| Latest Review Posted | SMC Pentax-DA 17-70mm F4 AL [IF] SDM
This lens has potential to make you very frustrated. One one hand, if focus is spot on, image quality is very high. Color is pleasing. On the other hand, achieving focus is not easy, at least for my copy. At many occasions, it can't lock focus at all @50mm~70mm focal length - it hunts all the time. I suspect my copy is having faulty SDM motor or internal mechanism. I concur with another reviewer here that its SDM motor has design problem. Or problem might only happen on some copies (I'm not sure), but it is enough to make you wonder whether you should trust SDM. I have many Pentax screw-drive AF lenses. None of them makes me so worried about their AF.
If the lens does get the focus right, it is very sweet. Resolution seems to be very high. Color is very pleasing. The focal range is very useful. These make me even more frustrated about this lens - should I bring it when I take pictures? I end up to bring another lens along with it all the time lest this lens lets me down at importatnt moment. But this lens is supposed to be so versatile that you can bring it alone, right? |
