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Asahi Optical Co. star trinity: SMC Pentax-A* 85/1.4 135/1.8 200/2,8 ED

Posted 16/03/2018 - 00:35 Link
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A friend kindly lent me three Pentax lenses from 1980s to let me put them through their paces. He purchased the lenses some 20 years ago, kept them in some closet and not used them even once. A great shame if you ask me as they proved to be top-notch performers. The full entry is at my blog in Polish here:
https://towarzystwonieustraszonychsoczewek.blogspot.com/2018/03/trojca-asahi-z-g...
I am posting a few images here with the final conclusion translated into English:
"Besides the fact they are extremely rare - particularly here in Poland - the Pentax-A* series lenses are characterized by such built quality and beauty of the produced images that they are highly dangerous for the faint of heart: they make it beat faster when you borrow them, and give you a heartache when you have to return them."
Best
Jarek
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davidwozhere
Posted 16/03/2018 - 01:35 Link
Wonderful. Thank you.
Both the *istDS and the K5 are incurably addicted to old glass

My page on Photocrowd
Posted 16/03/2018 - 01:55 Link
davidwozhere wrote:
Wonderful. Thank you.

I'll be honest with you: I can't remember when shooting wth any lenses gave me such joy and pleasure.
Best
Jarek
womble
Posted 16/03/2018 - 05:42 Link
Three lenses I would love to try / own one day... Thanks for the link. Lovely images. K.
Kris Lockyear
It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head. Henri Cartier-Bresson
Lots of film bodies, a couple of digital ones, too many lenses (mainly older glass) and a Horseman LE 5x4.

My website
pschlute
Posted 16/03/2018 - 08:33 Link
Lovely set of lenses.
Posted 16/03/2018 - 11:12 Link
womble wrote:
Three lenses I would love to try / own one day... Thanks for the link. Lovely images. K.

Thanks! I am aware of how lucky I am to be able to try them.
Best
Jarek
Posted 16/03/2018 - 11:13 Link
[quote:3496ace15f="pschlute"]Lovely set of lenses.[/quote
Yes it is. The friend has one more A star lens and I hope to test it soon.
Best
Jarek
stub
Posted 16/03/2018 - 11:31 Link
Lovely images...
You are lucky to have such good friends...

Would have been nice to have seen the same images taken with a modern digital lens to compare the subtle differences.
K-1Gripped K-1 ungripped K-5ii K7 Various lenses

Stuart..
Edited by stub: 16/03/2018 - 11:33
Posted 16/03/2018 - 11:38 Link
stub wrote:
Lovely images...
You are lucky to have such good friends...

Would have been nice to have seen the same images taken with a modern digital lens to compare the subtle differences.

I do have such plans. The 200/2.8 can be compared to its modern Ricoh/Pentax counterpart with completely different optical formula. Alas there are no eqivalents for 85/1.4 and 135/1.8 lenses in the current Pentax line. Perhaps I will compare them to Sigma Art lenses.
Best
Jarek
Edited by JaroslawBrzezinski: 16/03/2018 - 11:38

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