Porst Porst 35mm f2.8 Heritage

Overview

The Porst 35mm f/2.8 is a manual-focus wide-normal lens sold under the Porst house brand. Porst was a German photographic retailer that, much like Vivitar and Hanimex, did not manufacture its own lenses but rebranded glass sourced from third-party (mostly Japanese) OEM makers. As a result, quality varied from lens to lens depending on the actual maker. According to community discussion, at least one M42 Porst 'Weitwinkel' (wide-angle) MC 35/2.8 was probably made by Tokina and described as 'pretty good.' The lens is comparatively scarce and modestly more costly than the very common 28mm manual-focus lenses, but still affordable as fast 35s go. Note that Porst also offered a separate, far rarer and faster Porst WW 35mm f/1.8 (made by Mitake Optical) which is a different lens. No established nickname or cult jargon exists for the 35mm f/2.8 in the reviews consulted.

Verdict: The Porst 35mm f/2.8 is a budget-friendly, rebranded manual-focus wide-normal lens best suited to enthusiasts who enjoy inexpensive legacy glass and don't mind limited documentation. Reported as 'pretty good' by at least one owner (with the M42 version likely Tokina-made), it can be a worthwhile cheap fast prime, but expect variability by sample and don't expect true wide-angle coverage, especially on APS-C.

Optical Character

Sharpness wide open

Reported by at least one owner as 'pretty good' but with little concrete rendering detail.

Community Insights

What people love

It is a fast, affordable manual-focus lens compared to slower kit zooms such as the Pentax DA L at its shortest focal length
At least one owner found the M42 Porst Weitwinkel MC 35/2.8 (likely Tokina-made) to be 'pretty good'
Fast 35mm manual-focus glass need not be very expensive, making it a reasonable value pickup

What people dislike

Very little documented information exists about the lens online, making it hard to research before buying
Being a rebrand, the actual manufacturer and quality can vary depending on the sample and serial number
35mm is not truly wide-angle, which can disappoint buyers expecting a wide field of view (especially on APS-C)

Pro Tips

Use the serial number to try to identify the true OEM maker before purchase
Treat it as a long-normal/short-tele on APS-C bodies rather than a wide-angle lens
For M42 versions, use a proper M42-to-Pentax adapter and shoot in stop-down or manual metering mode

Sources (1)

Web-grounded synthesissecondary

The Porst 35mm f/2.8 is a manual-focus wide-normal lens sold under the Porst house brand. Porst was a German photographic retailer that, much like Vivitar and Hanimex, did not manufacture its own lenses but rebranded glass sourced from third-party (mostly Japanese) OEM makers. As a result, quality varied from lens to lens depending on the actual maker. According to community discussion, at least one M42 Porst 'Weitwinkel' (wide-angle) MC 35/2.8 was probably made by Tokina and described as 'pretty good.' The lens is comparatively scarce and modestly more costly than the very common 28mm manual-focus lenses, but still affordable as fast 35s go. Note that Porst also offered a separate, far rarer and faster Porst WW 35mm f/1.8 (made by Mitake Optical) which is a different lens. No established nickname or cult jargon exists for the 35mm f/2.8 in the reviews consulted.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/58-troubleshooting-beginner-help/162511-porst-35mm-2-8-a.htmlhttps://japb.net/gear/gear-review-index/porst35f1-8/