>From: "Rodger Whitlock" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: Pancake Lens >Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2001 19:25:31 +0000 >I've been tracking all ebay auctions of Pentax K-mount lenses for a >month or two, and the pancake lens is actually one of the more common >ones on Ebay. > >It's certainly no rarity. Rarity is relative. I just searched eBay, and there are 45 Pentax 50mm lenses on auction, versus only 3 of the 40mm pancake. The actual relative availability of the 50mm is even higher, since its low value means that many people who have one they don't really use won't bother to put it up for auction. A check of a 1981 B&H ad shows the price of the pancake lens at $65, versus $51 for a 50mm f/2 and $70 for a 50mm f/1.7. These were the days when the people who now buy point and shoot cameras were buying MEs. To the ordinary buyer who was only going to have one lens, it would probably have seemed expensive given its small aperture. Then again, compared to $123 for a 35mm f/2.8, it would have been a bargain. I notice several people claiming that this lens is a poor performer. Perhaps, relative to its price, if you don't consider its size, weight, and wider angle compared to a 50mm lens as advantages. The magazine tests that were published when it came out, and more recent tests by PDML members, indicate that it is in fact quite a decent lens by most standards, although not quite as sharp as the standard 50mm lens. Popular Photography's review noted that "the all-time low for flare now belongs to the Pentax 40mm f/2.8" (admittedly, this was as of 1979). They reported "percent contrast' figures of 80% at f/4, compared to 85% for the 50mm f/1.4. (Modern Photography test results are reported http://ca.geocities.com/spirope/pentlens.html). This 80% compared very favorably to many other manufacturers' 50mm f/1.8 lenses. All in all, it's quite a good lens, with a very useful focal length for travel photography. It's angle of view is 21% wider than for a 50mm. I use it a lot on my MZ-M. The whole package fits neatly in a coat pocket without much of a bulge, and weighs slightly less than one pound. _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Visit the PUG at http://pug.komkon.org.
