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03-18-2010, 08:05 PM   #16
Igilligan
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QuoteOriginally posted by creampuff Quote
No I'm not saying you're the problem. I'm a pretty pragmatic kinda guy. If something doesn't work, I'll find something that does and move on. Less angst, less negativity all round. -edit out car stuff-
It's one thing to rant about a product defect, but too much negativity rehashing how crappy SDM is and frankly the sentiment starts wearing thin. Nobody is asking you to leave the forums but if you feel thin skinned and overly sensitive about it then I can only wonder if you're blowing things way out of context. OK SDM lenses aren't cheap, yeah they do fail on occasion, so you're disappointed it didn't meet your quality/reliability expectations... whatcha gonna do? Keep crying about it? Once bitten twice shy?
If it don't work for you just switch to what works.
Is it all the negative sentiment that is wearing thin? Or just mine? I came to this post trying to help the OP as I had just read something about the sleepy AF issue, and low and behold it helped him!

My thin skin is coming from the apologists and 'work-arounders' who continue to give the same answers. That is what is wearing thin to me!
After 3.5 years & 3 bodies I had finally found one that worked on most levels for me. The little k-x was the first body I could actually recommend to my friends and family... only now it needs a firmware update to get the batteries to work and sometimes the firmware update freezes halfway thru and you have a paperweight! Oh and now there is a mirror slap issue that I see occasionally in the 1/100 shutterspeed area... And the work-arounders are saying to bend the battery terminals...

IMHO we should be screaming at the top of our lungs about these problems. Because obviously being ok with them is getting nothing done.

The only Pentax lens that I truly want is the DA 50-135. I need weathersealing for our family trips. I want the constant 2.8ap for low light shooting and the 50-135 is right in my shooting range. It has now been almost 3 years and Pentax/Hoya has done absolutely nothing to address the issues with this lens. I am glad you are ok with that, I am not! And I will not shut up about it, I dont give a shit if it is wearing thin or not!

03-19-2010, 05:50 AM   #17
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Hi guys,
I bought mine about 2 weeks ago - refurbished. I wasn't told what was the problem was but all the discussion leads me to think if it was the SDM that had become faulty. I wasn't aware of the problems at the time. Anyway, my question is: Should I return the lens while I have the chance or hold onto it? The few photos that I have taken are absolutely class.
Another question: If I return this lens, which is the equivalent that I should go for?
03-19-2010, 01:21 PM   #18
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Nah dude you should keep it, this lens is great. If it's refurbished from SDM failure, the chances of it coming back is slim to none, SDM failing twice is pretty rare.
03-19-2010, 01:30 PM   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by LeDave Quote
I think it's because part of the gears are made out of some sort of rubber. If you don't use them for awhile, then they will eventually stick after touching the same spot for a long period of time.
LeDave, you have the same idea that I was thinking about. I have a dish washer since we moved into the new house, after the first year, we stopped using the dish washer for an extended period of time, and when we want to start using it again, it just would not turn.

03-19-2010, 01:41 PM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by LeDave Quote
Nah dude you should keep it, this lens is great. If it's refurbished from SDM failure, the chances of it coming back is slim to none, SDM failing twice is pretty rare.
Too late!! Every forum that I have been on have been talking bad things about it so I sent it back earlier. I am eyeing the Sigma 50-150. What do you think?
03-19-2010, 02:23 PM   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by Naim Khan Quote
Too late!! Every forum that I have been on have been talking bad things about it so I sent it back earlier. I am eyeing the Sigma 50-150. What do you think?
Pretty good alternative, but does lack weather-sealing. For the price it's too close to the DA* 50-135 and I would definitely get the 50-135 over the Sigma anyday due to the weather-seals. The AF speed won't be any faster or slower and the IQ is too close to be any difference unless you pixel peep hard.

If the weight and size doesn't really matter to you, I would definitely eye on the Sigma 70-200 HSM II, very quiet, very fast, and very sharp. I used to own the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 which has slightly better optics, but it is way tooo loud. Different focal lengths between the 50-135/150 to 70-200 but the extra reach is worth it.

Last edited by LeDave; 03-19-2010 at 02:31 PM.
03-19-2010, 02:42 PM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by mikerigel Quote
When I hold down the AF button (on the K20D), the manual focus indicator comes on inside the viewfinder, so the camera think the lens is on manual.
This probably isn't SDM failure. Take a look at the contacts on the lens and insure that they are in working order. You want to look at both the contacts on the flange and the power contact.

