[timoclan]

I used the 60-250 on both aps-c (K10D) and K-1. The image quality is superb, very sharp lens. If you are not getting it with the viewfinder you should do a AF Fine adjustment. As noted above you should adopt a scientific approach ..... one focussing attempt will probably not work.

How do you process the images you shoot ? Size; raw/jpeg; sharpening technique ?

Getting used to this 60-250 lens now and quite happy with it.
The only thing that keeps puzzling me is why the autofocus motor does not work for at least a minute after the power has been put on for the first time..
As if there's a condensator needing to be loaded. It occurs on both the K-70 and the K-1. It is worse on the latter.

[pschlute]

Getting used to this 60-250 lens now and quite happy with it.
The only thing that keeps puzzling me is why the autofocus motor does not work for at least a minute after the power has been put on for the first time..
As if there's a condensator needing to be loaded. It occurs on both the K-70 and the K-1. It is worse on the latter.

Common problem on that era of SDM lenses, although the 60-250 was better than some. I never had that issue with mine , but the DA* 16-50 would need "waking up" when used after a while. I found manually focussing from extreme to extreme was usually enough for the lens to operate normally in AF.

[steamloco76]

Common problem on that era of SDM lenses, although the 60-250 was better than some. I never had that issue with mine , but the DA* 16-50 would need "waking up" when used after a while. I found manually focussing from extreme to extreme was usually enough for the lens to operate normally in AF.

My 60-250 sometimes quits focusing at random times, usually causing me to miss a shot! I’ve found turning the camera off and back on cures the glitch. A rather aggravating issue from an otherwise truly excellent lens.

[UncleVanya]

Getting used to this 60-250 lens now and quite happy with it.
The only thing that keeps puzzling me is why the autofocus motor does not work for at least a minute after the power has been put on for the first time..
As if there's a condensator needing to be loaded. It occurs on both the K-70 and the K-1. It is worse on the latter.

I would wager that some form of “stiction” is involved and the motor is frozen in place until sufficiently nudged by repeated attempts. Good working lenses don’t have this issue.

[tibbitts]

I would wager that some form of “stiction” is involved and the motor is frozen in place until sufficiently nudged by repeated attempts. Good working lenses don’t have this issue.

I rented a 60-250 from Lens Rentals and it wouldn't focus at all until I'd played around with it for a while as you say. Now that I have a copy of my own I try to exercise it somewhat frequently. But there is no comparable lens for K-5-era Pentax bodies: the aperture on the newer lenses is designed to not work at all. Sadly as you well know, the 60-250 has defeated attempts to convert to screw-drive, which is probably a major reason why in-body AF drive switching is a frequently requested feature.

[UncleVanya]

I rented a 60-250 from Lens Rentals and it wouldn't focus at all until I'd played around with it for a while as you say. Now that I have a copy of my own I try to exercise it somewhat frequently. But there is no comparable lens for K-5-era Pentax bodies: the aperture on the newer lenses is designed to not work at all. Sadly as you well know, the 60-250 has defeated attempts to convert to screw-drive, which is probably a major reason why in-body AF drive switching is a frequently requested feature.

Agreed on all points. My copy rarely hesitates even after long periods of disuse. The variability of user experiences is interesting.

[87Duckfan]

I don't see this lens come up for sale very often, or get talked about much. Is there any reason to avoid it? Seems like there have been some focusing issues, but it is a really sharp, nice lens.

[tibbitts]

I don't see this lens come up for sale very often, or get talked about much. Is there any reason to avoid it? Seems like there have been some focusing issues, but it is a really sharp, nice lens.

There are 3 issues with this lens:

1. focus breathing - can't be fixed obviously.
2. SDM - although reputedly not the worst, but no screw-drive workaround.
3. weight/size - which some people will say isn't a problem, but they're crazy.

There are few alternatives for Pentax that can rival the optical performance, even fewer if you want K-5-era aperture compatibility.

Oh, also difficulty in replacing the foot, if you lose it. It seems like it should be a replaceable part you could order, but it isn't.

[87Duckfan]

There are 3 issues with this lens:

1. focus breathing - can't be fixed obviously.
2. SDM - although reputedly not the worst, but no screw-drive workaround.
3. weight/size - which some people will say isn't a problem, but they're crazy.

