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SMC Pentax-DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED WR Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED WR

Sharpness 
 7.6
Aberrations 
 7.6
Bokeh 
 7.3
Autofocus 
 6.9
Handling 
 8.3
Value 
 8.9
Reviews Views Date of last review
35 221,321 Sat October 29, 2022
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
97% of reviewers $156.15 7.86
SMC Pentax-DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED WR

SMC Pentax-DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED WR
supersize
SMC Pentax-DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED WR
supersize

Description:
This is the weather-resistant version of the 50-200mm zoom lens. The filter diameter has been reduced to 49mm.

SMC Pentax-DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED WR
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
APS-C
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
No
Diaphragm
Automatic, 6 blades
Optics
11 elements, 10 groups
Mount Variant
KAF
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F4-5.6
Min. Aperture
F22-32
Focusing
AF (screwdrive)
Quick-shift
Yes
Min. Focus
110 cm
Max. Magnification
0.24x
Filter Size
49 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 31.5-8.1 ° / 27-6.9 °
Hood
PH-RBD49
Case
S80-120
Lens Cap
O-LC49
Coating
SMC,SP
Weather Sealing
Yes
Other Features
Diam x Length
69 x 79.5 mm (2.7 x 3.1 in.)
Weight
285 g (10.1 oz.)
Production Years
2009 to present (in production)
Pricing
$196 USD current price
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-DA 1:4-5.6 50-200mm ED WR
Product Code
21870
Reviews
User reviews
In-depth review
Unofficial Full-Frame Compatibility Tests by Pentax Forums
☆☆☆ No coverage at any setting
Show details
Notes
One ED element.

Features:
Screwdrive AutofocusQuick ShiftWeather SealedAutomatic ApertureAPS-C Digital Only
Purchase: Buy the SMC Pentax-DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED WR
In-Depth Review: Read our SMC Pentax-DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED WR in-depth review!
Sample Photos: View Sample Photos
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED WR Buy the SMC Pentax-DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED WR
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Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-15 of 35
New Member

Registered: April, 2009
Location: HAMBURG, GERMANY
Posts: 6

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: October 29, 2022 Recommended | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Sharp
Cons: no DC or PLM motor
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 5    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: KP   

Compared with my old normal ex DA50-200 this new WR version is better build, sharper and shows what is possible with better quality control and better production.
It works on the KP very fine and is not to big and heavy - with a DC or PLM motor it would be a dream.
But also in this WR version (here from 2021) it is a great step from the old DA50-200

cola
   
New Member

Registered: July, 2020
Posts: 15

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: May 17, 2022 Recommended | Price: $40.00 | Rating: 6 

 
Pros: Lightweight, WR, not expensive
Cons: Not sharp, build quality is loose, generally mediocre
Sharpness: 6    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 7    Value: 8    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K3   

Mediocre lens for image quality and build. But logical for the price. It is light and weather resistant so I still use it when it rains during hikes.
I don't take as much pleasure using it as with other lenses I have but it gets the job done.

   
Senior Member

Registered: July, 2008
Location: Arizona
Posts: 230

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 30, 2020 Recommended | Price: $50.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Price-weight-value
Cons: Slow autofocus
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 5    Handling: 8    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: Ist DS   

Bought this used online in mint condition. Used it on my old Ist DS which has a CCD sensor-which in my opinion give a more film like photo. Gives superior results when used properly and really glad I purchased it.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: July, 2018
Posts: 8

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: May 26, 2020 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Size, sharpness, value
Cons: Plastic-y, limited range
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-70   

I don't take many pictures at telephoto lengths, but I wanted a lens with longer reach than the 18-135 that would be suitable for overseas travel, and the size and weight of the 50-200mm WR fit nicely. Previous reviews emphasized the limitations of this lens, but for me the size and ergonomics were an overriding consideration. I purchased a used copy in mint condition and steeled myself for mediocre performance, but so far, my expectations have been quite nicely exceeded! Hopefully, I'll be able to put this to good use in the future.

EDIT: Of course, one of the best qualities of this lens is being able to use it when it's cold and snowing.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: September, 2017
Location: Medellín
Posts: 1,322

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: December 23, 2019 Recommended | Price: $180.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: WR, light, 49mm filter thread.
Cons:

I got this lens when I bought my K-5 at first, but never really fell in love with it. It has stayed in my cabinet all the time. I prefer the Sigma 70-300 APO DG, even though it doesn't have WR and annoying zoom creep. Much more versatile on both APS-C and film AF bodies (and on the same price point).
   
