| Author: | | Pentaxian Registered: February, 2010 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 6,176
12 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 26, 2022 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Compact, relatively inexpensive, near pro-quality optics | | Cons: | None of significance | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-1
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This lens is the reason I bought the K-1. Having a compact high quality standard zoom was a must for me. The standard zoom is the most important lens in the landscape kit. It tends to get the most use and is absolutely instrumental when seeking to photograph outdoor scenics. If you're shooting other brands and you want a standard zoom with comparable optics, you have no choice to get something along the lines of a 24mm to 105mm f4 zoom. The 24mm is nice but hardly necessary. And f4 is useless in landscape photography. By starting this lens at 28mm instead of 24mm and making it a variable aperture f3.5 to 5.6, Pentax not only made it smaller than those heavish f4 full frame zooms, but they also dramatically reduced the cost to make the lens and hence the market price. This lens produces images that are almost indistinguishable from those of f4 zooms offered by more cynical brands, even though it costs a half to a third of those far more expensive constant aperture zooms.
It's really quite wonderful to have a full frame zoom lens that is this small and light that performs this well. It has the usually deep, rich contrasty Pentax colors and my copy is sharp edge to edge from 28 mm at least through 70mm when stopped down to typical landscape apertures (f8 - f16). You lose a little bit of edge sharpness at the long end, but that's not all that unusual in zoom lenses of this type. Even those expensive f4 prosumer zooms don't usually perform as well at the long end.
@ 28mm:
@40mm:
@63mm:
@95mm:
@105mm:
 | | | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: August, 2011 Location: Melbourne Posts: 4,847
9 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 4, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very sharp and clean images, reasonable size and price | | Cons: | vignetting | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-1
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This is the sort of FF zoom I would have liked to see more of from Pentax to accompany the K-1. It's optical performance is exemplary, apart from strong vignetting. In many ways, it is reminiscent of the excellent DA 16-85, which is high praise.
I could have wished for a wider short end, 24mm would have been ideal, but that would have been a different lens. The modest variable aperture marks it as "consumer-ish" rather than "professional", but is worth it in exchange for compactness and a reasonable price. The other fast DFA zooms released around the same time (15-30, 24-70, and 70-200) are all immense and not what you want to carry all the time. The IQ is a good couple of notches above "consumer" in any case.
I note that some people are fixated on its significant vignetting. Get over it! It's not a big deal. Two seconds to fix in LR if you must, though in practice I rarely feel the need. (See my post here to compare vignetting corrected and uncorrected.) This sort of behaviour is very common in FF zooms anyway.
This is my "everyday" lens on the K-1. Very suited to travel. I give it a 9, but in reality 9.5 is more where I think it sits.
Click on any of the first four for full size images.
105mm, f/7.1
31mm, f/5.6
45mm, f/11
28mm, f/8
80mm, f/8
40mm, f/11
68mm, f/8
105mm, f/11
28mm, f/8
105mm, f/8
 | | | | |
6 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 19, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $496.95
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Exceptional quality for a lens of this class! | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-1
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I prefer high-quality primes lenses for most of my work but there are good reasons to keep a zoom lens such as this around. Of all the zoom lenses I’ve used with similar ranges (some priced several times higher that this one) , this lens really stands out and impresses me. It exceeded my expectations based on its specifications and price. Highly recommended!
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: October, 2018 Location: Quebec City, Quebec Posts: 6,653
6 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 3, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $327.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Excellent lens for landscapes. VERY SHARP starting @ f/6.3 with an optimum @ f/11 at all focal lengths. Great contrast and colors. | | Cons: | None really. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K1, K3 (lower 4)
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The magnificent performance of this DFA 28-105 mm lens never ceases to amaze me ! For landscapes, you hardly need any other lens.
| | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: December, 2011 Location: HArtford CT Posts: 46
6 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 12, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $495.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp wide open especially around the 70mm range | | Cons: | Can be soft on the long end | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K1
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Was not immediately impressed by this lens when I first bought it......had no wild expectations. i was looking for something to cover the wide end at fullframe (around 28mm) and went with this because it could also give me some flexibility and was weather sealed.
My first positive impression of this lens came when I took a picture on the beach shooting straight into the sun, there was no expected lens flare (angle may have had something to do with it because I have since had some flare in other pics). Second positive impression came last night when I was shooting an event indoors and couldnt use my flash. I wanted to keep shutter speed high and use the lowest permitted ISO so I shot wide open at 73mm - focus was spot on and I had good working depth of field to allow my subject to be completely in focus nose to ear.
