date: May 24, 2020 | Recommended |Price:$198.00 |Rating:9 |
| Pros: | Optics & speed. | | Cons: | Build and manual focusing. | | New or Used: Used Camera Used: MZ-S, Z1-p | |
The FA35/2 AL was released in 1999 and is currently still in production. It was a replacement for the old A35/2 which had been out of production for ten years. A HD version of the FA35/2 was released in 2019. Optics:
The best Ive seen for a Pentax 35mm lens. Features aspherical elements and ghostless coating. Focal Length:
Excellent one lens option on full frame and very useful for landscape/street shooting. If Im going to pick just one lens to walk around with all day, 35mm would be my first choice. On APS-C you get the FOV of a normal lens. Over the years Pentax always had two 35mm lenses in their lineup, the faster F/2.0 and a slower F/2.8 or F/3.5. I guess we should be thankful that there are currently two FA 35mm lenses available. One designed for film cameras and the other for digital. Build:
FA Series lenses are all over the place in build. First you have the metal Limited lenses which are the best, then the mostly metal FA* lenses with their cheap silver paint, then the regular FA primes/zooms that have a lot of plastic parts and lastly the cheap kit zooms that even have a plastic lens mount. The FA35/2 falls into the third group, so its a far cry from the build of an old Takumar lens! Usage/Handling:
The overall size/weight of the FA35/2 is good, so its a nice portable lens. The manual focus ring is a bit small for my liking and is made of rubber. Turing the focus ring, as well as the aperture, are both on the clunky side and nowhere near being considered smooth. I dont do auto focusing, so I cant comment on how the FA35/2 fairs in that field. The distance scale is behind a plastic window and is acceptable. The FA35/2 has a 49mm filter ring and comes with a dedicated tulip style bayonet lens hood labeled PH-RBA 49mm. The hood mounts on the outside of the lenses filter ring. The hood also has a removable polarizer window which is a nice feature, so using a CPL/LPL is no issue. The hood is quite big and when reversed mounted on the lens for storage, is a bit hard to remove as there is not much left of the lens to grip/hold onto. Its also a bit hard to remove the pinch type lens cap when the hood is mounted in the shooting position. The FA35/2 came with the S80-80 soft lens case and the reversed hood & lens fit nicely into the case for storage. Speed:
Excluding the prototype M35/1.4, F/2.0 is the fastest 35mm lens that Pentax has ever made. It would have been nice to see a Pentax 35/1.4 lens in production, but that's unlikely to ever happen. The FA35/2 vs my other similar FL wide angle primes:
I also own the K35/2.0, the K35/3.5 and the A35/2.8, this is how I rate the four against each other: Optics: FA35/2, K35/3.5, K35/2, A35/2.8
Speed: FA35/2 & K35/2 tie, A35/2.8, K35/3.5
Minimum Focusing Distance: FA35/2 & A35/2.8 tie, K35/2 & K35/3.5 tie
Build: K35/2 & K35/3.5 tie, A35/2.8, FA35/2
Handling: K35/2 & K35/3.5 & A35/2.8 tie, FA35/2 I would rank/rate them in this order: 1) FA35/2 9.5, 2) K35/3.5 9.5, 3) K35/2 9, 4) A35/2.8 8.5. However if I could only keep one 35mm lens it would be the K35/3.5, as it's a Pentax classic and a favorite of mine, but just a little on the slow side. The K35/3.5 optics are very close to the FA35/2 and its build & handling are way better. Summary:
Optic wise you are unlikely to find a better Pentax 35mm lens, but for the way I shoot there is more to a lens than just great optics. Interacting with the FA35/2 leaves me cold, due to its plastic build and less than stellar manual focusing. If the FA35/2 was built like a FA Limited lens, I would give it a perfect 10 with no hesitation. Unfortunately it isn't so overall I rate the FA35/2 at 9.5 out of 10, rounded down to a 9. Price:
I bought my FA35/2 from a forum member and paid $275CDN. It was in excellent + condition and is boxed with all accessories. Sample shots taken with the FA35/2. Photos are medium resolution scans from original slides and negatives. All shots were taken in Vancouver. Camera: MZ-S Film: Kodak Ektachrome 100 ISO: 100
Camera: Z1-p Film: Ilford Delta 100 ISO: 100
Camera: MZ-S Film: Kodak Ektachrome 100 ISO: 100
| | | | New Member Registered:April,2019 Posts:5 | | Review Date: February 29, 2020 | Recommended |Price:$100.00 |Rating:10 |
| Pros: | sharp, small, fast | | Cons: | plastic | | Sharpness: 9 Aberrations: 9 Bokeh: 7 Autofocus: 8 Handling: 9 Value: 10 New or Used: Used Camera Used: k200 | |
i wanted to shoot star fields. i was browsing used adorama. ONE HUNDRED AMERICAN DOLLARS! of course i ordered. came with shade and pouch in original box. i think it was a demo. this was around 2015. right place right time. lucky. still, given performance i would be satisfied paying + 300 bucks new. a fella can spend that much on a new lens and get garbage, you know the brands. this lens lives up to the pentax reputation. | | | | Custom User Title Registered:January,2016 Location:Alberta Posts:6,838 | | Review Date: October 1, 2019 | Recommended |Price:$150.00 |Rating:9 |
| Pros: | Fast, sharp, about a 'normal' FoV on APS-C | | Cons: | screw drive, not weather sealed | | Sharpness: 8 Aberrations: 7 Bokeh: 7 Autofocus: 8 Handling: 6 Value: 10 New or Used: Used Camera Used: K-S2 | |
Really awesome lens! I nice addition to my primary kit.
