HD PENTAX-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6ED DC WR

Nicolas06 · 12-23-2014, 11:18 AM

Originally posted by northcoastgreg

If f5.6 is a legitimate problem, than these lenses are quite identical, now are they? Nonetheless, I'm inclined to agree that the DA 17-70's days are numbered. Optically, it's a very fine lens, but it's been riddled with AF issues from the very beginning, and therefore never reached it's full potential.

DA17-70 was my first lens. It is now sold because I now use primes instead but from latest new it still work perfectly. I wanted ab all rounder lens that could cover the most usefull focal length and get nice results in low light if necessary. It the only choice would have been 16-85 I would have gone sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4.

I realized that even f/4 is a bit too slow and one really need the f/2.8 to have more possibilities so that now I would even be more critical of an f/5.6 lens.

bernhardn · 01-03-2015, 11:37 AM

Shot some pictures with it and during my holiday the WR was tested to..... we had a lot of rain a few days!

Hong Kong by BernHardN, on Flickr

Zygonyx · 01-03-2015, 11:46 AM - **1 Like**

Very nice composition.

Some of mine as promissed...

mecrox · 01-03-2015, 12:17 PM

Originally posted by Zygonyx

Very nice composition.

Some of mine as promissed...

Very nice images. Are you happy with the 16-85mm? OK for landscapes? I am thinking of getting one and trading in my DA 16-50mm against it.

Zygonyx · 01-03-2015, 01:55 PM

Thank you.
Yes, very good IQ imho, and i have the same question with my DA*16-50/2.8 .... which for diurnal landscapes is too heavy and for which focal range i don't need that much fast aperture.

mecrox · 01-03-2015, 02:12 PM

Originally posted by Zygonyx

Thank you.
Yes, very good IQ imho, and i have the same question with my DA*16-50/2.8 .... which for diurnal landscapes is too heavy and for which focal range i don't need that much fast aperture.

Thanks, yes thinking along similar lines perhaps as I mostly use the 16-50mm at f8 or more anyway. It takes nice shots of many subjects at f4 of course, but the 16-85mm just sounds more versatile for trips and holidays, etc. Plus the cost here has just come down by 100 pounds from the intro price putting it into temptation territory ...

bernhardn · 01-03-2015, 11:20 PM - **2 Likes**

A landscape and long shutter.

Lake Te Anau, New Zealand by BernHardN, on Flickr

thibs · 01-03-2015, 11:59 PM

Originally posted by bernhardn

A landscape and long shutter.

Lake Te Anau, New Zealand by BernHardN, on Flickr

Mmm very very nice

At present, ideally, I'd replace my DA16-45 (which would go to my wife's K100D) with DA16-5 and maybe Tammy 17-50 if needed.
Seems very competent lens indeed (a couple guys here should read this and look at these pictures rather than complain that this lens has no point).

Nicolas06 · 01-04-2015, 02:34 AM

Originally posted by thibs

Mmm very very nice

At present, ideally, I'd replace my DA16-45 (which would go to my wife's K100D) with DA16-5 and maybe Tammy 17-50 if needed.
Seems very competent lens indeed (a couple guys here should read this and look at these pictures rather than complain that this lens has no point).

All lenses can now give nice results, 18-55 included that is maybe the most used variant of all lenses.

16-85 stay a bit slow, a bit expensive, a bit heavy/big and is not perfect optically.

But on the contrary it is also a better kit lens: more range, better quality. A bit expensive for now, but that will change.

It design fit more somebody that interested in wide angle but still want a large range of focal covered and doesn't need that must fast appertures. The compromise are mostly no issue if you take photos in day light and accept the size/weight.

The most direct competitors in K-mount are 17-70 f/2.8-4 and f/4 from Sigma & Pentax that cover roughly the same focal and offer more light gathering.

The battle would be on WR, picture quality, bokeh and high isos performance.

ogl · 01-04-2015, 10:14 AM

Originally posted by Zygonyx

Very nice composition.

Some of mine as promissed...

to say honest all this photos could be made by any lens

mecrox · 01-04-2015, 10:20 AM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by ogl

to say honest all this photos could be made by any lens

Then you won't have to worry about buying one, will you? I have a holiday booked in a month and this lens would be ideal for it. Any photographs will be limited not by the lens but by my skills and imagination, as always.

Nicolas06 · 01-04-2015, 10:45 AM

Originally posted by ogl

to say honest all this photos could be made by any lens

Mots photos can be made with with any lense. If one go to the extreme (focal length, apperture) it can surely get something different but doesn't mean it is more appropriate, just less common.

Many of the lenses we finally buy or use on this forum are very limited in term of possibilities as primes, zoom with small focal length range and in exchange give sligtly better quality or apperture.

That's one choice.

JinDesu · 01-04-2015, 10:50 AM

Originally posted by ogl

to say honest all this photos could be made by any lens

Good, it's as good as any lens.

ogl · 01-04-2015, 12:16 PM - **1 Like**

My thought is another - this photos say almost nothing about DA16-85.

Zygonyx · 01-04-2015, 01:07 PM

Thank you again for your positive inception ogl.
This was just to show that this lens indeed takes images, which by your standard position re. Pentax gear, could be encouraging

You can probaly expect something more interesting from lab tests, but many users don't rely only on these tests.

