Very Sharp images. Constant Aperture. Perfect wide angle zoom range for my needs. Low cost-Great images.

Plastic construction, a little more metal in the barrel would build confidence, but it is very light.

I've shot with this lens on half a dozen trips now. I was looking for a prime wide angle, but opted for this. I have not been disappointed. The short zoom range is perfect and, along with constant aperture, probably contributes to its very sharp image quality. This has quickly become one of the first lenses I reach for.

Customer Service

Never used.

Similar Products Used:

Focal MC 35-70AF(1st. lens when I was a kid), Pentax 35-105 A and a whole range of Pentax primes.

Optical quality Lightweight 58mm filter dia. sharpness Built in Japan

tends to distort at wide end when not at perpendicular plane. Almost fish-eye quality when beyond 10 degrees. Can be used to advantage, though.

Very versatile lens for the money...tack sharp optics if you can get past the small max aperature. Takes very sharp landscape or people pictures. Highly Recommended!

Customer Service

never needed

Similar Products Used:

Pentax 28-80 3.5-5.6, Tamrom 70-300 mm LD Macro, Sigma 105mm Macro, Asahi-Takumar f1.4 50mm screwmount

Very useful zoom range Extremely extremely sharp Extremely high resolution. I could literally keep on increasing magnification and see more detail that was hidden at lower resolution. Reasonable filter size Well bult and designed Price (given its performance, its price is low)

None found yet

I made this purchase based on many reviews (including those here). I have not been disappointed; as a matter of fact, I was pleasantly surprised at its performance in many situations. It is a well built lens with a clever design in the hood to allow adjustments of filters. Even though it is auto focus, I rarely used this feature. Manual focus was easy. So, I don''t have much to say about focus speed.

Similar Products Used:

Vivitar Series 1 19-35 Takuma 28 f/2.8 Vivitar 28 f/2.8

Very good optics. Should be the lightest and smallest 20-35mm zoom lens in the world.

Although constant F4 guaratee good optics, it is a bit small aperature for dim light condition. Also, small aperature makes the view finder not bright enough especially using with LX body.

Never give you a loading burden when travelling coz of its light weight and compact size. Also, there is a small window to open under the lens hood, so it allow to rotate the PL filter, smart feature. Flare and distortion are well controlled. Its price is similar with Tokina 20-35 F2.8 or Sigma 35-17mm, but it provide smaller aperature. You need to make decision between optical quality and product features.

Customer Service

No experience

Similar Products Used:

Nikon AFS 17-35mm F2.8. Tokina AF 35-20mm F3.5-4.5.

Very good optically, lightweight, great for hiking, 20mm gives nice wide angle effect

Not cheap
F4 aperture perhaps a bit slow, but size/weight/optical quality make that acceptable.

Expensive but a great lens.

Customer Service

Not needed yet

Similar Products Used:

28-80 FA Pentax, which was poor optically, so I traded it in on the far more expsnive 20-35 FA.

Nice zoom range.
Very sharp
Great hood that comes with a window for polarizing filters.
Fairly light.
58mm filters
No vigenetting problems noted to date!
Very close focus

Focusing ring is too small for manual focus.
Expensive.
f4 fastes speed, problem for indoor work.
Doesn't focus as close as 20mm f2.8

I started to use this as my main wide angle lens in the field, replacing my 20mm SMC A. Why? I like the versitility of a lens in this range. It really has helped me do a lot of photography including habitat of rare plants that I chase. It was also rated by Practical Photography as the sharpest zoom in this range.

Customer Service

Unused for this product but Pentax is generally excellent.

Similar Products Used:

20mm f2.8 SMC-A Pentax
20mm f4 M Pentax

Great optics, Constant F4 aperature, non rotating front, filter cutout in lens shade to orient polarizers.

Should have been a FA* design with metal lens barrel.

IF you enjoy wide angle landscapes make sure you get this Pentax. Superb optics as usual from Pentax. F4 makes it lighter weight than Canon's L lens or Nikon's. Only drawback is use of cheap plastic in lens barrel.

Customer Service

Never had to use on this product.

Similar Products Used:

none

*Excellent Optical Quality: VERY sharp, excellent contrast, with warm colour cast, & no vignetting noticed
*Nice lens hood with polarizer cut-out
*Constant aperture
*Small & light & can use 58 mm filters
*Non-rotating lens barrel
*smooth focusing and zooming

Too much plastic! More metal parts please

Optically a superb lens, perfect for landscapes. A constant aperture is very welcome, especially an f4. It is very compact and light, excellent for backpacking and travel. I wish that Pentax would introduce an FA*/Limited version with metal contruction with a max aperture of f3.5 to keep it small.

Customer Service

Haven't used it.

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 17-28 mm