| Author: | | Forum Member Registered: January, 2015 Posts: 71
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 9, 2017 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp wide open, small & light, nice bokeh | | Cons: | Mega PF | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-5, K-50
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I bought my copy at a bargain price because it is stuck wide open and has a scratch on the front element but otherwise clean and good mechanically (hence no price listed to throw off the average). I used to own the "A" version and can confirm that sharpness improves as you stop down, but the real draw here is that IQ is very very good wide open at f/2.8. I have some pixel peeping tendencies and while f/8 is certainly sharper, I cannot in good faith knock the wide open IQ at all. This is especially true if you consider the diminutive size, ease of MF, buttery bokeh and price/value.
I use this M lens exclusively in Av mode on the K-5/K-50 since it won't stop down anyway.
Purple fringing.....if you shoot a tree against a bright sky at f/2.8 you may find that entire branches turn purple. It is borderline comical in some situations, but still easy to remove in PP. You can spend a bunch more and get a modern lens with similar specs that doesn't exhibit PF, but personally I'll suffer through a few mouse clicks on my keepers to get where I need to be.
I recently took some test shots comparing this lens to the Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro (mint copy). At portrait distances this SMC-M 100mm f/2.8 is noticeably sharper, easier to focus, and has smoother bokeh. Interestingly, the Kiron seemed to have a shallower DOF at the subject yet did not blur the background as smoothly. All comparisons were made wide open at f/2.8.
This lens can produce pro-quality (or close, at least) portraits and won't break the bank.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: September, 2016 Posts: 3
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 30, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Quality through and through | | Cons: | Can't think of any | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-30
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Metering and auto white balance is spot on with my K-30, which isn't to take for granted with legacy lenses. No need to dial in any + or - EV.
So much fun to shoot with this lens, so small for this focal length, yet so well constructed. Focuses like a dream and focus throw is not too long which makes for fast shooting even though it is a manual lens. Focuses close enough that it's even usable indoors in spite of the long focal length.
Still sharp enough wide open but with some very slight PF in harshly lit areas. Immaculate image quality stopped down from F4 onwards. Great contrast and rendering. Very nice out of focus areas. Faultless prime. Price I paid for an excellent copy is laughable. Some lenses you know you will never get rid of, and this is one of those for sure.
Downscaled original sample + 100% crop, shot at F5.6 if I remember correctly. Impressed with the sharpness which can be seen in the rendering of the window frame, where the finely corrugated stone border is resolved without any issues.
  | | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2013 Posts: 18
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 6, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Great image quality in small package | | Cons: | I wish it has more aperture blades. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Sony a7
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This is my main portrait lens on my a7. My copy is in great condition, like new, the glass was incredibly clean and cosmetically in perfect condition. The focus grease was a bit dry, so I relubed it and now it really is a joy to use. The lens is very small, with is a big plus.
I was astonished when I saw the first portraits. I didn't expect such a great image quality. At f2.8 is very sharp, but not excessively sharp, and contrast was a bit flat. But microcontrast is at a very good level at this point. It vignettes a bit. Very good for portraits. At f2.8 it has a bit of purple fringing, but not so much! When stopped down it becomes great. At f5.6 sharpness in incredibly high, and focusing at infinity gives excellent sharpness across the frame on a FF camera. Very impressive. Bokeh is very beautiful and smooth at all apertures and seems to resist flare very well.
The six aperture blades make a smi-circular shape until f5.6, but I really wish it had more of them. 8 blades would be perfect.
I recommend this lens!
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2014 Location: Nagoya Posts: 577
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 31, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $180.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness/clarity, size, build, handling | | Cons: | None worth mentioning | |
Sharp and contrasty pictures from f2.8, compact, classic M series quality, ideal for portraits, flowers and longer street shooting (I use it for street with black and white film a lot, and it really shines).
Even for £100 in Exc+ condition I think it's a bargain. Definitely recommended. Get a cheap 49mm tele hood for best results.
K1000, Fomapan 100, f4:
 | | | | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2015 Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 5, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Value, Sharpness, IQ | | Cons: | Contrast | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: NEX-5R
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Outstanding lens for the value. If you can snag this for under $100, you'd be hard pressed to find a better option at a similar price (but that's true for most of the M-series'). Around $175-ish the max for what I would pay for this lens.
Build quality is excellent, as is form factor.
Bokeh is quite good, and the 100mm is not too large on a APS-C that still makes for a very affordable portrait lens. Sharpness can actually be a bit too much for a portrait lens stopped down, but is wonderful wide open.
The only down side is I almost always have to PP the color and contrast (but that's true for most legacy lenses).
Bottom line is this is one of the best values out there.   | | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2014 Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 14, 2015 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Excellent sharpness across the frame stopped down | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Handling: 9
Camera Used: Sony A7
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The SMC Pentax-M 100mm f/2.8 is a very good M prime. Very compact for a 100mm, smooth focusing and solid construction.