I had to make some adjustments to my shooting style. I like to shoot with spot focusing but found that the 9 point focus works better. Still allows me to concentrate my focus on a specific partof the subject but allows the camera more information to evaluate focusing range.
Color is excellent. I could still easily tell however which pics were shot with the 77mm 1.8 I also used - only because the 77 has this unique signature, but I sholudn't have even bothered to change lens. The 18-105 results were more than satisfactory.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2013 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 578
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 24, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Lightweight, sharpness, wr | | Cons: | Would have been nicer for it to have been a few mm wider | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-1
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If you own a K-1, you need this lens. I've had not problems trusting it to some critical photo shoots - ones that were possibly once in a lifetime opportunities. It feels like a lens that should cost 2x or 3x as much as it does. For hiking, general nature photography, and other outdoor photography this is a must have.
 | | | | | Junior Member Registered: August, 2009 Location: Netherlands Posts: 31
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 10, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, colours, AF accuracy, reliability | | Cons: | Could have been wider | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-1
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This is an excellent lens for the K-1. I have an extensive collection of primes and prefer to use those but often a versatile zoom is more practical, especially on days away or on holiday with the family. This lens is excellent for that.
Below there is one negative review. I am not sure whether in that case the lens was at fault or some other error was there but obviously that experience is an outlier and not representative of my experience, which actually compares well to the reviews here and elsewhere.
My opinion is that the colours are excellent. A main downside is vignetting but that is easily corrected in post processing. Other aberrations are neglectable. Out of focus rendering and bokeh is not exceptianal but its totally fine and never disturbing. AF has for me been fast and extremely reliable.
Sharpness is really very good; much better than you would expect from a ‘standard’ prime. I’ve also had the DA 18-135mm and this is much better. It is also better than than the DA 16-85mm, which I’ve also had.
Overal “reliable” is the right word for this lens; it delivers the goods. It is not extremely bright and oftentimes one would hope it could be 4mm wider but really what this lens does, it does very well in a predictable and reliable fashion. There is no pixie dust that the best primes produce but at the end of the day most of my keepers from 2016 have been made with the lens because it is there to captures the moments. I payed full retail price at release and have no regrets.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2007 Location: Billings, MT Posts: 13,853
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 18, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Light weight, very sharp, nice bokeh, fast and quiet focusing, WR | | Cons: | Variable aperture, double barrel extension | |
I was a little leery at first about this lens for the variable aperture, double barrel extension, and at the price point the quality. To say the least I am very happy with this lens. With this lens on the K-1 it's a comfortable walk-around combination. The image quality is much better than I expected. I like this lens!
All taken at f/8.
28mm.
45mm.
80mm.
105mm at MFD.
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: June, 2012 Location: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany Posts: 114
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 26, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $544.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | useful range, colours, sharpness, af, size & weight, build | | Cons: | works as an air pump, too; perhaps vignetting for those who care? | |
I usually prefer shooting with primes, but I think every traveller also needs a reliable & versatile zoom. The 28-105 is exactly that - and more.
I like this lens more than I liked the DA 18-135 on APS-C. Even though it's focal range is more limited, this lens makes it up with huge pros for travelling: size & weight & build are almost identical to the 18-135 (62mm filter thread!), colours equally great, flare resistance at least on the same level, AF speed & accuracy on K-1 is very good even under not-so-easy light conditions.
Of course you will notice some vignetting at max. apertures, but sharpness stays very good, so who cares? The bokeh is nothing short of delicious for a zoom lens.
WR ist handsome, but keep an eye on your mic port seal! Mine opens up after about 10-15 actuations of zooming in and out due to the fact that considerable amounts of air get pumped through the lens & the camera every time...
Will post more images when time permits.
 Clear vision by Georg, on Flickr
| | | | | Administrator
Site Webmaster Registered: September, 2006 Location: Arizona Posts: 51,608
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 1, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $499.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, compact, fast AF | | Cons: | Vignetting | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-1
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This lens puts all film-era consumer zoom lenses to shame. It even holds its ground well against the D FA 24-70mm, which is softer than the 28-105mm at longer focal lengths. As I tend to favor primes over fast zooms, this lens is perfect for me as a supplement to my kit of primes, and as a viable travel option.
