Dec 12, 2016

HD Pentax-D FA 24-70mm F2.8 ED SDM WR

Introduction

In order to cater to serious amateurs and professional photographers, Pentax needed to accompany the release of the K-1 with a solid line-up of fast aperture zoom lenses. In parallel with the more affordable D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6, the company launched a trio of constant aperture F2.8 lenses: the D FA 15-30mm, this D FA 24-70mm, and the D FA* 70-200mm. These three lenses form the spearhead of Pentax's strategy to gain shares in the full-frame market.  All of these share modern characteristics such as silent autofocus and weather sealing.

Lens on cameraHD Pentax-D FA 24-70mm F2.8 ED SDM WR mounted on a Pentax K-1

While the 70-200mm is an in-house design, there are strong indications that the 24-70mm and 15-30mm are based on a collaborative effort between Pentax and Tamron. The optical design of the HD Pentax-D FA 24-70mm F2.8 ED SDM WR is clearly a Tamron creation, but the lens bears some features that are specific to Pentax, such as the coatings and external styling.

It is not the first time that Pentax collaborated with other manufacturers, either as the provider of the design or as an integrator.

A constant aperture, F2.8 lenses come with high expectations. The D FA 24-70mm currently is rated 9.5/10 in our user database, and its lens club shows that it is capable of creating beautiful images. The Tamron version of the 24-70mm design is generally well regarded, and our own review of the 70-200mm shows how good the modern D FA lenses can be. Even though it is not a designated as a top-of-the-line "star" lens like the 70-200mm, how will the HD Pentax-D FA 24-70mm F2.8 ED SDM WR hold up?

In this 14-page review, we will look in detail at the 24-70mm. Its physical characteristics and optical performance will be studied, analyzed and discussed. Read on to find out how we liked this new lens!


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