Site Supporter

Registered: October, 2017
Location: Lancaster
Posts: 3,821

4 users found this helpful
Review Date: September 2, 2019 Recommended | Price: $60.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Price, WR, sharpness, colour
Cons: AF hunts a little

I have had three versions of this lens. The first I got when I was starting out and I sold it to fund the 18-135, the second was a Samsung non WR version, the third was my current Pentax WR. I love this lens. It is cheap enough to just chuck on your camera, the range is flexible enough, it’s light and for me the IQ is excellent for a cheap lens. The first thing I did was calibrate. It wasn’t far out, about -2 but that made all the difference. It is now sharp as anything. I would recommend this lens with the proviso that you have to calibrate it to make it sing.

LRM_EXPORT_146217581355471_20190902_221755925 by Peter Kay, on Flickr

LRM_EXPORT_118693157598471_20190901_101821264 by Peter Kay, on Flickr
LRM_EXPORT_121248341899684_20190901_111007900 by Peter Kay, on Flickr
   
Junior Member

Registered: May, 2018
Posts: 34

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 5, 2018 Recommended | Price: $240.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: It's Weather Resistant and has some ED elements
Cons: Only works at APS-C settings
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 9    New or Used: New    Camera Used: Pentax K-1   

If there are good shots to be had and the weather's inclement, a Weather Resistant (WR) lense is a smart idea. As a very-happy K-1 owner, there's not much point having only non-WR lenses so I got one of these. The only drawback I can see is the fact it's no use in Full Frame (FF) mode. I use tripods a lot so I shoot at 100 ASA / ISO most of the time and stop this down to f8 or f11 unless, for some reason, I really want to mask or disguise something in the frame and use this wide open. This is a great value lense and I think it suffers a little because of that. If I'd paid more for this lense I would still have been happy with what it delivered.
So, you can keep shooting in the rain or, and this is when it really was very useful to me, going from a cool, air conditioned cruise ship cabin out into humid, tropical heat, this allows you to shoot when others are having to protect their cameras or they are simply full of condensation.

With Pentax' anti-shake function, Pentax users can avoid, so some extent, the need for faster lenses so this, in theory, with anti-shake on, can be stopped down to produce sharper shots at f8 or f11.

I got my version of this in Singapore after getting my K-1 in Sydney. Even though I prefer using the K-1 at full frame, I am quite happy shooting in the rain, if necessary with the K-1 running in cropped sensor mode and with this lense on it. Poor weather conditions are not kind to cameras so I'm grateful to be able to shoot in dust, heat, rain, snow etc. at all
   
Senior Member

Registered: April, 2015
Posts: 158

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: November 12, 2016 Not Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 3 

 
Pros: WR, price, size, useful focal range
Cons: not fast, not sharp, poor bokeh
Sharpness: 3    Aberrations: 4    Bokeh: 4    Autofocus: 5    Handling: 6    Value: 6    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: k-5   

Was my first purchase for the K-5. Poor lens. Avoid! Avoid! Avoid! May be cheap but it's a false economy, as most of your shots will go in the bin. While contrast is ok, and CA and flare is not excessive, getting something sharp with this lens is rare to impossible, even stopped down. Bokeh looks not very nice. The 55-300, while not a special lens, is heaps better than this one. Don't waste your time and money with this lens.
   
New Member

Registered: August, 2014
Location: Palm Beach, Fl
Posts: 4

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: April 2, 2016 Recommended | Price: $129.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Sharp. great walk around lens
Cons: AF
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 7    Handling: 9    Value: 9    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K3   

I read some reviews about how bad this lens is but I decided to give it a shot anyway. I think I lucked out and got a good copy because I am very pleased with this lens. The only issue is the auto focus hunting a little. I would not discourage anyone from buying the lens on that issue though. I find it to be sharp for a zoom lens. The zoom range is very useful for a walk around lens at the zoo or outdoor activities. That it is weather sealed, sealed the deal for me. Purchased mine from usedphotopro.com Excellent customer service.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/60236600@N02/21208570430/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/60236600@N02/21405053761/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/60236600@N02/20803494453/in/dateposted-public/
   
Senior Member

Registered: October, 2014
Location: Boden
Posts: 113

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: December 18, 2015 Recommended | Price: $198.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Lightweight, WR, Focal Length
Cons: Softness, Slight CA
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 7    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K5 IIs   

It's a WR single ED Screwdriven AF lens with a useful focal length.
Wide open, it's really soft, and requires f:8 or higher to obtain clean shots, but f:11 produces cleaner shots, though this means that you need to push the ISO higher than desired which can produce noisy images.
There is very slight CA, but this is negligible.
The body feels plastic and the build quality seems unimpressive.

The Bokeh is a little blocky (hexagonal), but this is to be expected with a 6 blade aperture, though this is not displeasing.

All this being said, I cannot complain about the pricepoint, for under $200 retail, it's a good knockabout lens for holidaying and walking around.
Whilst this cannot compete with the likes of the DA* 50-135, it is lighter and cheaper.
I am not worried about this being damaged.




