Author: | | New Member Registered: November, 2013 Posts: 14 | Review Date: February 22, 2024 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 7 |
Pros: | sharp lens, but not outstanding | Cons: | few CAs | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 7
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-5 K-x k-S1
| | This is a very cheap lens
O/+ You must stop ist down to f 8-11, in oder to get really sharp photos
O visible CAs at the edges and in the corners
not my tavorite
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: July, 2020 Posts: 98 | Review Date: August 18, 2023 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 7 |
Pros: | Light, compact, reliable, "Pentax" colour, quick shift focus | Cons: | slow, needs to be 2 stops down to get best out of it | Sharpness: 6
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 6
Handling: 6
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-S2, GX10, K200D
| | This lens has hung around with me. When I acquired it with a used GX10 kit I thought it would be the first thing to go but after a few years this is the only thing I haven't sold on. It's usefulness far outweighs the very low price I see it would probably fetch if I did sell it.
It's not particulalry sharp, it's not the best built.
IMO it's not outstanding at anything but seems to reliably produce good looking images particularly in middle of range around f9.5-11.
It's very light and easy to carry for the range it provides.
AF is reasonably quick, noisy but quite accurate. Manual focus feels a little gritty with poor dampening, nevertheless the Quick-shift focus really saves time.
The feel of the zoom ring is a little better and certainly adequate.
I rarely use a polariser with it but it does have a non-rotating front element.
Possibly the main reason I keep it is that it's lack of bulk makes it non-threatening. It's great for family snaps without making people self-concious.
In this context it is more flexible and quicker to use than my primes and it doesn't need to be technically brilliant. I find it renders very nicely, I do little when processing raw files other than tweak sharpness (up or down).
If I'm planning to shoot telephoto I would usually use something else but this is a lens that gets into my bag regularly "just in case".
| | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2007 Location: North West UK Posts: 390 | Review Date: July 11, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $70.00
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | Lightweight, nice colours, compact, good detail | Cons: | CA, no sealing, not much else. | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-70, K-3ii
| | I have to give this a 9 in spite of the minor foibles.
Why? Well, it was very cheap second hand, far superior to the Sigma 55-200 version (itself not bad at all optically, just has issues talking to cameras), to which I replaced it is the compact tele-zoom in my collection.
So over the Sigma it is dead reliable on the camera, which is good.
Now we all know that this lens is just a re-badged DA50-200mm, which is no bad thing.
But considering its age, how does does it cope with 24MP of the K-3/K-70/KP etc etc.
Answer - Very well indeed.
Nice and sharp and great contrast.
Downside is the CA, but shoot RAW and process accordingly and it is gone.
Sure the DA*50-135mm knocks it out of the park with its image quality and everything else, but consider this. You want lightweight at times, like travelling, this lens is a very good substitute, and 24MP does not overwhelm it.
Recommend
| | | | Site Supporter Registered: October, 2017 Location: Lancaster Posts: 3,821 1 user found this helpful | Review Date: March 17, 2018 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
Pros: | Small, lightweight, | Cons: | Plastic construction | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K3
| | I had a Pentax SMC da 50-200mm wr which I sold. I regretted it from day one, feeling that I hadn’t given it a fair trial, so, I bought this. I know it is ostensibly the same lens, bar wr. It is a noisy little devil but not as bad as my Pentax 100-300mm f4.7. Auto focus is accurate and it has only hunted once in all the testing I have done since buying it. Sharpness is hit and miss. You can get pin sharp photos but they come mostly from f5.6 to f11. I have had sharp pictures from both ends of the zoom range, but I have had soft ones too. Equally I have had both sharp and soft both hand held and on a tripod. The colour rendition is acceptable and the handling is fine if you don’t mind plastic. All in all it is what it is. This is a cheap lens so don’t go expecting Ltd performance. Saying that, it is capable of great results but you cannot always predict when you are going to get them. It is great value and a useful and lightweight extra lens. I will be keeping my blue thing because I really like it and I would recommend it to others. | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2013 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 5 | Review Date: February 5, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $195.00
| Rating: 8 |
Pros: | sharp, lightweight, smooth, metal mount, inexpensive | Cons: | slow, autofocus hunts in the dark, strange branding | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 6
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
| | I bought this lens as new-old-stock from a company here in the US. This lens is made at the Pentax factory in Vietnam. I don't have the Pentax version to compare it to but I understand they are virtually identical. This version has strange branding owing to the fact that Samsung has marketing rights to Schneider Kreuznach. Thus, this lens has the Samsung brand on the sides, cap, and hood, while having Schneider Kreuznach on the front of the lens, and being made by Pentax. There's probably some bit of wisdom buried here about truth in advertising but my understanding is that the only involvement by Schneider was quality control. That may very well be worth the price of admission.
I can't really say much about the performance of this kit lens that hasn't been said already or isn't reflected in the scores I gave it. I found it cheaper to put together my K5 kit with the pair of Samsung kit lenses and so that's what I did. I have not been disappointed.
See what pop photo said about the lens.
Here are some shots taken with this lens near my home.
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