Originally posted by SergioFromSF I just cannot justify spending $820 on a lens that will give me trouble in a year or two. Even if it's under warranty, the trouble of packing/sending/waiting for repairs is just too disconcerting to me. So I am sticking with screw drives for now.
The concept blows my mind, really... $900 for an FA Limited lens that can last a lifetime, or $800+ for a DA* that will be lucky to last you a year. There's something really wrong with that logic. It turns DA* lenses into something more akin to an expensive child's toy rather than a professional tool.
Of course, if SDM wasn't a REQUIREMENT... for example if we could enable screw-drive focusing, then the whole point would be moot.
Speaking of which, I just did a comparison of 2 of my lenses. My super-old SMC Pentax F 35-70mm needs 3 turns of the screw-drive to get from closest-focus to infinity. Meanwhile, my DA* 50-135mm needs 17+ (that's MORE THAN SEVENTEEN, not a typo) to get through its entire range!!!!!!!! No wonder focusing is so slow. Even with screw-drive enabled, I don't think it would improve on performance much.