Tell me your experience with the 16-45

jmbradd · 04-29-2009, 10:22 PM

Personally I love it. I didn't have an unlimited budget and wanted to get something that could do a decently wide angle and still do "normal" and this lens was perfect for those requirements. Some distortion but it corrects pretty well with ptlens.

I take probably 75% of my pictures with this.(not like that should mean anything)

One word of caution , it blocks the onboard flash on the wide end so keep that in mind.

This lens, like all lenses, work best when used in situations they're more likely to succeed than fail.

res3567 · 04-29-2009, 11:06 PM

Ok, so far so good.

The odd thing is that it zooms out for wide angle?????

I aint use to that!

cooldude14es · 04-30-2009, 12:30 AM

Originally posted by res3567

Ok, so far so good.

The odd thing is that it zooms out for wide angle?????

I aint use to that!

Yes, I also thought it was weird but you will get use to it. Nice lens.

ftpaddict · 04-30-2009, 12:31 AM

Originally posted by res3567

Ok, so far so good.

The odd thing is that it zooms out for wide angle?????

I aint use to that!

I got so used to it, I expect every other wide-angle lens I use to do that.

Arjay Bee · 04-30-2009, 04:13 AM

I do PJ stuff for my work and for the local newspaper and it is the lens that I rely on when I need fast accurate focus. It just works and is the default lens on my cam most of the time - I choose other lenses for special purposes outside of the capabilities of that lens.

mikeSF · 04-30-2009, 05:04 AM

i am sure you will have fun with your new 16-45. I enjoy mine very much and have little to say in addition to what i put in my lens review for this lens (26 of them here: Pentax Lens Review Database - 16-45mm F4).
this is the most "contrasty" lens i have which i see as a very good thing. i do get vignetting on the 16mm wide shots, especially noticable on landscapes when the sky darkens up in the corners.
i never tried the *16-50 so i dont know how much better it gets, BUT, i have owned 2 copies of the DA 18-55 kit lens and this is a very obvious step up in IQ from those, no question.
I also used to own a very nice Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 EX and oddly i found the 18mm mark on this lens was slightly wider than the Sigma at 18mm and the 45mm mark on this lens zoomed closer to the subject than the 50mm mark on the Sigma...strange.

res3567 · 05-01-2009, 12:59 AM

Originally posted by mikeSF

i am sure you will have fun with your new 16-45. I enjoy mine very much and have little to say in addition to what i put in my lens review for this lens (26 of them here: Pentax Lens Review Database - 16-45mm F4).
this is the most "contrasty" lens i have which i see as a very good thing. i do get vignetting on the 16mm wide shots, especially noticable on landscapes when the sky darkens up in the corners.
i never tried the *16-50 so i dont know how much better it gets, BUT, i have owned 2 copies of the DA 18-55 kit lens and this is a very obvious step up in IQ from those, no question.
I also used to own a very nice Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 EX and oddly i found the 18mm mark on this lens was slightly wider than the Sigma at 18mm and the 45mm mark on this lens zoomed closer to the subject than the 50mm mark on the Sigma...strange.

Thank you! Very interesting!

K100Dave · 05-01-2009, 06:40 AM

If it were not for my DA 35 LTD, then this lens would almost never leave my K20D. As mentioned before, it is surprisingly good at close focusing work.

**rparmar** · 05-01-2009, 09:28 AM

It's a great lens for all the reasons mentioned above: light, good range, cheap, sharp to the corners. I bought it instead of the DA*16-50 since i didn't need the extra weight and one stop in this range is not that important to me, since I have faster primes anyway. I don't use zooms often, but I can't see myself selling it.

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04-29-2009, 10:22 PM	#16
jmbradd Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Portland, OR Photos: Albums Posts: 325	Personally I love it. I didn't have an unlimited budget and wanted to get something that could do a decently wide angle and still do "normal" and this lens was perfect for those requirements. Some distortion but it corrects pretty well with ptlens. I take probably 75% of my pictures with this.(not like that should mean anything) One word of caution , it blocks the onboard flash on the wide end so keep that in mind. This lens, like all lenses, work best when used in situations they're more likely to succeed than fail.

04-29-2009, 11:06 PM	#17
res3567 Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Houston Tx. Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,876 Original Poster	Ok, so far so good. The odd thing is that it zooms out for wide angle????? I aint use to that!

04-30-2009, 12:30 AM	#18
cooldude14es Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Barcelona, Spain Posts: 264	Originally posted by res3567 Ok, so far so good. The odd thing is that it zooms out for wide angle????? I aint use to that! Yes, I also thought it was weird but you will get use to it. Nice lens.

04-30-2009, 12:31 AM	#19
ftpaddict Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Yurp Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,666	Originally posted by res3567 Ok, so far so good. The odd thing is that it zooms out for wide angle????? I aint use to that! I got so used to it, I expect every other wide-angle lens I use to do that.

04-30-2009, 04:13 AM	#20
Arjay Bee Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Horn Island, Torres Straits, Q Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,715	I do PJ stuff for my work and for the local newspaper and it is the lens that I rely on when I need fast accurate focus. It just works and is the default lens on my cam most of the time - I choose other lenses for special purposes outside of the capabilities of that lens.

04-30-2009, 05:04 AM	#21
mikeSF Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,622	i am sure you will have fun with your new 16-45. I enjoy mine very much and have little to say in addition to what i put in my lens review for this lens (26 of them here: Pentax Lens Review Database - 16-45mm F4). this is the most "contrasty" lens i have which i see as a very good thing. i do get vignetting on the 16mm wide shots, especially noticable on landscapes when the sky darkens up in the corners. i never tried the *16-50 so i dont know how much better it gets, BUT, i have owned 2 copies of the DA 18-55 kit lens and this is a very obvious step up in IQ from those, no question. I also used to own a very nice Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 EX and oddly i found the 18mm mark on this lens was slightly wider than the Sigma at 18mm and the 45mm mark on this lens zoomed closer to the subject than the 50mm mark on the Sigma...strange.

05-01-2009, 12:59 AM	#22
res3567 Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Houston Tx. Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,876 Original Poster	Originally posted by mikeSF i am sure you will have fun with your new 16-45. I enjoy mine very much and have little to say in addition to what i put in my lens review for this lens (26 of them here: Pentax Lens Review Database - 16-45mm F4). this is the most "contrasty" lens i have which i see as a very good thing. i do get vignetting on the 16mm wide shots, especially noticable on landscapes when the sky darkens up in the corners. i never tried the *16-50 so i dont know how much better it gets, BUT, i have owned 2 copies of the DA 18-55 kit lens and this is a very obvious step up in IQ from those, no question. I also used to own a very nice Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 EX and oddly i found the 18mm mark on this lens was slightly wider than the Sigma at 18mm and the 45mm mark on this lens zoomed closer to the subject than the 50mm mark on the Sigma...strange. Thank you! Very interesting!

05-01-2009, 06:40 AM	#23
K100Dave Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 111	If it were not for my DA 35 LTD, then this lens would almost never leave my K20D. As mentioned before, it is surprisingly good at close focusing work.

05-01-2009, 09:28 AM	#24
rparmar Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,823	It's a great lens for all the reasons mentioned above: light, good range, cheap, sharp to the corners. I bought it instead of the DA*16-50 since i didn't need the extra weight and one stop in this range is not that important to me, since I have faster primes anyway. I don't use zooms often, but I can't see myself selling it.