I really like the lens hood that comes with it.
Nice focal range that is nearly what a 50mm would look like on a full-frame.
Strongly suggest this lens! | | | | Moderator Registered:July,2011 Location:Melbourne Posts:1,884 8 users found this helpful | | Review Date: May 31, 2019 | Recommended |Price:$150.00 |Rating:10 |
| Pros: | Size, quality, value | | Cons: | none | |
Well I picked this lens up cheaply on eBay, mostly due to the fact that Pentax had released an updated version, why not try the original. Well the lens on the K1 was an easy to live with choice for the month, I almost felt like I was back in the film days with a high quality point and shoot. The angle of view was common in many cameras from that era. I found it performed nicely for landscapes and with a minimum focal distance around 30cm detail close ups were able to be taken easily. When reversed for super macro, the use of the manual aperture meant extra versatility compared to a lens with no way to close the aperture when reversed. Shooting into the light there seemed to be no obtrusive flare and the lens hood works well and reverses onto the lens for storage. The bokeh was pleasant and not intrusive and despite using the in body motor for focusing, it was not very noisy and focused accurately and quickly without hunting under normal conditions. If Pentax was happy to update the lens with a new lens coating and leave the optics alone, I guess they must have thought the quality was worth persevering with, I am happy to recommend this as a keeper.
Some examples of my month with this lens twin city by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr drop ismo by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr rainbow pier by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr star chasing 2 by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr moving on by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr morning church by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr | | | | Senior Member Registered:September,2011 Location:Twin Cities, MN, USA Posts:149 | | Review Date: April 15, 2019 | Recommended |Price:$165.00 |Rating:9 |
| Pros: | Nice Bokeh, Lightweight, Sharp, Useful FOV for APS-C | | Cons: | Plastice construction, Small focusing ring | | Sharpness: 9 Aberrations: 9 Bokeh: 8 Autofocus: 10 Handling: 8 Value: 9 New or Used: Used Camera Used: KP | |
Still getting used to this one, but I can tell it's an awesome indoors & street shooter. I was looking for a small (unobtrusive) lens that was fast enough for low light use, and also offered capability of bokeh when called for. When I first mounted it, I found
it need focus calibration (not so unusual for a 20yr old lens) but once I dialed in +2 on my KP, it's on the money, and despite
being a screwdrive design, it's plenty fast for AF. Definitely recommended for APS-C shooters....will fit the bill as a proxy for
a nifty fifty until I can affort a K1 or it's successor. | | |
[/IMG]First of all I am not a technical lens reviewer. I just shoot and I know if I like the pictures or not. In 2021 I purchased a K70 and a 40 MM XS. I wanted this to be my primary set up. However I found the 40 mm field of view to be a bit tight. The reviews here helped convinced me to give it a try. I purchased on a Ebay for a whopping $169 and it was in near mint from Japan. Anyway I absolutely love this lens. The rich contrasty colors are fantastic. Part of my photographic process is to only shoot with one prime lens and this lens has been perfect for that. I shoot a lot of buildings in rural Iowa and I do notice some lens distortion. I couldn't be happier with this lens combined with the K70. Perfect weight, I often walk with the camera held by the camera grip and the weight and balance is perfect.[IMG][IMG]
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. still, given performance i would be satisfied paying + 300 bucks new. a fella can spend that much on a new lens and get garbage, you know the brands
. this lens lives up to the pentax reputation. 