The lens is usable from f/2.8, but stopping down to f/4 boosts the contrast and sharpness noticeably, even in the center. From f/5.6 the lens is very sharp all the way to the full frame corners. CA is very low.
All in all, an excellent performer
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Copenhagen Posts: 10
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 12, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Small, light, well built, sharp, nice bokeh, cheap | | Cons: | Purple fringing at full aperture against the light, a bit long for portraits on digital camera | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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Despite this lens doesn't have automatic aperture (for those using it on a digital body) I have given it a 10 for handling due to the fact that it's diminutive size combined with light weight and the buttery-smooth focus ring makes the handling exquisite and for me I like to use it on 2.8 due to the great bokeh for portraiture, so I havn't really missed the "A"-setting. Suprisingly I havn't been able to find many images online taken with this lens so I have attached some images that I have shot with a K5 - making it a 150 mm effectively but still with the size of a 50 mm standard lens! This lens though, is abit challenged from purple fringing when shooting against strong light. This lens is a very inspiring little gem! Enough words, I will let the images will speak for themselves 
   
  
 | | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2014 Posts: 2 | | Review Date: December 8, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | IQ, Solid build, small, light | | Cons: | purple fringing | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K200D
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I own this lens for more than 3 years now and it is still my favourite one. It is build like a tank, fun to use. I love the imagy quality and the colours of this lens. If you have the chance do not hesitate to buy a copy. I think it is a bit underestimated beside the 85mm f2 but it is almost as good, but for a much better price.
The only thing you have to be aware that this lens, as many of the old ones, does not tolerate when the light comes directly to teh lens. In this case you will get solid purple fringing. All the other cases it is an excellent choice.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2014 Posts: 13
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 24, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharp, fast, beautiful image color | | Cons: | nothing I can think of | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K2000
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I bought this lens used with my K2000 back in 2009 and it's been my favorite since then. I've used it on many occasions, but mainly for portraits. The color and sharpness I manage to get out of it nearly every time I use it blow me away. Without a doubt it produces the finest images I've made with my limited experience. I just barely upgraded to the K3 and can't wait to try it out on that.
Here's a portrait I took last December. f2.8. That bokeh!
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: March, 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 195
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 19, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharpness every aperture, bokeh, size, color and contrast | | Cons: | nothing of note | |
I didn't go looking for this lens. I just came across one somewhere years ago at a very minimal price and in mint condition. I took a few sample shots and thought they looked very good but didn't understand just how fine the lens was. Now, I often find myself thinking this is my best lens. It covers for an 85 and 135. It's easily in league with the best of those focal lengths. Superbly sharp at 2.8 and already producing perfect color and nice bokeh. Takinami is right-@ f16, this lenses sharpness is in the top tier of the best of the best. What a combination. It's a great portrait lens and a great landscape lens in a small package. I don't mind that it's only 2.8 because of the total dependability at all apertures. It's just about a perfect lens for what it is. How many lenses are this good?
I give a 10 in review to lenses that are most nearly the best so that they won't become underrated in comparison to other lenses, even very good ones. So, this one has to receive a 10. I only review lenses I've used extensively and that stick out from the rest of the pack.
| | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2013 Location: Naples Posts: 10
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 1, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Price/performance, 2,8, well bult, compact, good sharpness and resoution | | Cons: | Contrast a bit low, 100mm on apsc is a a bit too long for portrait | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 7
Value: 8
Camera Used: k5
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It's a good lens, The price, about 100 US dollars, makes it a good deal.
Sharpness is very good. But suffers from the low contrast. But resolution is very good so rising contrast or vibrance in post production is a way to get wonderfull pictures. If you can use ad adeguate lens hood (on apsc it should be for a 150mm focal... at least 135mm) things goes better. Anyway the smc coating resist from ghost and ray of light, even if the contrast goes down. Colours are good anyway, Bokeh is ok. Not one of the best in this kind of focal length. Abberations is ok, not to much, not noticiable at first sight and common size, to be a vintage lens. Manual focus is good.
On apsc digital sensors it' a great Black and withe lens, the a bit low contrast can catch a lot of gray tones. I love it for street and people ph. when I have to stay a bit far from the scene.
I'would not reccomend this lens for portrait. Even if at 2.8 the low contrast and center sharpness / border softness can make some good pics of faces, but in this focal lenght, at this price, you can get others lenses more specific for portrait, with a better skin rendition, better microcontrast and vibrance, better transition from focus to out of focus, and a more creamy bokeh. But I have to say that I would never buy a over 85mm lens to make headshot portrait on apsc... it's too much and press the elements of human face on the same plane, making it flat and not realistic.
