[le_roi_ponpon]

Attached is an excel file with SN and perceived quality as of March 6, 2009. I hope there are no typos (I did not check twice)... Cheers, Grégoire.

Attached Files

16-50_GoB-6mar09.zip (3.4 KB, 417 views)

[tinyt187]

Bought this from Willoughby's through Amazon. I fitted it to my brand new K20D, and the SDM worked AMAZING! I put it on C-AF, and it was like it knew where I wanted to focus before I did.

But, when I switched over to MF (the way the manuals say), it wouldn't focus at all. Then I noticed that I couldn't "touch up" in AF.

I've called Willoughby's, and they are going to exchange it for me with no problems. Can't wait for the new one. This is my first professional lens, and I am dieing to use it!

Well Stooley, it's a small world. I like yourself, ordered from Willoughby's via Amazon on Feb 16th and ended up with your Serial #9025929 and I immediately knew that it had been repackaged. For Sh*ts and giggles, I decided to try a few test shots and of course, very poor results.

A quick call to Willoughby's and mentioning this Lens DB thread, the rep denied all plausibility that they'd do such a thing as repackage a return and sell it as new (as it states "factory fresh" on the invoice). After realizing his err, he then was quick to pay for UPS to pick it up and happy to 2nd day Air a new one with a promise of throwing in a free filter for my troubles.

Long story short, no filter with the replacement Lens but so far this replacement copy (#9025332) is a gem!

After another call to them, the filter is supposedly on it's way... crossing fingers :-/

[frostugh]

A quick call to Willoughby's and mentioning this Lens DB thread, the rep denied all plausibility that they'd do such a thing as repackage a return and sell it as new (as it states "factory fresh" on the invoice).

You know, I think this is the nail in the coffin for Willoughby's for me. I can't remember if I've actually bought anything from them (though I'm thinking I have), but I had my doubts about them. They blatantly ripped off this application's icon for use on their website. I reported that to the developers and the icon has since been taken down. I've always thought unabashed theft like that is pretty sleazy, but this repackaging is also disturbing.

[lawsonstone]

I have 9030029 and it's a good one, at least so far. In fact, it's wonderful.

[stooley]

Well Stooley, it's a small world. I like yourself, ordered from Willoughby's via Amazon on Feb 16th and ended up with your Serial #9025929 and I immediately knew that it had been repackaged. For Sh*ts and giggles, I decided to try a few test shots and of course, very poor results.

A quick call to Willoughby's and mentioning this Lens DB thread, the rep denied all plausibility that they'd do such a thing as repackage a return and sell it as new (as it states "factory fresh" on the invoice). After realizing his err, he then was quick to pay for UPS to pick it up and happy to 2nd day Air a new one with a promise of throwing in a free filter for my troubles.

Long story short, no filter with the replacement Lens but so far this replacement copy (#9025332) is a gem!

After another call to them, the filter is supposedly on it's way... crossing fingers :-/

This is crazy! I never thought that adding a serial number online would help prove the laziness of a company. Hilarious!

[andrea_peverali]

9024500 and is good

[wtlwdwgn]

9015311 2nd failed SDM. Pentax is replacing the lens even though it's out of warranty.

[blackcloudbrew]

I got mine *gasp* used from Adorama s/n 9012226. Works fine and no problems.

Tim

[roy4core]

Tomorrow I get mine and hope this lens will make sharper picture than my kit lens from my Pentax k-m just ask the shop for serial number and he said it's starting with 902
Can somebody tell me if this is a good serial number because seen on this forum that there are several problems

[EricT]

Tomorrow I get mine and hope this lens will make sharper picture than my kit lens from my Pentax k-m just ask the shop for serial number and he said it's starting with 902
Can somebody tell me if this is a good serial number because seen on this forum that there are several problems

If you had read this thread, you would have seen that there does not seem to be a correlation between serial number and lens quality. You will have to run some tests with the lens yourself.

[hlpentax]

Just got my replacement 16-50mm #9021442 and it is nice and sharp. It replaced #9027536 that was no good. Now I sell my sigma 18-50 2.8.

[FengyBoy]

Mine is 9028958 and it's a good one. Bought from SRS Microsystems, which is one of the official Pentax retailers in UK.

[ZoT]

9018072 is OK!!! buy in Italy

[ZigDaPig]

Just a follow-up on the thread (pages 11 and 19) :

Since I seemed to have no other option, I agreed to have the lens repaired (which would mean that I'd have to pay > 500$).
(The other options were that they would not send it back at all, or send it back unrepaired, so those were no real options...)

So I sent a mail to the headquarters of Pentax Germany and Japan, that I had not dropped the lens, and therefore, did not find it correct that I had to pay the repair costs.
At about the same time I received my lens back (and paid for it), I received an answer from Pentax, stating that I could send it back to Pentax Germany directly, and they would then have another look at the lens.

This is the first part which I don't understand at all, because it had been repaired already, so sending it back would not allow them to see the original issue.

So I decided not to do this, and try to put this whole horrid story (and the loss of money, equivalent to the price of a DA* 55mm 1.4 lens) behind me, since I finally had my lens back and it was repaired.

But guess what : I only used the lens for a couple of shots, and the more I started using it, the slower the AF became... It went from slow, to sluggish, to reeaaally sluggish, and then it finally completely stopped working (over a short period of time).
Now, I had no other option than to send it back, so after contacting Pentax again, I sent it to Pentax Germany directly.

Now, 2 weeks later, I am very surprised to receive a brand new lens !
This is the 2nd part I don't get : if the lens was a "good" lens, which broke because I dropped it, they would have repaired it again.
Now that they sent me a brand new lens, I am almost certain that the original lens really had some defect which they could not fix, hence it would have been a "bad" lens all along from the start !

So, on the one hand (although I did not try it yet, cross my fingers !) I am happy to receive a new copy of the lens,
but on the other hand, I am now even more confident that they made me pay
> 500 $ for repairing a copy which should not have been put on the market in the first place.

At least for Pakhead, the guy on this forum who had exactly the same issues as I did, they directly replaced his lens from the first time, without charging repair costs (he also had the loose part inside the lens, something of which Pentax claims to me that it cannot happen unless I dropped the lens).

So PentaxPoke, I think your reply to Pakhead's post
("That is the worst experience I have heard yet with this lens.")
can be revised...

[ZigDaPig]

Oh, just for the record,

the bad lens I sent back twice already, has the serial nr. 9014563,
and has now been replaced by Pentax with :

9028147 (Still have to test this one...)

Z.