What Legendary Pentax lenses should get the TTArtisan Treatment? Round 2
Best of Pentax Forums Newsletter May 21, 2026
What Legendary Pentax lenses should get the TTArtisan Treatment? Round 2
One of my fav things about Pentax Forums is that I still learn stuff about Pentax here despite shooting Pentaxes since 1979. Last week I mentioned a unicorn, the almost mythical SMC Pentax 20mm F1.4, of which only seven prototypes were ever made.
Turns out there was another unicorn. Pentaxian ehrwien nominated the “35/1.4” for our What Legendary Pentax lenses should get the TTArtisan Treatment tournament. I’d never heard of it. So off to the Pentax Lens Reviews database, where I found a listing for the SMC Pentax-M 35mm F1.4: The SMC Pentax-M 35 mm f/1.4 is one of the rarest and most enigmatic lenses in Pentax history—a prototype-turned-unicorn that was briefly manufactured in 1980 but never officially released to the public. Believed to exist in only a handful of copies (possibly fewer than five), it was designed for full-frame K-mount film cameras and remains virtually unseen outside of collector circles.
OK, now I want one.
Back to the matter at hand: I’ve listed all 18 lenses mentioned in last week’s nominations in this week’s poll. Vote for your top three! Then next week we’ll have a runoff between the top five finalists.
Elsewhere in this week’s newsletter, Site Supporter AgentL takes his K-1s on a journey through Macedonia, Epirus and Thrace; New Member Freez demonstrates the unusual, funky bokeh of the MC Zenitar-ME1 50mm F1.7; and New Member loyd praises the living, organic colours of the SMC Pentax-A 100mm F2.8 Macro.
If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, please take a moment to join the almost 1,600 Pentaxians who have subscribed to our free curated compendium of the hundreds of great images and post shared each week in our Pentax community. Please let us know your thoughts here in the comments and on our Pentax Forums, and have a perfect Pentaxian week!
Threads of the Week:
Travel Photo Series: Northern Greece with the K-1 Mark II
May 16, 2026 • Pentax K-1 & K-1 II • 8 replies • 310 views
AgentL said — We took a trip to northern Greece (Macedonia and Epirus, with a brief foray into Thrace) in February of this year. I’ve already posted in a couple of different forums elsewhere, but, since I relied entirely on the Pentax K-1 mark II, I should really share ...Read more »
May 16, 2026 • General Talk • 3 replies • 71 views
ismaelg said — Hello, I am going to the Indy 500 this year. You see, the Indy 500 is not just a car a race. It is a RELIGIOUS experience for me. The most important day of the year for me. My birthday comes second. I haven’t missed one since 1989. Read more »
May 15, 2026 • Pentax K-1 & K-1 II • 9 replies • 674 views
reddigari said — I dug up an old lens, the 85mm, and took a portrait of our dog...I love the rendering so much thought I would share...this is a very nice lens indeed! Read more »
Pentaxian User Reviews
Pentax Lenses
SMC Pentax-A 100mm F2.8 Macro
Reviewed by New Member loyd
Review Date: May 17, 2026 Recommended | Price: $800.00 | Rating: 10
Pros: Color, color, color Cons: A series building quality
Sharpness: 9 Aberrations: 9 Bokeh: 10 Handling: 8 Value: 9 Camera Used: K-5, K-1
I’ve had this lens for over ten years. I recently bought the latest version of the D FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro AW, thinking I would finally be able to get rid of my A version — until I compared the rendering of the two.
The D FA is definitely superior in many ways: incredible sharpness, excellent color accuracy, and overall technical performance. But the A has something the D FA doesn’t: its colors. The way the A interprets colors gives the image a living, organic feel.
Third-Party Pentax Lenses
MC Zenitar-ME1 50mm F1.7
Reviewed by New Member Freez
Review Date: May 20, 2026 Recommended | Price: $180.00 | Rating: 10
Pros: Sharpness, bokeh Cons: price
Sharpness: 10 Aberrations: 8 Bokeh: 10 Handling: 10 Value: 10 Camera Used: Sony A7 IV
This lens is really unique. Actually you have 2 lenses in one body. If you need a buttery smooth bokeh use it wide open - it’s pretty sharp. If you want an unusual, funky bokeh - just stop it down. The only disadvantage it’s the price. The lens is a highly collectible and price easily can hit $500. Stopped down to F4:
Pentax Cameras
Pentax K-1
Reviewed by Senior Member Angus_M89
Review Date: May 13, 2026 Recommended | Price: $900.00 | Rating: 9
Pros: FF, Astro, versatility Cons:
Years Owned: 1 Ergonomics: 8 Build Quality: 10 User Interface: 9 Autofocus: 9 Features: 10 Value: 10 Image Quality: 9 Noise: 8 New or Used: Used
I had been using a Nikon D5300 for several years doing mostly family and casual at home shooting. I wouldn’t call it a hobby until I got into film again and then all my gear was Pentax medium format or SLR’s. I got a K-3II in Japan while on holiday but I didn’t like the APS-C after being full frame on the SLR’s.
After a year of hanging out for a K-1 locally one popped up close by for $1,200AUD. Shutter count was about 17,000 and it came with a FA 50mm f/1.7.
I have had it for about 18 months now and I absolutely love it. I have a number of FA*, F*, FA Limiteds along with several other stellar manual focus K, M, A series lenses. Whatever lens is on it, the K-1 can really bring out the good and bad of a lens.
In day to day use I shoot jpg because I don’t have time or the interest in editing photos. I either took a good one or a bad one. I shoot RAW for astrotracer where I dedicate more time. Everything is fairly intuitive to find and use. I have just started using the User Profiles and am trying to match various film stocks with some success.