   
Pentaxian

Registered: April, 2009
Location: Madrid, Spain
Posts: 10,843

4 users found this helpful
Review Date: October 3, 2015 Recommended | Price: $90.00 | Rating: 6 

 
Pros: Small, light-weight
Cons: not very sharp
New or Used: New   

I bought this to use when travelling as the 55-300mm is just too big and heavy. I also wanted a longer weather resistant lens.

This lens is small and light and easy to handle. It vignettes quite strongly when used on a 35mm film camera (more so than the 55-300mm).

The problem with this lens is that it's just not very sharp. Stopping down to f/8 (or better yet, f/11) helps but not to a huge degree and at these focal lengths and apertures it often becomes necessary to boost ISO in order to get adequate shutter speeds. At normal viewing sizes the images are OK but zoom in a little and it soon becomes clear that this is not the best lens around. The sharpest images are from around 135mm. I ended up deleting quite a few images because they were just not satisfactorily sharp.

Having stated all that, in good light this lens is capable of producing images with good colour and contrast. It's small size, light weight and weather resistance make it a good travel lens when good light is expected, as long as you're not going to crop heavily or print large.

A few sample photos.


Mount Rainier
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Heron
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Sea lions sleeping in the sun
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
   
New Member

Registered: April, 2015
Posts: 7

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: May 18, 2015 Recommended | Price: $115.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Light weight, WR, fast to focus in good light, price
Cons: Not so sharp
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 9    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-30   

Wasn't really expecting much of the lens but I was pleasantly surprised. I did not have any WR lens nor did I have anything in this focal range, so I thought... 2 birds.

I am overall really happy with the purchase! It was fairly inexpensive and the lens does give me piece of mind in not so great weather.(I do live in London).

You can check out a photo I took this weekend, it was raining a fair bit(thanks WR! Thanks gigantic hood!)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/132737605@N05/17545372189/in/dateposted-public/
   
Senior Member

Registered: November, 2011
Location: Black Rock City, NV
Posts: 175

5 users found this helpful
Review Date: January 26, 2015 Recommended | Price: $115.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Wow, very sharp. Easy to handle. Pretty fast to focus.
Cons: Not as fast as HSM/Ultrasonic motor. Usual sound of screw drive.
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-5   

Bought this lens used in almost perfect condition a few days ago so this is an early review. Also, I painstakingly adjusted the micro focus before use. On my camera it was a +6 which is pretty normal for this camera. If you don't do that for your lenses before reviewing and evaluating your lens you are selling yourself short.

I wanted to get some modern range overlap and extension to go with my new generation Sigma 17-70. Also, I wanted a WR lens for a trip I do in the summer that is brutal on cameras where I only dare use WR lens.

Today was a lovely day at the beach here in So. Cal and took this new to me lens out for a spin. Very happy with the weight and handling. It was not too obtrusive for candid shots. Was really surprised at how sharp and in focus it was at all its lengths. It was able to do really well at continuous auto AF for the surfers. I was really shocked at how nice the bokeh was and the sharpness of the seagull and crane. A really lovely addition for cheap. If this lens fits your kit I would recommend it especially for less than $120 bucks.

Photos I linked to are out-of-camera JPGs shot in Bright mode on my K-5. No other PP.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/eddaytona/16182842000/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/eddaytona/16184034219/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/eddaytona/16370253355/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/eddaytona/16182876460/in/photostream/
   
Junior Member

Registered: November, 2014
Location: New York City
Posts: 49

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: December 7, 2014 Recommended | Price: $249.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Light weight|WR|Inexpensive
Cons: Slow focus for action sports
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 8    New or Used: New    Camera Used: Pentax K-5IIs   

I picked this lens since I wanted to make sure I felt comfortable switching from Canon to Pentax, it didn't make since to drop a lot of money in case I would have returned the camera. But it's a keeper as well as the lens, this is a good, inexpensive and light weight if you just want a walk-around lens that you can take out in inclement weather. I'll be looking to upgrade this to the 18-135mm Pentax WR lens in a few weeks, I was going to get another Sigma 17-70mm like I had with my Canon because I love the sharpness but you can't beat a weather resistant lens. It rained all day Saturday and I was out there taking photographs!
   
Veteran Member

Registered: December, 2007
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 1,016

8 users found this helpful
Review Date: April 1, 2014 Recommended | Price: $179.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Piece of junk...just awful, Pentax is DOOMED, etc...
Cons: Everything...just AWFUL...
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K5   

I'll let this horrid, handheld image speak for itself. I don't know how Pentax will survive, Canikony way better, whine, *****, moan, all my images are ruined, etc. etc....





Actually, I think it's the best deal in the history of photography.

Cheers,
Cameron
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