I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA 28-70mm F4 AL: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): N/A
| Rating: 8
Pros:
Ligtweight, durable
Cons:
No real negatives
I used this lens on my MZ10 for many years, and despite me dropping it on its nose at about a week old it never failed me.
I have recently been playing around with this on my K200 and I am pleased with the results, the focusing is a little slower than the 18-55 kit lens but the slightly longer length is what i've been wanting and for that it's been brilliant. raised my score to reflect current use.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA 28-70mm F4 AL: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $170.00
| Rating: 8
Pros:
Good optical quality. Good focal length range . Very light.
Cons:
Cheap built.
I bought this lens new, from a dealer in Germany a month ago. My first feeling was a good deal of suspicion, bur it works very well with my K10D.
It’s reasonably sharp even at F/4 over the whole focal length range. Color is good. AF is fast and accurate. To sum it up: A great lens for the money (130 €)
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA 28-70mm F4 AL: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $100.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
fast AF, dependable results, weight
Cons:
not wide enough on crop
(Rating is only valid in its class)
I like this lens a lot. I bought it used and soon I found myself using my set 18-55 only for wide shots and this lens for everything else.
Despite its weight I found it being very reliable companion for my K10d. It gives steadily good results through whole focal range even on widest setting and it is surprisingly sharp when stopped down. No sign of CA means I can shoot directly to JPG which I use mostly for the social events.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA 28-70mm F4 AL: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): N/A
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Sharp, light, fixed maximum aperture
Cons:
None
I have got this lens on an MZ-3. The price I paid for both (and a tele converter and a dedicated case; all in very good condition) was less than USD200. It remained on the MZ-3 for some time and after seeing its performance on film, I have moved it on to my digital bodies. I am pleasantly surprised. In spite of its plasticky feel, this small & light lens performs really nicely. Optically, I have no complaints whatsoever... It is at least as good, within its range and same f value, as my other pricey zooms... Autofocus is no problem. Manual focus is not as nice as the metal bodied cousins. It is a semi- or quasi- macro lens as well and gets decent close range shots. Remember, the more expensive and far heavier alternatives to this lens are not far superior at f/5.6 and f/8 to this one. If you do not desperately need the availability of "f/2.8", you can be really happy with a good copy of this lens.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA 28-70mm F4 AL: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $50.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Compact, relatively large aperture
Cons:
Build quality, short focal range.
EDIT: Updated my review and drastically improved my rating.
This lens is a great lens. Focus is sharp, especially stopped down. Typical Pentax rendering with nice colors and contrast. Minimal distortion, and pretty even sharpness across the frame.
I had to manually focus for testing the lens because my K20D was front focusing so severely even maximum correction couldn't get it within spec. The comparison with my 35-135mm is unfair, because the 35-135mm was focusing more accurately on my K20D.
Even though my rear lens group might be showing the first signs of the dreaded separation, it doesn't seem to impact image quality much. This is a great compact/lightweight zoom. This isn't much bigger than a 50mm f1.4. The only really draw back to it is the marginally useful focal length range on digital (normal to slight telephoto).
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA 28-70mm F4 AL: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): N/A
| Rating: 8
Pros:
very light and compact for a zoom; constant f4.0; colours, rendering & resolution once stopped down (positively spectacular results on film around f8.0)
Cons:
wobbly plasticky build (not very confidence inspiring on hikes back then!); front element rotates
My first lens and the kit zoom coming with the venerable MZ-3. As said, capable of wonderful results stopped down and a pleasingly light standard zoom with film slrs for hiking.
Apart from the so-so build quality, using a polarizer filter with it was quite a nuisance as the front element rotates when focusing. Also naturally, no internal zooming, i.e. it extends towards both the short and long ends, with shortest physical length as shown here at 50mm.
