John Riley reviews the revamped Pentax-FA 35mm f/2 which now features the latest HD coating along with a new physical design. John shares his MTF charts, sample photos and gives his verdict.
Posted: 06/12/2023 - 14:35
Handling and Features
Performance
Verdict
Specification
Pentax seem to have firmly committed to the future of the DSLR, swimming against the mirrorless tide but still seemingly being successful. That tide may or may not turn more fully in their favour, but in the meantime the camera range has been expanded and the lens range continues to be developed and tidied up. Part of this tidying up process has been the upgrading of some classic film era lenses, first the two "new" 50mm primes, with the choice of either SMC or the new HD coatings, and now the 35mm f/2, complete with modernisation of the shell and upgrade to the HD coating. Can a lens that has basically survived as an optical design from the film era still be up to the demands of the 36MP full frame Pentax K-1 DSLR? Let's find out.
HD Pentax-FA 35mm f/2 Handling and Features
The lens belongs to a time when in general lenses were much more compact than they are now, and with much simpler optical designs. The first obvious sign of the upgrade is the bayonet fit petal lenshood, something that we now expect on lenses and definitely better than clip on or screw fit hoods. This, as expected, bayonets cleanly into place. Within the bayonet mount for the hood is a standard 49mm filter thread, a much more compact size than most current hoods, even on compact lenses.
That the lens is compact there is no doubt, weighing in at just 193g, or 213g with the hood. The dimensions are a svelte 64mm x 44.5mm. Just behind the hood is the slim focusing ring, and here the film era credentials become apparent as there is no QuickShift clutch mechanism to allow full time manual focus. MF has to be engaged on the camera to operate the ring. The focusing ring does rotate during AF operation though, so fingers need to be kept out of the way.
AF is fast and accurate, but relies on a screw drive from a motor in the camera body, so silent it is not. The focusing scale is found beneath a plastic window, and close focusing is down to 0.3m, or 0.98 feet. This too is traditional. There is a depth of field scale provided, a nice touch but of limited accuracy. The closest focus point gives a maximum magnification of 0.17x.
An aperture ring is provided, with a button to lock the ring on "A" if required. For the purposes of DSLRs this is the required setting to control apertures with the camera body. Unusually for current lenses we are given a KAF mount, with all the electronic connections for modern cameras but also the mechanical linkages for film cameras. Some Pentax users have been asking for this feature to be re-instated for some time.
Optical construction is a traditional 6 elements in 5 groups, coating is the new HD (High Definition) and the front element has the Super Protect coating to repel dust, grease and moisture. The lens is not, however, weather sealed, presumably because it has retained a traditional construction that precludes adding seals. It is freezeproof though, down to -10C. The diaphragm comprises 6 blades.
Whilst a full frame optic, it can also be used on any crop sensor APS-C format Pentax DSLR, where the field of view will be approximately 53.5mm in "35mm format" terms. This makes the lens a very useful wide standard on full frame and standard on APS-C.
In terms of handling, it is an absolute doddle to use, the only possible hazard being remembering to keep the fingers away from the rotating focusing ring when using AF. Other than that, it is light, compact and a pleasure to use. Let's find out if it can also keep up with current DSLR requirements, given that the performance of traditional film lenses can be a mixed bag.
HD PENTAX-FA 35mm f/2 Sample Photos
HD Pentax-FA 35mm f/2 Performance
Looking at the sharpness results, this reminds us that older designs of lens do not necessarily shine in terms of MTF graphs. However, the results here are pretty good, especially centrally.
Central sharpness starts of as good at f/2, rising to very good from f/2.8 right through to f/16 and then dropping to good at f/22. The edges are fair at f/2, good from f/2.8 to f/5.6, very good at f/8 and f/11 and good at f/16 and f/22. An interesting result, not too surprising, and something to discuss later.
HD PENTAX-FA 35mm f/2 MTF Charts
How to read our MTF charts
The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges.
The scale on the left side is an indication of actual image resolution and sharpness as LW/PH and is described in detail above. The taller the column, the better the lens performance.
For this review, the lens was tested on a Pentax K-1 using Imatest.
CA (Chromatic Aberration) is centrally very well controlled, the edges less so, but in practice colour fringing is not particularly obvious on most subject matter. If required, there are software solutions.
