Sharp focus'es to 1:1 you can add ext tubes and 1.4x to get even closer. Great all around multiple use lens, I've made back my investment many times over.

A bit on the heavy side, long throw to focus but hey it's 1:1.

I've been using this lens for over two years for everything from landscapes, macro and portraiture. It handles all these jobs very well, yes for portraits there's a long throw and I normally use it with older kids and adults. Produces 11x14 portrait's with ease and I'm very comfortable printing my macro images to 13x19.

Customer Service

not needed

Similar Products Used:

Hassey 120CF

Everything is VERY good !

nothing to mention

I've bought a Pentax 645 set as a test for medium format. This lens was by far the best one. I used it for portrait, theatre (they made posters out of them) but never as a true macro lens. Even wide open it's already really good (you cannot say that about all macro lenses.... most have very low contrast wide opened) - but it's becoming much better when stopped down. It's build-quality is very well ! (as you could expect from a pro medium format lens) The optical quality is very good as well - it's been my favourite lens and it's been the reason I stayed with this system so long (sold it now for going to digital). Handling is very good as well (you can shoot handhold quite long times). Nothing to complain, everything (!) is very good.

Customer Service

never needed

Similar Products Used:

various 35-mm-macro lenses Pentax 645 lenses : 45 and 75 mm

Superb optics with the ease of 1:1 in a single package. Not just for phenomenal macro but for general photography as well.

A rather heavy lens which works best when on a tripod.

A lens I find myself using more and more in my black/white photography. The rather slow f4 doesn't bother me at all.

Similar Products Used:

Have used extension tubes

this macro lens is incredible! very bright, extremely sharp, multicoated elements make this lens phenomenal! It feels very sturdy and strong, as if it could be dropped and not hurt, and the focusing is smooth yet tight.
the 1:1 macro is just spectacular, it truly opens up a new world of photography, and the f4 aperture is quite fast for a 120mm macro lens

i have found no weaknesses

this lens is affordable if not cheap when comparing to competitors, and the optics are just phenomenal! check this lens out for sure if buying a med. format lens for your pentax

Similar Products Used:

45mm AF smc lens

Great lens that stays on my P645 at all times. Good for macro, portraits and landscape.

None

A little longish on the body but well balanced. Excellent sharpness with macro.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Various macro lens for 35mm

1:1 magnification and excellent optical quality. The price is only similar with that of 135mm format marco lens

There is no original hood provided except FA version.

The sharpness and colour reproduction are very good.
However, since the focus ring is almost cover the whole lens surface, sometimes feel difficult to put on or off from the body, anyway, minor mistake.

Customer Service

No experience

Similar Products Used:

FA45/2.8, 75/2.8, 200/4, 400/5.6.
6008 EL 50/4, 80/2.8.
Mamiya 645MF, 45/2.8, 150/3.5, 80/1.9.
Pentax 67, 55/4, 105/2.4, 200/4.

Pin Sharp, Great 1 to 1 lense. Use it as an all round lense. The focus stays put at any angle. Nice and bright

None. Just a touch heavy, but it is medium format

Pentax has done a superb job on this one

Similar Products Used:

Tamron 90 2.5

Fine optics
Well balanced on 645n
Excellent mechanical quality

Doesn't seem to work particularly well with the 2X extender
Doesn't seem to have quite the depth of field of the 35mm 1:1 macros

My experience in medium format photography is limited and I'm basically a 35mm shooter (Pentax and Nikon). Versus a 35mm 1:1, the larger, brighter, Keplerian viewfinder image in the 645n is great in terms of more clearly defining the image and sensing depth of field. Depth of field seems not quite a long at a given magnification and aperture vs the 35mm 1:1 lenses. This lens also seems to do best with a ring-flash (SunPak). I have not used the lens much for portrait but it seems to do well in that venue. (Unfortunately, the noise of the 645n focal plane shutter pretty much precludes its use for candid photography at this focal length.) I also use the 120/4 to meter my large format camera (4X5) with its 150mm lens when doing 1:4 - 1:1 macro. It works quite well for this since it compensates for the bellows adjustment factor to a great extent.

Customer Service

Not required

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 60/2.8
Tamron 90/2.8
Sigma 300/4
Nikkor 300/4