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Sun Wide Zoom Macro 24-40mm F3.5 Review RSS Feed

Sun Wide Zoom Macro 24-40mm F3.5

Sharpness 
 8.7
Aberrations 
 8.0
Bokeh 
 8.0
Handling 
 7.7
Value 
 9.0
Reviews Views Date of last review
4 34,968 Mon January 28, 2019
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $22.50 8.25
Sun Wide Zoom Macro 24-40mm F3.5
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Description:
A somewhat famous lens, this is often considered to be the first successful wide zoom. At the time, it was considered to have very good image quality -- competitive with good fixed-focal-length prime lenses. It also has a macro mode, although macro only goes to 1:3.8, so "close focus" would be a more accurate description. The lens is not particularly small, and takes 72mm filters.
Mount Type: Non-Pentax Mount
Price History:



Add Review of Sun Wide Zoom Macro 24-40mm F3.5
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New Member

Registered: October, 2009
Location: The Worlds Only Portable City - Complete with Carrying Handle
Posts: 2

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: January 28, 2019 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Well made with a solid precision feel
Cons: Compared to a 50 or Wide-Angle prime it is heavy, compared to Canon L glass it's not
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 8    Value: 9    Camera Used: GX8 and Canon 5D   

My sample is in AR mount and labeled "Acom-1" on the lens mount, for the Japanese Konica TC marketed as the Acom-1 in Japan.

It's sharp and the contrast is excellent in a range where "pleasing" to the eye is more often the case than measured achievement on charts.

The Sun Optical version here was less than half the price of others, and 1/3 the price of Canon and Nikon. $228 in 1978, the Canon 28-50mm was $683 nothing short of remarkable because the one thing I can promise about this lens? The Canon is not 300% better or even near it.
   
New Member

Registered: May, 2014
Location: NYC
Posts: 5

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: November 7, 2014 Recommended | Price: $25.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Surprisingly sharp at f/4, minimal aberations and coma, good macro
Cons: Heavy. Seriously heavy. Not super sharp wide open.
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 7    Value: 10    Camera Used: Sony A7s   

I picked this lens up for dirt on a late night eBay shopping session. I really had no idea what to expect from an old, off brand zoom, but I was pleasantly surprised. The lens is built like a tank, and certainly weighs as much as one, too. The images it produces aren't astounding, especially wide-open, but stopped down to 5.6 or 8, even 4, it becomes quite acceptably sharp. The zoom range is fairly useless to me on a full frame camera, but does come in handy from time to time. I mostly use it at 24mm for walking around (though I usually prefer my Pentax-M 28mm f/2.8 as it's much smaller).
   
Junior Member

Registered: November, 2011
Location: SG
Posts: 29

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: December 8, 2011 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: constant f3.5, and 5cm close distance 1:3.8 macro at 24mm end
Cons: around 400g to 500g on the heavy side as it is solid metal
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 8   

It is overall good interesting lens to have.

It is constant f3.5, which is half stop slower than f2.8 (typical nowadays like Tamron 17-50 f2.8) but this one is full frame. so good for pentax full frame DSLR and film camera.

on APS-C digital camera, it is also good, as it saves you from buying 24mm f2.8, 28mm f3.5, 35mm f3.5, 40mm f2.8. and a macro adapter.

but it is very heavy for a standard everyday lens (400g-500g) if you used to hang out with a 200g 50mm prime. also in normal mode, its minimum focus distance is 0.8m, which for landscape or street is no issue, but not that convenient. (it take a bit steps to go 5cm macro mode)

Focus ring is smooth like oil, and zoom is stiff and stay in place for the focal length mark.

CA and flare is a issue, but for a film age lens, I don't mind that.

The Sun lens mount is screwable and changable, the mount element seems can be taken out if you good at.
but it is not like Tamron adapt-all mount that easy, you have to find the stock mount to fix the mount on, it is an option, but just stick to the native mount.

the macro button on the lens is very tricky to use, so I write it here for other's reference.

Steps to Turn it into macro mode
1. rotate lens all the way back to 40mm
2. slightly press and push the macro button to the lens front,
3. continue pushing while rotate the zoom ring to 24mm end.
4. now, you got the 1:3.8 macro at rough focus distance of 5cm.

Steps to Turn it back into normal mode

1. rotate lens all the way to 24mm
2. slightly press and push the macro button to the lens end side
3. continue pushing while rotate the zoom ring to 40mm end.
4. you will hear a click the it is slided back to place.
5. now you have the normal mode.

don't force it to push. it is tricky to practice, but it is good that it has this macro feather.

the DAL 18-55 does what it does with AF, but when you put this heavy solid metal on your Pentax K-x, you got a solid feeling with it, kind of attached.
it is almost as big as heavy as Pentax Kx itself. in contrast you get a cheapo feeling when you mouting DAL18-55 plastic mount onto your camera.


Cats don't like you get 5cm to them, so it is tricky





I have also tried Tokina 20-35 f3.5-4.5 mark I and II. this lens beats them on the solid feel, but you know tokina 20-35 is auto focus.
I also have Vivitar 19-35 f3.5-4.5 MF lens, at just 300g around, good to travel around, but Sun is solid, you buy the solid feeling more for itself.


some online image of it






short url of this page:
http://goo.gl/iua7d
   
Junior Member

Registered: August, 2009
Location: Lexington, KY
Posts: 30
Review Date: August 21, 2011 Recommended | Price: $20.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp, versatile, good build
Cons: Large

This is optically a very good lens and it is well built. In fact, it's the only manual focus zoom I would ever take with me in place of a fixed wide-angle lens. However, it is too big to be a bring-it-everywhere lens.
Add Review of Sun Wide Zoom Macro 24-40mm F3.5



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