REVIEW: smc Pentax DA* 16-50mm f/2.8 [IF] SDM (part1)

[swapnilhitman]

Do you have flickr account ?? I am planing to by this for my pentax k-r .... as next yr i am planing to buy K-5 .... if stick around with pentax...... I often find myself lacking choice in the accessories ....

Look like you are using pentax for long time ... the dent on camera provs that :) but what is your opinion !

Thank you 

[ShutterSightPhoto]

@swapnilhitman We are not active on Flickr at the moment but that is something that we are earnestly looking into. If you want to see our photos check out our website or our facebook page.

We are pretty fond of both Pentax and Olympus camera systems. When it comes to photo equipment, they are the best systems for the dollar. The K-5 would be a fantastic upgrade although the K-r is no slouch.

[tcarnell79]

both lenses are weather sealed.

[TheEcoronin]

the price here in the us is like $1300... I dont get why the price jumped so much

[ShutterSightPhoto]

@S8OR No. This is a Pentax only lens. However, Tamron sells a 17-50 f/2.8 that is very similar. It has a noiser af mechanism and it is not weatherproof but has very similar image quality.

[pianoman6639]

Really good review well presented and so informative thank you so much it helps me decide on this lens

[kage7785]

I finally got round to buying this lens and a filter from adorama, saved myself around $650 AU!!! Its in flight on the way to Australia, just in time for my trek around Japan. =) can't wait to test it out. Thx!

[ShutterSightPhoto]

@kage7785 Glad to be of service. Hope you like it as much as we do!

[nublackmusic]

very nie review. very informative. thanks!

[ShutterSightPhoto]

@nublackmusic We aim to please. :)

[kage7785]

super quiet! ahh can't decide if I want to fork out the extra money for this or get a similar Tamron/sigma.. In tests it shows they are pretty similar but in real world photo's I've seen on the web the Pentax DA* images seem to have that bit more sharpness and quality about them.. idk if my eyes are just deceiving me though haha

[ShutterSightPhoto]

@kage7785 What body do you use? If it is a non-weather sealed body (i.e. the KX) i would recommend the Tamron.

That being said, I really really love this lens.

[kage7785]

@ShutterSightPhoto haha I use the K-7 so you might be able to understand my dilemma. I have a 30mm sigma prime on it at the moment which is pretty good but it's not letting me use a lot of the K-7's functions, so not using the camera's 100% potential I think. I'm also headed to Japan (in winter) so I think I might want a fully weather sealed rig. I'm looking to get a walkabout lens so I don't need to carry many lenses around traveling, can't decide!!! /frustrated lol.

[ShutterSightPhoto]

@kage7785 The tamron is $420 right now at adorama. The Pentax is $744. The AF is just as fast on the Pentax as the Tamron, however the Pentax is near silent and the tamron is kinda noisy. And there's the weather-sealing. There is also something to be said about having a DA* lens. If it were me I'd go for the Pentax.

also the filter diameter of the Tamron is 72mm vs 77 on the pentax.

[kage7785]

@ShutterSightPhoto Oh wow, I didn't know about the adorama site, I live in Australia so the lens price is anywhere from 1100-1400, Tamron is 540ish. They do international shipping as well... haha I think I'm leaning towards the DA* now. Thanks for mentioning that site, loads cheaper than the prices here in Aus.

[ShutterSightPhoto]

@kage7785 Not a problem. Glad to be of help!

[ichirootaniguchi]

@kage7785 australia marks up the price by 100-250% australia is far more expensive than america. (i lived there for some time and i fucking hated it since everything is just bullshit)