The main issue with this lens is vignetting, which is quite pronounced overall and noticeably darkens the viewfinder. Stopping down by an additional two stops is what I'd recommend. That's not to say that the corners or edges are soft, though: in fact, especially with lens corrections on, the overall image quality is superb in other aspects.
Thanks to the DC motor, focusing is quick, though faster performance in low light will of course be possible with wider lenses.
The D FA 28-105mm may look like just like the APS-C 18-135mm, but on the inside, it's a completely different lens that prioritizes image quality and compactness at the expense of aperture speed. For $500, it's a bargain in my opinion.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: October, 2012 Location: Melbourne Posts: 95
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 3, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $499.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Light, sharp, accurate and fast focus, resistance of flare | | Cons: | slow aperture, bokeh is good but not great | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-3 and K-1
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Really nice lens... similar to 18-135 and better, probably because of HD coating.
Great walk around lens if you don't mind its not wide enough for APSC format. Would be a perfect travel lens for K-1!
A few photos shot with K-3 and K-1 are attached. I think the first reviewer's images are not telling the IQ, as the dog may have moved.
I'll update my score when I have a K-1.
Updates: I took my K-1 and this lens to Gold Coast for a few days holiday. I found the DFA 24-70 is too big and heavy for travel and casual use. K-1 and 28-105 are great travel combo! Auto focus is really quick and I had no problem to focus on racing cars in the show. below are couple of images:
 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: December, 2012 Location: Blenheim Posts: 1,296
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 31, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | WR, lightweight, sharp | | Cons: | Stiff zoom | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-70
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I purchased this lens used with a bit of scepticism, as it's basically a kit lens for the K-1, and I intended to use it on my K-70 where the APS-C crop factor makes it a standard to moderate telephoto zoom.
I wasn't sure how useful the zoom range would be on APS-C nor how good the lens would be, having an older Tamron 28-105 that identifies as a Pentax FA! but isn't particularly sharp.
After over six months with this lens, shooting a variety of subjects, I've had to put my scepticism aside, as I'm very impressed with what's a very reasonably priced lens for what you get.
Sure, it's not overly fast, but for mostly landscapes that I've used it with, I've generally had it stopped down a little anyway, so this has never been an issue.
Although the lens isn't rated as a macro lens, I've been able to get close enough to small subjects at full zoom to not always have to switch to a macro lens.
What I've been most impressed with is the sharpness of the lens across the zoom range. It's not perfect, ie not a prime, but remarkably good, and a noticeable improvement on the kit zooms for APS-C.
Sharpness seems to be good at a range of apertures, but seems to reach its limit at f/9 on the K-70.
I've noticed a very small amount of green or purple fringing on some images, but it's not bad, and easily correct in post processing.
AF is quiet, quick, and accurate.
My one major gripe with the lens is the remarkably stiff zoom. Presumably this is related to the weather sealing. Zoom creep is not something you'll experience with this lens, in fact almost the opposite. You could (not recommended) suspend the camera by the lens, and it won't extend one bit. Turning the zoom ring is like driving a car before power steering was invented, and requires a firm hand. Fortunately there's plenty of grip to hold onto to do so, so it's not a huge issue, but because of zoom stiffness, sometimes zoom movement can be a bit jerky, and it's not easy to do a smooth pan and zoom tracking moving subjects.
Eventually I'd like to compare it with the DA 16-85 which is effectively its equivalent on APS-C and also very highly regarded, however that is also a more expensive lens, and if I'm prepared to live without the wider end, the D-FA 28-105 definitely makes a workable weather sealed walk-around zoom. Interestingly, the D-FA 28-105 is actually slightly lighter than the DA-16-85 at 440g vs 488g.
Would I buy this new rather than the DA 16-85 for an APS-C body? Maybe not, but if one comes up used at a good price, which is quite possible, and you don't already own the DA 16-85 or if you currently own an APS-C body but are considering upgrading to a K-1/ (II) then this is a versatile lens that produces great images.
 | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: June, 2014 Posts: 206
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 21, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $280.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Cost, weight, overall IQ | | Cons: | Not as good at the wide or long ends | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-1
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This lens is fantastic.
I had heard enough good things about this lens that I began looking for one shortly after acquiring my K-1, and bought my copy second-hand from another user on the Marketplace. Before this, I had no other zoom lenses for my K-1; only some prime lenses. Overall, I am impressed with it, and have owned my copy since early 2017.
