5 Frames with a 20-40mm f/2.8 Pentax 110 lens on an OMD-EM5 MKII

My grandfather loved cameras, and loved buying the funky ones it seems. I can relate to the obsession; cameras are fun, mechanical, and basically magic image collectors. So I too have developed a penchant for photography. Part of the subject today is the Pentax 110 we found in a box with about a half dozen assorted 35 mm cameras, and some unused 35mm and 110 film. Most of them work, and we were moving my grandparents to a new home so I was given the cameras as no uncles or cousins had any interest in preserving his hobby.

I now use the Pentax for street photography due to its small inconspicuous size, but I am never thrilled by the photos. The already expensive and diminutive 110 film from Lomography ends up slightly more expensive to develop and scan than standard 35mm. I still like using the camera and plan on keeping it for as long as my grandfather did. It was not until winter of 2023 / 2024 that I discovered the 110 film format is nearly equivalent to the modern micro 4/3 sensor size, so adapting it to micro 4/3 bodies gives you an equivalent field of view at your desired focal length.

My decision to attach a Pentax 110 lens, in this case a 20-40 zoom F2.8, to my E-M5 mark II was obvious. The adapter brand I purchased is Fotasy and the model name is “P110-m4/3”. The adapter fits well enough, but do not expect Olympus brand quality when buying a cheap lens adapter from your local mega-corporate online retailer. The results of my quick buy decision are a narrow depth of field and soft focus that can’t be helped by stopping the lens down for this lens has naught an iris in sight. The focus works well on the lens and my adapter only shifts a little bit when rotating the focus ring past infinity or past the close up marker, being .7m/2.5 feet for the lens on its intended camera. It should be noted that the marketing team at Fotasy mentioned this as a “feature” in the description. My lens has some paint on the focus knurls, and I usually keep a UV filter on it for basic protection.

To get to the topic at hand. When installed on the digital body I find the 40mm focal length can take nice images at close distances, but pulling out the lens to shorten the focal length creates some strange aberrations in the wider angle shots. These aberrations seem to produce distortion in subjects more than a few feet away. This is very noticeable in the picture of a workers cottage in Batsto Village, a preserved mill/foundry town in Wharton State Forest, New Jersey.

Despite the flaws I have taken a liking to using this lens and the Pentax 110 for black and white photos and close ups at the 40mm focal length, this prevents the worst of the above mentioned image distortions and can produce good quality pictures from the camera I have it equipped to.

The wild blueberry plant and bridge pictures were both taken using the EM5’s grainy black and white art style.

The dog toy was taken in raw format and edited using black and white conversion in Photoscape X.

The zinnias pictures were photographed at 40 mm in my community garden plot where the narrow depth of field is lovely for such things.

In conclusion, the overall performance using this vintage lens is subpar when compared even to lost cost to modern manual glass lenses from TTartisans or similar brands. This is expected as new glass has modern coatings and an iris for adjusting how light hungry your camera can be.

That being said, it’s exciting and a little morose to find new uses for items that had importance to a loved one after they have departed, such as the Pentax-110, and the lenses I have for it.

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