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View Poll Results: Is this DA*16-50mm good or bad?
Keep it -- it's good. 2388.46%
Return it or send it in for repair. 311.54%
Voters: 26. You may not vote on this poll

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08-03-2008, 03:15 AM   #781
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Just like any new lenses you are going to purchase, there is a risk of bad quality control.

I think it is less of a problem these days.

08-04-2008, 05:37 PM   #782
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New Batch of 16-50mm f2.8 seems perfect!

Bought this lens last week,took it for a test drive on my Gx10 and k100super, it performed perfectly on both,silent,fast focusing,very sharp...does exactly what it says on the tin. Also tried on a focus test chart,it looks spot on,and didnt see any purple fringing in high contrast situations either.

The SN. is 9027****,whats more significant is that there is a notification in the box regarding the hoya take-over which is dated 01-03-2008,so i presume this is one of a new batch made after that date.

I nearly went for the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8,because of the issuses reported by other members here. Now im glad i didnt,as soon as i tried the SDM,there is no going back!!!

It looks good,it feels good,it sounds silently good!!
08-04-2008, 05:42 PM   #783
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I returned a 902 16-50 lens as it was less sharp than the 901 lens i tried before it. so i wouldnt jump the gun and say any batch is going to be any better than another at this point.

oh and the 902 lens had the hoya notice in the box as well
08-04-2008, 07:40 PM   #784
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Why that most complaints about this lens seem to be from american users??

I think the problem with this lens is a camera issue more than anything else,K10D did have some problems.

My Gx10(updated to 1.3) And K100 super seem fine!

BTW,the lens was out of stock that day,then came from Pentax UK the next day because the shop is a Pentax Pro Centre which deals directly with Pentax UK.

Never buy a lens on line if you have a choice,take your own camera to a shop and try a lens on it,its not that hard to tell if the lens is good or bad. I tried the 50-135mm they have on display,5 shots later i could tell it was faulty!! but it wont stop me from buying it (not the faulty one obviously!)

08-05-2008, 01:36 AM   #785
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QuoteQuote:
Never buy a lens on line if you have a choice
I choose to buy online from the USA because it saves me hundreds on Pentax lenses. I have not had trouble so far, fingers crossed as I am aware of the downside, but the upside of being able to afford such lenses outweighs the downside


Neil
08-06-2008, 10:14 PM   #786
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Glad you like the lens.I have the 901****series and getting awesome pics. This is one lens that I wouldnt part with.
08-06-2008, 10:47 PM   #787
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I have used this lens on both my k10&k20 with no problems.I do have a pic in the gallery shot with this lens.This was shot with the k10.

08-07-2008, 07:33 PM   #788
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Between this lens,sigma 18-50mm f2.8 and tamron 17-50mm f2.8,believe me,the forever-lasting build quality,weather seal, and SDM of Pentax DA Star is worth every extra penny you pay.

As i said, don't buy it on line,pop down to a shop if you can,it doesn't take long to check the focus correctness and edge sharpness,any magazines or books would do the trick.It probably took me 10 shots in the shop to conclude that the lens is focusing fine,edges are ok,and the IQ is much better than the kit lens. Oh,also a word of warning,at f2.8 indoors,it doesn't look the same as when you stop it down a bit,the same goes for all other fast lens of any brand!!! Watch your shutter speed too while testing inside a shop,bump up the ISO or use a external flash if necessary.

From now on for me, any lens i buy has to be SDM or HSM. Once I heard the focusing sound(or the lack of it),there is just no way back back for me...
08-07-2008, 07:45 PM   #789
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QuoteOriginally posted by pentaxdude Quote
Glad you like the lens.I have the 901****series and getting awesome pics. This is one lens that I wouldnt part with.
Me too! I haven't done any focus checks on the lens, never felt the need to do so. Except for some of the macro shots, all of the pics on my blog were with either this lens or the 50-135. Here is a link to my blog:

A Pentaxian's Photo Blog

Cheers! Mike.
08-08-2008, 11:40 PM   #790
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return or not? DA*16-50, sticking zoom ring.....

After absolutely loving my DA* 50-135mm (what a great lens), I decided to purchase the DA* 16-50mm too.

It had been sitting for some time on the shelf of the local store, but they matched the best deal I could find here in Canada so I supported the local store and bought it.

The lens seems to focus fine and takes a good picture from the limited testing I've done with it.

Problem is, more than half the time I turn the zoom ring it "sticks" near the 28mm mark. Sometimes it turns smooth ( pretty much always is smooth down from 50mm-16mm, sometimes up from 16mm-50mm) but never as smooth feeling as the 50-135mm. About every 4th time I turn it past 28mm it binds to the point where I have to readjust my grip and add torque.

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this? If so did it go away with use or get worse? I'm thinking a o-ring might be dry after sitting without use for so long on the shelf of the store, but if that is the case would use make it worse or better?

The shop I purchased from is great and would gladly exchange it or return it, they have a lot of patience with me as I'm a bit particular when spending so much money on a lens.

As for the lens, it's obviously not designed as well as the DA* 50-135mm, but then again they are two different beasts and a wide zoom isn't the easiest thing to make I'm sure. The DA* 16-50mm is a much better built piece of machinery than the Tamron 17-50 F2.8 I returned last week, the build and quality control are far superior (as is the price though). The Tamron actually had a visible defect on the inside of the rear element, and it searched forever for focus in poor light indoors (poor, not bad light).

Overall, if the zoom ring would be a bit more smooth, and if the lens didn't extend when using the zoom, then I would consider the DA* 16-50mm F2.8 a perfect lens for my needs. If the zoom ring loosens up then it'll be a 9 out of 10

I see why people who have good examples of this lens just love it. If anyone is sitting on the fence trying to decide whether to purchase one or not, I say do it.

Thanks in advance for any replies, your effort and time taken to respond is appreciated.
08-09-2008, 12:53 AM   #791
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It is normal for it to stick a little. 28mm is where the 2nd barrel comes out. Also, the resistance varies depending on if you have the lens pointed up or down.
08-09-2008, 01:19 AM   #792
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I just bought the DA* 50-135 so I've had a chance to compare the feeling of that one with the DA*16-50.

I've had the DA*16-50 for quite some time now and it's an excellent lens if you get a good copy. I was a little quirked also when it stuck a bit at 28mm, but that's normal. As GoSharks mentioned, it's when the second barrel comes out so there's a bit more resistance. My understanding is also that the weather sealing probably has something to do with that too? (Correct me if I'm wrong)

Anyways, I now officially love the DA*16-50, even with a bit of the sticking. If it sticks and jams up (where you have to REALLY REALLY force it to move) then that's a different story. But just give it a bit more muscle juice to twist after 28mm and it should be okay once you get used to it.
08-09-2008, 06:03 AM   #793
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QuoteOriginally posted by LSR Quote
About every 4th time I turn it past 28mm it binds to the point where I have to readjust my grip and add torque.
If you have to re-adjust your grip, I'd say bring it back.
08-09-2008, 10:36 AM   #794
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Same here, never considered the sticking a problem.
08-09-2008, 11:22 AM   #795
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It is the first thing I noticed about this lens, it seems normal to me.
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