Junior Member Registered: June, 2015 Location: Százhalombatta, Hungary Posts: 37 1 user found this helpful | Review Date: August 24, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $36.00
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | Great handling, build quality, "A" setting | Cons: | Zoom creep when held vertically | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K10D
Autofocus: 10
| | I got this lens for dirt cheap. (10000 HUF)
I actually got this, because I started shooting with a split focusing screen on my K10D and I wanted a manual zoom lens with an "A" setting, to replace my 50-200 Pentax. The reason being: price AND focusing noise, as well as handling. For wildlife, this lens is quite good, considering how quiet you can go with it. Wide open it's not as sharp as it can get, but still quite useful. Use it with an SR setting of 200mm and you're good to go! Step it down a little and it becomes quite sharp. Zooming and focusing is quite pleasant, as it is a push-pull zoom. It comes with a nice leather case, which is a reminder of the era in which it was made.
Build quality is top-notch and it is sharp equally throughout the whole zoom range.
At 75mm, its f/3.5 and at 210mm its still only f/4.5, which beats newer lenses, like the Pentax 50-200.
All in all, I would recommend this lens to anyone, who likes manual focusing and push-pull zooms. Pentax K10D + Sigma 75-210mm f/3.5-4.5 ZOOM K-III MC @ f/8 Pentax K10D + Sigma 75-210mm f/3.5-4.5 ZOOM K-III MC @ f/11
Edit:
A few more of my shots with this lens: Kangaroo in a Pocket Prairie dog close-up A Feast for Butterflies | |