I shoot landscape photography off a tripod - a mixture of portrait orientation, stitched panoramas, long exposures, and a bit of everything in between - and this lens is easily my most-used lens and the one lens I would struggle without. Small and light enough for multi-day hikes, robust enough for changing weather, enough zoom range to cover most of what I'm interested in shooting, cheap enough to almost be considered disposable ( yeah, breaking it would certainly hurt, but breaking a 31Ltd would hurt much, much more ), and IQ that is good enough most of the time.
Wading out in waist-deep water? Check. Shooting at the beach with salt spray and waves splashing? Check. Hiking in the rain? Check. Better this lens than my other, more expensive ones for dangerous situations.
It is quite sharp, and I mostly use it stopped down from f10 to f13 and beyond ( if the situation needs more depth of field ) where it excels ( right where you need it for landscape photography! ). However, regarding sharpness it is NOT prime-quality, and lenses such as the 77Ltd, 50mm macro, and the Sigma Art 35mm are still a notch above. The compelling aspect of the 28-105 is that once it is stopped down, most of the time it doesn't matter - it is usually so close that I will simply shoot with the 28-105 anyway rather than bother changing lenses. This is fairly high praise coming from a pixel peeper! After carrying around a bag of primes and constantly swapping lenses, it has made a lazy photographer out of me!
In balance to this, it is a bit weaker on the short and long ends. I have taken some photos at the wider end and wished that I had taken the time to change out the lens to a prime; if you are going to cut single images into 3:1 panoramas at the wide end of the focal range, you are probably going to be disappointed with the result. The edges will not be perfect, and will be barely acceptable in a lot of scenarios. However, in balance to that, when you are in the moment and the available light is rapidly changing, convenience often trumps absolute image quality.
Aberrations are there, but not really that much worse than any of my other lenses - perhaps aside from the heavily corrected Sigma ART 35mm or my longer telephoto lenses. I have noticed colour fringing is more pronounced on the wider end, but I haven't done a lot of indepth comparison here.
Bokeh. It's nice enough. I'm typicall trying to get everything in focus, so it's not important to me.
I have also been impressed with the resilience of this lens. It boasts Weather Resistance, and as far as I'm concerned it has held that claim quite well. I use the lens a lot on the beach, and it ( along with my K-1 body ) has spent quite a few nights in a ziplock bag full of rice after getting splashed with salt water. Considering it has a double-extending barrel and how light and plasticky the lens feels, it has been suprisingly robust.
Saying this, it is not bullet-proof. I had a wave crash over me on the coast and completely submerge the camera and lens along with soaking me to the skin. I then removed the battery, washed the body and lens off with fresh water, disassembled what I could, opened all the ports and laid it all out to dry. The camera body was fine, but the lens refused to autofocus, and would not communicate with the camera - it simply treated it as an unknown manual focus lens. I still use it and mainly manual focus anyway, and it still produces great images. The autofocus now comes and goes - sometimes it works, sometimes it sticks and locks up. Sometimes the camera can communicate, other times the lens is always listed as "105mm" on Lightroom at whatever focal length I use it at. The lens still has a permanent place in my bag.
I have used the lens quite a lot for stitched panoramas, although it's difficult ( nigh on impossible, really ) to establish just where the nodal point is anywhere in its focal range. The perspective of the image changes quite a bit when focus stacking ( focus breathing? ) but this hasn't caused me any major dramas yet when merging the focus stack. The focus motor is quick enough and fairly accurate using phase detect, but it isn't greased lightning in its speed.
The handling is nice enough, although the focusing ring can feel a little light and flimsy. The hood clicks into place nicely and is quick and easy to fit, and love-or-hate the older style of the lens cap it is super easy and quick to fit without looking ( it is very suprising how much of a difference these two minor issues can make ). Try this on the Samyang 24mm f1.4. After four attempts to get the lens cap on properly and multiple attempts reversing the lends hood to store it, the 28-105 is a breeze! The zoom ring is nice and big for grip, as it does feel like the lens is really fighting to extend and retract those barrel sections.
I haven't owned the 24-70mm, so I can't compare it to that lens. Having a bigger aperture would be nice for cloudy days when walking around. When I first got the lens I was suprised at how much I would sometimes have to crank up the ISO to get the shutter speed up when walking around as a tourist. Having 24mm on the wide end would be nice, but the lens would be much more expensive. I have also become quite fond of the 28mm focal length, and will often try and work with it rather than swap lenses.