I haven't used it much on digital as it obviously starts at too long for my general use which inclines to landscape-compatible lengths.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA 28-70mm F4 AL: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $120.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Light, Small, Great Color, Sharp
Cons:
I don't like the extending lens barrel, or the non internal focusing mechanism- makes polarizers difficult to use
So far I love this lens. I've run a couple rolls of film through my MZ-3 with it and the shots are coming out spectacular. Apparently this was the kit lens that used to come with the MZ-3, so I kind of lucked out on putting two potentially long-lost siblings together!
I feel like for the money, it's a spectacular deal. Very useful range, especially on film, but even on digital. I love this thing because it's light and small, and makes a great respite from carrying around the big DA* 16-50mm.
I don't think I'd trust it through a rainstorm or anything like that, but I do think the build quality is good enough, and mine seems to be in perfect condition. Props to the original owner(s)!
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA 28-70mm F4 AL: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $75.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Sharp even at f/4, Light weight, Inexpensive
Cons:
Nothing
I've been using this lens on a film body for the last few weeks. The film I have got back so far has exceeded my expectations and it hasn't left the camera much. It's a sharp lens, even at f/4, stopped down is even sharper. For outdoors or well lit indoors you can't go too wrong. The FA 28-70 f/4 is my everyday go-to lens. To add it is very inexpensive.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA 28-70mm F4 AL: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): N/A
| Rating: 8
Pros:
Light, constant aperture, reasonablly good, close focusing
Cons:
Hard to manually focus, just a little bit noisy focusing
I love this lens so much that I rarely carry my k10d kit lens. Used a while on my MZ-5 and moved onto my k10d now. 12-24mm would be a great compliment. I do not have many zooms and this is one of my best.
While this lens does a lot of things well, it is rarely superb. So I have to go back to my primes from time to time. I wish zoom lens could be as good as primes. At f5, it is getting sharp. So it is limited to outdoor use for most cases.
More sensitive to direct sunlight than primes. Soft at 70mm on my digital camera.
In contrast to some Sigma zooms, this one does have better contrast and way better color rendering. So resolution should not be the only measure.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA 28-70mm F4 AL: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $100.00
| Rating: 8
Pros:
Lightweight, cheap, good IQ
Cons:
Build quality, rotating front
I bought this lens 1 yr ago.
it is a very good lens for the money. The range is very useful, the weight of the lens is very light and the image quality is very good.
Sometimes 28mm is not wide enough for a big group photo, and the build quality of the lens is not as good the DA series. from 35-50 the sharpness of the lens almost as sharp as the DA 16-45.
so it is a lens that is value for money if you are not into wide angles
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA 28-70mm F4 AL: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $100.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
extremely fast focus, very good at 5.6, excellent at f8, light.
Cons:
feels a bit too plastic
I am really happy with this lens as this one changes my kit. It focuses extremely fast, and low light focus is very very good without hunting. At f4 It is a bit soft (especially at 70mm) but from 5.6 it produces very good results. Smooth bokeh, lightweight although feels cheaply made. But no requirements for lens which costs 100 bucks. No doubt, highly recommended lens.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA 28-70mm F4 AL: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $100.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
sharp, light, cheap
Cons:
flimsy construction, rotating front,
For the money, this zoom is as sharp as it gets. Above 5.6 I can't see much difference from my primes (not limiteds). No CA. The AF is not very sensitive/accurate: for instance, I need to focus on something close, then to focus on my more distant target in order to prompt the AF to move. The AF simply refuses to react to narrower variations of distance to target.
Also, one has to pay attention to this zoom while using it. It's fragile enough to break if accidentally dropped on an uncarpeted floor.
But, again, for the money, it's spectacular, and I'm glad I didn't sell it, as I initially intended after comparing it with a very capable manual Vivitar zoom I have in the same focal range. Real life pics look better with this one, and the AF--even with its problems--definitely is a plus.
I should mention that my copy doesn't show any sign of separation: the glass is pristine.
the Tamron 28-75 replaced it in my bag.