Tamron A06P 28-300 zoom vs K200D

madbrain · 06-19-2008, 06:09 PM

I just met with someone who had a used Tamron A06P for sale at a very good price ($125) . This is a 28-300 zoom. I tried it on my K200D. The camera wouldn't autofocus. It just said "F" on the top screen.

The seller said he was using it with a K100D previously, and it was autofocusing just fine with that camera.

I thought the K200D was compatible with old Pentax lenses ?

Did the lens autofocus lens compatibility change between the K100D and K200D ?

Because of this problem, I didn't buy the lens.

k100d · 06-19-2008, 06:15 PM

the lens should work, i have a 28-200 that works fine
perhaps the aperture ring wasn't set to "A"

madbrain · 06-19-2008, 06:25 PM

Originally posted by k100d

the lens should work, i have a 28-200 that works fine
perhaps the aperture ring wasn't set to "A"

Do you have a K200D or K100D ?

I didn't see an A setting on the lens. But the previous owner should have known to set it if there was one since I was mainly testing it for autofocus.

My camera was set to AF.

NicholasN · 06-19-2008, 06:37 PM

That was because the aperture ring was not set to A.

I used the same lens on the K20D and it worked fine.

k100d · 06-19-2008, 07:01 PM

Originally posted by madbrain

I didn't see an A setting on the lens. But the previous owner should have known to set it if there was one since I was mainly testing it for autofocus.

look at the photos here for the 28-200, the 28-300 should be similar
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/photographer-s-marketplace/25134-fs-50mm-...5-6-xr-if.html

ericc · 06-19-2008, 08:28 PM

I have that same lens and it AFs just fine on my K10D and *ist DS. In fact, mine is for sale in the marketplace for that same price.

My guess is the like the others, you had the aperture ring off the A position. FWIW, you should go into the custom menu and turn on the setting that allows you to use lenses without an A position.

rfortson · 06-20-2008, 12:58 PM

Correct, the aperature ring wasn't set to "A" or your camera wasn't set to permit the aperature ring to be moved.

I had this lens and thought it was a great bargain at the $150 I paid for it. I also made the same mistake you or the seller is making in thinking it wasn't working. I sold the lens as I now have the 18-250 and when I put it on the guy's camera for him to try out, all I got was the flashing "F--". My heart sank and then I felt like the guy was thinking I was trying to cheat him. Then the little light clicked on in my head and I set the aperature ring to A. Everything was fine.

BTW, I loved that lens and in many ways liked it better than the newer 18-250. Since it's a full frame lens, you won't get any vignetting, and I thought the chromatic abberations were well controlled (as they are on the 18-250). In the end I found that I did use the range between 18mm and 28mm, though I'm still not sure it was worth the cost difference.

madbrain · 06-20-2008, 02:42 PM

Hi,

Originally posted by rfortson

Correct, the aperature ring wasn't set to "A" or your camera wasn't set to permit the aperature ring to be moved.

I had this lens and thought it was a great bargain at the $150 I paid for it. I also made the same mistake you or the seller is making in thinking it wasn't working. I sold the lens as I now have the 18-250 and when I put it on the guy's camera for him to try out, all I got was the flashing "F--". My heart sank and then I felt like the guy was thinking I was trying to cheat him. Then the little light clicked on in my head and I set the aperature ring to A. Everything was fine.

BTW, I loved that lens and in many ways liked it better than the newer 18-250. Since it's a full frame lens, you won't get any vignetting, and I thought the chromatic abberations were well controlled (as they are on the 18-250). In the end I found that I did use the range between 18mm and 28mm, though I'm still not sure it was worth the cost difference.

Thanks. I will meet the owner again on monday. I hope it works. If it does, it will be my 3rd lens this month.

I do use the range between 18 and 28 also. I would even like lower than 18 . Right now I have the DA 18-55 and DA 50-200. I like the image quality of the DAs and the price was unbeatable. But I don't like changing the lenses as frequently as I do. I think the Tamron 28-300 will be more practical for my upcoming vacation. If it works I will take that and the 18-55, and perhaps leave the 50-200 at home.

I still need a wide angle lens. If the Tamron is of sufficient quality, I might sell both DA's to get a Sigma 10-20. Hmm. That still would leave a hole between 20 and 28 .... Sigh. Maybe I'll just sell the DA 50-200 and keep the 18-55. I don't really want to carry more than 2 lenses. Anyone got a 10-300 lens

?

Oh, and I have only had my K200D for 3 weeks. Can you say LBA ?

madbrain · 06-23-2008, 05:53 PM

It turns out that the lens wasn't in A . I just wasn't familiar with lenses with an aperture ring. I am now the new owner of a Tamron 28-300 .
I will do some image comparisons with my DA 18-55 and DA 50-200 in the ranges where they overlap with the Tamron.

