Latest Review Posted | HD Pentax-D FA 24-70mm F2.8 ED SDM WR Shortly after switching to full-frame (from K5IIs to K-1), I found myself in need of a wide-angle lens, since I mostly shoot landscapes. For a while I have been using the DA 15mm in crop mode, but one does not get the K-1 to use it with DA 15. I couldn't find a second hand FA 20mm and the only FA* 24mm that I could find was way too expensive so in the end I chose to buy this lens new. I was a bit skeptical about this lens being a Tamron design, I am not exactly sure how much of the lens is Tamron and how much is Pentax. Most likely it's Tamron optical design with some Pentax elements added, coatings and maybe even the glass is Pentax (although I was not able to confirm this). In the end, the genuine Tamron version had good reviews so I went on with it.
Build quality and handling
Out of the box, first things that I've noticed were the size and weight. The biggest lenses that I used were the DA 16-45mm and the Sigma 35mm Art. This lens is more than twice the weight of DA 16-45, a bit bigger and heavier than Sigma and a true behemoth compared to DA 15, which is to be expected from a f/2.8 full-frame zoom with a lot of glass. Still, it balances pretty well on the K-1 and I had no problems using it on my old tripod. The lens is entirely made of plastic but the build quality is very good, no unwanted movements or wobbling. There is even a zoom lock at 24mm which I engage all the time lens is in the camera bag. The zoom ring is quite large and located towards the far away end of th... |