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12-23-2014, 11:18 AM	#796
Nicolas06 Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 4,854	Originally posted by northcoastgreg If f5.6 is a legitimate problem, than these lenses are quite identical, now are they? Nonetheless, I'm inclined to agree that the DA 17-70's days are numbered. Optically, it's a very fine lens, but it's been riddled with AF issues from the very beginning, and therefore never reached it's full potential. DA17-70 was my first lens. It is now sold because I now use primes instead but from latest new it still work perfectly. I wanted ab all rounder lens that could cover the most usefull focal length and get nice results in low light if necessary. It the only choice would have been 16-85 I would have gone sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4. I realized that even f/4 is a bit too slow and one really need the f/2.8 to have more possibilities so that now I would even be more critical of an f/5.6 lens.

01-03-2015, 11:37 AM	#797
bernhardn Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Meppel, Drenthe, The Netherlands Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 70	Shot some pictures with it and during my holiday the WR was tested to..... we had a lot of rain a few days! Hong Kong by BernHardN, on Flickr

01-03-2015, 11:46 AM - 1 Like	#798
Zygonyx Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Ile de France Posts: 4,033	Very nice composition. Some of mine as promissed...

01-03-2015, 12:17 PM	#799
mecrox Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Oxford, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,375	Originally posted by Zygonyx Very nice composition. Some of mine as promissed... Very nice images. Are you happy with the 16-85mm? OK for landscapes? I am thinking of getting one and trading in my DA 16-50mm against it.

01-03-2015, 01:55 PM	#800
Zygonyx Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Ile de France Posts: 4,033	Thank you. Yes, very good IQ imho, and i have the same question with my DA*16-50/2.8 .... which for diurnal landscapes is too heavy and for which focal range i don't need that much fast aperture.

01-03-2015, 02:12 PM	#801
mecrox Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Oxford, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,375	Originally posted by Zygonyx Thank you. Yes, very good IQ imho, and i have the same question with my DA*16-50/2.8 .... which for diurnal landscapes is too heavy and for which focal range i don't need that much fast aperture. Thanks, yes thinking along similar lines perhaps as I mostly use the 16-50mm at f8 or more anyway. It takes nice shots of many subjects at f4 of course, but the 16-85mm just sounds more versatile for trips and holidays, etc. Plus the cost here has just come down by 100 pounds from the intro price putting it into temptation territory ...

01-03-2015, 11:20 PM - 2 Likes	#802
bernhardn Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Meppel, Drenthe, The Netherlands Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 70	A landscape and long shutter. Lake Te Anau, New Zealand by BernHardN, on Flickr

01-03-2015, 11:59 PM	#803
thibs Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Photos: Albums Posts: 7,001	Originally posted by bernhardn A landscape and long shutter. Lake Te Anau, New Zealand by BernHardN, on Flickr Mmm very very nice At present, ideally, I'd replace my DA16-45 (which would go to my wife's K100D) with DA16-5 and maybe Tammy 17-50 if needed. Seems very competent lens indeed (a couple guys here should read this and look at these pictures rather than complain that this lens has no point).

01-04-2015, 02:34 AM	#804
Nicolas06 Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 4,854	Originally posted by thibs Mmm very very nice At present, ideally, I'd replace my DA16-45 (which would go to my wife's K100D) with DA16-5 and maybe Tammy 17-50 if needed. Seems very competent lens indeed (a couple guys here should read this and look at these pictures rather than complain that this lens has no point). All lenses can now give nice results, 18-55 included that is maybe the most used variant of all lenses. 16-85 stay a bit slow, a bit expensive, a bit heavy/big and is not perfect optically. But on the contrary it is also a better kit lens: more range, better quality. A bit expensive for now, but that will change. It design fit more somebody that interested in wide angle but still want a large range of focal covered and doesn't need that must fast appertures. The compromise are mostly no issue if you take photos in day light and accept the size/weight. The most direct competitors in K-mount are 17-70 f/2.8-4 and f/4 from Sigma & Pentax that cover roughly the same focal and offer more light gathering. The battle would be on WR, picture quality, bokeh and high isos performance.

01-04-2015, 10:14 AM	#805
ogl Banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sankt Peterburg Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,382	Originally posted by Zygonyx Very nice composition. Some of mine as promissed... to say honest all this photos could be made by any lens

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01-04-2015, 10:20 AM - 2 Likes	#806
mecrox Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Oxford, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,375	Originally posted by ogl to say honest all this photos could be made by any lens Then you won't have to worry about buying one, will you? I have a holiday booked in a month and this lens would be ideal for it. Any photographs will be limited not by the lens but by my skills and imagination, as always.

01-04-2015, 10:45 AM	#807
Nicolas06 Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 4,854	Originally posted by ogl to say honest all this photos could be made by any lens Mots photos can be made with with any lense. If one go to the extreme (focal length, apperture) it can surely get something different but doesn't mean it is more appropriate, just less common. Many of the lenses we finally buy or use on this forum are very limited in term of possibilities as primes, zoom with small focal length range and in exchange give sligtly better quality or apperture. That's one choice.

01-04-2015, 10:50 AM	#808
JinDesu Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: New York City Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,638	Originally posted by ogl to say honest all this photos could be made by any lens Good, it's as good as any lens.

01-04-2015, 12:16 PM - 1 Like	#809
ogl Banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sankt Peterburg Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,382	My thought is another - this photos say almost nothing about DA16-85.

01-04-2015, 01:07 PM	#810
Zygonyx Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Ile de France Posts: 4,033	Thank you again for your positive inception ogl. This was just to show that this lens indeed takes images, which by your standard position re. Pentax gear, could be encouraging You can probaly expect something more interesting from lab tests, but many users don't rely only on these tests.