PENTAX 08 WIDE ZOOM

Wide-angle 1.5x zoom lens for Pentax Q

A review and photo examples of the Pentax Q 08 wide-angle zoom lens

Gallery

The example photos were taken with a Pentax Q7.

Review

The 08 Wide Zoom for Pentax Q is the last lens for the Q.

The focal length is 3.8-5.9mm, which is 21-33mm for the Q and Q10 and 17-27mm for the Q7 and Q-S1 in 35mm format.

The Pentax Q series does not have a mechanical shutter on the camera, so the four AF-compatible lenses, including this lens, are equipped with a lens shutter on a small lens body.

I used this lens on a Q7 when I went to Australia.
Looking at the results of using the lens, the roughness typical of compact digital cameras can be noticeable at life size, but when reduced to about half, the image appears to be fine. As for backlighting, in harsh conditions where the sun is directly in front, flashy ghosting occurs even with the hood attached. Even when used with the Q7, which has a sensor size slightly larger than the Q10, there is no light falloff in the corners, so it is a lens that can be used with confidence.
Due to the small sensor size, the focal length is quite short, so the distortion is noticeable when straight lines appear in images recorded in Raw, but images recorded in JPEG are corrected.

I no longer have this lens, and sold it when the selling price exceeded the purchase price. A lens that was sold for around 30,000 yen just before the lens was discontinued will have a price tag of at least 70,000 yen and at most 100,000 yen in 2024. It is certainly rare to be able to secure a focal length of 17mm in a compact digital camera size, but if you have a Micro Four Thirds camera, you can get a focal length of about 8mm in actual focal length and about 16mm in 35mm format for less, even though the camera size will be a little larger, so if you are going to force yourself to get this lens, I think it might be better to look for another way.

The lens has the following options.

PH-RBF49…Lens hood
O-LC49…Front lens cap (49mm)

As for the lens housing photos, there are no photos left in the database at hand, so the exterior photos are quoted from the official PDF distributed.

The lens appearance is quoted from the official PENTAX website.

Specification

Items	01	02	06	08
Focal length(mm)	8.5	5〜15	15〜45	3.8～5.9
Q10 35mm equivalent focal length	47	27.5〜82.5	82.5〜247.5	21〜33
Q7 35mm equivalent focal length	39	23〜69	69〜207	17〜27
Max aperture	1.9	2.8〜4.5	2.8	3.7〜4
Leaf blade	5	←	←	←
Lens Construction	8 elements in 5 groups	8 elements in 7 groups	14 elements in 10 groups	8 elements in 7 groups
Min distance(m)	0.2	0.3	1.0	0.25
Lens length(mm)	23	48	56	38
Max diameter(mm)	45.5	48.5	50	54
Filter Size(mm)	40.5	←	←	49
Weight(g)	37	96	90	75
Release date	2011.8.31	←	←	2013.12