Pentax SMC DA* Series 50-135mm f/2.8 ED IF SDM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Pentax and Digital SLR Cameras
by Pentax
Digital product summary information
Manufacturer: PentaxRelease Date: 2007-08-15
Model: B000NO5QVG
Product features:
- 50-135mm telephoto zoom lens with F/2.8 maximum aperture for Pentax digital SLR cameras
- Aspherical elements, special optical-glass elements, and original glass coatings
- Tightly sealed weather- and dust-resistant housing stands up to rainy or dusty conditions
- SDM system produces smooth, quiet autofocusing; SP coating protects exposed lens elements
- Measures 3 inches in diameter and 5.4 inches long; weighs 24.2 ounces without hood
- Dolica CF3-ND67 67mm 0.3ND 2X Neutral Density Filter
- Dolica CF-C67 67mm CPL Filter
- Dolica CF9-ND67 67mm 0.9ND 8X Neutral Density Filter
- 67mm UV Filter
- Adorama Professional Lens Cleaning Kit
Digital camera reviews of Pentax SMC DA* Series 50-135mm f/2.8 ED IF SDM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Pentax and Digital SLR Cameras
Digital camera Review: DA* 50-135mm, Excellent but not for all.
Summary: 5 Stars
1st copy had loose MF ring. My review is based on the 2nd copy.
This lens is great. Before I purchased I had a Pentax K10D, 18-55mm kit, and FA 100mm macro.
Build: 9/10
Although this IS a DA* lens, don't assume this lens is made of solid metal, although this is not a bad thing at all. About 80% of the lens is covered by the soft, rubbery rings and the only part that isn't made of rubber is the golden DA* ring, green DA indicator ring at the bottom, and the medium between the MF ring and zoom ring. Don't make this a deciding factor though, because this lens is made of real high quality plastics and most of it is in rubber anyways.
Auto-focus Performance: 9/10
The AF is relatively quiet compared to my other lenses, but it is about the same speed as them. In broad day light this lens is a dream to use, even in low light it works pretty well (it will accurately AF in a room that has about 2 80 watt+ light bulbs but anything less bright the lens will not accurately AF but this is a problem with MOST if not ALL lenses). The lens basically has the speed of the FA 100mm on focus limiter and the quietness of Canon USM. The SDM sound is comparable to the Sony 70-200mmG lens just for reference, speedwise and sound wise.
Manual Focus Performance: 8.5/10
The MF ring is very smooth and slightly damped and about equivalent to my macro lens (although not as precise due to the clamp that exists on that lens). It is not comparable to the old K/M/A/M42 lenses that have extremely damped rings, but compared to the Canon and Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses, this is about the same or better (according to user).
General Usage 9.5/10
I spent a lot of time debating whether to get this lens or the Sigma 70-200mm. After 5 months of constantly working I had enough money to finally purchase one of the lenses. For shooting events (in-door or outdoor), weddings, or in-door sports, this lens is a dream. Even the 50mm isn't wide enough for me sometimes (That's why I am going to purchase a used 35mm f/2) To be honest, if you compare 50mm to 70mm, I don't even know how I would survive. The 50-70mm is REALLY useful. For shooting outdoor sports or where you can't get real close, the 70-200mm lenses might suit you better, but even 200mm isn't really long enough for sports or birding and adding a TC would make them really bad quality (although from the Tamron TC shots that is subjective). The Sigma performs much softer at 200mm and especially with the 1.4X TC.
Also remember this lens weighs only about 1.5 lbs (700 grams) and about 1.7lbs (800grams) with hood on. The 70-200mm lenses weigh about 3 lbs (1300 grams). This lens, although quite big with hood on, is just small enough to where it doesn't scare your subjects. If this lens was any bigger width wise or length wise, some subjects would freak out and some of your pictures might look artificial. For those of you that don't know if you can or can't handle the weight, I recommend going to [...] and renting a 50-135mm AND 70-200mm for 3 or 7 days and see if you can handle the weight/ focal lengths. For most 135mm won't be long enough for wild life or out door sports, but at the same time, 70mm might be too much for indoor/ out door events and weddings.
Another awesome quality of this lens is the weather sealing. At first I was extremely skeptical of the weather sealing until a unfortunate turn of events forced me to use this lens under the rain. In the end, it was STILL working with no water ANYWHERE. I don't suggest putting this under a faucet or waterfall though because the weather seals can only handle light/medium rain, dust storms, snow, and sand. Anything more extreme will allow sand to scratch your elements, water to ruin the AF motor and cause fungus/mold, or make your elements "misty". This is also a big plus over the third party offerings (although they aren't bad at all from the images I have seen)
Image Quality: 10/10
Now this is where the lens REALLY shines. It is sharp as my macro lens even when it is set to f/5.6 and my 50-135mm is wide open (even more contrasty too!). If you stop it down it gets even MORE sharp, although there isn't enough head room because f/2.8 is already near perfectly sharp. The photozone review of this lens isn't great, but from user reviews and other online reviews, I can agree with them. This lens is unbeatable IQ wise.
Overall: 9.7/10
I'd say the only reason this lens isn't perfect is because of the rather small FL range. If this lens was 50-200mm f/2.8 OR a 35mm-135mm f/2.8, it would be perfect, but that would make it super expensive (the Olympus 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 variant of that is about $1500 and it isn't even f/2.8 at 200mm). If you love to shoot portraits, weddings, events, or indoor sports, I can highly recommend this lens.
More Pentax SMC DA* Series 50-135mm f/2.8 ED IF SDM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Pentax and Digital SLR Cameras reviews:
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1 2 3 4 5
Summary of Pentax SMC DA* Series 50-135mm f/2.8 ED IF SDM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Pentax and Digital SLR Cameras
The 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.Designed for exclusive use with Pentax digital SLR cameras, the Pentax DA series 50-135mm telephoto zoom lens makes it easy to capture close-in sports shots or intimate wildlife photography. The lens is distinguished by its aspherical elements, special optical-glass elements, and original glass coatings, which help produce a high contrast, unmatched clarity, and edge-to-edge sharpness. The lens also boasts a tightly sealed weather- and dust-resistant housing that stands up to rainy or dusty conditions. And users will love the new SDM system, which produces smoother, quieter autofocusing using a built-in supersonic motor. Other details include a Pentax-original Quick-Shift Focus System that switches instantly to manual-focus operation, a Pentax SP coating that protects the exposed lens elements, and a focal length equivalent to 76.5-207mm in the 35mm format.
- Lens mount: Pentax KAF2
- Lens construction: 18 elements in 14 groups
- Angle of view: 31.5 to 11.9 degrees (when used with Pentax digital SLR camera body)
- Aperture control: Automatic
- Minimum aperture: F22
- Metering system: TTL open-aperture metering
- Minimum focusing distance: 1 meter
- Filter size: 67mm
- Maximum magnification: 0.17x
- Dimensions: 3 inches in diameter and 5.4 inches long
- Weight: 24.2 ounces (without hood)
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