Included in the box was a "Asahi Pentax" S82 close up lens.(...)
The urban legend says that close-up lenses may have not that great edge sharpness, but viewed from the viewfin!
der the image is sharp from edge to edge with this lens. If there is a loss of sharpness at the edges, which there probably is, it possibly not significant and it equally possibly fixable by stopping down.
These Pentax close-up lenses (S82, T132 etc.) are of the achromatic type (2-lens doublet). They are a lot better than singlets. And they have great SMC on them.
I hear that such good close-up lenses are good alternatives to a macro lens when you don't need a flat field.
By the way, I should soon get in the mail the Olympus A-life close-up lens, a triplet with a 49mm thread, with a very high diopter (it goes to 1:1.) I'll try it with 50/1.7 and 50/1.4 to see if I can do without a macro lens while trekking.
Andre --
