| Author: | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2007 Location: Auckland Posts: 452 | | Review Date: April 25, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | excellent colour, sharp throught the range, relatively cheap | | Cons: | rotating front barrel | |
My favourite walk around lens. Was once the standard "kit" lens on the SFX. On the k10 this covers the traditional standard and portrait lengths (50'ish - 105). Surprisingly sharp from center to corner throughout the range. Great lens for street or people photography.
| | | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: March, 2007 Location: San Francisco Bay Area Posts: 2,929
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 10, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $42.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, excellent color | | Cons: | | |
This is a fairly small zoom lens with excellent sharpness. Images are very good and the zoom range is perfect for street scenes and portraits. I also chose this lens for the macro setting and have found the lens is quite useful for close focus florals. It's not a 1:1 macro, but I enjoy using it for shooting flowers.
When using this lens on the K100D, I was actually surprised with the the excellent image quality. So far I have never been disappointed with it's performance.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: August, 2007 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 233
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 16, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Small, inexpensive, relatively sharp. | | Cons: | Rotating front barrel. Little light on contrast. | |
A lot of people have commented on this lens being quite sharp, so I had high expectations when I got it. I think it should be qualified as "this lens is quite sharp for a low priced zoom". It is definitely not "prime" lens sharp, however it is decently sharp. Contrast could be a bit better.
I think the greatest strengths of this lens is its compact size and light weight. It is just a tad larger than a standard 50mm, but it encompasses a focal range of 35mm (which is normal on DSLR) to 70mm (which is a good length for portraits on DSLR). For casual daytime outings, this is much handier than a 50mm lens. Plus it has limited macro capabilities to boot. With portraits, it doesn't isolate the subject as well as a faster lens, but it'll do in a pinch.
The focusing is fast, the build is plasticky, but still solid.
I really enjoy finding and using inexpensive and relatively "good" lenses. This lens would qualify as such. Obtainable at around $60 or less, this lens provides reasonable quality at a very reasonable price. It is a handy lens to have and a must for anyone looking to put together a low priced kit.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: April, 2008 Location: maryland Posts: 104 | | Review Date: June 19, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | sharp, small, inexpensive, has macro too | | Cons: | | |
this is my walk-around lens (although i dont have many lenses yet)
i really like this lens compared to the kit lens
35mm is just right for "normal" shots and i use 70mm for portraits
really great lens for the price
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1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 28, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | light, cheap and sharp | | Cons: | not currently made | |
I am constantly surprised as to how sharp this lens is. I put it on a K100 body when I'm hunting, fishing, canoeing or in other situations where I have need for a high quality optic that won't cost an arm an a leg to replace.
The zoom range is limited, it's not really fast, and like using a prime, you often have to move your derriere a step or two to get a better picture rather than zooming in and out to frame. But these reasons are probably why the pictures I take with it are usually excellent.
These 2:1 ratio zooms seem a bit old fashioned these days, but they are sharper, smaller and lighter than their modern compatriots. I hope we see a return to this more modest mentality.
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1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 5, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp,Compact, Renders beautifully, Cheap as dirt | | Cons: | Lens barrel rotates and extends to 35mm, Slow | |
This quirky little jewel focuses extremely accurately and with an aggressiveness that is a trademark of the Pentax F series. You can hear it, and feel it, make the most tiny corrections. While some may find that loudly annoying, I find it useful to actually hear what the lens is doing. The rendering is sharp and pleasingly colorful.
It is interesting to note that this lens was the kit lens for the SFX (SF1) film camera which was a pricey item when it first came out. This lens can produce results that can equal, or even surpass, much more expensive Pentax lenses.
The one thing the reviews here don't seem to discuss, besides the wacky extension at 35mm, is that it only focuses at certain distances in it's range, and shifting into macro (which should, more accurately be termed "close-up"), can be a little sticky and cumbersome. Try this lens and you'll see what I mean. That said, the close-up abilities of this lens are one of it's best attributes.
If you are one of those modernist gearheads into sleek, silent, and smooth, who want their lenses to be as easy to use as possible, then I would avoid it. If you are the adaptable and intuitive type, who desires truly superior quality at a bargain basement price then you just can't beat this one.
| | | | | Moderator
Site Supporter Registered: June, 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Posts: 17,377 | | Review Date: September 1, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $34.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Size and relative speed | | Cons: | Not quite wide enough on dSLR | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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This is a good general purpose lens. It is compact and focuses well. It is actually a bit faster than the DA 18-55mm AL II kit lens and also a bit longer. On the flip side, it isn't as wide.
