Pentax SMC DA* Series 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL IF SDM Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras by Pentax
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Digital camera reviews of Pentax SMC DA* Series 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL IF SDM Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras
Digital camera Review: Silky smooth but not quite perfect - UPDATE 1/4/10
Summary: 4 Stars
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!
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?!)
Digital camera Review: Solid Performer
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent image quality across the entire zoom and aperture range that lives up to the DA* designation. The f/2.8 shutter speed provides for shooting in lower light conditions. Attached to the Pentax K20D, it results in very fast and very quiet focusing, and good color and sharpness characteristics. Only drawback is that this lens is a bit bulky (77 mm diameter opening)and heavy.Digital camera Review: Stunning lens
Summary: 5 Stars
It's too bad there are bad copies out there because the only thing thing I can say about my copy is "stunning." Well, there are other adjectives but you get the idea;)
I've had mine for a little over a month now and it's by far my favorite lens. Crystal clear sharpness, incredible colors, great bokeh, and wonderful contrast. For me it's the perfect walkaround lens--although I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a 31mm Limited!
My copy does have very, very slight vignetting at 16mm at 2.8 but it's never been annoying, but it can be easily PP'd out if need be. I didn't mark it down for this because it is so slight and is actually pleasing to the eye, imo.
One thing, however, is you should buy it from a reputable dealer with a good return policy so if you do get a bad one it won't be a hassle to return it. I have to say, though, that this lens is so good it's worth taking the risk.
Digital camera Review: This is the lens to buy
Summary: 5 Stars
Stellar! If you're buying a new camera, don't buy the "throw away" lens that comes with the camera for a hundred bucks (you get what you pay for), save the money and apply it towards this lens. If you have the camera body already and are looking for a top notch lens, this is it. The 16mm-50mm f2.8 is great for shooting indoors and outdoors. It is excellent in low light situations, especially where you don't want to use a flash. One of the best lenses I've seen in a long time. Well worth the price at full price through Pentax, Amazon has been giving this lens away, so even better.Digital camera Review: Tremendous lens, a bargin compared to...
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've read my previous reviews, you know that I'm a retail camera salesperson. I get to use a wide variety of equipment, but I'm a bit picky on what I buy myself. I own this lens.
I couldn't be more pleased with this lens for my K10D. The images are crisp at all focal lengths and apertures. The focusing is both fast and smooth. (Note: it will require updating to firmware version 1.3 for the K10D to autofocus properly.) Build quality is top-notch, and the weather-proofing is nice, although I doubt I'll test that often.
Pentax has also equiped this lens with the older drive system, so that it can be used on older digital cameras, but the noise level goes up, and the AF performance, while decent, goes down.
This is an amazingly good deal compared to either the Canon or Nikon lenses in the same range. The Nikon has about the same build quality, but costs considerably more. The Canon has the IS system built into the lens (not necessary with Pentax); therefore, it costs about the same as the Nikon. A very good lens, it still doesn't have the build quality "feel" of the Pentax nor Nikon. Additionally, the 16mm makes the Pentax a bit wider, a big advantage for my type of shooting.
Simply put, without this lens, I'd be shooting Nikon.