If the Tamron is good enough, I might sell my DA 50-200, since its range overlaps completely with the Tamron.

I will also take some more moonshots at 300 tonight. I hope to get a little more detail than I did at 200.

Oh, and I also am getting a Sigma 10-20 - Mom's birthday present

.

rfortson · 06-23-2008, 10:17 PM

Congrats! I think you got a good deal, especially if it performs like mine did. It's a very handy lens. It also focuses around 18" throughout the zoom range, and at full zoom you'll get some "macro"-like images. Also very handy for traveling!

madbrain · 06-24-2008, 01:34 AM

Originally posted by rfortson

Congrats! I think you got a good deal, especially if it performs like mine did. It's a very handy lens. It also focuses around 18" throughout the zoom range, and at full zoom you'll get some "macro"-like images. Also very handy for traveling!

It seems to be doing OK so far, but I haven't had any interesting subject yet. The moon was not out tonight.

I think I will carry mostly this one, and the Sigma 10-20 when it arrives in the next couple of days, on my trip to Paris . I may visit London and Amsterdam also. The DA 50-200 is definitely staying at home as it is duplicate range of the Tamron. Still thinking whether I will take the DA 18-55 . That would be needed only for the 20-28 range. I can't fit 3 lenses in my camera bag. I could take it in a separate lens case. But it probably would go unused.

madbrain · 06-24-2008, 02:36 AM

Never mind, the moon finally decided to show itself.

This is the best I got with the Tamron, handheld with SR, after about 20 shots, no PP, crop :

300mm, 1/90, F8.0, ISO 200.
I tried many shots at ISO 100, but everything was always underexposed, unlike with the DA 50-200. I also had to use longer exposure, 1/90 vs 1/80 with the DA. The color of the moon is also different. It comes out yellowish, which is not what it looked like to my eyes. I think the color of the DA 50-200 is more color accurate. To be fair to the Tamron, there is much more 3D detail than with the DA, but that's probably because it's at 300mm, and also the moon wasn't full.

I didn't take shots on the same day, but this is what I got with the DA last week at 200mm, 1/180, F9.5, ISO 100, also handheld, no PP crop :

I have to get some sleep now.

06-19-2008, 06:09 PM	#1
madbrain Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,341	Tamron A06P 28-300 zoom vs K200D I just met with someone who had a used Tamron A06P for sale at a very good price ($125) . This is a 28-300 zoom. I tried it on my K200D. The camera wouldn't autofocus. It just said "F" on the top screen. The seller said he was using it with a K100D previously, and it was autofocusing just fine with that camera. I thought the K200D was compatible with old Pentax lenses ? Did the lens autofocus lens compatibility change between the K100D and K200D ? Because of this problem, I didn't buy the lens.

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06-19-2008, 06:15 PM	#2
k100d Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 3,911	the lens should work, i have a 28-200 that works fine perhaps the aperture ring wasn't set to "A"

06-19-2008, 06:25 PM	#3
madbrain Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,341 Original Poster	Originally posted by k100d the lens should work, i have a 28-200 that works fine perhaps the aperture ring wasn't set to "A" Do you have a K200D or K100D ? I didn't see an A setting on the lens. But the previous owner should have known to set it if there was one since I was mainly testing it for autofocus. My camera was set to AF.

06-19-2008, 06:37 PM	#4
NicholasN Inactive Account Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 301	That was because the aperture ring was not set to A. I used the same lens on the K20D and it worked fine.

06-19-2008, 07:01 PM	#5
k100d Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 3,911	Originally posted by madbrain I didn't see an A setting on the lens. But the previous owner should have known to set it if there was one since I was mainly testing it for autofocus. look at the photos here for the 28-200, the 28-300 should be similar https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/photographer-s-marketplace/25134-fs-50mm-...5-6-xr-if.html

06-19-2008, 08:28 PM	#6
ericc Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Western Oklahoma Posts: 412	I have that same lens and it AFs just fine on my K10D and *ist DS. In fact, mine is for sale in the marketplace for that same price. My guess is the like the others, you had the aperture ring off the A position. FWIW, you should go into the custom menu and turn on the setting that allows you to use lenses without an A position.

06-20-2008, 12:58 PM	#7
rfortson Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Houston TX Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,129	Correct, the aperature ring wasn't set to "A" or your camera wasn't set to permit the aperature ring to be moved. I had this lens and thought it was a great bargain at the $150 I paid for it. I also made the same mistake you or the seller is making in thinking it wasn't working. I sold the lens as I now have the 18-250 and when I put it on the guy's camera for him to try out, all I got was the flashing "F--". My heart sank and then I felt like the guy was thinking I was trying to cheat him. Then the little light clicked on in my head and I set the aperature ring to A. Everything was fine. BTW, I loved that lens and in many ways liked it better than the newer 18-250. Since it's a full frame lens, you won't get any vignetting, and I thought the chromatic abberations were well controlled (as they are on the 18-250). In the end I found that I did use the range between 18mm and 28mm, though I'm still not sure it was worth the cost difference.

06-20-2008, 02:42 PM	#8
madbrain Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,341 Original Poster	Hi, Originally posted by rfortson Correct, the aperature ring wasn't set to "A" or your camera wasn't set to permit the aperature ring to be moved. I had this lens and thought it was a great bargain at the $150 I paid for it. I also made the same mistake you or the seller is making in thinking it wasn't working. I sold the lens as I now have the 18-250 and when I put it on the guy's camera for him to try out, all I got was the flashing "F--". My heart sank and then I felt like the guy was thinking I was trying to cheat him. Then the little light clicked on in my head and I set the aperature ring to A. Everything was fine. BTW, I loved that lens and in many ways liked it better than the newer 18-250. Since it's a full frame lens, you won't get any vignetting, and I thought the chromatic abberations were well controlled (as they are on the 18-250). In the end I found that I did use the range between 18mm and 28mm, though I'm still not sure it was worth the cost difference. Thanks. I will meet the owner again on monday. I hope it works. If it does, it will be my 3rd lens this month. I do use the range between 18 and 28 also. I would even like lower than 18 . Right now I have the DA 18-55 and DA 50-200. I like the image quality of the DAs and the price was unbeatable. But I don't like changing the lenses as frequently as I do. I think the Tamron 28-300 will be more practical for my upcoming vacation. If it works I will take that and the 18-55, and perhaps leave the 50-200 at home. I still need a wide angle lens. If the Tamron is of sufficient quality, I might sell both DA's to get a Sigma 10-20. Hmm. That still would leave a hole between 20 and 28 .... Sigh. Maybe I'll just sell the DA 50-200 and keep the 18-55. I don't really want to carry more than 2 lenses. Anyone got a 10-300 lens ? Oh, and I have only had my K200D for 3 weeks. Can you say LBA ?

06-23-2008, 05:53 PM	#9
madbrain Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,341 Original Poster	It turns out that the lens wasn't in A . I just wasn't familiar with lenses with an aperture ring. I am now the new owner of a Tamron 28-300 . I will do some image comparisons with my DA 18-55 and DA 50-200 in the ranges where they overlap with the Tamron. If the Tamron is good enough, I might sell my DA 50-200, since its range overlaps completely with the Tamron. I will also take some more moonshots at 300 tonight. I hope to get a little more detail than I did at 200. Oh, and I also am getting a Sigma 10-20 - Mom's birthday present .

06-23-2008, 10:17 PM	#10
rfortson Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Houston TX Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,129	Congrats! I think you got a good deal, especially if it performs like mine did. It's a very handy lens. It also focuses around 18" throughout the zoom range, and at full zoom you'll get some "macro"-like images. Also very handy for traveling!

06-24-2008, 01:34 AM	#11
madbrain Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,341 Original Poster	Originally posted by rfortson Congrats! I think you got a good deal, especially if it performs like mine did. It's a very handy lens. It also focuses around 18" throughout the zoom range, and at full zoom you'll get some "macro"-like images. Also very handy for traveling! It seems to be doing OK so far, but I haven't had any interesting subject yet. The moon was not out tonight. I think I will carry mostly this one, and the Sigma 10-20 when it arrives in the next couple of days, on my trip to Paris . I may visit London and Amsterdam also. The DA 50-200 is definitely staying at home as it is duplicate range of the Tamron. Still thinking whether I will take the DA 18-55 . That would be needed only for the 20-28 range. I can't fit 3 lenses in my camera bag. I could take it in a separate lens case. But it probably would go unused.

06-24-2008, 02:36 AM	#12
madbrain Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,341 Original Poster	Never mind, the moon finally decided to show itself. This is the best I got with the Tamron, handheld with SR, after about 20 shots, no PP, crop : 300mm, 1/90, F8.0, ISO 200. I tried many shots at ISO 100, but everything was always underexposed, unlike with the DA 50-200. I also had to use longer exposure, 1/90 vs 1/80 with the DA. The color of the moon is also different. It comes out yellowish, which is not what it looked like to my eyes. I think the color of the DA 50-200 is more color accurate. To be fair to the Tamron, there is much more 3D detail than with the DA, but that's probably because it's at 300mm, and also the moon wasn't full. I didn't take shots on the same day, but this is what I got with the DA last week at 200mm, 1/180, F9.5, ISO 100, also handheld, no PP crop : I have to get some sleep now.