It' a very good tele for general pourpouse on apsc. Fast, well built, sharp, and give result very easy to develop with just an increment of vibrance or contrast, so resolution and sharpness and colours become very very good. Great for b&w street ph. on apsc if you have to shot by 10 foots away.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: July, 2008 Location: t'North Posts: 166
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 16, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Lovely build, light, fast, capable | | Cons: | Soft wide open, some fringing (on APS-C) | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K10D
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On a K10D my comparators for this lens are the Pentax DA 35mm f2.8 Macro Limited and Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f1.4, in which company the 100mm does pretty well (as far as I can tell, only had it a short while). Even though it is a recent purchase, this is a lens I can already see no reason ever to part with (unless I ever find a mint 'A' version)
It was purchased primarily for portrait shooting with increased working distance over the 58mm Nokton and came up at a price too good to ignore (mint £79 in spring 2013). An 'A' variant would have been nice but certainly wouldn't crop up near that price these days in the UK. An 85mm would maybe have been a nice choice but they usually cost considerably more. So in terms of value the 100mm M is very good indeed
I use it mostly used at f2.8 / f4 where it offers shallow depth of field and okay (fussy, definitely not outstanding) bokeh. Resolution is lovely for portraits but I would say this is not a high resolution lens in the terms I am used to, not even at f8. Strong contrast does cause some minor fringing issues, especially wide open but for portrait use it isn't an issue
couple of early images at f4 (note shallow depth of field in both and fussy bokeh in forest floor image) Some post process here as I messed up M exposure (RAW not on AND Green button not pressed - doh!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrianjfrost/9101471687/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrianjfrost/9101474035/
Function on the K10D is fine, manual focus is usually good (with split screen, not sure how it would be with plain screen or AF confirm as I don't use them) and exposure using M and the green button in RAW rarely causes any real issues. Best of all, it looks like it belongs on the front of a K10D and just 'feels' right when it is in use
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: August, 2012 Posts: 90 | | Review Date: April 7, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Solid, decent optically | | Cons: | Manual focus and aperture | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: LX, ME Super, *ist DL, K-01
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This is a very decent film-era lens. Well built and optically not bad. Handles very well but of course there is no autofocus and no auto aperture. Quite useful as a portrait lens on film but a bit too long for that on APS-c digital cameras.
| | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2012 Posts: 7
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 10, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, Light, Easy to Handle, Wonderful colors | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Olympus OM-D E-M5
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I just picked up a mint copy of this lens on fleabay and it is a marvel. So light and and so sharp at all apertures. I have the Pentax-M 100mm f4 Macro and two copies of the Pentax-A 50mm f1.7 and can offer some comparative analysis. All three are very sharp, light, and easy to use manual lenses on the Olympus OM-D E-M5. The camera does not have peak focusing in the version 1.5 firmware but it is still very easy to get accurate focus on that camera with any of these lenses. In terms of sharpness I would rank them this way:
1. 50mm f1.7
2. 100mm f.28
3. 100mm f4
I use the 50mm with extension tubes and it is sharper at 1:2 than the 100mm f4. Its not as convenient to use and the focus distance is fine for flowers and other things that don't move, but the detail and contrast (with a hood) are better. For portraits all three are extremely sharp. Photograph someone over the age of 50 and they will not be pleased with the level of detail. But beyond portraits and street photography, at longer distances, the differences in the lenses become clear. The f1.7 and the f2.8 can do both short range and long distance. I find the f4 macro not well suited for landscapes on my camera. Near or at infinity and the photos show low resolution in trees and distant objects. The 100 f2.8 does not share this limitation. It is an all around useful lens.
When I travel, I will take the 100mm f2.8 in my bag. It is so short and light it will be perfect for candid street portraits as subjects will never suspect they are being photographed with such a diminutive lens on a little camera far across the street. It will get use indoors at concerts and events. And I will use it for focused landscapes. It is a wonderful little lens that continues my love affair with legacy Pentax glass.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: August, 2012 Posts: 118 | | Review Date: September 1, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $180.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, Handling, Size | | Cons: | Lens hood, aperture ring | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-30, K-01, Q-7
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Very usable short telephoto on APS-C cameras. Price I paid was for an absolutely mint copy with hood, caps and case (all mint as well.) I've seen a few of these for sale for nearly as much money but in much worse condition—I would be very wary of used copies with haze or fungus. One niggle I have is with the stock lens hood- it is plastic, bulky and has tabs which tend to release on the slightest touch. I use a Pentax 135-150 metal hood; much sturdier and better coverage. I don't care for the mix of whole and half stop clicks on the aperture ring, but almost all Pentax lenses are like that. 
UPDATE: I've had this lens for several years now, I still like it, but does fringe in certain situations, particularly bad with a Q-7 (which is merciless in its superior resolution.)
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