| Author: | | Pentaxian Registered: November, 2008 Location: Palo Alto, CA Posts: 2,497
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 8, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Razor Sharp even wide open, nice bokeh | | Cons: | Nothing, may be slow auto focus | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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I am surprised by some claims that this lens is not sharp wide open. This is one of the sharpest zoom I owned (even sharper than DA*50-135mm in overlapping range). Bokeh is fantastic too.
Instead of adding more claims, I will let pictures speak:
I recently sold this lens only because I am reducing my zoom inventory but till that time, it remained on my camera most of the time (even more than my FA77). AF is a bit slow but that's the case with all the zooms on Pentax bodies.
Highly recommended.
| | | | | | | Forum Member Registered: April, 2011 Location: Anchorage, Alaska Posts: 62 | | Review Date: March 30, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $475.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Constant f2.8, zoom lock, aperture ring, full frame | | Cons: | Just a hair too skinny at 42mm Crop equ. | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 9
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As far as getting what you pay for, this lens is pretty awesome. Light weight, constant f2.8 aperture and a dedicated ring, 67mm filter thread. Wonderful. I have only had this lens for a few days, but I am pretty impressed so far.
It has everything I wanted that the DA*16-50 didnt, and I am only missing weather sealing and a wider lo end. The focusing is really fast, but a bit noisy (it is screw drive). I decided to waste $100 extra and buy new from b & h so that I could return it if it was a bad copy. Looks like I wont have to do that anyway now | | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2010 Location: Almaty Posts: 20 | | Review Date: January 7, 2012 | Not Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | f2.8, good range | | Cons: | Lots of FF/BF issues, lack of sharpness @ 2.8 | | Sharpness: 4
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 7
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My bad copy was very soft @ 2,8 even after AFadjustments, had FF and BF. Zoom ring has subjectively very tight movements. Hood is difficult to attach (afraid to break the front element)
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2011 Location: Near Sydney, NSW Posts: 331
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 19, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $560.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Very useful range, handles nicely, f2.8 IS useable I don't care what pixel peepers say | | Cons: | Pixel peepers and people who want wide to telephoto in one lens, but want it to be sharp, light and well built... yeah right | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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OK, this is more a review of some of the other reviews.
Are you thinking of replacing your kit? BUY THIS LENS. Forget the Sigma 17-70... it's rubbish compared to this. It's just as big and heavy, but slower and has worse IQ.
OK yes I know, at f2.8, in a 100% crop of 12MP this lens is not 100% sharp. You want that? Buy a prime... a good one. Also... do you show your friends your 100% crops much? Do you print bigger than A4 much? Get a life, seriously.
At f4 this is as good as most primes - and to top it off, it handles beautifully on all the dSLRs I've used (K10D perticularly, K-x, K200D still very well).
Zoom action is nice (and it stays at f2.8!) manual focus is easy enough (but auto is good) and close focus is well and truly possible.
I tried 3 lenses to replace the kit before I found this and thought "Yes". 55mm is just not long enough (especially when it's f5.6) - 75 is much nicer. The Sigma 24-70 is just stupid... it's worse than this and it weighs a TONNE and costs more.
The 17-70 I have already covered... we all really need a dedicated wide angle lens. People who want 18-100 at f2.8 need to stop dreaming and start taking pictures of the real world.
GREAT LENS - BUY IT.
| | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: October, 2007 Location: Bangalore, KA, India Posts: 30 | | Review Date: November 25, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Good resolution | | Cons: | Plasticky build, harsh bokeh, flare prone | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 9
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This is the best of the currently available lenses for a "full-frame" wide-angle to medium tele. If you need a 24mm equivalent on your APS-C DSLR, this lens is not for you (and you should look at the Pentax 16-45 or *16-50). However, for street shooting I find the 42mm-112mm FoV works quite well.
The only issues I have had with this lens are flare and harsh bokeh. When the subject in focus is about 3-4 feet away and the background (with lot of detail) about 15-20 feet, I see quite harsh bokeh at any aperture above f/4.
Flare is reduced, but not eliminated fully by using the hood. And a low quality filter can totally spoil the shot.
On the positive side, the resolution is good enough even wide open on DSLRs. I have used lens this on 35mm film with okay resolution wide open. The aperture ring is a bonus for use on my MZ-S (and other cameras of the MZ/ZX series).
The focus throw is short, so don't expect a good manual focus experience in case you want to use this camera on your ancient MX or LX :-)
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2011 Location: California Posts: 369 | | Review Date: November 23, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, Autofocus, Price! | | Cons: | Nothing, it's perfect for its price! | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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First Tamron lens that I have ever purchased and it is such an amazing lens for it's price. There's no doubt that this lens would really put a giant smile on your face!  | | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2011 Location: Rovigo Posts: 13 | | Review Date: November 15, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Constant f/2.8, quite solid, reliable | | Cons: | Not usable at f/2.8, hunts in low light | | Sharpness: 6
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 7
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I bought this lens for having a constant f/2.8 but I'm afraid to say that it's VERY soft around the edges and it's quite unusable at that aperture.
If you stop it down at F/4 it's a good lens for the price, but, at that point, I think it's better to buy a Pentax 17-70  .
