An unordinary vintage zoom - Asahi Pentax-A 35-105mm f3.5 - review and test
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- Опубліковано 5 сер 2024
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0:00 intro
1:10 closer look
2:10 mfd is weird
2:32 ergonomics
2:55 how it performs
4:17 samples
6:26 final thoughts - Наука та технологія
Thanks Marco for yet another great video. Have you ever done a video on the 28-135?
No, haven't even ever seen one around yet
Hi Marco, thanks for the nice video. I never tested this lens like this, but I used it a bit and I find it above average. The constant 3.5 aperture with solid sharpness in the middle is a good thing, as is the nice zoom range. I shoot some portraits with it at 105mm and was positively surprised by the outcome. The eyes were sharp and the bokeh good. Yes, it is heavy, but solidly build. To me one of the few zoom keepers. I still have to use it for general purpose, landscapes, city, etc., so can’t fully judge.
It's a versatile and capable lens and if I didn't already have a modern lens that fill the same role I probably would have kept it for myself 😉
I liked the colours and the sharpness.
Asahi Pentax lenses have nice colors indeed!
I bought mine new in the mid 1980's for my Pentax ME SUPER PROGRAM one of my favorite pre- autofocus Pentax lenses
The one in the video was paired to an ME as well, but the camera was broken and beaten up and repairing it would have been too expensive, so I didn't have the chance to try it.
Nice video as always! I've got a question for you. Do you have any idea what focal length to select when you're using Steady Shot (IBIS on body) with a vintage zoom?
I change it as I change the focal length. If it's a short zoom I sometimes set to somewhere in the middle, but in general I just keep changing it.
@@MarcoAries Alright, I'll give that a try!
I was told to set the focal length for IBIS in the middle focal length on a zoom lens
@@scrptwicI also thought exactly that but some say it is OK to set it for the long end…will do some testing and report back if I find anything REALLY worth reporting…
Thanks for the review. In pentaxforums many praise the lens. I guess its ergonomics had a toll on your rating as “boring”
Thanks for the support!
Yeah, ergonomics and the image quality is a bit behind other Pentax lenses of the same era.
It doesn't seem to breathe excessively, which is interesting for a cheaper lens.
That's true. I don't know how expensive it was back in the day...
I came to a different conclusion with my lens. You are not wrong about the lens specs. The sharpness is lacking compared to primes, the lens is cumbersome to use, a bit heavy, etc. However, you forgot or maybe did not know about the lens' greatest feature, it is near parfocal. Within the range of 1.5 meters to infinity, if you zoom in, focus, and zoom out you have parfocal or near parfocal capabilities. This is somewhat confirmed in the manuals for the Pentax-A lenses, they actually recommend zooming in and focusing. In my opinion, this makes this lens pretty unique and a good tool for video work where having a parfocal lens can be rare and expensive. However, the macro function is varifocal. I would definitely recommend it for video creators who want a parfocal lens but maybe not for photographers who favor sharpness. Also, I will say the sharpness on this lens is better than most zoom lenses of its era. That is just my thoughts though.
CORRECTION: The lenses are varifocal. I tested a few copies and found them to be varifocal. However, they do sometimes have parfocal properties. Read comments below for more information.
Thanks for sharing!
I found my copy to be varifocal. Every comment I ever read about focusing with this lens mentioned it's varifocal design.
The one I tested was varifocal, although breathing was indeed less pronounced than most if not all other vintage zooms I have tried
@@LiveMyJourneyTom Your are not wrong. If you go by a strict definition, the lens is not parfocal as the macro feature is varifocal. However, from 1.5 meters or 5 ft. (normal mode) onward my copy seems to be at least near parfocal, though sample variation may also play a huge part. I will run through my tests again to make sure.
The Pentax instruction manuals somewhat support my point. Here is an excerpt from the "Pentax SMC Pentax-A Lenses" instruction manual (page 23), "First zoom your lens up to its maximum focal length and focus on subject. Then zoom back down to obtain the framing you desire. This procedure assures the most accurate focusing."
Amendment: I tested two copies of the lenses to double check. Marco and Live My Journey is correct that they are varifocal. From my two copies, one seemed to be more varifocal compared to the other. Therefore sample variation plays a huge role. Basically if you zoom in to 105mm, focus, and reframe, going down in focal length, you usually are in focus at all zoom ranges. However, if you reframe going up focal lengths, the lens looses focus. Therefore varifocal.
not saying much when you have not much to say is very ni