Up for sale is a great, FULLY SERVICED example of the Classic SMC Pentax-K 55mm f/2 standard prime lens.

This and the optically-identical SMC-K 55mm f/1.8, were the standard lenses produced by Asahi Pentax at the introduction of the K bayonet mount and were later supplanted by the optically-inferior SMC-M versions. They are known and prized for their rugged build quality, beautiful rendering, smooth handling, and biting sharpness.

Lens is in Excellent condition with light xterior wear and glass free of scratches and fungus as well as the cement haze that commonly afflicts this lens model. Additionally, the lens has been fully disassembled and CLAed (Cleaned/Lubed/Adjusted), including full helical relube, for optimum handling and image quality!

Includes caps.

This lens features the original version Pentax K mount, which can be used natively on all Pentax K mount SLRs and DSLRs, with mechanically coupled aperture on K mount film cameras. It also can easily be adapted for use on most popular DSLR, and mirrorless formats with an inexpensive adapter ring (sold separately, see chart below for digital compatibility).

If you have any questions about whether this lens is adaptable to your camera system, please contact me before purchase.

Digital mount compatibility chart

Mount

Adaptable?

Glassless Infinity?

Notes

Canon EF DSLR

Y

Y*

* Some lenses require minor modification for use with Full Frame Canon cameras.

Nikon F DSLR

Y

N


Pentax K DSLR

NATIVE

NATIVE

Green button/manual operation on DSLR

Sony A DSLR

Y

N


Panasonic/Olympus 4/3 DSLR

Y

Y


Canon EOS M Mirrorless

Y

Y


Canon EOS R Mirrorless

Y

Y


Fuji X Mirrorless

Y

Y


Leica/Panasonic/Sigma L

Y

Y


Panasonic/Olympus m4/3

Y

Y


Nikon 1 Mirrorless

Y

Y


Nikon Z Mirrrorless

Y

Y


Pentax Q Mirrorless

Y

Y


CLA FAQs

This lens has been completely disassembled and CLAed (Cleaned/Lubed/Adjusted), with cleaning of individual components aperture cleaning and total helical cleaning/relube for like-new performance!

Q: Why buy a CLAed lens?

Put quite simply, lenses get dirty over time. Many used vintage sold lenses here on eBay are described as “mint condition,” typically meaning they are free of obvious optical flaws like haze or fungus and have a clean-appearing exterior. However, opening them up tells a quite different story. While these lenses may appear tightly built, they nearly all use open designs, which allows substantial amounts of dust, dirt, and grit to enter the lens, where it settles into delicate precision components, adversely affecting the mechanical properties of the lens and leading to increased wear. Furthermore, even in unused samples, lubricants tend to degrade over time, leading to degraded focus action as grease dries out, or slow blades and soiled optics as oil migrates within the lens.

Q: What  services do you perform on the lens before sale?

With the lens disassembled, I perform a full CLA (Clean Lube Adjust). This entails cleaning out any internal and external soiling, cleaning aperture blades of grease that can slowing, re-lubing the focus helical, and adjusting all components for tightness and accuracy. Where there is extensive dust or internal lens soiling, I will disassemble lens cells and clean off surfaces; however, it is my general philosophy to keep lens elements in their factory positions in assembled cells when at all possible to ensure optimum performance.

Q: DUST? What do you mean DUST?

A: All vintage lenses have dust in them. In fact, they had dust in them when they were brand new from the factory! This is because prior to the advent of very modern sealed designs, lenses were not put together in a clean room environment, and the natural static charge of the glass tends to attract dust particles. Coupled with the open designs used in these lenses, it is virtually impossible to find any vintage lens without some degree of dust particles visible when you look closely through the lens. All of my CLA lenses have at minimum the exterior and internal cell surfaces wiped with a dust-free, lab-grade optical tissue and then blown off with an air bulb prior to reassembly and thus have a significantly below average amount of dust for a vintage lens.

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