[Ronald Oakes]

we'd joke that the 'J' stands for 'junk'...

ROFLOL.....very true!

[pres589]

The DA 50-200 is my choice for worst Pentax lens I have owned. I've had more poor 3rd party lenses than Pentax glass (Albinar 28mm f2.8, that goofball Ricoh 55mm f2.8 M42 prime which I think is a triplet design, maybe that Sears branded (probably made by Chinon) 50mm f1.9 due to the horribly loose feel of the thing, but I think it's an abused copy).


I really need to sell some glass...

[UncleVanya]

The DA 50-200 is my choice for worst Pentax lens I have owned. I've had more poor 3rd party lenses than Pentax glass (Albinar 28mm f2.8, that goofball Ricoh 55mm f2.8 M42 prime which I think is a triplet design, maybe that Sears branded (probably made by Chinon) 50mm f1.9 due to the horribly loose feel of the thing, but I think it's an abused copy).


I really need to sell some glass...

I owned a copy of that lens. The first Pentax dslr I bought was a used k100d super with two lenses I bought off Craigslist. It came with the DA 18-55 and the DA 50-200 which were part of the original kit. I took that camera and those lenses to Paris about 16 years ago. Although the da 50-200 isn’t considered great today it was passable on the 6mp sensor and I was quite happy to have the extra reach it offered over the 18-55 in such a small compact and light lens.

But yes it’s not great, particularly by modern standards.

[clackers]

FWIW, here are the most miserable K-mount lenses DxOMark have tested.

Attached Images

 

[pres589]

Surprised to see the Sigma 8-16 on a list of "miserable" lenses. I have never used that lens but Digitalis spoke highly of it in the past which to me was a pretty positive thing.

As for the DA 50-200, it is quite small and light but I only started liked playing with it when I got a cheap set of close focusing filters and played around that way. I don't really care for the DA 35 f2.4 but at least it's sharp wide open and has a bit of a speed advantage over the zooms I own.

[bdery]

The silver FA 100-300 f/4.7-5.8. Cheap-o plastic mount, loosey-goosey barrel, sloppy focus, wobbly zoom, & everything. Images softer than meringue. Oh, but at least it provides pretty purple fringe coloration if you like that sort of thing.

Maybe I got a defective unit. It did come from a garage sale. Or maybe the cheap build makes it defective by design. LOL!

I'm sure you got a defective unit, because my copy convinced me to sell my Vivitar series 1 70-210... I only replaced it with the 60-250.

Original question, worst lenses ever made by Pentax, probably the cheap kit zooms from the end of the film era. 28-80 and all such lenses.

[ZombieArmy]

Some of the responses in this thread are HILARIOUS!!

The DA 40/2.8 Limited? Really?? The worst EVER?? It may be a little boring, but it's technically brilliant. Seriously, get real.

The DA 35/2.4? I have never used it, but I've seen LOTS of brilliant images from it, and it's not called the Plastic Fantastic for nothing.

All the Limiteds except for the 20-40? LOL. I can't even.

The worst Pentax lens I have ever used is the Q07 Mount Shield lens. Fixed aperture, no focus ring, one plastic element. But do you know what? After spending a month using it daily I like what it can uniquely do. It's a keeper.

I have no doubt the many kit zooms of the film era are genuinely bad lenses, and maybe some of the 50/2.0 kit primes might be a bit limiting. But I am confident in saying I have not experienced Pentax's worst lens ever. And I have owned quite a few.

This is not an objective thread by any means. It's more what they think is the worst. And no amount of protest will make me change my mind on the M200

[myrdinn]

I owned a copy of that lens. The first Pentax dslr I bought was a used k100d super with two lenses I bought off Craigslist. It came with the DA 18-55 and the DA 50-200 which were part of the original kit. I took that camera and those lenses to Paris about 16 years ago. Although the da 50-200 isn’t considered great today it was passable on the 6mp sensor and I was quite happy to have the extra reach it offered over the 18-55 in such a small compact and light lens.

But yes it’s not great, particularly by modern standards.

I bought the 50-200 as a kit together with my K10. I used it for two months, and after that it disappeared into my cupboard where it still is. The photos made with the lens were never really sharp, and the colours were soft and grayish. I deciced to save some money for the cheapest version of the 55-300 lens. That was a relief!. Finally a useful telezoom. I kept using it with my next camera, the K5, and I even keep using it with my current camera, the K1-II. Now, finally, I touch the limits of the lens - which is understandable - but even now it's still worth its money. It's waaay better than the useless 50-200.

[UncleVanya]

I bought the 50-200 as a kit together with my K10. I used it for two months, and after that it disappeared into my cupboard where it still is. The photos made with the lens were never really sharp, and the colours were soft and grayish. I deciced to save some money for the cheapest version of the 55-300 lens. That was a relief!. Finally a useful telezoom. I kept using it with my next camera, the K5, and I even keep using it with my current camera, the K1-II. Now, finally, I touch the limits of the lens - which is understandable - but even now it's still worth its money. It's waaay better than the useless 50-200.

Sure. The k10d is nearly 2x the resolution of the k100d super so it isn’t surprising that it was passable for me and unacceptable for you. And I agree that even the most basic 55-300 is optically far better than the 50-200.

[tranq78]

FAJ 75-300mm is my pick

[UncleVanya]

Pentax has such a long history of great lenses and so many lenses it is interesting to see the different answers to this question. Finding a bad lens in the gems isn’t always easy, but we still seem to find one or two we complain about.

[bdery]

This is not an objective thread by any means. It's more what they think is the worst.

Agreed. However, I also agree about that comment. Naming any limited "Worst" is, at very least, uninformed. Naming lenses like any 50 or any 35 also.

[luftfluss]

Right now I'm feeling the HD DA 20-40 is the worst Pentax lens ever made, because both copies I've owned - one used, one new - have malfunctioned.

[Waffles]

Right now I'm feeling the HD DA 20-40 is the worst Pentax lens ever made, because both copies I've owned - one used, one new - have malfunctioned.

May I ask what went wrong with your copies? Same issue for both?

[BarneyL]

DA 18-270.

Can someone explain the reasoning behind the pricing of this lens?