| Author: | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: March, 2018 Posts: 80 | | Review Date: March 7, 2024 | Recommended | Price: $585.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, lightweight, internal zoom, weather sealing | | Cons: | Which it was a 70-300 :-) | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-1 MkII and KP
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As a landscape shooter, corner to corner sharpness is critical, and this lens achieves that at f8-f11 even at 200mm. Contrast is also outstanding. It is much easier to carry around than the 70-200 2.8, and I see no difference in quality, stopped down. Overall a clear favorite of mine.
| | | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: November, 2012 Location: Transylvania Posts: 412
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 1, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $1,170.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | image quality, WR | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K1-II
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Excellent telephoto lens on a full-frame Pentax K1, light enough to be carried around all day. It is for landscapes, for all-weather conditions, and for the occasional portrait too. Very good image quality.
I was downright unhappy with the old version of the Pentax DA 55-300mm, wanting a better image quality. While understanding why people recommend the new PLM version as a light travel tele, to be used with a crop-sensor camera, I am now very happy with my choice, using this lens with both the Pentax K1 and the Pentax KP, where the equivalent field of view is about 100-300.
Before I got this lens I worried that F4 might not be wide enough. Rest assured, it is. Bokeh is good. Subject separation works well.
 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2014 Posts: 503
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 24, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $996.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Light weight, fast autofocus, sharp | | Cons: | Price, no pouch or collar, lens hood has no cutout | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 7
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-1, KP
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I held off a long time before buying because of the "cons" above. After finally buying one and using it, I don't regret my purchase. In fact, I really like it. The lack of the removable hood cutout for filter adjustment was my biggest concern. This was because landscapes were one of the main uses for this lens. I almost always use a CPL for my landscape images. Having to remove, adjust and re-mount is a big negative. I solved this is very successfully by trying the hood from my 60-250, also a 67mm diameter. It fits and locks in place . So if you have the 60-250 OR the 50-135, which uses the exact same hood(PH-RBK 67mm), you're good to go!
Pentax might want to note that on their website.
Its a very versatile lens and fills a hole in my FF travel kit (FA*24, 28-105 & 70-210). It also handles very well on my KP with the battery grip. I used to long for a Sigma 100-300 f4 -- not any more! I'll be using the KP/70-210 combo at the zoo a lot.
Overall, I highly recommend it despite a relatively high price compared to the "Canikon"
versions.
Edit note: I tried to attach an example of the Bokeh (f4@210), Dragon wing Begonia and ended up not posting it but posted a duplicate of the sunset picture instead See image in my gallery.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: February, 2015 Posts: 12,231
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 13, 2021 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Small, light weight, quick AF, sharp | | Cons: | Price, without pouch, without tripod collar | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K1, K1II
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The D-FA 70-210:
- is a great compact and light weight alternative to the D-FA* 70-200 f2.8 for who doesn't need f2.8 and Pentax Star optical quality
- balances well with the K1 DSLR camera, easy to carry hand held
- zoom ring at the front, focus ring camera side; focus ring is almost as wide as the zoom ring which can be confusing
- is quick to focus, even quicker with focus limiter
- is sharp, about as sharp as the D-FA* 70-200 at f/5.6, f/8
- shows a bit of fringing at edges against bright light, I'd say it's comparable to the D-FA 28-105 which is already pretty good
- color rendering good but rather neutral, good bokeh, although the Pentax D-FA *70-200 f2.8 is superior in those respects
Overall, it's a great lens, even at $1000, if we don't mind the lack of built-in collar and Pentax lens pouch not included in the box. Here I guess Ricoh probably wanted to avoid some sort of "cannibalization" of D-FA* 70-200 sales (of pouch and collar were included, I'd call it an attractive product offer). That lens is pretty much in line with the quality of the newer Pentax D-FA lens line since 2016. Forms a good travel kit together with the D-FA 28-105.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2011 Posts: 15
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 18, 2021 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Fast focussing,sharp colour renditionWR | | Cons: | Long and fat, front zoom ring | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K1; K1ii
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I am surpried that there have been only 4 reviews of this lens so, 7mnths. after the last one, I thought I would add my 4 pennyworth (in UK terms!)
I bought it as a smaller, lighter alternative to my Tamron 70-200 f2.8 as I often have to carry my gear considerable distances to access locations, especially for my favourite hobby of train photography. Firstly I was a little surprised by its size and weight especially as I am familiar withe Canon 70-200L f4 lens. Nevertheless it was a great improvement over the Tamron in those respects.
I am not a pixel peeper and I have to say I find this lens superb for my needs along withe the DFA28-105 as a carry anywhere kit. The auto focus is fast enough to 'stop' 100mph+ trains in a high rate burst even fairly near the track. The colour rendition superb and typically pentaxian. Sharpness and contrast excellent with resistance to flare. Sometimes I have got an almost 3D effect which is especially nice for trains
Other general points are that I find the front position of the zoom riang, shall I say a bit disconcerting, but I have got used to it. I bought a (expensive) Tamron tripod collar for it but hardly ever use it. Bokeh qualities are immaterial to me.
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2017 Location: Kiev Posts: 12
15 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 1, 2021 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Beautiful picture, excellent color rendering, good sharpness, fast and quiet autofocus, comfortable manual focusing. | | Cons: | Long (especially with a hood). | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-1 II
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I read about this lens here on the forum. And he interested me.
The lens turned out to be longer in size than I expected. Especially when the lens hood is on. But in terms of weight, the lens turned out to be lighter than I expected. With a camera (K-1), the lens is perfectly balanced. And such a tandem is convenient to photograph. I really liked the display of colors in photos! The sharpness of this lens is also very good! Fast and accurate automatic focusing.
Only manual focusing with this object seemed unusual to me .. Because the zoom ring is located not near the camera body, but closer to the front lens. And the fine focusing ring is located closer to the camera body. That is, everything is quite the opposite. Compared to how these controls were positioned on lenses I've used before. I would not call the new location of the focus ring and focal length changes inconvenient. I would rather call it unusual. And after an hour of shooting, I was so used to the new location of the focus ring and the lens focal length ring. Now I understand that this arrangement of these controls is much more convenient than on old lenses! Working with manual focus on this lens is very easy and convenient! I myself did not expect to get such pleasure from using this lens in full manual mode.
It's easy and fun to shoot with this lens. It reproduces colors beautifully and naturally. The sharpness is very good. Focal lengths are convenient. The weight was not as heavy as I expected. But the length, on the contrary, turned out to be longer than I thought. It becomes especially long when the hood is on.
Summary: The lens is very good! The price is not high compared to similar lenses from other photo systems. Dimensions and weight also correspond to analogs. But this lens gives a picture better than similar lenses from other photo manufacturers! Sharpness is excellent! Focusing fast! And even all-weather protection! This lens is a very good choice for those who need its focal lengths!
 | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: March, 2009 Location: Cotati, California USA Posts: 4,460
13 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 27, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $1,096.95
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Lightweight, solid design, WR lens | | Cons: | Price | | Sharpness: 9
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 7
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-1II
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So far (I've had it for several weeks now), it's done what I wanted when I wanted. I got this lens more for travel purposes than anything else. As a full frame lens, it's so much lighter than it's DFA*70-200 f2.8 cousin that it really fits my travel needs for length and weight.
Of the shooting that I've done with it, while not extensive, I've been impressed with it's handling and image quality. Well within my needs for international travel.
I have noticed that the Bokeh is not as smooth as I like, as I've seen it show OOF objects with more of that 'marching ants' rendering. Again, I have to do a lot more shooting with this lens to see this as a persistent fault, but I have seen this in some images I've shot.
Have not had much time using this on my K-3, so I will not comment on that now, other than, yes it works just fine as an APS-c lens too.
The real down side of this lens for me, is the price. By Pentax standards this is initially priced in Pentax * lens quality price range, but as good as it is (so far) it's not a * quality lens, period. Furthermore, at this price, you'd think they would have included the soft case (S100-200), which also happens to be the same one for the DA*300. However, this soft case is listed as an option. That's not satisfactory to me. However, all that said, until something better comes along, this lens is a keeper for me.
I intend to update this a bit later after I've had more shooting time with this lens so consider this a an initial impression review.
Note: in the description of this lens above, it's mentioned that no provision for a tripod foot is available. This is not true, and I can attest to this. The Tamron A034TM Tripod Collar Mount for 70-210mm f/4 Di VC, made for a VERY similar lens, works just fine on the Pentax DFA 70-210. Come with an Arca type base mount (which is part of the mount and not an attachment).
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: August, 2008 Location: Worcestershire, UK Posts: 677
14 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 19, 2020 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Weight, Size, Handling, IQ, Bokeh | | Cons: | Cost (but this is at launch) | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 7
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K1 MkII
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My review of this lens is not technical - there are many who are far better at that sort of thing than I am - this is simply a "first impressions" review based on the reasons I purchased it.
