Review 3 of 6
Price Paid:
$180.00
from Jacobs, London Summary: I owned the FA 28 - 70 f4, and thought it was great - extremely sharp. But I was suspicious of its build quality (my aperture jammed so it was repaired, then sold). So I bought this one, and took it to China for a month. It's very good. The sharpness, I feel, compares with primes and is only slightly bettered by the 28-70 overall, although the 28-70 is slower. [Some people have been knocking this lens for it's sharpness, but don't forget it is a f3.2, which is only 1/3 stop from f2.8, so it is wider than your average 28-105. Even wide open it is good. When stopped down, I think it is very good indeed.] The colours are vivid (I read someone's comments of the Nikkor equivalent as having 'earthy' colours. I would describe the colours of the Pentax as 'happy') and the bokeh is much improved. It is also better made than the 28-70. There's slight distortion at each end - didn't bother me. Some vignetting though - watch those filters! I also had some flare when shooting into the sun, though not always - an aspect that was better with the 28-70, in my opinion. It is compact and only weighs 285 grams (NOT 255g as Pentax says) so with the little MZ 5n, the partnership is less than 700g - very nice and convenient Strengths: Colour rendition, light weight, compact, sharpness, non-rotating front element, value: definitely 5/5, 58mm filters. Overall, 4 out five is too low, more like 4.5; therefore I have rated it here as 5/5 to be fair. Weaknesses: Some vignetting, some flare with direct sun, MAYBE not as sharp as the 28-70 sometimes. Similar Products Used: Pentax FA 28-70 SMC
Pentax KA 50mm f1.7
Olympus 28, 35, & 50 Primes Customer Service: Excellent - I had a couple of minor problems with lens and camera, and they sorted it out politely and promptly. To be honest, I think the camera "problem" didn't exist and that I was just being a bit paranoid, but they still gave me a replacement. They certainly care about their customers - something you feel when you talk to them at photoshows.
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