The only Penta Leica smc PENTAX 43
Review and photo examples using the Leica L39 screw mount / smc PENTAX-L 43mm F1.9 Special with digital and film cameras.
Table of contents
Gallery
- The example photos were taken with a Panasonic LUMIX GF1.
- The sample photos were taken using HEXAR RF + KODAK EPR 64 reversal film.
Review
1．Overview
The SMC Pentax L 43mm F1.9 is a semi-standard lens released in 2000.
It was made in two colors, black and silver, and was limited to a total of 2000 units.
The main specifications are as follows, and detailed specifications are listed in the table.
- Aperture value: 1.9
- Lens construction: 6 groups, 7 elements
- Aperture blades: 9 elements
- Minimum shooting distance: 0.7m
- Leica M rangefinder camera rangefinder coupling: 0.7m
- Hood: Built-in, retractable type
Since the focal length of 43mm does not have a standard viewfinder frame for rangefinder cameras, my new lens came with an external viewfinder with a 43mm/50mm frame.
The smc PENTAX-L 43mm F1.9 Special has the same lens configuration as the HD PENTAX-FA 43mmF1.9 Limited and smc PENTAX-FA 43mm F1.9 Limited, which Pentax has released for K-mount SLR cameras.
However, if you are thinking of using it with a mirrorless camera, the minimum focusing distance of the K-mount version for SLR cameras is shorter at 0.45m, and the latest HD PENTAX-FA 43mmF1.9 Limited also has a new lens coating, so there are significant advantages to using the lens.
- The lens construction diagrams are quoted from each company’s materials, and the sizes have been adjusted by us, so they are not exact.
2．Usability
The results of shooting with the smc PENTAX-L 43mm F1.9 Special show a calm depiction with both delicacy and moderate bokeh.
When used with 35mm film, there is some distortion in the four corners, but it is not noticeable.
Looking at the results of shooting with the Leica M8 and M9 digital cameras, the M8 has no problems with depiction because of its small sensor size, and the 35mm full-frame has good depiction because it does not have the edges that look a bit difficult to see.
The M9 has the same distortion in the periphery as film, and there were also shots where purple false colors appeared in the highlights. With 35mm full-frame, the edges cannot be hidden, but false colors can be reduced by processing on the sensor and during development.
Micro Four Thirds, which has a smaller sensor size, only uses the center of the lens, so the entire image is uniform and the depiction is flawless.
The lens design follows the style of lenses released in the same era, with a built-in hood and a finger grip on the focus ring. The design is designed to cut harmful light and be easy to use.
The appearance is a cylindrical design with few bumps, so users who like simple designs will like it. However, users who like the curved shape of the lens barrel will find it boring.
The external viewfinder has a 43mm/50mm shooting range frame drawn on it.
Since it is a dedicated viewfinder, the 50mm frame is almost meaningless, so if only the 43mm frame was displayed, I was able to concentrate more on shooting.
The external viewfinder is an approximate tool used only to check the shooting range, so if you have a Barnack Leica camera, you should use the standard 50mm frame, and if you have an M-mount camera, you should use the 50mm/75mm L39-M mount adapter and shoot while being aware of shooting a little outside the outer 50mm frame displayed. Or, if you use the 35/135mm L39-M mount adapter and shoot while displaying the outer 35mm frame displayed, you can capture the scenery within the range you roughly imagined.
The LEICA CL, MINOLTA CLE, and BESSA R3 series have a special 40mm frame, so shooting with a 40mm frame looks natural.
3．Summary
o sum up the smc PENTAX-L 43mm F1.9 Special, it works with the rangefinder of a rangefinder camera, so if you are using it with a camera that has a double-image-matching rangefinder, including a Leica Barnack or a Leica M-compatible camera, it is worth purchasing the L39 mount version.
In terms of versatility and practicality, the Penta-K mount can be used with other companies’ SLR cameras, and it also has the advantage of a short minimum shooting distance.
The era of the smc PENTAX-L 43mm F1.9 Special
The 2010s, when I bought the smc PENTAX-L 43mm F1.9 Special, was a time when lenses for rangefinder cameras were low-priced, and this lens was also a lens that was often seen on the second-hand market, so I purchased it at a reasonable price. Combined with the excessive supply of 2,000 units at the time, I could see new ones in the box on the market for about 10 years after its release.
Looking back at the times, in 2000 when this lens was released, sales of small sensor digital cameras with built-in lenses were just starting to pick up, but SLR cameras with large interchangeable sensors were still too expensive for professional use, and veteran users were still using film, whether with SLR or rangefinder cameras.
In the days when film was used, SLR cameras that allowed you to check the shooting range directly in the viewfinder were very popular, and SLR cameras dominated the camera market.
Rangefinder cameras are mainly used by Leica enthusiasts, who are not very interested in anything other than the Leica brand, and this lens’s focal length of 43mm and its special viewfinder frame that normal rangefinder cameras do not have were avoided by rangefinder camera users, and sales were poor.
This was the time when L39 mount and M mount lenses were the cheapest, and when large aperture lenses were used with film cameras, the shallow depth of field would result in out-of-focus images when used with an open aperture, and it was said that huge lenses were unnecessary when used with a closed aperture, so the Noctilux 50mm could be purchased for around 100,000 yen.
Time passed, and in 2004, Epson released the digital rangefinder camera R-D1, paving the way for the use of L39 mount and M mount lenses digitally. The mirrorless camera that currently uses the L39/M type lens the most was the Panasonic G1, which was released in 2008 and became a monumental milestone.
In the 2020s, with the spread of M mount digital cameras and the rise in popularity of mirrorless cameras, this lens disappeared from the market and prices have stabilized accordingly.
Specification
| Items | SMC PENTAX L 43mm Special | HD PENTAX-FA 43mmF1.9 Limited |
| Focal length(mm) | 43 | 43 |
| Max aperture | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Min aperture | 16 | 16 |
| Leaf blade | 9 | 8 |
| Lens Construction | 7elements in 6groups | 7elements in 6groups |
| Min distance(m) | 0.7 | 0.45 |
| Lens length(mm) | 47 | 27 |
| Max diameter(mm) | 55 | 64 |
| Filter Size(mm) | 40.5 | 49 |
| Weight(g) | 230(Black / Silver) | 155 |
| Lens Mount | LEICA L39 | PENTAX-K |
| Production numbers | 2000 | ? |
| Release date | September 23, 2000 | April 28, 2021 |
Reference links
- Leica lenses of the world (Shashin Kogyosha) ・Ads by Amazon
- HD PENTAX-FA 43mmF1.9 Limited(ENG)
- HD PENTAX-FA 43mmF1.9 Limited(JP)
Update history
- 2025.3.31
- 2024.07.17
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