P�l Audun Jensen wrote: > ...but isn't the M 85/2 supposed to be a dog?
Some people - perhaps repeating what they've heard elsewhere - contend that the M85/2.0 is a poor quality lens.. Not that many people have actually owned one, and speak only from ignorance. Good fortune has shined its light upon me, and I have several Pentax 85mm lenses - the SMCT 85/1.8, the K85/1.8, the A*85/1.4, and the lowly M85/2.0. While the 85/2.0 doesn't reach to the same optical heights as the A*85/1.4, it is far from a bowser, and, because of some softness at wider apertures makes an excellent portrait lens. At smaller apertures it's a fine lens, certainly superior to many highly regarded zooms that list members fawn all over, at certainly the equal to many primes. It has a nice bokeh and soft-ish contrast, welcome characteristics for many photographs. It's also much smaller and lighter than the other 85mm lenses mentioned in this thread, which makes it a lot easier to handle and carry, and more unobtrusive to use. It's nowhere near as intimidating as the A*85/1.4 or its autofocus younger sibling. It's not an optical giant, but an overlooked, quiet, unassuming, hard worker, capable of producing some very nice photographs. There's a particular former editor of a national photo magazine who was, and may still be, very interested in acquiring this lens. And while I prefer the K85/1.8 as my 85mm lens of choice, there's always a place for the giant A*85/1.4 and the capable M85/2.0. Don't underestimate this optic. -- Shel Belinkoff mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
