| Latest Review Posted | HD Pentax-D FA 15-30mm F2.8 ED SDM WR
First of all, I know this is my first review post and all, but people that dragged this excellent lens' overall rating down under '9' should be slapped with a 2x4. :p You all knew this lens was a bit weighty before the purchase, Pentax didn't give them away for cheap, and handling might be challenging.
As far as performance, I found the AF SDM to be exceptionally quiet and without a hunting issue in all four auto-focus modes on my K-1. It focused just a bit long out of the box, but easily resolved with a Focus PyramidŽ & the fine-tuning focus adjustment in the K-1, then saved to memory.
The lens paralleled the focus results from the testing from Imatest*, as I found the IQ around the frame tobe pretty decent for a zoom lens from around f/5.6 to f/14. However, you will begin to notice that softness starting to manifest in the far corners the tighter you zoom in, or the more you open it towards f/2.8 from f/5.6, or inversely,the tighter the aperture above f/14 you go towards f/22, at any distance.
Since this lens will primarily be utilized for landscapes, I will be using the K-1's Live View in conjunction with its Peak Focus feature, and at x16 for critical focusing purposes. AF is fine, but for those shots that you only get one attempt at (such as a visit to Alaska's Yukon, Kodiak Bears chasing salmon in a stream, Close-ups of Glaciers, Humpbacks breaching, Denali on a clear day, Native Alaskans in their habitat, The Aurora Borealis with the Milky Way as a backdrop,... |
