SMC PENTAX L 43mm Special
A review and photo examples of the SMC PENTAX L 43mm F1.9 with leica rangefinder camera.
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
The SMC Pentax L 43mm F1.9 has the same lens construction as the HD PENTAX-FA 43mmF1.9 Limited for the PENTAX K mount.
If you plan to use it with a rangefinder camera with superimposed images, it is worth looking for the L mount version.
If you are considering using it with a mirrorless camera, the K mount version for SLR cameras has a minimum shooting distance of 0.45m.
2．Usability
The SMC Pentax L 43mm F1.9 is a lens that is relatively common on the second-hand market in the 2010s, and I purchased it at a reasonable price.
The lens design is similar to the Summicron 50mm, which has been on sale since 1979, with a built-in hood, and a finger grip on the focus ring that the Summicron does not have, cutting out harmful light and making it easy to use.
When using the lens, it shows a calm image with both fine detail and moderate bokeh. Micro Four Thirds only uses the center of the lens, so the image is uniform across the entire screen and is flawless. When used with 35mm film, there is some distortion in the corners, but it is not noticeable.
Looking at the results of shooting with the Leica M8 and M9, the M8 has a small sensor size, so there are no problems with the image, and the image is good because the edges that look a bit difficult with 35mm full frame are not cut off.
The M9 shows the same distortion in the edges as film, and there were also some shots where purple false colors appeared in the highlights. As for the 35mm full frame, the peripheral areas cannot be hidden, but false colors can be reduced by processing on the sensor and processing during development.
The design is cylindrical with few bumps, so users who like simple designs will be satisfied with this camera. The slim curve of the lens barrel may not be as appealing.
The focal length is 43mm, and there is no standard viewfinder frame for rangefinder cameras, so an external viewfinder is provided.
The external viewfinder has a shooting range frame of 43mm / 50mm, which serves as a guide for depiction.
This is presumably a measure to increase the versatility of the external viewfinder, but since it is a viewfinder dedicated to this lens, it is simpler and preferable to have only 43mm without any unnecessary frames.
Originally, external viewfinders are approximate devices used only to check the shooting range, so if you have a Barnack Leica camera, the frame is 50mm, so use it slightly outside of that.
For M-mount cameras, use a 50mm/75mm L39-M mount adapter with a ring that converts the L39 screw mount to an M mount, and be aware of using it slightly outside the outer 50mm viewfinder frame that is displayed.
The LEICA CL and MINOLTA CLE have slightly unusual viewfinders, but if you shoot with the 40mm frame, you can shoot without much discomfort.
3．Add Info.
As mentioned above, this lens has a focal length of 43mm and a special viewfinder frame that is not equipped on normal rangefinder cameras, so it was avoided by M-type Leica users, and it was released in a not so good year. At the time, new L39/M-type Leica lenses were not of much interest to general users, so, coupled with the somewhat aggressive supply of 2000 units, new boxed ones could be seen on the market until around 2010.
After that, with the resurgence of the Leica M mount and the popularity of mirrorless cameras, this lens disappeared from the market and the price has stabilized accordingly.
In terms of the era, in 2000 when this lens was released, sales of small sensor digital cameras were just starting to pick up, while large sensor SLRs were still too expensive for professional use, and for general users, film was still in the heyday for both SLR and rangefinder cameras.
Four years later, in 2004, the EPSON R-D1 was released, opening the way for L39/M-mount lenses to be used digitally. The mirrorless camera that currently uses the L39/M type lens the most was released in 2008, when the monumental Panasonic G1 was released.
In those days, SLR cameras held most of the market share, and rangefinder cameras were only for a few enthusiasts. Therefore, Leica L39/M mount lenses were the most abundant and cheap on the market.
It was an unfortunate time when large aperture lenses, especially when used with film cameras, were out of focus when used wide open due to the shallow depth of field, and huge lenses were not necessary when used narrowed down, but it was a dream time when the Noctilux 50mm could be purchased for around 100,000 yen.
The lens configuration diagrams are quoted from PDFs of each company, and the size is adjusted here, so they are not exact.
As for the lens housing photos, I do not have any photos of the lenses I owned in my database, so the exterior photos are quoted from the PDF distributed by Pentax.
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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