Pentax645 55mm MF lens

[Feral Donkey]

Is it just me or does this lens suck in general? Maybe I just have a lemon. My 75, 120macro, and 200mm lenses are all sharp as a tack. This one is very hard to focus and it goes past infinity and blurrs out. I'm looking at all the photos I've taken on my last trip and I can tell each and every one I took with the 55mm because they look like crap. Even when focusing as carefully as I can and trying to keep it up over f8 the image looks like it was taken with a mirror lens at best. And that's being optimistic. Did Pentax subcontract the building of those lenses through Samyang or something? Anyone else find this with their 55mm lenses for the Pentax645? I'm just wondering if I should go get a different one or if I should abandon that size all together and go with a 45mm. Any thoughts?

 

[craigclu]

Not much help for you but I use my P67 55mm on my 645 with very satisfactory results. I don't recall hearing negative comments on the 645 55mm but after owning multiple examples of P67 optics over the years, I've found them to vary a bit in quality between samples of the same lens. Your problem sounds more likely to be a misaligned element from a shock (more likely than coming from the factory that way) or perhaps some slight haze that isn't easily apparent?

 

[Mark Fisher]

Mine is fine...I suspect yours needs service.

 

[Dave Parker]

Sounds like you have one that needs to be sent in to be serviced, I have shot with a 55mm on my 645 for over 10 years now and never had a problem...

Dave

 

[Feral Donkey]

Thank you very much. That's exactly what I needed to know.

Can I send it into Pentax or should the local camera repair store be able to handle it? Can KEH repair center handle it?

 

[gasha]

You definitely have bad lens. 55mm was my first lens, as i positioned my 645 mostly for landscapes. DOF can be problematic sometimes, but otherwise it is very sharp... and bokeh...mmmm ... i can't remember any 35mm format camera lens soo good....