Kershaw Series K 114/1.9

Reviews

1. 

   16:9 – June 17, 2025

   The earliest coated Kershaw lens were marked ‘Bloomed’, referring to the deposition method used. K-Series ‘Kalee’ lenses were available in quarter-inch increments in the most common focal lengths. The optical formula comprises two cemented doublets.

   On a GFX sensor (pictured above), strong Petzval swirl is evident and resolution characteristics were similarly textbook: Zones C-D are extremely soft and radially blurred by axial aberration. Chromatic aberration is typically well corrected. The combination of 114mm and f1.9 gives very useful subject separation – an effect hugely compounded for centrally-framed subjects by the presence of large aberrations in the outer field. Again, with a centrally-framed subject, this mimics the effect of a lens at least one stop faster – but if the focal plane lives entirely in Zone C-D, the entire image will be blurred. However, Zone A and some of Zone B is absolutely serviceable in terms of useable resolution – particularly when adapted to GFX when images are likely to be downsampled for final use, making pixel-level sharpness less of a problem.

   Used on a 35mm sensor, the graceful tonality remains, but outer-frame aberrations – the dominant aspect of this lens’ ‘character’ – are greatly reduced. The two shots of gravel (captured with a 35mm sensor rather than GFX) illustrate wild field curvature with the potential to rewrite every composition. If a more subtle take on swirly bokeh or a vintage vibe is required, this focal length may suit you, but if you want the full Petzval effect, you’ll need to choose a shorter focal length, and that introduces adaptation issues: on GFX, a 12-17mm helical is required to achieve infinity focus. The most common short helical for 65mm is 17-31mm, which doesn’t permit focus beyond 6.5m. Your focal-flange distance may vary.