Rikenon Rikenon 28mm f2.8 Heritage

Overview

The Ricoh Rikenon P 28mm f/2.8 is a compact manual-focus wide-angle prime released around 1984 as part of Ricoh's P series, designed primarily for the Ricoh XR-P SLR and other bodies in Ricoh's XR series. It was introduced alongside the Ricoh XR-P, a camera notable for supporting Multi Program AE—automatically setting both shutter and aperture—which was an advanced feature for 1984. Because the lens uses the Pentax K mount, it can be mounted directly on Pentax bodies without an adapter, and adapted to mirrorless systems (e.g., Sony via PK-NEX). The reviews note that earlier versions may feature a more robust metal barrel—possibly Tomioka-sourced—while later iterations used lighter materials and occasionally included macro labeling. No established nicknames or community jargon are evidenced in the reviews. Its cult following stems from its very low price, its excellent sharpness for a budget wide-angle, its neutral rendering, and its compact, travel-friendly form factor. One reviewer sought it out specifically as a wide-angle vintage lens to echo the look of the Ricoh GR1v compact film camera, and found the out-of-focus rendering on full-frame film actually more pleasing than the GR1v.

Verdict: The Ricoh Rikenon P 28mm f/2.8 is a bargain compact wide-angle that punches well above its price—sharp from f/4 to f/11, neutral in color, and pleasingly small for travel, street, and film shooters. It's ideal for someone wanting an affordable, K-mount-native vintage 28mm with good edge performance, provided they can live with its barrel distortion and don't expect dramatic bokeh.

Optical Character

Bokeh

Subdued compared to a fast 50mm but capable of beautiful background blur when shot wide open in low light.

Color

Neutral color rendition with smooth, gentle color gradation.

Sharpness wide open

Excellent sharpness especially from f/4 to f/11 with surprisingly good edge performance for a budget 28mm.

Community Insights

What people love

Excellent sharpness across f/4 to f/11 for such an inexpensive lens
Neutral color rendition and smooth color gradation
Surprisingly good edge/corner performance compared to other budget 28mm lenses
Compact, lightweight form factor ideal for travel, street, and compact film bodies
Beautiful background blur when shot wide open in low light on full-frame film—one reviewer preferred it to the Ricoh GR1v
Very low average price and strong value (100% of reviewers recommend it)
Directly K-mount compatible with Pentax DSLRs without an adapter

What people dislike

Noticeable barrel distortion in architectural shots
Corner performance limitations (implied as a common critique in the review database, though generally still good for the class)
Bokeh is subdued compared to a fast 50mm, so it's not a background-melting lens

Pro Tips

Stop down to f/4–f/11 for the sharpest results across the frame
Use a full-frame body to preserve the intended 28mm wide angle—on APS-C the effective field of view narrows by 1.5x
Shoot wide open in low light for the most attractive background blur
Avoid using it for critical architectural work, or correct for its barrel distortion in post

Sources (1)

Web-grounded synthesissecondary

The Ricoh Rikenon P 28mm f/2.8 is a compact manual-focus wide-angle prime released around 1984 as part of Ricoh's P series, designed primarily for the Ricoh XR-P SLR and other bodies in Ricoh's XR series. It was introduced alongside the Ricoh XR-P, a camera notable for supporting Multi Program AE—automatically setting both shutter and aperture—which was an advanced feature for 1984. Because the lens uses the Pentax K mount, it can be mounted directly on Pentax bodies without an adapter, and adapted to mirrorless systems (e.g., Sony via PK-NEX). The reviews note that earlier versions may feature a more robust metal barrel—possibly Tomioka-sourced—while later iterations used lighter materials and occasionally included macro labeling. No established nicknames or community jargon are evidenced in the reviews. Its cult following stems from its very low price, its excellent sharpness for a budget wide-angle, its neutral rendering, and its compact, travel-friendly form factor. One reviewer sought it out specifically as a wide-angle vintage lens to echo the look of the Ricoh GR1v compact film camera, and found the out-of-focus rendering on full-frame film actually more pleasing than the GR1v.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/ricoh-28mm-f-2-8-rikenon-p.htmlhttps://overland25.com/en/en_vintagelens/rikenon-p-28mm-f28