| Author: | | Moderator
Site Supporter Registered: February, 2012 Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia Posts: 11,275
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 10, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $2,000.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, fast, AW | | Cons: | Big, heavy and expensive - DUH! | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: New
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It is still early days, but I am mightily impressed with this lens so far. With a good shoulder sling (I use a BlackRapid) it is reasonably comfortable to carry, even while running.
IQ is exceptional. Sharp wide open, blistering at f/8, great corners (on APS-C at least) and the lowest chromatic aberration of any lens I have used. Focus is fast and decisive and tracking is good enough to keep up with two boisterous dogs playing in my backyard.
A growing gallery of shots with this lens is in my Single In Challenge for April 2016. Ignore the first 7 days as I was using the DA*50-135 while I waited for the lens to arrive.
| | | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: July, 2011 Posts: 2,388
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 22, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $2,200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Large aperture - very well made | | Cons: | Haptics, size | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 7
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K3, K1
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This lens delivers everything you can expect from a 2.8/70-200. It represents the new Pentax style. Pentax used to stand for small footprint prime lenses for APS-C cameras - here we have exactly the opposite: A large tele zoom for full frame cameras. Compared to APS-C lenses this lens is huge. Compared to other manufaturers lenses with similar specs this lens is bigger and heavier than the rest. We are talking about 250-350g of extra weight! Optical performance on APS-C with quite narrow pixel pitch is just great even wide open. Images are more than usable from 2.8 on. Close down aperture for superb results. ON K1 with wider pixel pitch there is probably no problem even on fullframe. On K1 you can see a certain fall IQ fall off at 200 mm and open aperture. Stopping down a little bit makes for great performance.
The lens is quite heavy on K3 - you don't want this lens to pull on the lens mount too much - long time ago my Nikon 2.8/80-200 pulled that munch on my F4 that the lens mount was displaced. That Nikon lens weighed 1200g, the current Pentax lens weighs more than 1700g or 2030g with foot... Trying to display and delete images, I can really understand why the K1 has an extra display image button, the current layout on K3 is awkward with large lenses. I also feel that one really wants the 5-axis stabilization of K1 with this lens as well as bigger handgrip and additional counterweight. K3 with battery grip is just OK. It would be nice to offer a shorter lens shade - lens plus lens shade are so big that you can scare people from large distance. Unless you are working in bright sunlight, a shorter lens shade would be nice - or a combined two piece lens shade for APS-C/FF.
Focus is quite quiet, fast and does not require much hunting/ fine adjustment. The AF fine adjustment works for all focal length. The lens has an opening for polarizers like other DA* lenses - this question was raised in the forum before. Walking this lens on a K1 is heavy - my old Nikon lens with the same specs was much easier to cary. Pentax basically designed one long tube with large diameter, difficult to hold even for larger hands.
Lens plate is thick and clumsy. It does not fit Wimberley Sidekick's Arca mount - not a neccessity, but still somehow stupid since noone will make a replacment foot anytime soon. Overengineered.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: May, 2011 Location: Hanoi Posts: 213
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 16, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $2,000.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | metallic mass, stabilized, great bokeh | | Cons: | ring zoom | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-1, K-3
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The delay of first full frame body K-1 would definitely deserve to bear with only DFA* lens counting at the moment. The bokeh is the best impression appetizing my choice.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: August, 2011 Location: Melbourne Posts: 4,846
6 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 10, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $1,664.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, nice bokeh, AW, internal focus | | Cons: | weight, size, excessive price premium over Tamron 70-200 | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 7
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K1
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If you ever wondered what Pentax could produce if they didn't have one arm tied behind their back trying to attain "compact" or fit under a budget, well, this may be it. The D FA* 70-200 f/2.8 seems to be the biggest and heaviest of its class out there. It's a beast ... but an impressive beast.
I've only been out with this lens (on the K1) a few times so far, and am still learning how to get the best out of it. I bought a monopod especially for it. It came in handy for an extended shoot yesterday, but the lens is certainly hand-holdable in good light, for a while at least.
I have seen chromatic aberration, but it is fully corrected in LR quite easily.
