Other/Uncategorized Lovely Pentax 43/1.9 Special in LTM mount

Other Screw mount bodies/lenses
Abbazz

Abbazz

6x9 and be there!
Local time
4:35 AM
Joined
Jun 24, 2005
Messages
931
Location
Jakarta (Indonesia)
View My Gallery
I just saw this little gem on eBay: 150186529494

a112274.JPG


The 43/1.9 Limited lens is one of the sharpest lenses available in Pentax K mount. I'm craving to try this lens in Leica mount. Too bad it's so expensive :bang:

Cheers,

Abbazz
 
Abbazz said:
The 43/1.9 Limited lens is one of the sharpest lenses available in Pentax K mount. I'm craving to try this lens in Leica mount. Too bad it's so expensive...
Click to expand...
With patience and alertness you may find one at reasonable cost. Or maybe you'll leap for that one on eBay? 😀

I got this one from a Canadian forum member several years ago. A favorite with the Minolta CLE, though framing is tight. It's a brilliant lens, as expected, with just a whiff of barrel distortion.

attachment.php
 
Kim, which framelines does it bring up on the Leica?

Ah - silly me - just realised it is a screw mount, so depends on which adapter you use!
 
In some ways it is not a silly question. I have tried both a 50 and a 35 adapter and wasn't really that happy with either. It would be ideal on the R3 body or the CL. However, It was supplied with a superb 43/50 brightline finder with built in dopter correction. About 2 weekends ago I was out using it and was finding the finder much better than using either of the framelines in the M6. I then also started using the CV 28 brightline finder for the Elmarit and found that much better as well. The only trouble is that I feel a gas attack coming on and am looking very hard at a Bessa T body!.

Kim

ChrisN said:
Kim, which framelines does it bring up on the Leica?

Ah - silly me - just realised it is a screw mount, so depends on which adapter you use!
Click to expand...
 
The finder is very, very nice, but on the big side, especially mounted on a "Barnack," so I rarely use it. As w/my 40mm lenses, on an M body I usually use a 35/135 adapter & imagine tick marks inside the 35mm frames (like the 75mm corners inside the 50mm frames on a modern M) or frame loosely using the 50mm frames (not that bad, even on the modern M's w/their undersized @ infinity 50mm frames).

Kim Coxon said:
In some ways it is not a silly question. I have tried both a 50 and a 35 adapter and wasn't really that happy with either. It would be ideal on the R3 body or the CL. However, It was supplied with a superb 43/50 brightline finder with built in dopter correction. About 2 weekends ago I was out using it and was finding the finder much better than using either of the framelines in the M6. I then also started using the CV 28 brightline finder for the Elmarit and found that much better as well. The only trouble is that I feel a gas attack coming on and am looking very hard at a Bessa T body!.

Kim
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
This is indeed a great lens. I had one for the summer, and shot quite a bit with it, and was quite surprised by it. Raid also has good things to say about this not so little gem.

Handling is tops as well.

I had mine bring up the 50 framelines, but used the finder that came with it for framing, the supplied VF has both 43 & 50mm framelines.
 
Yes please! How about some side-by-side with the same film, and just to make it interesting, some with the K10D. You don't have a digital rangefinder body too? I know the crop will be different, but I'd like to see what you make of it. For the film shots, B&W or colour?
 
The lens is looong, so it was also my suggestion that it's the SLR lens design. Just amazing that PENTAX never made any Rangefinder lens in history, except this one... For my feel it's a bit too long, so it wasn't my choice and I choosed to buy a UC-Hexanon 35/2 recently. Anyway I'm more familiar with the 35mm than the 40mm focal length (my Rollei 40/2.8 in LTM). But whoever need a 43mm in between to the 50mm??
 
I will see what I can do. 😉 It may take a week or two as things are rather hectic at the moment. I may just have a dSLR body. (or 3 😱 )

Kim

ChrisN said:
Yes please! How about some side-by-side with the same film, and just to make it interesting, some with the K10D. You don't have a digital rangefinder body too? I know the crop will be different, but I'd like to see what you make of it. For the film shots, B&W or colour?
Click to expand...
 
I was quite surprised with the lens both in LTM and SLR format. It is not that useful on the dSLRs with the crop factor being around the equivalent of 65mm, too long for a "standard" and a bit short for a "portrait". However, with the SLR, it makes a very good pairing with the 31Ltd. With the M6, I find it a very useful combo with 25, 43 and 75. Otherwise, I would go for 28, 50 and 90.

As to the size, it feels about the same as the 50 Cron and if anything is slightly smaller than the 50 Nokton. In SLR terms, it is a very compact lens verging on being a pancake.

Kim

Sonnar2 said:
The lens is looong, so it was also my suggestion that it's the SLR lens design. Just amazing that PENTAX never made any Rangefinder lens in history, except this one... For my feel it's a bit too long, so it wasn't my choice and I choosed to buy a UC-Hexanon 35/2 recently. Anyway I'm more familiar with the 35mm than the 40mm focal length (my Rollei 40/2.8 in LTM). But whoever need a 43mm in between to the 50mm??
Click to expand...
 
Yes, 43 is an odd length for the dSLR, which is why I've never chased one. I do have the DA40 pancake, and even it is an odd length with the 1.5 crop, a long normal rather than a short telephoto. I like it on the DS; makes a very compact package.
 
ChrisN said:
Yes, 43 is an odd length for the dSLR, which is why I've never chased one. I do have the DA40 pancake, and even it is an odd length with the 1.5 crop, a long normal rather than a short telephoto. I like it on the DS; makes a very compact package.
Click to expand...

Delurking to mention that the 43 is a great lens on a film body, but yes, it is odd on digital. I really really want to like it on the K100D, but it is a little odd. I use it on an old MX, and THAT is a great combo. When I want a compact SLR, that's the body/lens combo I reach for. Of course, that's the whole idea of a RF...

I would love to try the LTM version.
 
sepiareverb said:
Isn't the 43 in K mount an ASPH? My LTM version never said ASPH on it, only Special.
Click to expand...
Pentax's terminology for an Aspheric lens is "AL"... as in SMC Pentax-FA 1:1.8 31mm AL Limited. I believe this and the SMC Pentax-DA 1:3.2 21mm AL Limited are the only two of the Limited series that bear the AL label.

There are several other AL lenses but some knowledgeable folks say that Pentax has quietly used aspheric surfaces in some lenses without mentioning it. So it's entirely possible the 43mm has one or more aspheric surfaces, though Pentax doesn't claim it. As far as I can tell, the glass is the same in the K mount and L mount 43mm lenses, the difference being just the lens barrels.

Also, the L lens has 9 diaphragm blades while the K lens has 8. I measure the L lens at 46.8mm long from mounting surface to filter ring.
 
Finn - greetings and welcome to the forum. Glad we have drawn you out of lurking! I sometimes use my DA40 pancake on a MZ-5 body - that is very light and compact, moreso than Leica M4 with 35/2 Summicron.

Doug - I wonder about the extra blade in the iris. I suspect that has more to do with pandering to the perceived desires of the specialist Japanese market than any practical effect on image quality.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom