[wgosma]

I guess it depends on how much the new motor will cost for your 60-250. If it's cheaper than a Tamron 70-200, why not go for it?

New motor is less of an expense than replacing the lens; but having had the motor replaced once already I’m a bit gun shy of going that route again. I’ll find a functional used lens (Tamron, etc) that is a true FF design for use with my K-1.

I’ll put the 60-250 up for sale at fair market price; AF motor aside, lens is pristine both mechanically and optically. Let next owner deal with repair.
Thanks/Bill

[normhead]

I guess it depends on how much the new motor will cost for your 60-250. If it's cheaper than a Tamron 70-200, why not go for it?

If the motor has gone twice, there's something else wrong, too much resistance in the focussing elements. Replacing the motor probably won't help for long unless he can find a repair place who can diagnose the problem, not deal with the symptom. I know of no such place.

Just an opinion of course, but the SDM motor in the 60-250 has proved itself to be extremely reliable. There's something else going on. Another problem could be that it's not getting enough power from the camera. Whichever it is, going screw drive may just be "the thing".

[wgosma]

May we’ll be there is an internal issue beyond the motor. However I recall reading several posts a number of years ago about motor failures in both this and the 50-135 model lens- I had one of those lenses also and SDM failed after a few years- that lens I converted to screw drive and never any further issues.

[normhead]

May we’ll be there is an internal issue beyond the motor. However I recall reading several posts a number of years ago about motor failures in both this and the 50-135 model lens- I had one of those lenses also and SDM failed after a few years- that lens I converted to screw drive and never any further issues.

The DA*60-250 was never like the DA* 50-135 and neither was was bad as the DA* 16-50. I didn't even here of an SDM 60-250 failure until recently. At this point in time, what is it? 8 years later? you have to expect there will be some failures.

---

Last edited by normhead; 04-28-2019 at 05:41 PM.

[wgosma]

Perhaps we heard less talk re:60-250 motor issue as the population of those shorter lenses was likely large in comparison to this longer/more costly lens? Then again I could be all wet and just got a lemon...original motor went kaput after 1 year; replacement lasted not all that much longer.

[jatrax]

60-250 was supposed to be a different motor than the 16-50, and since the 16-50 can be moded to screwdrive but the 60-250 cannot I guess there is some anecdotal evidence that it might be. Regardless, the 60-250 had very, very few reported sdm failures in comparison to the 16-50.

Obviously I've no idea which lens sold more or if that had any impact on the total number of failures. But from monitoring this forum over time I would agree with norm, the 60-250 just never had a reputation of failing.
That said, my 60-250 failed after I guess about 5 years of use. I had it repaired and then sold it on with full disclosure. At the time it seemed the 70-200 f/4 was just around the corner but that has not arrived yet leaving me with nothing longer than 105mm, except the 150-450 which is too big for packing.

[normhead]

I'm wondering if there's a 70-200 ƒ4 in my future, but in the meanwhile I'm sure am loving that 55-300 PLM.

Of course, neither of these lenses will work on a K-5. KAF4 is long overdue in terms of having lenses that use it.

---

Last edited by normhead; 04-29-2019 at 05:48 AM.

[pentageek]

Before you decide to buy Tamron, you may want to read this thread on focusing issues. Long story short, quite often Tamron lenses cannot focus in Live View. This is the case of my 70-200, but I don't use LV at all, so it's not a problem. If you are interested in slightly longer FL, I definitely recommend Sigma 100-300/4.

[aslyfox]

if you are interested in the 70 -200 F2.8 lenses

you might want to check out the in depth review of the Pentax D FA * 70-200mm F2.8

not to buy it but for its discussion of third party alternatives to the Pentax model

HD Pentax-D FA* 70-200mm F2.8 ED DC AW
Vs. Other 70-200mm Lenses
It is not our custom to compare reviewed lenses with equivalent offerings from other manufacturers in a standalone review. The lack of interchangeability makes such an exercise pointless since our reviews are targeted for current Pentax users.

However, the introduction of the K-1 Full Frame camera, along with a groups of professional lenses, has the potential to draw the attention of photographers not familiar with Pentax. Because of this, we have created a section of the current review dedicated to comparing the D FA 70-200mm F2.8 with other similar lenses.

This comparison will concentrate on features, specifications, lens design. Except for the Tamron lens, which is available new in Pentax mount and will be fully analyzed later in the review, no optical comparisons will be performed.

Current 70-200mm Lenses

Let us stress a point right at the beginning : there is currently no "bad" 70-200mm lens on the market. While there will be optical differences, these lenses are all high-quality, suitable for enthusiasts and professionals alike. They are all constant aperture, either F2.8 or F4. When a lens exists both with or without image stabilization, only the stabilized version was listed in order to make comparison more accurate with the Pentax system. Similarly, only the most recent version of a lens was included.

Read more at: HD Pentax-D FA* 70-200mm F2.8 ED DC AW Review - Vs. Other 70-200mm Lenses | PentaxForums.com Reviews