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07-19-2009, 01:16 PM   #1
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Another 16-50 dead

Well looks like I may be getting yet another DA*16-50
I had my first one around 7-8months before it started acting weird, sent it in and got a new one.
Got my latest about the same time, maybe a little longer, and same issues again So come Monday Its being sent off. I have to admint I love the PPS services I am using it for the first time for loner equipment (getting a 15-50 on loan) and hopefully everything will mesh well.
Last time I sent in a camera for repair, 4 days later I had it back, Hopefully this will be the same.

Oh and for those wondering, PPS has not gotten any k7's or DA*60-250 for loan

07-19-2009, 01:19 PM   #2
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This time it's still under warranty I hope? I wonder if it dies outside warranty if there it's better to just buy a new one or if pentax will repair it for a reasonable fee... Is your serial number a late one or an early one?

Either way I still think I'm going for a Sigma / Tamron if I ever need this range, hopefully by that time they have a HSM version.
07-19-2009, 01:40 PM   #3
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Seems there are a number of SDM/HSM failures, not just with Pentax lenses.
Not as robust as the screw-drive mechanism I gather...

Hope it works out for you.

Last edited by Ash; 07-19-2009 at 01:57 PM.
07-19-2009, 04:32 PM   #4
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Sorry to hear that Brendan.


QuoteOriginally posted by Ash Quote
Seems there are a number of SDM/HSM failures, not just with Pentax lenses.
Not as robust as the screw-drive mechanism I gather...
Yes, SDM/HSM might be more silent and in some cases faster, but of what use is that if the motor fails? This is one of the reasons I chose Pentax over other brands, they don't put stabilization in lenses. The less electronics / gyros / motors in the lenses the less possible points of failure. KISS principle, anyone?

This is kind of sad, the 16-50 and even more so the 50-135 looks like great zooms, weather sealed and all. But I am not going to give out that kind of money for a lens where there is good possibility that it will be MF only in a few years time.

At least Pentax could provide an option in camera to select if to use SDM or screwdrive, as many have suggested. Then you could at least use it with AF if SDM fails outside the warranty.

07-19-2009, 05:58 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by wowtip Quote
Yes, SDM/HSM might be more silent and in some cases faster, but of what use is that if the motor fails? This is one of the reasons I chose Pentax over other brands, they don't put stabilization in lenses. The less electronics / gyros / motors in the lenses the less possible points of failure. KISS principle, anyone?
On the other hand maybe our cameras won't last as long internally, but I guess it's a bit too early to tell with the earliest SR generation only 5-6 years old.
07-20-2009, 09:51 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by wowtip Quote
This is kind of sad, the 16-50 and even more so the 50-135 looks like great zooms, weather sealed and all. But I am not going to give out that kind of money for a lens where there is good possibility that it will be MF only in a few years time.
You would think that these motor drive lenses would still give you manual focus operation when the motors die. But you'd often be WRONG.

At least with Canon mount (and Sigma mount being the same electronics) when the motors go the entire lens appears to fail.
I've seen it happen a few times, the last time the motors (on my lens) tried constantly cycling making the camera useless.
07-20-2009, 12:36 PM   #7
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If only the screw drive would kick in when the SDM dies...

04-02-2011, 04:16 PM   #8
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Looking like its getting time to send back again, failure to lock focus, skipping/hickuping when focusing and sometimes extremely slow to respond... ugg
04-02-2011, 11:22 PM   #9
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After just over 18 months of a replacement... sorry to hear.
Hope the repair sorts it out for you for the long term.
04-03-2011, 02:10 AM   #10
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The 16-50 has become a joke of a professional lens. Pentax urgently need to redesign it to house a new reliable motor.
04-03-2011, 08:06 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ash Quote
Seems there are a number of SDM/HSM failures, not just with Pentax lenses.
Not that HSM (Sigma), SDM (Pentax), USM (Canon), SWM (Nikon) all don't have issues, but to me, it seems like there is disproportionate number of SDM failures compared to the others, especially for the DA* 16-50 and DA*50-135 lenses (from my own anecdotal evidence gathered though reading on the net and real life experiences).
04-03-2011, 09:58 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Andi Lo Quote
On the other hand maybe our cameras won't last as long internally, but I guess it's a bit too early to tell with the earliest SR generation only 5-6 years old.
I would be substantially less remiss to replace a camera every few years than a lens. I expect to be wooed by new camera technology and shell out to keep apace at interval; less so with the glass.
04-03-2011, 01:47 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by pop4 Quote
Not that HSM (Sigma), SDM (Pentax), USM (Canon), SWM (Nikon) all don't have issues, but to me, it seems like there is disproportionate number of SDM failures compared to the others, especially for the DA* 16-50 and DA*50-135 lenses (from my own anecdotal evidence gathered though reading on the net and real life experiences).
That's a statistic we'll never be able to substantiate, and I'm not sure USM lenses are any less proportionally prone to failure. It would be very nice to know those stats, but then what to do about it? Only Pentax can rectify their SDM technology...
04-03-2011, 05:23 PM   #14
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Pentax does not even acknowledge there is a problem. I am saving up to move to another system.
04-03-2011, 05:38 PM   #15
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Good luck with your other system.
What will happen though when that one also fails on you?
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