Astrotracer is fantastic, especially with Type 3’s release. Long star trails shots are equally simple and beautiful using the interval shooting method.
Mine has to have +10 focus adjustment but I will probably get it serviced sometime this year to just have it checked over and cleaned.
Ergonomically it is good. I feel like adding the grip would improve my opinion of it but I would have liked a little more protruding edge at the front to grip. It is heavy but it isn’t a discomfort to wield unless you strap the FA* 80-200mm on. This makes it quite heavy to have around your neck even for short periods. All my other lenses feel fine carried on a neck strap.
Very happy to have one and I would immediately buy another if it was lost, stolen or broken. I hope Pentax update a full frame DSLR sometime in the future as there is clearly a demand for such a great product.
Comment of the Week:
Pentaxian James O’Neill on What Legendary Pentax lenses should get the TTArtisan Treatment? The May 14 Poll: The Hollywood. I was chasing one for a bit (possibly in its Contax mount form) to go on my GFX. 135 f/1.8 would be a good longer portrait lens, and the A* 85 f/1.4 would be a very good conventional portrait lens. Manual focusing with the the shallow d.o.f both of those have wide open makes them less appeal as manual lenses on modern cameras, but the 28mm should be an easier proposition so I put it first
The 85 soft ... I am trying to sell one (FA 2.8) it's been on ebay for a while. The effect lost its appeal for me quite quickly not sure it would sell given there aren't many takers for used ones.
What Legendary Pentax lenses should get the TTArtisan Treatment? Round 2
The Best of Pentax Forums May 21 Poll
One of my fav things about Pentax Forums is that I still learn stuff about Pentax here despite shooting Pentaxes since 1979. Last week I mentioned a unicorn, the almost mythical SMC Pentax 20mm F1.4, of which only seven prototypes were ever made.
Turns out there was another unicorn. Pentaxian ehrwien nominated the “35/1.4” for our What Legendary Pentax lenses should get the TTArtisan Treatment tournament. I’d never heard of it. So off to the Pentax Lens Reviews database, where I found a listing for the SMC Pentax-M 35mm F1.4: The SMC Pentax-M 35 mm f/1.4 is one of the rarest and most enigmatic lenses in Pentax history—a prototype-turned-unicorn that was briefly manufactured in 1980 but never officially released to the public. Believed to exist in only a handful of copies (possibly fewer than five), it was designed for full-frame K-mount film cameras and remains virtually unseen outside of collector circles.
OK, now I want one.
Back to the matter at hand: I’ve listed all 18 lenses mentioned in last week’s nominations in this week’s poll. Vote for your top three! Then next week we’ll have a runoff between the top five finalists.
Here’s the tournament overview again: Lenses like the 7artisans 50mm F0.95 are the marriage of modern CAD/CAM manufacturing techniques with half-century old classic designs like the Noctilux that were prohibitively expensive back in the day. For example aspherical elements that used to require painstaking hand grinding and polishing to produce a single copy can now be loaded into CAD and mass produced.
Pentax has a lens library filled with legends and mythical beasts: The “Hollywood” SMC Pentax 28mm F2. The star A* SMC Pentax A* 85mm F1.4 and SMC Pentax-A* 135mm F1.8. The almost mythical SMC Pentax 20mm F1.4. What Pentax legend would you like to see resurrected by the TTArtisan treatment like the Noctilux? So vote in this week’s poll, and let us know why you you chose those lenses in the comments!
This poll closes May 27
And here's this week's PentaxForums YouTube video:
And here are the results of last week’s poll:
Weekly Photo Challenges
Weekly Challenge #740 - “Another Time”
Posted By: BertieK, 1 Day Ago (Offline)
Pentax cameras and lenses have such a rich history. So for this challenge I would like to visit a different era - “another time”. Maybe it’s an old picture from your film camera, or maybe it’s a shot with an old lens on a modern digital, or maybe it’s a technique you used in processing. I really look forward to seeing your pictures. This challenge will run until midnight next Tuesday May 26th, 2026 allowing an extra day for the holiday weekend here in the States.
And here’s the entry from Site Supporter gump: Mountainair, New Mexico
A Walk Down Memory Lane
Alex Munoz: Medium Format Pentaxian
By PF Staff in Pentaxian Profiles on Dec 12, 2014
Today we’re happy to present a brief biography of Alex Munoz, an American professional photographer who shoots with the Pentax 645Z medium format system. He is currently sponsored by Ricoh Imaging.
I am a lifestyle/fashion advertising photographer based in Los Angeles, California, USA. I have been taking images since I was 6 years old. What started out as a hobby became a profession in later life. Today, I am a PPA Certified Professional Photographer, and I occasionally teach photography classes in between commercial assignments.
I learned by taking pictures with cameras which barely had an exposure indicator in them. It was all film, and all manual. I have been shooting digital since 2008, and today I work exclusively with Ricoh/Pentax equipment for all my still image needs. I also create commercials and infomercials as a DP, as Director, Creative Director, or any combination thereof. What can I say is that I just love creating visuals, both moving and still.
PentaxForum Front page stories May 14-21:
April “Street” Contest Finalists Announced
Vote for the overall winner!
By PF Staff in Photo Contests on May 15, 2026
After the end of the nomination phase of last month’s official Street photo contest, we’re now ready to announce our top 15 finalists! Click on the link below to view the photos in full size and cast your vote in the poll: Vote for your favorite photo in the poll. As usual for our monthly photo contests, voting closes in a week, and then we’ll announce the winners.