| Author: | | Pentaxian Registered: December, 2012 Location: Blenheim Posts: 1,292 | | Review Date: February 29, 2016 | Not Recommended | Price: $75.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Cheap, robust, reasonably sharp | | Cons: | Awful SA (white fringing), AF hunts | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 3
Autofocus: 5
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: K-50
| |
I purchased a used copy of this lens with high expectations after reading many reviews.
The copy I received looked to be in reasonable condition for its age, but IQ is a totally different story.
Sharpness is good but not exceptional.
The lens is actually not bad in situations without bright edges, but it suffers from horrible spherical aberrations (white fringing) below about F10 whenever there are strong highlights.
The lens is heavy, but robust. Zoom is acceptable, however manual focus ring is very small and not ideal.
AF tends to hunt, is noisy and sometimes it feels as though the lens is being hit by a hammer when it is focusing.
If you can avoid using this lens in situations with strong white highlights or can stop it down to F10 or more, it's quite good value for money, however due to severe white fringing around bright highlights, I wouldn't recommend it if you have access to a better zoom in the same range.
I also have a kit 50-200 DA-L, and I'd consider the F 70-200 slightly sharper at wider apertures, however any increase in sharpness is more than offset by the terrible white fringing around bright objects, the DA-L is much lighter, and IQ is as good if not better once both lenses are stopped down.
| | | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: June, 2014 Location: Paris region, France Posts: 141
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 13, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $55.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Value for money, colour rendering, quick AF, cool looks... | | Cons: | Front element turns with focus, some PF, noisy AF | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-50
| |
I sold my DA 50-200 a month ago in order to get this lens (and some other oldies...), basically because I really like legacy Pentax glass. I don't have much to add that has not already been said in its praise. Looking forward to a lasting relationship (and counting on Lightroom to take care of the PF).
A seagull at Etretat, Normandy, France; 135mm, 1/2000, f/4,5
A cliff at Etretat, Normandy, France; 190mm, 1/250, f/7,1
 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: November, 2010 Location: New Berlin, WI Posts: 528
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 14, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Price, good IQ | | Cons: | A ugly lens | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-x, K-5
| |
I had a copy of the SMC-F 70-210 for a while with my K-x and K-5, and took many pictures with it. Not bad at all. Actually an excellent value. Capable of above average IQ.
I recommend 135mm wide open for portrait. It really is crisp with a pleasing bokeh. It is 10x cheaper than the 50-135 but certainly not 10x less capable. The best 70-210 $100 can buy.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: August, 2013 Posts: 1,457 | | Review Date: December 14, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Low price , quite sharp , good build | | Cons: | Hunts too much in AF , very Ugly | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K30 , K3
| |
I just picked this lens up on Ebay for $40. Its ugly !
However I heard positive things so figured why not give it a try.
There is a bit of flair on lightly colored objects , but nothing too bad.
Its quite sharp in the middle ranges with aperatures of 8-11 , and also quite sharp on the wide end at f4 which comes in handy.
Autofocus is spot on in enough light , but if it doesnt nail it right the first time there is alot of hunting.
Overall its a very good lens even compared to new designs and can hold its own.
Nice and heavy with a solid feel.
Manual focus is almost a joke. The ring is tiny and this lens is loud and very clunky.
Im going to give it a thorough workout on the K30 and K3 before giving a final call on it , and will post my findins here in detail.
Its a keeper for now.....but man is it ugly and loud !
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2010 Location: Vermont Posts: 941
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 28, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, sharp, sharp!!! | | Cons: | Rotating front element, somewhat heavy | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-30
| |
This lens is one of the sharpest lenses I have. It's a little heavy, but the IQ in my opinion trumps the inconvenience. Focusing is fast, and usually very precise. Overall, an excellent lens that I don't think I'll ever part with (unless I purchase the Tamron 70-200 2.8 someday). IQ id say is between the pentax SMC 55-300 and the Tamron 70-200 2.8.
Here is a shot, with a little post processing in light room.
 IMGP3340.jpg by dcarman75, on Flickr
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: July, 2012 Location: Perth, Australia Posts: 42
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 22, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $129.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | weight, size, reasonably sharp, fast focus | | Cons: | bit noisy | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 7
Value: 8
Camera Used: K5IIs
| |
I do not give away 9's or 10's to old lenses that do not compete with modern high quality digital era lenses, so at a 8 this thing is fairly handy 
I generally agree as per below. But it's surprisingly small in size to me, not a lightweight, it's quite a bit shorter than the DA55-300, whilst just a fraction heavier. I can't get over that this is Full frame, just a smaller aperture than the big f2.8's, so not such a tank !!!