There are few alternatives for Pentax that can rival the optical performance, even fewer if you want K-5-era aperture compatibility.

Oh, also difficulty in replacing the foot, if you lose it. It seems like it should be a replaceable part you could order, but it isn't.

What is focus breathing? How do you check for it?

[Just1MoreDave]

What is focus breathing? How do you check for it?

The lens is only a 60-250 at infinity. As you get closer to minimum focus distance, the maximum focal length might be something like 150mm - just a guess about the actual number, I don't have this lens. Many modern lenses have this design compromise, especially lenses with a wide zoom range like 18-300. It often goes unnoticed until someone shoots test shots indoors. So every 60-250 has it, part of the design, only important if you always shoot at 15 feet and really need 250mm.

[tibbitts]

What is focus breathing? How do you check for it?

I didn't mean to say it was a defect, any more than being large/heavy is - it's just a characteristic. It's a consideration if you are, for example, trying to photograph a relatively tame small/mid-sized animal at a fairly close distance. With subjects that aren't alive you can usually - but not always - move closer to compensate.

[timoclan]

I don't see this lens come up for sale very often, or get talked about much. Is there any reason to avoid it? Seems like there have been some focusing issues, but it is a really sharp, nice lens.

I just put this 60-250 mm lens on my K-70 and repeatedly pushed the Af button. It took about 30 seconds before the autofocus responded!
Immediately after that I repeated the procedure on the K-1. It also took about 30 seconds. My copy has been modified for fullframe, by the way...

This lens never will focus as fast as for instance the DA 200 mm, but it's workable and I'm very satisfied with the results, although it's a bit weak at 250 mm, but not too bad.
After putting the camera off for a little while, a restart does not mean you have to wait a long time again. It initializes much faster.
Adding a handheld shot I took at 250 mm, f 5.0, 1/100 sec, iso 640 (Pentax K-1)

[jatrax]

I don't see this lens come up for sale very often, or get talked about much. Is there any reason to avoid it? Seems like there have been some focusing issues, but it is a really sharp, nice lens.

For some time the 60-250 was my most used lens. The focal length is spot on for a lot of the landscape shots I take. The optical quality is superb. I modified mine for FF and used it on the K-1 as well with good success. However, I eventually sold it in anticipation of the announced DFA 70-210 f/4.

Pluses:
- * quality optics. Just superb.
- weather sealed
- reasonable weight for a lens of this quality (1,230 gm)

Minuses:
- slow focusing. Totally fine for landscape and reasonable normal shots but forget any kind of action / movement
- SDM focusing motor has a higher failure rate than I like
- some vignetting on FF even after the FF modification. Not bad really, but noticeable.
- weight while reasonable is a lot more than the DFA 70-210 f/4 (859 gm)

I am still debating on whether to buy the DA*60-250 again or get the new DFA 70-210 f/4. They both have pluses and minuses. If the 60-250 was screw drive convertible I would never have sold mine and I would buy a new one to replace it even now. But for me the SDM motor is just too slow, it got really aggravating to the point I disliked using the lens. I did not find the weight to be an issue, I never thought the focus breathing was an issue for my photography and of course the images were superb.

There simply is no replacement for this lens in the Pentax line. If you do not need really fast focusing I strongly recommend it. New ones do not seem to have any unusual SDM failures but the motor is still slow. And no one will fault the optics.

One reason you do not see a lot for sale is that owners don't sell them often. The lens is a keeper.

[normhead]

It is what it is.....


No complaints here. it's AF is medium, if you want better buy a DA 55-300 PLM.
The SDM does get sleepy. But it always wakes up. Especially true in extreme cold. it's probably slightly underpowered.
Looking at the provided image, with that level of moisture in he atmosphere you should expect to lose quite bit of sharpness.
Calibrating is always a good thing in times of uncertainty.

[Kobie]

Has anyone found their 60-250 is really soft at F/4? I have one on loan and verified with the owner that at F/4 it's really soft, but 7.1 and 8 is razor sharp.
I'm just wondering if it's this copy, or if others have had this issue as well. And before you ask, yes, even in live view at F/4 it's very soft so it's not a focus issue.
It's just something I was not expecting for a * lens.