Thank you
Russell

03-19-2010, 02:45 PM   #23
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I just did test my DA* 50-135mm again, it is working just fine as it should; also put the same lens on the K100D, the screw drive motor works fine too. However, the SDM motor is better (quieter and quicker).
03-19-2010, 02:51 PM   #24
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Thanks LeDave
The 70-200 is HUGE and I don't think is for me! I wish I could have kept the DA* but with only 6 months warranty, was really worried. The Sigma is very slightly cheaper, brand new with 2 years warranty. I got its little sister (18-50) yesterday and I think they will compliment each other. Don't you think?
03-19-2010, 03:42 PM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by LeDave Quote
If the weight and size doesn't really matter to you, I would definitely eye on the Sigma 70-200 HSM II, very quiet, very fast, and very sharp.
I'd almost wait for the next generation Sigma 70-200 to come out. I understand that it'll have in-lens stabilization, which they say makes an improvement over both Pentax's and Sony's In-Body stabilization.
03-20-2010, 06:12 AM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by Igilligan Quote
Is it all the negative sentiment that is wearing thin? Or just mine? I came to this post trying to help the OP as I had just read something about the sleepy AF issue, and low and behold it helped him!

My thin skin is coming from the apologists and 'work-arounders' who continue to give the same answers. That is what is wearing thin to me!
After 3.5 years & 3 bodies I had finally found one that worked on most levels for me. The little k-x was the first body I could actually recommend to my friends and family... only now it needs a firmware update to get the batteries to work and sometimes the firmware update freezes halfway thru and you have a paperweight! Oh and now there is a mirror slap issue that I see occasionally in the 1/100 shutterspeed area... And the work-arounders are saying to bend the battery terminals...

IMHO we should be screaming at the top of our lungs about these problems. Because obviously being ok with them is getting nothing done.

The only Pentax lens that I truly want is the DA 50-135. I need weathersealing for our family trips. I want the constant 2.8ap for low light shooting and the 50-135 is right in my shooting range. It has now been almost 3 years and Pentax/Hoya has done absolutely nothing to address the issues with this lens. I am glad you are ok with that, I am not! And I will not shut up about it, I dont give a shit if it is wearing thin or not!
I second that sentiment... I think Pentax is run by good people and they care about their users. I would really welcome non-SDM versions of the same optics, at cheaper prices. I don't really need the bells and whistles of SDM.
03-20-2010, 06:17 AM   #27
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QuoteOriginally posted by tokyoso Quote
I don't really need the bells and whistles of SDM.
There may be a bell with SDM (it is quiet), but there is no whistle (it is slow). Other than the quiet focusing, we get no benefit at all from Pentax's SDM system, and we get the added "benefit" of being prone to failure.
03-20-2010, 07:20 AM   #28
Nubi
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QuoteOriginally posted by jeffrey r Quote
There may be a bell with SDM (it is quiet), but there is no whistle (it is slow). Other than the quiet focusing, we get no benefit at all from Pentax's SDM system, and we get the added "benefit" of being prone to failure.
Eh, mine squeaks like a chipmunk. The birds fly away when I try to focus. Every time I try to focus on my child she covers up her ears and runs away. Perhaps what Pentax really needs is a SDM lens with horrible set of optics, unlike 50-135. Then sell it relatively expensive to see which one of us would bend over.

But I have a solution for all that: manual focusing . . . .
03-20-2010, 07:29 AM   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by jeffrey r Quote
There may be a bell with SDM (it is quiet), but there is no whistle (it is slow). Other than the quiet focusing, we get no benefit at all from Pentax's SDM system, and we get the added "benefit" of being prone to failure.
Jeffrey, I tried the lens on both K100D (screw drive only) and K10D (SDM), SDM motor is quieter and quicker for sure in my test.
03-20-2010, 07:47 AM   #30
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Here's what I posted yesterday in another thread regarding this:

I had a thought about this while I was out riding today. I think part of the issue comes from the fact that the DA* line is weather sealed, and to most of us, this implies a certain level of ruggedness. Unfortunately, this isn't the case at all for the DA* 50-135mm. Case in point, the focus mechanism takes over SEVENTEEN turns of the screw-drive to go from close focus to infinity. That's right, OVER SEVENTEEN! Compare this to my F 35-70mm, which requires less than 3 turns. Or the WR kit lens, which requires 5.5 turns. Obviously, by making the focus drive in the 50-135mm use 17+ turns, Pentax drastically reduced the amount of torque needed to drive the focus mechanism, but they probably also made the threads in the mechanism very thin and delicate. Any jam in this movement (whether from heat/cold expansion or vibrations) would cause the micro motor to work harder than intended, eventually burning it out. This may be what causes the occasional funky focusing noises.

Of course, I'm theorizing here. But OVER SEVENTEEN TURNS! That speaks volumes...


I've had the "wake up the SDM motor by trying it over and over again" issue a few times. Initially when I first got the lens, and then a few weeks later when I hadn't used it for a few days.

If it really does get stuck because of some rubber sticking, there's an easy fix. Take a small screwdriver and turn the screw-drive slot by hand. You should be able to tell immediately if that's really the problem. That slot turns super-easy. That's how I counted 17+ turns. And unlike the focus ring, the screw-drive stops dead at the end of the focus sweep.

edit: also, if the focus mechanism was really stuck due to sticking rubber, the focus ring wouldn't work either. It would just spin freely without actually moving the focus mechanism.
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