| Author: | | Inactive Account Registered: October, 2012 Location: Lietuva, Vilnius Posts: 627
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 10, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $615.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Excellent craftsmanship, size, color rendition, sharpness wide open, good "bang for your buck" ratio | | Cons: | Wish it was faster, but considering the size of the lens, I doubt that is possible. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-r/K-5IIs
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Build quality
When I first saw this lens, it looked like jewelry to me. Like a gem. So small, so well crafted. Made out of quality aluminium, it has this pleasing feel of cold metal, focus ring operates very smoothly and „buttery“ also the numbers on the focus scale are carefully engraved (as well as the PENTAX title on the lens cap).
Optical performance
For portraits, sharpness is already very good at 2.4 and it gets superb sharp at 5.6. Even though, my sweet spot is usually between f2.4 and f4.
Bokeh is smooth and pleasing, but to get the best results, you should avoid backgrounds with a lot (!) of contrast, as the bokeh gets a little too „nervous“. But to be honest, I can remember only one photograph where I had this problem.
I haven‘t noticed any problems with aberrations or flare. Of course, you can get some in extreme conditions (just like with any lens), but that is perfectly normal.
Autofocus
On K-r/K-5IIs AF is fast enough for portrait work and for specific situations you can always pre-focus with focus ring, which is a joy to use.
Because AF is driven by screw-drive motor it does make some noise, but again, in specific situations focus ring saves the day again.
Conclusion
More or less this lens shines in all specifications, but that is not the most important thing.
The most important thing (at least for me) about this lens is that, because it is so compact and almost weightless, it is going to be there, when you need it. In that specific moment when you least expect it. After all, photography is all about being at the right place, at the right time  | | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: August, 2012 Posts: 136 | | Review Date: January 4, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | SMALL:) colours, sharpness, dynamic range | | Cons: | Could be F1.8 | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5
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Hi,
I bought this lens following with my positive experience with 40mm Ltd and a bad one with 50-135 DA*.This lens is so small (40mm is smaller of course) and is 70mm !!! I do not know how Pentax made it but they did - hats from heads. I love taking shots with the lens being outside, it is just perfect. I would prefer 100mm for sessions but for fun with kids in a park, it is just a joy. I cannot find anything I would complain about or even I cannot compare it to other lenses. I used to have Nikon 35mm and 50mm and even if they are smallest Nikon's lenses they are massive next to 70mm. Thus there is not much on the market you could refer to for comparison.
Having this lens attached to my K-5 I have a small set that I do not look like a pro or rather quassi pro guy, it is just discrete and I like it.
So, with this lens you get sharpness, quality, colours, wide dynamic range, IQ and the most important SIZE If the lens was bigger perhaps it could perform better but for what it is, it is just an amazing lens. Get it.
I did not give 10 marks everywhere as I left it for those lenses which cost Ł3000
   | | | | | Senior Member Registered: June, 2012 Location: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany Posts: 113
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 1, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $690.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | small, sharp, beatiful colours, perfect portrait lens | | Cons: | speed, minimum focus distance | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5, K 10D
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Even though so much has been said here about this lens I have to join the parade and applaud this fantastic small piece. It is perfect for portraits and anything else. Beatifully nuanced colors, nice bokeh, small, well made and unobtrusive. It is expensive, but surely worth it. Even though many seem to dislike the hoodI think it's well designed and offers the perfect protection.
Summer democracy by pentax_georg, on Flickr
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2012 Posts: 14 | | Review Date: November 29, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, light, great rendering | | Cons: | could be faster, weird focal length | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-5
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This is a gem! One of my favorite Pentax lenses ever.
Small but sharp, the performance of this lens is incredible. Very sharp wide open it gets better until 5.6. But not everything in life is about sharpness, contrast is great and the color rendition superb. Very similar to the DA 35mm 2.8 but even better in my opinion. Autofocus is also fast.
My only concern is the aperture, is not fast enought for portraits. Don't get me wrong, it's very good lense for portrait but but I miss the deep of field of a 77mm 1.8 Limited or a 85mm 1.4.
All in all, this is a very nice lens. Small and compact i carry it with me at all times, it really deserves the Limited designation.
Great job Pentax!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cvicente1932/9720442728/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cvicente1932/9720450012/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cvicente1932/9717217167/in/photostream/ | | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: August, 2010 Location: Leeds Posts: 152
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 14, 2012 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Quality, size, build quality | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax k-r (and K-01)
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Every now and then I start wondering if the grass might be greener on the other side. Might I want to switch to Nikon?
This lens isn't the only reason I stick with Pentax, but even if it was the only reason, it might still be sufficient to persuade me to stick with Pentax.
As far as I am aware, no one else makes a lens that compares - a tiny prime lens of this sort of focal range.
Combine that with the fact that Pentax have their image stabilisation in the camera, and this lens is even more unique. A 2.4 lens, with image stabilisation, smaller than a 50mm 1.4.
I originally owned a DA35mm, FA50mm 1.4 and the Tamron 90mm macro. But I found the 35 and 50mm a little too close to each other, and the 90mm was big and heavy (and I wasn't really making use of its macro abilities) so I sold the 50mm and the 90mm in order to be able to afford this, and love it, and will often just carry this and the 35mm.
And I haven't really found myself missing the 1.4 of the 50mm.
And the lens hood is great. Just leave it on, and it is always there, and the lens is still tiny. Or if you don't like it, just take it off.
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2011 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 15 | | Review Date: October 27, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Optics, Size | | Cons: | Lens Hood | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-01
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An absolutely perfect portrait lens - I couldn't recommend this more highly to other Pentax owners.
The only negative I've found is the lens hood - it's really awkward to take on and off, and I ended up just purchasing a cheap UV filter and leaving the lens hood at home all the time. For what I shoot, I almost never need the hood - so this strategy has worked out. It may not work out for you. That said, the inconvenient hood is still worth putting up with to get your hands on this glass, it's simply wonderful.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2007 Location: Newcastle Australia Posts: 5,284 | | Review Date: September 2, 2012 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Small size, crisp sharp focus, good price | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K5
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I have found this to be a great lens to carry at all times, Very versatile, great colour and bokeh, and is relatively cheap compared to some other lens of this length.
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: April, 2011 Location: LODINGEN, Northern Norway Posts: 275
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 18, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $733.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Chrisp,christal sharp,smooth bokéh, well built | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5
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Got this from my father, in adwance to my 45th birthday.
Its bought at the Norwegian Pentaxshop Fovi.
Its now one of my favorit lenses. I have just taken some test shots with it, but it delivers some extremely chrisp pics, with creamy bokéh.
App:
I have now used it for 2 years. Its sharp as a knife, but some fringing wide open.
Perfect for portraits.
 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: January, 2011 Location: Skĺne, Sweden Posts: 482
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 5, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $385.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Size, build quality, AF-speed, bokeh, image quality | | Cons: | AF-accuracy, purple fringing | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-5, K-01
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This review is for a mint condition DA70 bought second-hand on the Pentaxforums marketplace, serial nr is in the 00023xx-range.
PROS- Very small size and low weight
- Build quality
- AF-speed
- Image quality
- Bokeh
- Conversation piece
CONS- AF-accuracy
- Purple Fringing
Build and parameters
The DA70 might be a bit larger than the DA40, but I would say that the size and weight of this lens is even more impressive. I'm not aware of any other short telephoto lens of this size, and it still has a respectable f/2.4 maximum aperture. Equivalent to a 105mm focal length in 35mm format, a typical portrait lens one might say. I've used it mainly to that, but it is so small and nimble that it has also covered pretty much all my telephoto needs (I'm not a bird shooter). Build quality is top notch, and the pull-out and removable hood works very well and is a nice touch. You are given the option to go super slim or with the hood as protection (against flares, but also for mechanical damage to the lens).
Image quality
The lens is sharp in center already wide open, and very suitable for portraits at f/2.4 and f/2.8. I use it for both headshots and full body. Stopping down to f/4 the corners will be very sharp as well and you can use it for events, motorsport and so on. Bokeh is smooth and never distracting, but one might say that it does not have any special character either. Personally I don't mind a bit of swirlyness in a portrait background, but technically you can't say anything bad about the DA70's bokeh. It has shown some purple fringing in high contrast situations, but it easy to correct in software, just as the vignetting and negligable distortion. Ghosting and flare is well controlled and the smart extendable hood does a good job here.
Use and handling
Typically for a DA Limited, the handling is great. The lens is very light weight and small size. Where a large lens like the DA* 50-135mm might get you tired after fifteen minutes, you can shoot all day with the DA70. Auto-focus is very fast, but the DoF is pretty thin and I miss some portrait shoots at f/2.4. I think this has to do more with the camera (K-5) then the lens though. Speaking of portraits, that is what I would say is the typical area of use for this lens, but like I said earlier I use it as a general telephoto. It is very sharp stopped down a little and will allow for a bit of cropping if needed. I liked the DA70 very much, and I ended up getting the FA77 which I would say is better for portraits, but the DA70 has advantages like lower CA, faster AF and smaller size and might be more all-round. The FA77 is probably the closest rival, regarless of system, but there are many other great portrait lenses. None of them will be as small as the DA70 though, and many will be manual focus only and softer wide open. With such a wide are of use and relatively low price, especially second-hand, I think that the DA70 offers great value.
Overall impression
The DA70 must be seen as a gem in the Pentax lineup. It offers a wide range of uses in a very small and high quality body, and at a reasonable price. I have compared it to the DA* 50-135mm and for me the DA70 does the same job at one fifth of the size and half the price. No other company will offer a lens with the same specifications either, a truly unique lens, with its greatest rival in the same stable (The FA77), both exceptional portrait lenses that will work as general telephoto as well.
My pictures on Flickr with this lens | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: August, 2011 Location: Melbourne Posts: 4,843
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 3, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $545.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, build, compact size, bokeh | | Cons: | minimum focus distance | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-5
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A most civilized lens. It does everything beautifully, with a minimum of fuss. Sharp across the whole frame, very usable wide open. A great lens for portraits.
Compared to lesser lenses, the DA 70 Limited produces images with a clarity and lack of aberrations that is striking. It is like a thin veil has been lifted. So clean; it makes excellent use of the K-5's resolution. However, if you look carefully at 100% magnification, you will see that it doesn't have the brutal sharpness of the Tamron 90mm macro (or presumably the comparable Pentax DFA 100mm macro). But that is not a concern, as the difference is not visible at normal sizes, and is easily compensated for with a modicum of edge sharpening if required.
All round, this lens behaves very similarly to the DA 40 Limited. They make a great pair. Very clean, very pleasing images. Colours are Pentax-excellent, though they don't quite pop in the mystical way they do with the DA 15 Limited.
I know f2.4 isn't "fast" in absolute terms. This does not bother me though because of the excellent high-iso performance of the K-5. The only thing that does disappoint me about the DA 70 is the 70 cm minimum focus distance. Certainly no macro lens!
This is taken wide open
... and this is at f/8
No extra sharpening is applied to either.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2010 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 327
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 16, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $425.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | size, quick shift, sharpness, colours | | Cons: | bokeh can be harsh (especially in situation with trees in background), only f2.4 | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
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great lens in terms of build quality and IQ, extremely sharp and can handle backlit situations very well (unlike fa 77)
a few points ill add on:
- it's only f2.4, for this reason it has led me to want to get the fa 77, it's fast enough for most situations but i would prefer to have more speed for the specified use (portrait / subject isolation)
- bokeh is not great in some situations, i found when shooting against trees in the background it was too nervous and not creamy at all
- i would get this lens if you want a good budget prime, if you have the money i would rather the fa 77 due to speed and bokeh (although it has much more CA)
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2009 Location: Lithuania Posts: 344 | | Review Date: February 6, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $628.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Buil quality, AF speed, size, weight, sharpness, colors | | Cons: | Few abberations, a bit focus shifting (albeit controlable) | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5
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It's rare but I give this lens 10. It absolutely superb in every way.
Build quality is impressive, engraved letters reminds old lenses (and does it nicely). I like telescopic hood and the lens cap. The cap is even with velvet material inside!
The lens is very light and discreet, small. It also looks amazingly beautiful.
The picture it produces is very sharp straight from f/2.4. At f/5.6 it is so sharp from corner to corner.. Colors are saturated and really punchy.
The AF speed is decent, no complains about it. It is accurate too although it may sometimes choose to focus further instead of the closer subject.
Now few negatives:
The bokeh is okay, but I have seen smoother or just more eye pleasing. Not to say it is bad,not really,it's actually good, but it could be better too. Also there may be a bit abberations although the amount is not significant. At closer distances the focus may shift a bit further.
All in all, it is superb lens for the money. It is very sharp, very discreet and very good quality. I sold my Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 to get this lens. I know I lost some versatility and zoom option as well as silent focus. But I also got small size, light weight and better IQ too. And the focusing.. To be fair, I found the limited focusing faster than Sigma at some point. Not to talk about abberations and field curvature. I am totally in love with DA70mm.
Update: I sold the lens after using it for +- 9 months. After using it I can say that it was not enough DOF control to me so it was the main reason. Also the bokeh is not that good, a bit lacking character, not very smooth either. In every other aspect it is highly recommendable lens, very light, absurdly sharp, well built and producing high IQ. It's just me who wanted more bokeh thing.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: July, 2009 Location: Perth, Australia Posts: 180
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 25, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | Excellent IQ, Great Color, Smooth Bokeh, Great AF | | Cons: | None so far | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
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What can I say that the picture's don't already show from previous reviews? This lens is absolutely fantastic for portrait shots.
Having used the SMC-A 50mm f1.7 for nearly 2 years, I was quite spoilt for IQ and sharpness so my expectations weren't all that high for the 70mm. I mainly bought it for the AF and the extra reach.
Having recently shot a night event, where the lighting was almost non existant, I was amazed at the quality of pictures this lens produces. The bokeh is so nice and smooth and ads that "magic" touch to pictures.
I have prviously owned the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DG (non HSM) and the SMC-M 50mm f1.7. The DA 70mm is in a league of it's own compared to those lenses, and neither of them are rated low. The improvement is paramount.
Sharpness from f2.4 is simply stunning. Level of detail retained with this lens at high ISO is also very surprising.
Manual Focus with this lens is also very easy due to it's smooth and long focusing system. I had no issue focusing in Manual mode even in the darkest of conditions.
I also noticed a more consistant WB using this lens on my K20D. The variation in WB was limited and only small adjustment was required in post processing.
The only negative on this lens is very slight green/blue fringing in high contract situations. I noticed it more when using my flash but it's only a couple of pixels wide and ONLY noticeable when pixel peeping. I must stress that this ONLY occurs in rare high contrast situations.
Overall, for the price this lens will stay in my collection.
Many will be reading reviews of this lens and comparing it to the FA 77mm. To be honest, I am not sure the cost is justified as the DA70mm is just as capable as the FA77mm. Only reason I can imagine you'd want to buy the FA over the DA is FF capability and the faster f-stop, other than that, save your money and get the DA.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: December, 2007 Location: CA Posts: 98 | | Review Date: December 23, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | size, image quality, construction | | Cons: | faster lens would be nice, cost, lens cap only works with lens protector | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
New or Used: New
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wish the lens was a bit faster, maybe 1.8 or even 2.0
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2010 Location: The Black Hills Posts: 1,108 | | Review Date: December 20, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $420.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, contrast, size, price. | | Cons: | None for me | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
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I can't say enough nice things about this lens. I like the built in hood and cap, they work well in my experience. I love the sharpness and contrast for landscape photography as well as shooting people and stuff. This did surprise me as I did not think I would like a mid-telephoto for landscapes, but in the right situations this lens shines.
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