During my years as a photographer I have been fortunate enough to own and use many lenses from across different brands. By this I do not mean that I have had them for a few weeks simply for review purposes. Without exception I use all of my equipment for its intended purpose over long periods of time (although I have occasionally found myself with a closet queen or two).

What is there left to write about the Pentax K1mkii? It is a camera that was released in April 2018 that was an upgrade to the original K1 which debuted two years previous. The internet provides an enormous resource of information pertaining to both products, so writing this article may seem moot. In the fast moving world of camera development, the K1mkii is ancient and from a technical perspective some would argue that the DSLR is a relic from bygone times, ergo it is obsolete.

I am rapidly approaching the three year mark in my project to scan our vast film archive. Admittedly I am taking my time and working on it only when I feel like it, so progress is a little slower than anticipated. This approach probably has a lot to do with why I am less than 50% of the way through the task along with the fact that it has been an enormous learning curve.

Evaluating what my favourite lenses are early in 2025 made me realise just how my tastes have changed in the last twelve months. A little over a year ago I had no idea that I was to move from an admirer of the Pentax DSLR system to a user. Writing this article in April 2024 was the defining moment and catalyst for stepping into the world of Pentax. At the time of writing about the 31mm Limited, my interest in small, precision made lenses was rekindled, influenced by my appreciation of the Olympus Zuiko lens system used when I shot film.

I appear to have reached a point in my life where decades of back and neck problems have taken their toll. Not being someone who wants simply to give up and accept the inevitably that this is leading to, adjustments to some aspects of life will hopefully prove beneficial.

After 35 and 50mm focal lengths, short telephotos are amongst my favourite lenses. Their versatility goes far beyond portraiture to become the third in a trinity of lenses that I covet. For decades I have kept one or two lenses of this criteria in my bag starting with 100 and 135mm Zuiko’s. As I moved into the digital world I added further short tele’s to my collection. Prior to getting into Pentax gear I purchased a Leica APO-Summicron-SL 75 f2 ASPH. And it is the disillusion that came with this lens that caused me to discover what has turned out to be one of my favourite short telephoto lenses of all time - Pentax’s D FA* 85mm F1.4ED SDM AW.