Besides this, I still love this lens and will gladly defend its merits while acknowledging its short-comings. Overall for the money, it is fantastic.
Would I buy it again? The 24-70 does tempt me, as I use the longer end of the focal length a lot less than the wide and mid range. If I found a 24-70 at an absolute bargain price, I would probably go with that. Otherwise, I would buy the 28-105 again in a heart beat.
https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/photo-oceans-edge-59669/&u=71281
https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/photo-hidden-horizon-59666/&u=71281
https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/photo-mirrored-colours-59667/&u=71281
https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/photo-new-life-59665/&u=71281
https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/photo-contrast-colour-59664/&u=71281
https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/photo-rest-59663/&u=71281
https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/photo-alpine-aristocrats-59662/&u=71281
https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/photo-mountains-silhouette-59661/&u=71281
https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/photo-river-ghosts-59660/&u=71281
https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/photo-cascade-59658/&u=71281
https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/photo-two-wheels-59659/&u=71281
Edited for spelling.
17-03-2022 Edit
This lens is still seeing heavy use after all the punishment I've put it through. The autofocus doesn't work at all now after the salt water dunking, and the lens now records the focal length as "68mm" for every single photo. Regardless of this, it is still the lens I will normally use for my landscape work, and can (proudly??) say that I've now had it in the snow as well  . However; I have become more aware of some of its limitations, and my earlier notes about it being weaker at the short and long ends have extended to including aberrations at the mid-to-outer frame areas. If you have a high contrast area ( such as tree branches against a bright sky ) you will see purple, cyan and orange fringing that may prove difficult to get rid of. I have lowered its rating for aberrations to suit. Is it a result of my treatment of the lens? Maybe - I'm honestly not sure; things may have become slightly decentered inside, but I do see similar results from earlier photos. Still a fantastic lens that I would recommend, but for critical work I would probably swap out for a prime at the wide end or stitch a pano instead.
| | | | | Master of the obvious Registered: June, 2011 Location: Lowlands of Norway Posts: 18,312
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 18, 2019 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, versatile, and fairly small for what it is | | Cons: | Can struggle with infinity focus at 28mm | |
Even though I prefer primes for most situations this is one lens I would not be without. For me it is a splendid travel lens and bad weather lens for the K-1. It is fairly small for a full-frame lens with this zoom range. Most of the time I use it a bit stopped down, which means there is very little vignetting and the sharpness is very good. The bokeh is quite smooth despite the relatively slow apertures.
The main negative thing I have found is that it can struggle with acquiring focus at 28mm (with the K-1, at least). I sometimes have to hunt for contrasty edges to get focus to lock near infinity (but not at shorter range). At times I instead focus on something at half-distance (say 30m/100ft) which most often is good enough with the generous depth of focus at the wide end.
All in all this is by far the best "kit" zoom I have used. I include the quotation marks to indicate that this lens is a level or two above what is usually considered kit lens quality.
28mm f/8
 Blyderivierspoortdam by -savoche-, on Flickr
40mm f/8
 Sogndalsfjøra by -savoche-, on Flickr
58mm f/4.5
 Parked by -savoche-, on Flickr
73mm f/8
 Cabin wall and roof by -savoche-, on Flickr
105mm f/8
 Protea by -savoche-, on Flickr
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2007 Location: North West UK Posts: 390
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 31, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Stupidly good lens. IQ, CA control, sharpness, size, AF, Sealing | | Cons: | Would have been nice if it was 24mm at the wide end and a constant F4 | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-1 K-3II
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This is a gem of a lens. It replaced my old (and stolen) SMC-F 35-105mm F4-5.6 which in itself was a real beauty on the K-1.
Upsides?
Sharpness
Snappy AF
weather sealing
Colour rendition
silent
Size
I can't believe this is considered the "Kit" lens.
Downsides?
Well, it would have been nice if it was 24mm at the wide end.
Also, A constant F4 would have good too (to match the CaNikons)
There is some vignetting at 28mm and F3.5 but a lot of lenses have vignetting wide open. Use it creatively or get rid in PP. It is not a problem.
It is a real gem, and worth having in the kit bag, especially if you have a K-1.
Edit - I am having much use with it but I am having to drop it a few points. My copy has decentred with its sharpness, and overall the critical sharpness when it matters is not as good as the 24-70 let alone the primes. This was from both out in the field on a tripod and in a studio set up. It is still a fast AF sealed lens, but for certain applications it really does fall short. Shame really.
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;)
;)