Feels very nicely balanced and looks perfect on the front of a modern K5IIs or Kx. Very Sturdy construction.
I have tested it alongside the 55-300 and at 210, it's very similar in IQ. But at 70 and 135mm it seems to be in it's sweet spot, rather sharp and has have nice edge to edge sharpness at f5.6. reminiscent of my FA 28-105. Colours are very nice, rich and warm, so it seems to perform similar to or above a modern kit lens in terms of sharpness but shows those typical , F or FA traits of keeping more consistent in edge to edge performance compared to the DA 18-55 whilst on a crop sensor camera. These lenses seem to work really well on aps-c.
Auto Focus...... very quick and snappy, (almost violent -super torquey)
Having one of these, gives you something 'ready to rock' when the (now, more promising) FF arrives. It would be a pity putting an old lens on a great FF sensor, but it's a worthy starter.
It's not going to win any low light competitions, but as a cheap and cheerful sports, portrait and general use lens, it's pretty good value for money and worth having if you can find a decent one. It is what it is, a very decent FF film era lens, however, in the right hands I think it's capable of some very respectable results.
It just seems to fit like a glove and look like a weapon on the K5/3 style cameras and balances beautifully.
So, what are you getting ? A solidly built, noisy but very quick screw drive driven AF which hunts a little bit when subject lacking contrast. Has at least as good optical performance as similar digital specific aps-c lenses if not overall better, due to very good edge to edge performance. I'm not sure if perhaps centre sharpness may be less than a new lens but overall sharpness gives you that feel that its fairly special.
Looks and feels a little antiquated, but a real gem.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: April, 2011 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 386
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 26, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $75.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, fast AF, nice bokeh | | Cons: | Heavy, loud AF, poor manual focus, not pretty | |
My curiosity got spiked when I came across some comments on the internet http://www.stans-photography.info/ The website has a lot of comments by Pentax photographers on older Pentax lenses up through FA. Some of the comments on the 70-210 was "It's by far the best optically among its peers ", and " . . one of the best lenses Pentax ever made . . "...
Picked one up on fleabay, and compared to my HD 55-300. At 70 and 135mm HD is slightly sharper in the center than the F. Stopped down one ore more stops, the F is better in the sides and corners, and the are the same in the center. At 210mm they are identical in the center, but the F is a good deal sharper in the corners. The HD has slightly more contrast.
With 9 blades it produces a very nice bokeh, though I have not done a controlled comparison.
The F is noticeable (1.5x or more?) faster at autofocusing than the 55-300. Mind you - it is much louder, but definitely much faster.
It is heavier than and almost as big as the 55-300, though the 49mm filter thread is nice. The manual focus ring is pathetic, but other than that the build is nice. It obviously misses the wider focal range of the 55-300, but then it is Full Frame - may come in handy one of these days  .
This lens is a GREAT alternative to the more expensive 55-300. I suspect that it optically will perform much better than the DA 50-200, but it is of course much bigger and heavier. If we ever get a full frame Pentax, I would guess the price of this lens will increase, since it might become the best lower cost FF tele zoom available
| | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2014 Posts: 4 | | Review Date: May 11, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Bokeh, Colour, Value for money. | | Cons: | Heavy, Noisy. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-30
| |
My first telephoto zoom lens. I picked this up cheap from eBay not expecting much but man was I surprised ! For the price I paid this thing blew me away. It's heavy though, and hunts around loudly focusing when light is a little scarce. Apart from that it seems like the perfect beginners (aka cheap) telephoto zoom lens.
I took a few photos around the property the first night I got this, a bit of mucking around in lightroom too.
Rain Gauge Holder: K-30 155mm, 1/125, f4.5
Rose: 135mm, 1/125, f5.6
Fence Pole: 210mm, 1/180, f5.6
Rosebush: 70mm, 1/125, f4.5
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2013 Location: San Luis Obispo Posts: 146
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 22, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, great color for portrait | | Cons: | CA Problem, A little to heavy. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 7
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-5
| |
Great Sharpness, Great Color for portrait, excellent skin color.