Focus seems very fast and sure, but it occasionally misses for moving targets. That is probably my fault, using AF.S. I should try out AF.C. At this stage I'm still getting used to the K1 as well, and not yet getting the near-100% in-focus rate with all lenses I get with the K3.
Nguyen Nam, in these reviews, has already shown how beautifully it renders portraits (I wish I had such a willing model). I will show some shots and crops illustrating other characteristics. No extra sharpening (beyond the LR default) has been applied to any image in pp.
First, here's a Silver Gull @200mm, f/5.6, ISO100:
but now let's crop down to the bird's head:
Look at the sharpness of the eye and the beak, and the smoothness of the bokeh!
Now, here is a shot taken wide open (100mm, f/2.8, ISO100):
and a crop:
I find that amazing for wide-open! Note that the shiny chrome rod at the bottom was very purple until corrected in LR.
Now a shot (sic) at 100mm, f/7.1, ISO100:
and a crop of the sights:
Finally, a shot that displays bokeh at 200mm, f/11, ISO200:
 | | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2016 Location: Roi-et, Thailand Posts: 773
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 24, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $2,500.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, bokeh, colour saturation, prime like at all focal lengths | | Cons: | AF should be quicker for this type of lens | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-1
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If you have only one lens for your K-1, this one's it. Other PF'ers have mentioned it's a "bag full of primes". Well, I have the FA Limited's, the 2.8/100 Macro WR, Carl Zeiss ZK's . . . and I can say the D-FA* 2.8/70-200 produces the same quality . . . at any focal length.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/56053365@N07/27806655854/in/dateposted/
Doesn't have in-lens stabilisation, but I haven't found this to be an issue.
It's heavy no question, all 2.8/70-200's for full frame are the same. The only downside is the AF could be quicker and quite honestly, should be quicker, especially on the K-1. It's not dire, it's just slightly shy of really giving me confidence it'll nail the shot. No big deal, but this is the critical area Pentax needs to improve. Focus accuracy is sublime however.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/56053365@N07/28346318861/in/album-72157668433790253/
Pricey, but then all high end full frame 2.8/70-200's are, unless you opt for a third party offering.
Overall, I wouldn't be without this lens.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2006 Location: North Idaho Posts: 696
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 28, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $1,696.00
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | | | Cons: | | | New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-1
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This is just a stub. More, complete thoughts forthcoming after I've had a chance to really exercise the lens.
- - -
Picked up my new D FA* 70-200/2.8 from the place where the big brown trucks park at night. Just made a few test shots from the second-floor balcony.
Initial impressions? This thing is heavy! Much larger and heavier than my Sigma EX 70-200/2.8 lens. It is difficult to hand hold, compared to the Sigma. The barrel is straight and the tripod mount interferes with easy holding. The Sigma is lighter and has a more conical shape, which seems to be easier to hand hold. Comes with a very nice case. Tried a Tamron 1.4x teleconverter. Not impressed with the initial results. More to follow.
This weekend, I want to take side-by-side shots with the Sigma to compare with each other.
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: March, 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Posts: 27,662
12 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 9, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $1,800.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very sharp from wide open, Fast auto focus, Minimal CA | | Cons: | Big! | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K3, K-1
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I have reviewed the other DFA f2.8 zooms and so I thought I would go ahead and review the DFA *70-200.
This lens is Pentax designed and manufactured, unlike the other DFA f2.8 zooms and the only one of the three to receive the DFA * designation. What significance that has, I am not sure...
The first thing that strikes you, when you begin to use the DFA *70-200 is the size of the lens. It is very large, heavy, and quite long, particularly with the hood on. I have used the DA *50-135 for quite awhile on APS-C cameras and this lens is a lot bigger than that. It is quite a bit larger (longer and heavier) than the DA *200, which I also own. To be up front with it, if you like small, petite lenses, there isn't much point in reading further.