It is my view that this new 70-210 is a missing piece from the Pentax Full Frame jigsaw - a 3x telephoto zoom lens encompassing portrait length through to medium telephoto that is both compact and light enough for travel/walking with the added benefit of WR.
Handling: Fairly compact, not ultra light but not too heavy, yet with a solid feel - it's a lens that can be carried on an expedition without too much strain (certainly compared to the FA*80-200 and presumably the DFA*70-200) it's even a bit lighter than the DA* 60-250. The focus and zoom grips are of the recent type (DFA*50/1.4) with a nicer, grippier feel. The zoom ring is positioned at the front of the lens, this feels a little unusual to begin with but it now seems normal (although swapping between zooms may cause a little confusion).
Aberrations: Shooting with backlighting does pick out a little soft glow at maximum aperture, but detail is still retained well. Harsh/strong lighting can bring out some purple fringing - but this doesn't seem excessive and is easily removed in PP.
Bokeh: The rounded aperture blades produce a nice oof background effect on highlights and the overall look of backgrounds tends to be pleasant (not too busy or distracting). I've got a couple of outdoor portraits where the subjects are beautifully sharp and the background really has a lovely, smooth look - they stood out (to me) as special shots.
Image Quality: Although this is not a Star lens it should not be a lens of compromises, so I would expect it to perform well at it's extremes and in poor conditions. It doesn't disappoint in any aspect - the long end of the zoom range doesn't soften notably (as some do) and shooting at maximum aperture produces consistently excellent results. I've had the Grandkids over a couple of times since I've got this lens, and it's been a revelation in its ability to get such a high keeper rate with indoor conditions (something my DA*60-250 couldn't manage).
Focus: I haven't experimented with the focus limiter yet, but the AF is quiet and very quick (notably quicker than the DA*60-250) across the range and I haven't found any situations yet where it "hunts". It's quick to lock focus and is accurate. AFS-C still isn't perfect (I know this isn't just to do with the lens) - keeper rate with the Grandkids on the swing wasn't too bad but not great.
Other: The close focus and reasonable magnification will be useful in quite a few situations - whether it can replace a macro for travelling is yet to be seen. Coupled with the HD DA 1.4x WR converter this lens is surprisingly good, IQ holds up - with a little softening particularly at the edges/corners - but the amount of vignetting is surprisingly small and with PP it can be removed almost entirely. Having a constant aperture is a nice feature, particularly with no drop in quality at the long end.
Here are three "sample" images from the first day or two of use (around the garden and house) - they certainly don't show what the lens is fully capable of but will give an indication of how it handles some lighting situations.
1. 1/200, f4 @ 210mm
2. 1/100, f4 @ 70mm
3. With DA 1.4x WR converter - 1/125, f4 @ 210mm (f5.6 @ 294mm) 1600 ISO + PP
Hope this helps someone  | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2015 Posts: 15
7 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 16, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $1,200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness, handling, weight! | | Cons: | price | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K1II
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I used the lens for several weeks now. It's much smaller and lighter than the DFA*70-200f2.8 and the max. magnification is excellent compared to the DFA*70-200 f2.8, so mostly Iprefer the f4 lens.
Distance focal plane - object is muchmore advantageous compared to the DFA 100 mm F2.8 Macro (1:3: 88cm vs 46cm; 1:2(with 2dpt achromat): 65cm vs 37 cm) and sharpness is mostly on par with the DFA 100 (see exceptions below).
Sharpness at infinity: In the center the lens is sharp wide open at all focal lengths. Only the extreme corners are a litte bit soft wide open, but ok when stopped down to 5,6. Sharpness is excellent between f5,6 and f11 (on par with DFA* 70-200).
Sharpness at minimum distance (0,95m): In the center the lens is sharp between f5,6 and f 11. But at 210 mm and 0,95m only a small center is really sharp!! Even at f11 not only the corners are blurry. Avoid the range between 0,95 - 1,2 m at focal lengths >150 mm if sharpness is very important. Instead, I suggest an achromatic close-up lens for higher magnification. Sharpness was excellent in combination with an +3 Soligor achromatic macro lens or an +2 Raynox (DCR5320), even at an magnification of 1:2. .
Sharpness in combination with the DA 1,4x Converter is very good in the center. Only the extreme corners get blurry and darker.
Flare control is very good (on par with DFA* 70-200).
Handling at the K-1 is ok. Build quality also.
AFspeed ist good and mostly accurate. But sometimes af stop working at position 0,95 m.
Price in Europe (1200 €) is much too high compared to the price ot the Tamron Versions for Canon and Nikon (500€). Otherwise I would give it a 10.
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