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Pentax SMC DA* Series 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL IF SDM Wide... |
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Pentax SMC DA* Series 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL IF SDM Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras |
| Product DescriptionThe smc PENTAX-DA 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL[IF]SDM wide angle zoom lens delivers the highest level of optical quality and includes SDM technology for fast, accurate, quiet focus. Bringing together advanced optical technologies, including aspherical elements, special optical-glass elements and original lens coatings, these new interchangeable lenses are superior to any existing lens series in terms of contrast, clarity and edge-to-edge sharpness.Amazon.com Product DescriptionDesigned for exclusive use with Pentax digital SLR cameras, the Pentax DA* 16-50mm f/2.8 wide-angle zoom lens is a terrific choice for landscapes, portraiture, and just about any other application. The lens features a tightly sealed, weather-resistant and dust-resistant construction to enhance durability in rainy or dusty conditions. The lens's three aspherical elements and two special optical glass elements, meanwhile, help compensate for chromatic and spherical aberration, producing images with superior contrast, clarity, and edge-to-edge sharpness. And thanks to the lens's Pentax-original Quick-Shift Focus System, you can easily and instantly switch from autofocus to manual focus. Specifications
- Focal length: 16-50mm
- Maximum aperture: f/2.8
- Minimum aperture: f/22
- Lens construction: 15 elements in 12 groups
- Angle of view: 83 to 31.5 degrees (when used with Pentax digital SLR camera body)
- Number of diaphragm blades: 9
- Metering system: TTL open-aperture metering
- Minimum focusing distance: 0.3 meters
- Maximum magnification: 0.21x
- Filter size: 77mm
- Corresponding AF mounts: Pentax KAF2
- Dimensions: 3.3 inches in diameter and 3.9 inches long
- Weight: 19.9 ounces (without hood)
- Warranty: 1 year
ReviewsThis review is for both 16-50mm and 50-135mm DA*lenses. I have both of them and they are fantastic! I couldn't recommend them highly enough. If you only have enough money to get one for now, I would suggest getting the 50-135mm first. This lens is so sharp you couldn't believe it. Yes they are expensive, but they are worth the money. When I got them, they are $100-$150 cheaper than they are now. I just don't know why the prices have gone up, but I guess that goes for Nikon and Canon as well. Regardless, Pentax lenses are a lot cheaper than Nikon and Canon.
I'm not one of those lucky people who got their lenses right the first time. It was quite a bit of work, but at the end, everything is okay and I am really happy. I did have to send in my two lenses to Pentax for service due to front and back focus issues. With the 16-50mm front focus, and 50-135mm back focus. To make the story short, it took Pentax about 6 weeks to adjust the lenses and send them back to me. Now they are perfect and they are my two favorite lenses where ever I go, well the 50mm too!
Hope this helps and good luck to you!
Your neighbor,
Absolutely beautiful lens. Both the product visually, and the images that it creates. The barrel distortion on the wide end is as much as can be expected at 16mm, and is plenty acceptable depending on what you're shooting. The color rendition and contrast really have to be seen to be believed. A professional level lens really will bring your photography up a couple notches.
I wish you had the choice of using the SDM OR the screw drive for autofocus, but on the k20d you are limited to the SDM. It is absolutely silent, but is about the same speed, if not slower, as the screw drive on other lenses. And honestly, I prefer the screw drive, especially at the wide end, to be able to hear and know it's focusing, and when it's stopped.
Autofocus issues aside, I would gladly pay [...] bucks for this lens, even if it were manual focus. The optics are just THAT good.
I do 90% of my work outdoors, and the weather sealing is a huge bonus. Being able to pull out battery powered flashes and do full lighting set ups even in pouring down rain is amazing.
I cannot recommend this lens highly enough.
Update - Jan. 4, 2010: Below I noted the occasional balky response but had not determined whether this was a problem. Unfortunately, it is! I have had another significant episode where the focusing system simply refused to budge and this was in broad daylight. After doing a number of checks on settings, remounting the lens to insure there were no contact issues, the lens simply would not focus (i.e. the focus motor wasn't even trying to focus). Pull out my trusty, but noisy, 18-250mm Pentax and . . . zip! All is well. So back to Amazon it goes. Still deciding on whether to stay with this lens and assume that I just got a bad copy or . . . ? The photos are wonderful from the lens so I cannot complain in that regard, but it would be nice to have confidence that it would handle most of the focusing chores for me!
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For reference, my original set-up was the K20d with the Pentax 18-250mm. Given my usage, the 18-250 is a remarkable walk around lens but I came to realize that its shortcomings can be visible when I printed up some photos from a recent trip to Big Bend National Park in Texas. Specifically, when I had to press things out to the full 250mm end, I wound up with images that were too soft to print at any reasonable size. I made the decision to improve my set-up by shifting to a two or three lens system and the first of the purchases was the 16-50mm. I purchased this because I needed a bit more width (I shoot some home interiors for my business use) and the difference between having 16mm vs. 18mm at the wide end is remarkably helpful! I also wanted the weather resistance of the DA* as well as the constant f2.8 so this was the logical choice. With that in mind, and with awareness of the many pros and cons that others have cited, here are my impressions after a few months of usage:
Pros:
> Build: The 18-250 is a very nice lens and feels solid, but the 16-50mm is soooo much nicer! The balance, the feel of the zoom and focus rings (as well as the fact that the focus ring is actually big enough to use!) - this is just a much more professional build overall.
> Quiet: At first I thought the focus was not set to auto! I was so used to hearing the rather loud focus noise from the 18-250mm that I kept manually putting the focus out of focus just to (not) hear the lens!
> Photo Quality: I have taken some nice photos with the 18-250mm but the 16-50mm has better color saturation and produces natural images with minimal need for post-processing. I recently shot almost 150 photos at a party indoors, most of them without flash. I was very pleasantly surprised how crisp, clean, saturated and properly white-balanced they came out without retouching!
Con:
> Occasional Balky Response: Then there is the rare, but always frustrating occasion when the lens seems to refuse to focus! I have not yet figured this out nor decided whether this necessitates a visit to Pentax service, but every once in a while, with decent lighting, the lens seems to freeze and not find a focus lock. Sometimes it is when everything seems fairly well focused in the viewfinder, but since the autofocus doesn't agree you cannot take a picture. If I manually defocus the lens intentionally, it will usually do a normal focus and take the shot. If this happened often I would be more concerned, but it is very frustrating when it does because the 'moment' might be gone by the time the camera allows the shutter to release.
Regarding the various comments on focus accuracy, while I have not done a fully controlled test and 'pixel peeped' to find the more minute flaws, my experience so far has been very good. Other than those odd balky occasions noted above, the focus is crisp and edge to edge detail seems remarkably consistent. Vignetting is well controlled as is chromatic aberration even when shooting close to wide open.
Overall, I am very happy with the feel of the lens and the quality of the photos. A definite step up from the 18-250mm, but that is not a surprise! Four stars only because of my balky gremlin but even this has been so rare that it does not preclude me from recommending this lens highly. While I know that Nikon and Canon make excellent products, I am so happy that Pentax makes more affordable products that are capable of producing equally compelling photos! (Now, I wonder about that new 60-250mm DA* lens! Hey, Amazon, need a Vine tester for that?!)
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