HD PENTAX-FA 35mm f/2 Chromatic Aberration Charts
How to read our CA charts
Chromatic aberration (CA) is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software.
Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more.
For this review, the lens was tested on a Pentax K-1 using Imatest.
Distortion measures just -0.05% Barrel, which is very close to rectilinear.
Bokeh is the smoothness of the out of focus areas in an image, and despite the diaphragm only having 6 blades, the results are actually rather pleasant. This is an interesting trade-off with sharpness as very high resolution lenses sometimes have quite harsh bokeh, the lower resolution as here clearly pays off in other ways.
The new HD coating also pay off, and flare is virtually banished, even in the most demanding situations. This will be aided by the relatively small number of elements, and hence fewer internal reflective surfaces, as well as the coating and internal baffling of the lens.
Vignetting is fairly obvious at open aperture, but soon settles to a more reasonable level as we stop down.
| Aperture | Vignetting |
| f/2 | -2 |
| f/2.8 | -1.3 |
| f/4 | -1.3 |
| f/5.6 | -1.3 |
| f/8 | -1.3 |
| f/11 | -1.3 |
| f/16 | -1.2 |
| f/22 | -1.2 |
HD PENTAX-FA 35mm f/2 Aperture Range
Value for Money
The HD Pentax-FA 35mm f/2 is priced at £359.
Alternatives for Pentax cameras include:
- SMC Pentax-DA 35mm f/2.4, APS-C, £159
- HD Pentax-DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro Limited, APS-C, £599
- HD Pentax-FA 31mm f/1.8 Limited, FF, £999
- HD Pentax-FA 43mm f/1.9 Limited, FF, £629
For full frame users there is no choice, but in any event the VFM seems sound.
The HD Pentax-FA 35mm f/2 Verdict
There are many who, when considering full frame standard lenses, prefer the wide standard field of view offered by the 35mm. It is probably better for group portraits, arguably advantageous for street photography and offers a slightly different perspective to the ubiquitous 50mm. This of course is simply because to fill the frame with a given subject we have to move closer, becoming more involved with that subject as a consequence.
The upgrading of a film-era lens for use on DSLRs is an intersting way to expand a range of lenses, providing the quality can keep up. In this case we do have a nicely sharp and very pleasing rendition, without moving into the realm of ultra-high resolution. In this resect, the 35mm f/2 renders images in a way that is very similar to the SMC Pentax-FA 43mm f/1.9 Limited lens, and the two both have a very elegant look to their images.
An impressive lens with character, and one that can be Highly Recommended.
The HD Pentax-FA 35mm f/2 Pros
- Very good central sharpness
- Fast and accurate AF
- Superb resistance to flare
- Compact and light
- Very well made
- Full frame format
- Very good price
- Generally excellent CA control
- Smooth bokeh
- Low distortion
The HD Pentax-FA 35mm f/2 Cons
- Lower edge sharpness
- Noisy screw drive AF
Specifications: HD PENTAX-FA 35mm f/2 |
||||
| General | ||||
| Focal Type | Standard | |||
| Lens Mounts | Pentax KAF | |||
| Availability | ||||
| Year announced | 2022 | |||
| Discontinued | No | |||
| Dimensions | ||||
| Diameter | 64mm | |||
| Height | 44.5mm | |||
| Weight | 193g | |||
| Construction | ||||
| Weather-sealed | No | |||
| Groups | 5 | |||
| Elements | 6 | |||
| Blades | 6 | |||
| Lens | ||||
| Maximum magnification | 0.17x | |||
| Internal focusing | No | |||
| 35mm equivalent | 35mm | |||
| Filter Size | 49mm | |||
| Min Aperture | f/22 | |||
| Max Aperture | f/2 | |||
| Angle of View | 63° | |||
| Focal Length | 35mm | |||
| Focusing | ||||
| Macro | No | |||
| Min Focus | 30cm | |||
| Box Contents | ||||
| Box Contents | Lens Hood PH-RBG49, Lens Cap O-LC49, Lens Mount Cap K, Lens Case S80-80 | |||
Members gallery photos using: HD PENTAX-FA 35mm F2
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