Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Lenses
First of all, I must establish that I am a beginner, not a professional or even a dedicated photographer. However, I am a very enthusiastic and meticulous aficionado. I am also a collector, a characteristic that spills over into my photography hobby --I realize now that I am slowly drifting into lens collection. As a collector (mostly of knives, watches, and fountain pens) I have discovered that even good quality production collectibles exhibit variations (each instance is unique), and rarely if ever is a particular kind always reproduced in exactly the same way. I have found out that this is as true of camera lenses as it is of fountain pens, knives or watches. For example, I have three copies of the SMC Takumar 55 mm f/1.8 lens, and each one is slightly or even not so slightly different. Therefore, I am wary of categorically saying anything definitive about any particular production lens, even if general characteristics can indeed be established. Also, as is the case with the performance of other collectibles, one’s appreciation relies more often than not on preferences of a subjective nature: in my case I judge a lens on qualities such as richness of color, depth (3d effects) and bokeh, even though of course I pay attention to rather more “objective” characteristics such as sharpness. To the previous caveats I must add that when judging a lens I find it very hard (perhaps impossible) to judge it in the abstract, without resorting to comparisons with other similar or not so similar lenses. So as a (very personal) benchmark I use my copy of the Pentax SMC-A 50mm f/1.7 lens when judging primes, and my copy of the Sigma 18-250 mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro HSM when judging zooms, both of which have yielded superb results for me. Finally, I use exclusively Pentax digital bodies, namely a k-x, a k-30 and a K3. Keep all of the above in mind when I say that I find the Pentax SMC DA Limited Edition 40mm f/2.0-8.0 to be a good but not an extraordinary lens. The build is excellent, the materials top notch. It is a very small and light “pancake” type lens, very easy to carry around and extremely unobtrusive. It is very well designed, and clearly careful consideration went into its execution and manufacture. Performance-wise, however, I find it to be not quite impressive, especially considering that you’ll be lucky to find a good copy for $ 300 or so in the secondary market. At least with my copy colors turn out somewhat washed out –cold even, and the bokeh is often nervous. It is fast, but only sufficiently sharp; contrast is adequate. All in all a commendable lens for everyday use.Read full review
It is extremely small and lightweight, in addition to excellent condition
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned