| Author: | | Inactive Account Registered: August, 2012 Posts: 12
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 8, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Compact, fast focusing, light | | Cons: | focal length range | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-5
| |
This lens has the sharpness of a prime, and is as little as a prime! Awesome image quality. Such a wonderful value.
just a little example from my flickr.
 IMGP15911 by JZackery, on Flickr
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2012 Posts: 14
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 6, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Lightweight, Macro, Small, Sharp | | Cons: | Difficult focusing ring | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K10D, K-5 IIs
| |
I absolutely love this lens. It's extremely light and small, the macro mode is usable whenever it's needed and it's sharper than any other lens i've seen in the same price range. It has 4.5 at it's farthest zoom range which is nice compared to other lenses of this type and price which are usually 5.6. The distance to turn the dial between 35 and 70 is short enough that it's easy to quickly zoom between them when needed. The only complaint I have is that the focus ring is the typically difficult to use f series type. I like the later and FA series ones which give you something to grip onto. It's still very usable though, you just have to use your fingertip to turn it instead of both your thumb and forefinger which can be good but can also be done on the newer styled ones as well. This lens makes a great lens for street photography if you like tighter cropping over an 18-55 kit lens.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: February, 2014 Location: Warsaw Posts: 76
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 24, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Decent sharp wide open, Fast Focus, resonably fast, good macro mode | | Cons: | narrow FOV | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-500
| |
I just got it and I am really astonished.
As for zoom lens it is very sharp, even wide open!
Lens is sharp not prime sharp but almost as good.
I am just discovering prime lenses quality and was recently amazed by Pentax A 50/1.7 image quality. This lens is not as fast but offers almost as good image quality and is more versatile. So now it is my first choice for day walk around lens. Also much better then Kit lens.
Main complains are: lens has a bit too narrow field of view and, is only 35-70mm.
Great lens, cheap, light, sharp and reasonably fast, with good macro mode.
At 35mm
At 70mm
 | | | | | Forum Member Registered: December, 2012 Location: Warsaw Posts: 83
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 3, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Size, 70mm f/4.5, MACRO, useful 35-70mm (@52,5-105mm) street zoom, SMC colours | | Cons: | Flare/ low contrast when backlight, plastic look, 0.7m min. focus dist. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 7
Value: 10
Camera Used: K200, K5
| |
Nice SMALL lens with nice IQ and very good "zoom macro". Very useful zoom range if you need moderate distance shooting street pictures. I liked it so much until I compared pictures with SMC-M 35-70mm f/2,8-3,5. That old lens is a real "stack of primes" - produces images that are way better in terms of contrast, color, detail clearness and backlighting resistance. I also found the SMC-F VERY prone to flare with sun sidelighting what made me selling my copy finally. Do I recommend it? Sure - for this price you will be happy trying this lens for yourself.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2014 Posts: 17
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 2, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Macro, Sharp, colors | | Cons: | Flare | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K5-IIs
| |
After reading reviews here, I decided on bidding on this lens on eBay and god hold of one for $30 including shipping. It has few spots on the front element, which I plan to clean after I get the lens spanner wrench. But, from the images, the spots don't seem to effect the IQ. I took some test shots today and was pleasantly surprised with the sharpness especially when using the macro mode.
One thing I noticed is that when the background is very bright, the lens tends to produce soft photos. It may be because of the spots on my lens.
Below are some sample photos, which were taken hand held on a dark overcast day.
100% crop
Another one:
Hope it helps.
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2013 Posts: 7
7 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 10, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | nitidezza, focus abbastanza rapido, colori fantastici | | Cons: | sembra un giocattolo, zoom molto corto, rumoroso | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
| |
ho fatto qualche foto in montagna, si vede subito che rispetto al tappo wr è un'altra cosa, i colori sono più profondi e i dettagli sono stupefacenti, un pò complicato adattarsi allo zoom che dopo i 70 entra in macro mandandoti in confusione.
Ho sentito la mancanza di una maggiore panoramicità, sarebbe stato fantastico per esempio se fosse stato 18-70 ma vabbè l'ho pagato poco e mi ha dato una serie di scatti fantastici, vi linko un esempio.">   | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2007 Location: Perth, Australia Posts: 1,989
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 1, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $53.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Light. Relatively fast and good IQ. | | Cons: | Noisy. Build. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-01, K-3
| |
I bought this lens out of curiosity after seeing all the lens reviews.
It seems that most people agree that this is an underrated lens with good IQ. I tend to agree. The lens will not best the sharpness and IQ and handling of the DA21, DA35 Ltd and DA70 but it is not expected to be considering it is only a fraction of the cost of a limited lens. Considering the cost I paid for this lens, I would say this lens has one of the highest cost/performance ratio.
I find the lens noisy during AF. AF is adequately fast with the K-01 and with the K-3, the lens focus even faster. But the K-3's high torque motor appears to be too much for this little lens as the AF action is a little "violent"....nothing as smooth as the other lenses that I have. Nothing wrong here but if you are accustom to smooth AF on pentax lenses, this lens may shock you a bit.
The lens is also weird (at least to me) because at its widest setting, the lens is also the longest. At 70mm, the lens is the shortest. The macro feature is handy for occassional close up shots. The 35-70 range is a tad limited to me in its wide range. I would have loved this lens to be a 24-70 or something but for the price I am paying for, I really can't complain much.
I find the lens IQ is best when it is fitted with hoods. So I use a collapsible rubber hood on mine. I am currently pairing this with my K-01 and might one day try this with my K-7. I would recommend this lens to anyone who is on a budget but would like to have a good starter lens with good IQ.
| | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2012 Posts: 2
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 25, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $53.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | small, sharp, built quality | | Cons: | none for the specifications | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K5
| |
Size matters! This small gem is a good extension to my DA 16-45 for outdoor use. It is well built and the autofocus is suprisingly quick.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: December, 2012 Location: IOWA Where the Tall Corn Grows Posts: 3,704
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 6, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $39.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, Fast Focus, Small, Lightweight | | Cons: | Plastic Construction, Only 3.5-4.5 Aperture | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-5
| |
This lens is Sharp Sharp Sharp. For Inside pictures I use a Yongnuo III flash because of the higher aperture (3.5) of this lens. This lens is as sharp at 35mm as it is at 70mm. It actually takes sharper pictures than my DA 21 which I paid well over $400 for. If I've over used the word "Sharp" it's for a reason.
Because the lens is only 3.5 -4.5 aperture I would not recommend using it for low light without a flash.
This lens sells typically for less than $50. I purchased mine for $39. It has stayed on my K-5 most of the time lately.
[IMG]http:
Untitled by frankweiser, on Flickr//farm6.staticflickr.com/5530/11767760666_7a968e5192_b.jpg[/IMG][/url]
Untitled by frankweiser, on Flickr
| | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2012 Location: Burnt Store Marina, Punta Gorda, Fl Posts: 16
6 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 20, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Excellent Images | | Cons: | Limited for wide angle shots | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Film; now k5
| |
I have to smile when I read about the build quality. In my profession I needed a good camera for everyday use. At that time we had small camera stores. The owner suggested a Pentax SF 10 with this lens and the same lens in 70-210mm. That gave me 35-210. All I needed as an Ins Adjuster. I charged my clients $2 per photo. Equipment paid for itself over time. The main one used was the 35-70mm. I averaged 250 photos per week. This was over a 20year time frame. Do the math. The 70-210 is now with my daughter for use on her K30. I still have the 35-70 and and it works as good now as it did when I first got it. Does that sound like a poorly built, low quality lens? I now have the WR 18-135mm which is on my K5 most of the time. But still use the 35-70 and I think the photos are as good or better. My daughter has the 18-55 kit that came with the K5. I kept the SMC 35-70. Fact is I could have kept the two SMC lenses and added a small WA Zoom and and with my 1.4 Sigma converter would have had all I needed. But I fell into then same trap that most of us do and had to have the "modern" equipment. New is not always better.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: August, 2010 Location: Alexandria, VA Posts: 2,054
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 6, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $65.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | compact and sharp little zoom, fast AF, great valule | | Cons: | plastic build, flare-prone, narrow FOV | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-x
| |
This is a lens that I have owned once but sold way way too quickly before really appreciating how great it is. After looking at more and more images taken with this lens by fellow PF Forum members and having a huge dose of seller's remorse, I decided to acquire another copy and it was in even better condition than my first one! The high rating of this lens by most reviewers has to be attributed to the low cost to excellent performance ratio. It is super sharp, the most compact AF zoom you can find in K-mount (I think!), and blisteringly fast AF speed. It does tend to flare easily, as it is an old lens without modern lens coatings, but you need to add a hood to really improve the contrast. The "macro" feature is handy to have. The minimum focusing distance is a little long for indoor use but manageable. And yes, the fact that it "only" starts at 35mm on APS-C does limit its use as an everyday zoom, but if you can deal with that (or perhaps carry with you a DA 21mm for the wide end), it is great at the focal lengths it does offer-- it comes close to replacing the primes at 35mm, 50mm, and 70mm (not in speed, but damn near in image quality). The plastic build is definitely fairly cheap feeling, and the drab grey color of the F-series lenses don't make it all that attractive mounted on a black camera body. But when it comes down to it, the images it produces are outstanding, particularly for the well-under $100 cost of the lens. So lightweight and compact, it deserves a place any Pentax shooter's camera bag! Very happy to have this lens back in my lens lineup, I don't think I'll let it go again.
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2012 Location: Minsk Posts: 19
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 19, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Fast focus, rather sharp, vivid colors | | Cons: | Rotating front barrel | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K200D
| |
I've bought it second hand, but in excellent condition. Nice lens. Soft when open but what do you want from a zoom? I found it IQ much better then 18-55 kit lens
 | | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2011 Location: Timisoara Posts: 17 | | Review Date: July 17, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Fast focus, sharpness, light, decent price | | Cons: | Plastic, quite small | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: Pentax K5
| |
Bought this lens second hand but almost new. Looks like someone took really good care of it or forgot it in the box and never used it.
I was impressed by the sharpness and the focusing speed. Image quality was better than I expected.
Overall this turned out to be a good investment.
Two things I would have liked to be different about this lens:
- a better build
- bigger size
Otherwise I'm satisfied with the lens. If you can find one in good shape/price don't hesitate, buy it  | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2012 Posts: 15
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 8, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, Love Contrast, Color so vivid, Macro, Correct auto focus | | Cons: | Heavy compare with prime, Construction weak | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: K10D
| |
Amazing image quality compare with price.
DA35 f2.4 prime lens is in modern era...auto focus not so good & contrast is so weak.
I think F 35-70 is better than DA35 f2.4
Sharpness is great par with F 80-200.
Sweet point is f5.6
pros : poor construction & weight so heavy, have to light more compare with size.
Remark : This lens is great more than KIT 18-55.
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2012 Posts: 6
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 19, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp! Great Colour representation, low CA, Very nice bokeh for a zoom, quick AF | | Cons: | Not 2.8, but not really a "con" as such | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-r
| |
This lens is immense. A bit soft wide open at 35mm, but becoming razor sharp (just as sharp as my 50mm macro lens!) by f5.6, and is a bit soft open at 70mm, becoming razor sharp by f5.6. Very low CA for an older lens. The bokeh is really very nice, not quite as smooth as my M 50 1.7, but very nearly there, not nervous at all. Autofocus is extremely quick and accurate- much quicker than the kit lens (my K-r has front focus issues in tungsten light, but any other situation it's incredible). It handles really nicely, not too light, but not too heavy, and the camera has great balance with it on. And taking account of the minimal price, all of theses qualities are even more impressive!
EDIT:
After doing some more tests, I can say that although it is a -bit- soft wide open at almost all focal lengths, it is quite genuinely ridiculously sharp by f5.6, which I'm fine with, because I mainly use this for landscapes, so f8 is usually my lowest stop. I say almost all, because this lens seems to have one weakness- at 35mm, it is quite a bit softer at all apertures than other focal lengths- this is still pretty sharp at f5.6/8/11, but it is still a bit softer than all its other focal lengths. However, if you change the focal length by as little as 5mm to 40mm, the issue disappears and the lens takes razor sharp images at 5.6/8 etc.
Also, for anyone having front focussing issue on a Pentax K-r, on mine, I just need to alter the fine focus adjustment to -6 / -7, then it works perfectly in daylight (but still front focusses quite badly in tungsten light- in light like that I have to use live view or manual focus to obtain correct focus).
| | |
