Soft Lens

I see that Ffordes are listing a 2nd hand Pentax 85mm F2.8 SMC F Soft lens. Looking it up in Bojidar Dimitrov's listings indicates that this is quite a rarity which perhaps explains the £299 asking price.

While it is not a lens that I want to own I am interested to know what it was intended to be used for and if nowadays it is easier to achieve the same effect in something like Photoshop.

I see that it has no "A" setting on the aperture ring which I guess is a bit of a challenge on a modern body.

Does anyone have any experience of using this lens?

Thanks,

Glyn

I don't have one but I believe it was intended as a portrait lens. The softness is controllable, I can't quite remember how - it may have been something as simple as changing the aperture.

These days I expect doing it in photoshop would be much easier, so unless you are shooting film and have no computer...

Thanks Tim. I guessed as being 85mm it was probably intended for portraits.

I find while Bojidar Dimitrov's description explains how it works, (although a bit confusing as it covers the FA version as well), it didn't indicate what you would use it for.

Glyn

Does Don not use one?

I had one of these but didn't use it much. It is suitable for portraits but also dreamy landscapes, and anything else that we can creatively use it for.

I have the 85 2.2 soft.... perhaps even harder to find...
But
that newer model stops down to f32, mine does not go lower than 5.6.

from wide open it is very soft and gets fairly sharp by 5.6 and that is how you control the degree of softness manually stopping it down... I see that newer model does the same thing from 2.8 to 5.6 from there to f 32 it is probably as sharp as any other 85 mm....
link

They also made a soft 28mm..... no idea why!

Canon was selling more 28's than Pentax at the time... When in Rome...

Thanks guys. While I hope I'm largely cured of the "collector" strain of LBA there is always an urge when finding what looks like a rarity. However I'm not really into portraits and don't think I would have much use for it. In any case I usually have to work at not having my shots look soft & dreamy .

While I think its been there a while hopefully someone else will soon succumb to the Ffordes example and I will be free to put my savings towards something else.

Glyn

I have one of these which I aquired whilst in my Tamron Adaptall 2 collecting phase.

Quote: Tamron's fast 70-150 F/2.8 constant aperture zoom lens was specifically designed for portrait photography, and was the first compact telephoto zoom lens ever produced by any manufacturer which featured a built-in softness control.

Only used it once as I rarely do portraits and am not keen on the output.

I have one of these lenses, The K 85/2.2 Soft and I find it ideal for creating that "Different" Image. Can achieve some unusual effects, from a soft, misty effect, to a very sharp image.

The collector strain of LBA is a bit like malaria: You think you have recovered - but it's in the blood now!

Glyn

(Who also has a small collection of Adaptall 2 lenses)

There was a Pentax 85mm 2.8 F advertised for a fair bit less than the Ffordes price recently but it was gone when I rang.

I would like to try a soft lens and was thinking of trying the DIY route as they seem to be hard to find(and probably a bit out of my price range)
The Tamron looks interesting though, might have to keep my eyes open for one.