In low light conditions it hunts a little bit but it's acceptable for the price.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: November, 2009 Posts: 32 | | Review Date: October 19, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Price, IQ, Zoom Range | | Cons: | None for the Price | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
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I was apprehensive in taking the plunge on this lens given some of the questionable feedback re: FF/BF, but I couldn't ignore its performance in most of the sample shots that I saw, so I held my breath and jumped in, and I am glad I did. Since it arrived a couple months back, I have had to force my self to take it off my camera to justify owning other lenses. Performs like a champ at 2.8 and is outstanding a 4 on through the whole range... The range is perfect for me as I tend to hover in the 40mm to 70mm area, so I have never once wished it was wider or longer... If I had one complaint, it would be the knurls on the aperture ring, which on my camera can dig in to my knuckles somewhat and can get annoying after a while, but that is more of an issue with my K-x and my big hands....
Maybe I am one of the lucky ones, but I would buy this lens again in a heartbeat.
| | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2011 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: August 29, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $270.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | absolutely excellent | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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Fast , sharp 2.8 lens, nice walk-around one.
Good FL range. optical quality.
Good looking and handy.
NO CA or Flare! Size, weight (for an f2.8 zoom), build quality.
I bought used one and I'm happy. Perfect price to value ratio!
| | | | | | | | Review Date: August 17, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $360.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Image quality, Aperture, Versatile | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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 First lens I bought with K10D in 2007. Since then, been on an MZ-S, 2 K20's and now 2 K-5s. Good portrait lens, especially at f2.8 like photo. Use with TC as a Macro. Heavily used on assignments for local on-line publication. Would buy again tomorrow. Great value for good glass.
| | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2008 Location: virginia Posts: 12
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 9, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 10
Value: 7
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Honestly I think most reviewers post reviews biased by the fact that they have an investment to defend. I will try and break that trend here. I have had this lens for a couple of years and I very much wanted to love this lens. I keep going back to it and giving another chance to prove to me what a great lens it is; but in the end I am just not thrilled.
For starters... We all buy this lens for its F/2.8 aperture. The range is nothing to brag about, but we all know a supper zoom makes us sacrifice quality, so we see the limited range as the price we pay to get better quality. If only it were so. The lens is awful at F/2.8; it is just ok at 3.5 and very sharp at 4.5... So what are we paying for? The lens is a paper weight at 2.8! Now for the zoom: It is easy to use and feels great, but there is noticeable vinetting at its max range. Lastly the auto focus: The lens has above average auto focus ability and is fast, nothing to get excited about, but still it is acceptable.
The lenses value is what everyone says is it's selling point; but where is the value in all the lost photos you wish you could print (they only serve as little 4X6 email pics). This lens is only marginally better than the kit lens because its F/2.8 aperture is useless. Until I save the money needed for a good fast zoom I'll be using my primes exclusively. Until then the 55-300 does a lot for what I paid for it and it always gives better images than I hoped for.
This goes under the category of "You'll get what you pay for or a whole lot less".
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: March, 2011 Location: Milpitas, CA Posts: 44 | | Review Date: July 19, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, Good IQ, f/2.8 | | Cons: | Not exception in low light | |
This lens is sharp. The range is great as a general walk around lens. IQ is excellent outdoor. For low light shoots, it is not bad. But it just won't be as good as my DA 35mm f/2.4 prime lens.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Ohio, USA/ India Posts: 478 | | Review Date: June 7, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | IQ, bokeh, has aperture ring | | Cons: | | |
This is a great walk around lens. I have taken this on several international trips and put it to good use. The IQ is stunning and the bokeh is excellent. It even comes close to the limiteds in terms of bokeh. I like the fact that this comes with an aperture ring. I can use it with my old vivitar 3000s film camera and get the wide angle I desire in the FF camera. Highly recommended.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: December, 2010 Posts: 30 | | Review Date: April 19, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: N/A |
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Is this lens fully compatable with the K7?
I'm thinking about buying this lens, but I read some internet reviews that said that Tamron "reverse engineers (vs. licenses)" and "there is always the possibility that a new body might not support an older third party lens".
Since this lens is old enough to make the K7 "a new body", I think it's a good question.
Regards,
Viernes
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2010 Location: madrid Posts: 833 | | Review Date: April 16, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $540.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Constant f2.8, Sharp,Cheap,Good IQ. | | Cons: | | |
This lens hardly ever leaves my camera, it's versatile, fast and renders beautifull images.
It's close focus ability and the fact that it is sharp even wide open makes it a good lens to buy instead of the kit one, or as an upgrade. It can give a taste of Macro since you will be able to crop and enlarge with good image quality.
The focal lenght, although usefull, may limit it's uses when inside a tight room, coupled with a UWA lens it's a great workhorse.
I find the bokeh pleasing and the f2.8 aperture usefull to play with DOF.
[IMG]
Morado. por noestoyaquicayendo, en Flickr[/IMG]
Here a crop from a close focus image:
[IMG]
Baņo de polen por noestoyaquicayendo, en Flickr[/IMG]
And here a shot wide open:
[IMG]
Atardecer en Valencia por noestoyaquicayendo, en Flickr[/IMG]
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