Pentax SMC P-FA J 28-80mm F/3.5-5.6 AL user reviews

The FAJ lenses are affordable lenses still in production at this time. Many will disregard the 28-80mm as a bad performer based on it's price, but that's not true if you know how to use it. I've learned this after 10 years in serious photography. Even expensive lenses can be bad performers if used just right. The resolution is poor if used at wide open aperture for all focal lengths, but improves greatly by stopping down one stop and even better by two stops. The highest resolution and contrast appears to be around the 35mm setting, regardless of aperture. If you use f/5.6 at 35mm the sharpness and contrast are impressive, near professional standards. At focal lengths above 50mm, resolution starts to gets a bit soft with 80mm being the softest. But it can be brought back to respectable levels by stopping down to f8. Contrast also slowly drops off above 50mm, a side effect that actually looks good with portraits. The bokeh is very nice at all focal lengths. It is quite smooth and pleasing. If you don't need large apertures, this lens is capable of producing great pictures for those on a budget.