(a couple of size comparison shots)
 DA *200 and DFA *70-200 size comparison by Vincent1825, on Flickr
 Holy Trinity? by Vincent1825, on Flickr
 Holy Trinity? by Vincent1825, on Flickr
The lens has a very nice build. There are a couple of external switches -- a focus limiter that can limit focus to 1.2 meters to 4 meters or, 4 meters to infinity and another that allows for QFS-A/QFS-M/MF -- QFS-M allowing you to take control of focus, even when the camera is trying to auto focus. It is an internal zoom, meaning that it stays really long all of the time. The hood is pretty deep and while it can be reversed, doing so blocks you from easily turning the zoom ring (which is positioned farther from the camera, while the focus ring is closer to the camera).
With regard to performance, the DFA *70-200 is probably the best zoom I have ever used. It really does reach prime quality at f2.8. In point of fact, I find it sharper than my DA *200 at 200mm and f2.8, although they are equal at f4. Sharpness and contrast are really good with this lens. Vignetting is mild wide open at 200mm, but not really noticeable elsewhere. Colors are very nice as well.
One of the biggest differences between the DFA *70-200 and older lenses is the lack of purple fringing. Fringing is something that could really detract from image quality and while it is fixable, there are times when fixing fringing can add gray lines to the image. Anyway, I have seen almost none with this lens.
Auto focus is quite fast and silent with a K-1. The focus limiter speeds the process up if you know what range you are going to be shooting in. I don't shoot sports, but I had no trouble tracking my kids at play and riding their bicycles.
Bokeh is really smooth and quite nice. Probably not quite to the FA 77 quality, but very pleasing to the eye.
The lens does flare (as is probably expected), but surprisingly little for the amount of glass there is inside.
All in all, I am very pleased with this lens. If you are really bothered by the size, the DA *200 does give pretty close performance for a lot lower price, but if you need the flexibility of a full frame zoom, want weather sealing, and want edge to edge sharpness, fast auto focus, and weather sealing, this the only (and best) option for Pentaxians. I highly recommend it.
 Coneflowers by Vincent1825, on Flickr
 Elliot by Vincent1825, on Flickr
 Victoria by Vincent1825, on Flickr
 Victoria by Vincent1825, on Flickr
 Harvest Time by Vincent1825, on Flickr
Croc Eye (shot at 200mm and f2.8)
 Croc Eye by Vincent1825, on Flickr
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: November, 2015 Location: Old South Wales Posts: 6,039 | | Review Date: October 11, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $1,500.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, very rugged, AW, quick-shift design,Pentax original | | Cons: | expensive, heavy, focus -breathing @ 200mm (not issue for me, but for some) | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-1
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Such a go to lens that I find myself looking for situations to use it rather than selecting it for a particular shot. Great IQ across the frame - a real treasure.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: July, 2008 Location: Cleveland, OH, USA Posts: 292 | | Review Date: October 12, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $1,796.95
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, color, bokeh | | Cons: | Heavy | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-1
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It's more of opinion than a review.
I've been using this lens for the last 3 months. Like it very much.
Yes, it's big and heavy.
Optically it's great: it's sharp, especially in f/4-8 range. It produces very pleasant colors and bokeh is excellent.
Mechanically it's very solid, it withstood some sprays of salt water and light drizzle. I didn't noticed any focus breathing. AF speed is OK.
I'd recommend it to anyone without hesitation.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: September, 2013 Posts: 1,799
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 16, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $1,797.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Focus limiter, tack sharp, quiet/quick AF | | Cons: | Price, weight | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-1
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My favourite lens at the moment.
Pros:
- 77mm filter thread means moving up from Pentax DA* APS-C glass isn't as painful as it could be
- Incredibly sharp from wide open. So sharp that I have to lower the clarity in Photoshop/Lightroom for portraits. Sharpest at f5.6, which is great for telephoto landscapes.
- Focus limiter keeps AF snappy. Minimum focusing distance is 1.2m. DC autofocus is quiet and usually accurate.
- Abberations are unusually well controlled. Lens corrections are often completely unnecessary on both the wide and long end.
- Bokeh isn't overly busy, but not particularly special.
- The construction of the lens is very solid; the tripod foot release is well designed.
- The case it comes with is better quality than the usual Pentax cases.
Cons:
- I don't see these coming on to the used market very often, so the price is likely to remain high.
- This can do a number on your shoulder.
- Fitted on the K-1, this won't fit attached to the camera across the length of my ClikElite Probody Sport + CS Sleeve backpack.
The lens leaves me with a dilemma: I want a version of this lens in 24-70, but I'm not sure whether the Tamron designed D FA 24-70 will meet the high expectations this lens has set.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2012 Location: Paris Posts: 813
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 26, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $1,250.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | | | Cons: | Heavyweight (Champion) | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K1, K3
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Owner of the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 I wasn't really looking for a replacement as I was pretty satisfied with the Sigma lens. I've been shooting the Sigma for 3 years, tons of concerts and I had the good surprise to see that it was nicely working with the K1 Full Frame as well.
But I had an amazing price for a HD PENTAX-D FA* 70-200mm f/2,8 ED DC AW, one physical store was selling out all their Pentax gear, and I decided to take the plunge and bought it for 1150$ new.
I've been using the Pentax version since 2 weeks, pretty extensively (am still missing some concerts photography with it) and mainly for Portraits and landscape and Im really impressed by the image this lens produce in combination with the K1.
As everybody said, it's sharp from f/2.8, damn sharp @f/5.6. the detail level is really impressive and for portrait it's sometimes too "technically" sharp. Hopefully a little PP in Lr and it render very well. Bokeh's nice too.
Here are a few portrait I did with this lens:
The Autofocus is the best I've experienced so far with Pentax, it's better than my Sigma 70-200mm which was my fastest AF lens so far.
AF is fast AND accurate, even in low light, it doesnt hunt ...and it's dead silent, which is necessary for events or concerts photography for example. Im very satisfied by the AF overall, a nice surprise.
The handling is not that good, I find the lens heavy ( a lot heavier than the Sigma) and difficult to use handheld for a long time. For portrait in the studio I had to make some short pause, switching to the Pentax 24-70mm to rest my arm lol ! It's not that heavy but to have a firm hand I cannot use it for as long as the Sigma.
You can rotate the Tripod support and it's super fast to go from Landscape to Portrait and vice versa, on a monopod it's handy.
About the weight, it's not that of a problem really, I've been hicking for 7km with this lens and the K1 with the basic Pentax strap, and it was OK. I must say that it was raining most of the walk and to have a Combo that is WR is truly fantastic.
The bokeh is really soft and nice up to f/4.5, I like it better up to f/3.5.
The overall image quality is awesome, really that good !
I've seen image from this lens on the forum before I bought it and was impressed, but seeing the image on my screen, and even more on the prints I did is really a great experience.
I'd compare to the Pentax 50-135mm in terms of image quality, but sincerely better, and god knows I love the 50-135mm.
On a final word I would say this lens has better image quality and rendition than the Pentax 50-135mm /f2.8, better sharpness than the Tamron 90mm /f2.8 macro and better AF than the Sigma 70-200mm /f2.8 DG OS EX HSM .
I can't wait to shoot my first concert early january, Ill post pictures.
I highly recommend this lens, it's a big investment tough, but the image that heavyweight Champion deliver is totally unique experience for me and despite the weight I'm pretty confident this lens will be very often used on my camera.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2010 Location: New York Posts: 1,071
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 9, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $1,796.95
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very sharp overall. Very low distortion and chromatic aberration. Smooth bokeh. Excellent build quality. Fast autofocus. | | Cons: | Some softness wide open at close focusing distances. Very heavy. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-3 II
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Overall, this lens is optically excellent, but there is a bit of room for improvement.
Sharpness throughout the zoom range is excellent overall. Wide-open sharpness is very good, and stopping down to f/4 produces outstanding results corner to corner. There's very little in the way of chromatic aberration, vignetting, or distortion, and flare is very well controlled. Wide open at close distances at 200mm, spherical aberration does noticeably hurt sharpness, but stopping down a bit sharpens up the image.
Autofocus is fast, taking 0.55s to go from end to end on the focusing scale. Using the focus limiter can improve this further. Focusing action is very quiet and responsive. This lens excels in tracking fast-moving subjects, even in a dim basketball court, and I never felt held back by the speed of the AF motor. However, there is a bit of inconsistency when critical focus is required; you might want to use Live View and manually focus in such situations.
The D FA* 70-200mm is constructed almost entirely of metal; it's built like a tank and should withstand rough use. However, it is very heavy, more so than C&N 70-200mm lenses. It's also very large; when mounted on my K-3 II with grip, it barely fits in my main camera bag (Think Tank Photo Urban Disguise 60 v2.0). A good tripod or monopod is strongly recommended for extended use. You'll also want to look at alternative ways of carrying it on the field, such as a sling strap or holster. My SpiderPro holster has no trouble handling 8 lbs from the combined lens, camera, and Metz 58 AF-2 flashgun; no matter how you carry it, though, the weight is going to be very obvious.
Size and weight aside, the controls on the lens are well thought out. The zoom ring rotates 90° while the focus ring rotates 175°. Both rings are very well damped allowing for very precise adjustment, though a bit of backlash (play) is present in the focus ring. The focus mode and limiter switches have solid clicks. The redesigned tripod collar attaches much more easily than the old design used in the DA* 60-250mm and DA* 300mm lenses and is more secure as well.
Pricing is currently slightly below that of its C&N counterparts. Given that performance is considerably better than third-party alternatives (but not quite as good as C&N's latest 70-200s), it's a fair value.
Ultimately, I can recommend this lens to any Pentaxian looking for a full frame-ready professional telephoto zoom.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2014 Location: St Petersburg Posts: 402
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 15, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $1,300.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | IQ, Controls, Great with HD1.4TC, Smooth QF | | Cons: | Weight, Weight, Weight... | | New or Used: New
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A true *Star series lens. Built like a tank, IQ off the charts good, exceptional in every way, unfortunately much heavier than FA* 80-200. Extensively tested with LensCal and Yves' calibrators. At both ends of zoom range and using LensCal stand offs and Yves' lengths, as well as a close-up. All were dead zero +- .1. My DA*s (50-135 and 60-250) were not this good. Both were AF Calibrated at +2 and -3 respectively...
Colors, Sats, in the field also quite nice. would have preferred ring location swap (focus and zoom). Silky smooth through, a Rolls Royce of lenses...
Typical *Star Pentax IQ, needs wheels though  
PS: LensCoat is now making the covers for this lens (4/28/17). I sent mine to them for a pattern so covers will be available. I received the cover today 100% LensCoat Quality...They used my FA*300/F2.8 and DFA150-450 for patterns as well. Great products...
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: July, 2014 Location: Tenryu Posts: 29 | | Review Date: March 18, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $1,400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness, IQ | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-3
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Very happy with this lens. Great build. Great image quality. Autofocus is relatively fast compared to my other Pentax lenses (such as DA☆300) and tends to get accurate focus more often than them. I think the DA☆ still gives better resolving for my pixel peeping urges or severe cropping. I haven't calibrated the 70-200 yet, but think I need to. Hoping that will increase my keeper rate a little. I like the tripod mount much more than the 300's mount. The 2.8 has proven quite valuable for indoor conference and night concert photos. So much so that I haven't been using the 300 since I got this.
When I bought it, I had the option for the Tamron or Sigma. Certainly could have saved myself a bundle of money for buying more lenses. However, I could see from the reviews and comparisons that this was superior. In the end, I would have been frustrated with the other two and would have wanted this one. So, no regrets.
Regarding my scoring, please note that I'm a teacher. So, a 10 means perfect for me. Nothing is perfect. Perhaps 9 is too low on most of the points. 9 for bokeh is correct though. It's quite pleasant, but I've seen better. I gave an 8 to autofocus just because the lens often focuses on something in the background. Perhaps that's photographer or camera error, but until I discover why it's happening, I'll leave the score at 8.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2017 Location: Si Chiang Mai. Nong Khai Province Posts: 358 | | Review Date: April 20, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $2,122.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | comfortable to hold TOP quality | | Cons: | NONE | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: pentax k1
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I bought this with the 15-30 last month I am super impressed I bought the 28-105 with the k1 last year so i will not be buying the 24-70, overall the lenses are expensive in Thailand but the quality is more than adequate for anything I will ever do, carry on RICOH\PENTAX top quality. Ian
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