Customer Reviews

Pentax 17-70mm f/4 DA SMC AL IF SDM Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have owned this lens almost from the day it was introduced in the U.S. It has a lot going for it--excellent construction, quiet focusing and a very useful zoom range. Between 17-50mm focal length, it is about as good as you could ever hope a zoom lens could be. The trouble begins above 50mm, where the image is soft at infinity focus, even stopped down to f8. This is not to say that the lens in unusable between 50-70mm. It probably can hold its own against similar lenses, e.g. the Sigma 17-70, which many users like. But if you are a fanatic about IQ, as I am, you may not be fully satisfied.

I have the DA star 16-50, but I much prefer this lens. I have had this on my K7 for a few months, and I find it a near perfect all around lens. Fast, quiet focus. Fairly fast constant f4. Great build quality. Excellent sharpness throughout zoom range with no apparent optical flaws in real life photos. A great lens that has me looking for a buyer for my 16-50.

It's big and heavy, but it takes great pictures on my Pentax K-7. The SDM focus is fast and quiet. The zoom operates silky smooth and there is no "zoom creep".

A good solid prosumer lens. The SDM focus motor is so silent, you wonder if it's working until you hear the little confirmation beep and see your subject in shar focus in the VF. A good all around lens. Somewhat heavy, but that's expected for the size of the glass and the sturdy construction. A good lens and sharp at all ranges in the center. A little soft at the edges at the longest 70mm end of the range. Good value for a solid piece of Pentax glass with SDM. Would like to give it a five-star, but that would not do justice to the DA 16-45 which beats it in overall IQ in my opinion.

I'm using this lens with my K200D. The lens is relatively compact, versatile, has high build quality, but performance is uneven. You never know if it will focus fast or hunt a lot, with no apparent reason. Focus at 70mm is not fantastic, as reported previoudsly. Some websites advise people to stick with the kit lens, perhaps a good idea considering the price.

This is the best walk around lens on the market . This lens has outstanding range and color. I also like the Sigma 17-70 but the pentax has better glass.

The DA 17-70mm was a better lens in my hands than the Pentax SMC DA* Series 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL IF SDM Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras, which I sold after receiving and testing the 17-70mm. It was noticeably sharper wide open, granted starting at 1 stop slower than the DA*. It had less CA and shot equally sharp at f/5.6-8. Border sharpness was better up to f/5.6. It softens slightly at 70mm, but that should be well overlapped with the next zoom. In the middle of its range, the lens produces those crisp 3-D images like my FA Limited 43 mm, something the DA* could not do. With the low-light capabilities of the K-5, f/4 is plenty fast, especially considering the DA* softens at f/2.8. No problems with front or back focus on my K-5 with either lens.

Really nice. Love it so far. Sold the stock lens and bought this and there is a noticeable difference in quality. This lens feels solid, is heavy and performs wonderfully. The SDM motor is smooth and quiet. The pictures are very clear all across the range. Hood is included which is nice. If you are looking for a general all purpose lens for your Pentax camera, look no further.

I had a K10 and upgraded to a K-7 a while back. The K-7 offered an extremely quiet shutter and I wanted to match it with a quiet lens. This is where the 17-70 comes in. It's extremely quiet b/c of the SDM and it complements the K-7's quiet shutter very well. I've had this lens for about 2 years and have had no problems with it. Have taken well over 15k pictures with it and am loving it more and more.

The lens is very sharp and although at it's widest, it's f4, you get f4 at 70 as well. So it's great and you can zoom all the way without losing aperture at all.

If you have a 18-55 kit lens, this should be the next upgrade. There's the new 18-135 out there, but I believe this 17-70 has better optics, and it's f4 throughout the range. There's also the Sigma 17-70 which starts at F2.8, but at the Pentax beats the aperture at 70. Also, if you have a K-x, K-r, or K-5, the f4 is more like an F2.8 (maybe an F2.4 with the K-5) because those cameras have such good high ISO pics.

What's not very well advertised is that it's weather sealed where the lens is connected to the body. This is where it's most important. My biggest worry is dust getting in through the lens. But no problem with this lens. The actual lens isn't weather sealed, so you don't want to take it out into the rain, but the biggest worry of dust dirtying up the sensor is relieved. Pentax might not advertise this very much b/c they don't want this lens to dig into the sales of its DA* lenses. So you'll get near DA* quality for hundreds of less.