Compact compared with other MF fisheye lenses. Has filter rotating turret. Inexpensive.

Not sharp. Almost a quarter of the print from each side suffer from un sharpness. Central zone, with acceptable sharpness.

Needed a fisheye with a MF quality, made the mistake by choosing the cheap lens, plus a late model camera body. Was unsatisfied with sharpness. Thought the low sharpness due to the old lens model. Purchased same lens again, but the newer one, latest model SMC 67, sharpness was the same at best.
To complement the body, ended with the very sharp zoom 55-110mm and even the best in Pentax 67 system, 4/55 latest model. The later is very comparable with the best MF wide angle lenses made ever.
In a short conclusion: if you print 8X10(with wide borders), or smaller from 6X7 negative, Pentax SMC 67 fisheye 4.5/35mm, may do the task just sufficiently.

Similar Products Used:

Olympus 16mm for 135mm format is sharper than the Pentax 67 SMC 4.5/35mm.

Well made and beautiful as a piace of art, but the lens is of average sharpness. It lacks Close Range Correction, so the image near the edges tend to go soft. I have made at least one decent B&W enlargment which is ok, but it does not produce the very fine results obtained from other lenses in the P67 line. Can be used to mimic a rectilinear lens under certain circumstances.

I am a big believer in Pentax medium format equipment,, but this is not one of their great creations. Pentax should redesign this one.

Buy only if you really want a medium format fish-eye and will accept so-so image quality. Buy it used if you can get a clean one, because at retail this is overpriced for the quality obtained. I use it for scenics at the shore and around lakes where it will mimic a rectilinear lens. The distortion is a bit much otherwise. (That said I'm keeping mine because I do like it.)Better value, either the 45 or the 55.

Customer Service

None needed.

Similar Products Used:

None.

compact, rear gel holder, wide angle of view, built to last, elegant construction, sharp images

older design

I have had outstanding results with this lens, lends itself to creative persuits...beg to differ from the previous reviewer that it is not sharp...made a 16x20 color print of a tree canopy shot with outstanding results. The sky's the limit with this lens. If it's a fisheye, why pretend it's rectillinear? Minimize distortion by shooting head on. Fantastic lens rare in the medium format world.

Similar Products Used:

pentax 67 wide angle 45, 55-100 zoom...35 mm ultra wides (14, 18, 20 mm)