Here is an un-cropped, unprocessed sample photo. http://www.flickr.com/photos/27714498@N08/2815647375/sizes/l/ | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2008 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 2,165
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 30, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $45.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Portable, inexpensive, sharp, macro, convenient | | Cons: | Funny looking | |
In the month I've had this lens it hasn't come off my camera. Great for family snapshots, casual/candid portraits, the occasional flower or other odd (not quite 1:1) macro shot. For me the 52-105mm range on a DSLR is very handy, I never need longer and rarely miss the wider end. AF is nice, and usually fast although occasionally it hunts a bit. I really like the "A" version of this lens too, but on a K100 it is especially nice not to input the focal length with zooming for SR purposes. The "macro" mode shots seem particularly sharp. Plus my wife can use the "scene" modes with this lens - it's a winner. A 10 rating might seem high, I certainly can imagine a better lens, but with value figured in it just can't be beat.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2007 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 2,599 | | Review Date: January 8, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $35.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Compact, excellent IQ for the price, closeup ability | | Cons: | none, really | |
I got this to be the walkaround lens on my K200 and it does the job nicely. The pics are sharp and the closeup feature is very handy. Sizewise, it's in the same range as the DA35 macro. The normal to short-tele length on the cropped sensor is enough range to cover most everyday situations you might run into.
All in all, an excellent piece of glass.  | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: March, 2008 Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,192
6 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 24, 2009 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, good color, price | | Cons: | Limited zoom range? | |
A very good lens with macro focusing ability at 70mm. I had this lens once before. I was lucky enough to find another one recently. It works very well at all focal lengths and produces sharp images with very nice "pentax" colors. I think this lens is one of the best bargains in the used pentax market, if for nothing more than it's macro focusing ability. These are 2 crops of same image. First one cropped a little, second one at close to 100%, taken hand held in Jpg, adjusted in gimp.
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2009 Location: Perth, Australia Posts: 180 | | Review Date: February 28, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | IQ, "3D" pictures | | Cons: | nothing really... | |
got this lens used but in good condition
really cheap compared to the IQ...
I love the 3D feel to the pics taken with this lens 
if you can find it at a bargain price, don't hesitate to get one.
| | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2009 Location: Boston Posts: 2 | | Review Date: April 18, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $46.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Great Color rendition, very decent DOF | | Cons: | Tricky Maco but good results | |
Excellent overall zoom with a handy macro feature that can be a bit tricky to initiate since you are doing it from a ring. Results are very good-excellent with the quality of the glass/SMC Coating more than making up for overall speed. Speed of auto focus varies but is usually pretty quick on my GX-10. This lens has yielded excellent images in portraits, still life and macro. Agree that there is somewhat of a 3D feel to macro still life images...just a combo of the sensor crop and Bokeh when shooting digital. Have also shot this lens on the SF1 (recently) with some Ilford B&W Pro film nad gotten great results.
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2008 Location: Glossop Posts: 6
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 14, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Awesome macro, sharp at almost all settings, great price, small size. | | Cons: | 35mm is not exactly wide on an APS-C sensor DSLR | |
A wonderful little gem of a lens, I paid £32 on Ebay for this, and since then I've seen a few sell for less, and one go for £4.50!
Here are some sample shots:
I've been blown away by how sharp and detailed this lens is, and I've loved the macro end of the scale.
The downside is a fairly long minimum distance at 35mm, and the fact that 35mm is really not at all wide, and I do need to swap back to the kit lens for some shots. The 2x zoom means that the price seems to be very low with a lot of people just ignoring it. Why, if a prime is okay, why is a 2x zoom with near prime quality a problem? I'm giving it a 9, as for the money it is really great.
The set of all the pictures I have taken with this lens is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/smcpf3570mmf3545/ so please look if you want more samples.
| | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2009 Location: 3city Posts: 10 | | Review Date: September 17, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $23.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | cheap, sharp, small... | | Cons: | rotating front lens | |
Got this lens as "not tested". When I plugged it into my *ist I knew that it was this lens which I was looking for.
For now I'm not releasing them from body and it's my favourite lens on film camera. Appart of that I have F28 / 2,8 and F50 / 1,7 - this set of lenses is absolutely enough for me.
Fasto focus, light weight... what expect more ??  | | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2009 Location: Boston Posts: 2 | | Review Date: September 19, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | Nice color rendition, sharp within limitations | | Cons: | limited macro capability, slightly noisy | |
I purchased this lens-along with it's SF1 Camera Body, Cables and a Pristine 500FTZ Flash on eBay. It was like taking a trip back in time when I put it on my GX-10 and later when using it on the SF1 (I rember when he SF1 was high tech, lol).
This lens produces some great color and is relatively sharp when stepped down 1-2.
Overall one of my better finds.
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