CA is a problem, It is a little too heavy, autofocus is not fast
| | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2012 Location: Burnt Store Marina, Punta Gorda, Fl Posts: 16 | | Review Date: October 20, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, good build | | Cons: | Hard to use with filters. Front element turns when focusing. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
| |
Newer may not be better. I've had this lens since day one and continue to use it with my K5. Over 20 yrs old and getting better like a good red wine. Never had a problem but may send it in for cleaning. I like it for landscape when a Tele is called for. Good color saturation. I have a Sigma 70-300 but the Pentax takes better photos. Only keep the Sigma for birds/wildlife. Use both with tele converter 1.4. No reason to sell it as a new one will not not do anything that this lens will not do; and maybe not as good. Never had any issues and have taken many photos with it. Used it for business use for many years and found it to be a workhorse. It's like an old friend. It does have it's own personality. | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: July, 2012 Posts: 1,211 | | Review Date: October 14, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | IQ, Sharpness. | | Cons: | Noisy and a bit heavy. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
| |
My copy was old and worn when I got, But it has no issues.
This is a loud clunky lens that takes very sharp images.
I find the screwdrive fast enough and the build overall good.
Try one, It might surprise you
Samples | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: September, 2013 Location: Toronto Posts: 2,074
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 7, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $96.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Cheap, decent IQ & colour | | Cons: | Rotating front element, need a hood, loud, seeks, can fringe heavily in bright light | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 6
Handling: 7
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-30
| |
A decent performer, particularly for the price it goes for. IQ is acceptable, certainly above kit lens quality, though occasionally fringing is an issue.
Biggest issues are: the focusing itself—which tends to be loud in auto-focus mode and next to useless in manual thanks to the incredibly tiny focusing ring—and the front element. The latter because it rotates on focus, a bugbear of mine, and because it's prone to flare. Get yourself a decent hood if you're going to use this one. In extremely bright light it also has a habit of fringing a bit more than acceptable.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2012 Posts: 963 | | Review Date: June 21, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, Great Contrast | | Cons: | Heavy, Focus Ring is virtually useless, loud | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: KX
| |
First Revision
After spending 4 days exclusively with this lens in (literally) an island, I'd like to move the rating of this lens from mostly 9 to 10!
It's still the same ugly duckling physically, but its output is nothing short of spectacular under bright light. I was inspecting it last night and I was really surprised that part of its magic may probably lie in my surprising discovery that this lens has 9! blades. Besides the limiteds, I am not quite aware of any Pentax lens with 9 blades. I, actually had to count it thrice to ensure that it wasn't 8!
As mentioned below, I also own some of Pentax' most beautiful glasses, but this one is right there in the company of FA77, FA43, K55/1.8 and DFA100WR! It's slow and ugly, but it's sure that this is a fine wine!
Original Context:
This is a heavy lens. It's relatively slow. The focus ring is untenable. The front elements may be prone to separation. It's ugly and doesn't look good mounted. It whines and literally bangs itself when trying to focus. It tends to underexpose everything.
Those are the big negatives. Once you get past all those negatives, you'll see that this lens is capable of producing very good images. Great contrast, and the bokeh is nothing short of being very good.
I bought it in fleabay. It was described as having perfect optics. Between the trip from California to Manila, somehow it lost its immaculateness. I sent an email to the seller. He was nice enough to offer a refund. The front element is in not-so-perfect state. Still, after a few tries, I saw that it doesn't seem to affect the quality. I decided to keep the lens and accepted a partial refund. I sent the lens to Pentax here to fix the front element. After more than a month, they gave up. I made a decision to put this lens into several tests, and surprisingly after a few months, I'm deciding I'll keep it in the company of my zooms DA 18-135, 55-300, and I think that it can share room with my other not-so-shabby glasses like the FA43, DFA100WR, and FA77. That speaks volume!
It's a keeper. If I can find a pristine copy here in PF, I'll probably snap it up.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: September, 2012 Posts: 100 | | Review Date: March 29, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $85.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, color, good p/p | | Cons: | hunter, slow, need a hood | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
| |
My copy is very good. Some time it hunt when AF but no FB or FF.
Cause the f4-5.6, seem hard when use in lowlight without flash.
Focus ring is loose, it's normal with F or FA or DA...lens. Aperture ring is very smooth, no losse at all.
It's good cho portrait or vacation.
| | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2012 Posts: 24
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 22, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $109.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, great contrast, exceptional bokeh, light for its reach | | Cons: | Not much, but the perfect lens does not exist | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-30 (Brand new!)
| |
I read previous reviews before I bought this thing off Sleazebay and it has more than lived up to my expectations. Yeah, the focus is loud and I could care less. I took it out Saturday and was very pleasantly surprised with the test shots I made. I have never owned a Pentax until my son gave me this K-30 for Christmas. I have "heard" about the amazing Pentax lenses, and now, I'm a solid believer. This lens is remarkable...just remarkable!
 | | |
