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[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from New Port Richey, FL on 5/10/2010
Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-DA* 55mm f/1.4 SDM Auto Focus Lens for use with Pentax Digital SLR Cameras.:
As the heading says... "It's an easy review!" I did my research, lots of it. This day and time I think twice about any purchase more expensive than a hamburger. I wanted a GREAT lens that was also a GREAT buy with GREAT reviews. Well, I couldn't find any reviews that spoke ill of it... period; AND the price was great! So I bought it... I love it!!! OK, so it's just a smidge big... more to love!
from Stockholm on 1/10/2010
Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-DA* 55mm f/1.4 SDM Auto Focus Lens for use with Pentax Digital SLR Cameras.:
It's a fun lens that can be used both indoors in poor lighting and outside for cool artsy closeups. I love the large aperture. It's also real nice for portraits.
This lens is always on my camera.
[5 of 5 customers found this review helpful]
Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-DA* 55mm f/1.4 SDM Auto Focus Lens for use with Pentax Digital SLR Cameras.:
I just purchased a truly like new Pentax DA* 55mm f/1.4 SDM demo from Adorama at a substantial discount. These guys I feel are the only place to buy in my opinion. I naturally did my due diligence by reading as many of the reviews as possible and the lens is indeed what they say, razor sharp. I did not experience any fringing or purple edge artifacts at all. But the real show stopper on this lens seems to be that it is somewhat "camera specific." More specifically, if you own older Pentax DSLRs, like the K10, there will be a high likelihood of problems in properly focusing, and even in some reported instances -- centering as well. Therefore, the first thing out of the box, I checked these and did so on a high quality very stable copy stand with Manfroto arm. The results were excellent and totally consistent in regards to the two aforementioned problems encountered with this lens on older Pentax DSLRs. I have a Pentax K7 by the way and love it, as I do this lens.
But often solitary comparisons are not totally just. I then used the Limited 31mm and 43mm Pentax lenses as well as my converted Contax 45mm pancake with Pentax K mount and all gave the same superb results without any of them leaving the Pentax DA* 55mm f/1.4 SDM in the proverbial dust. The test was the old one so many people perform, take the want ads sheet from the newspaper and try close focusing and then see how readable the fine print is. In this regard this lens was the winner among these heavyweights. The only lens to match it was my Voigtlander Lanthar 90mm manual focus lens. To further clarify, I bought a focusing screen from Katz Optics and this was the best purchase I ever made since it now allows me to use some truly primo MF lenses that most people have no use for and therefore they sell at artificially depressed prices.