AF wide zoom

I quite fancy one of these http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/lenses/zooms/short/FAJ18-35f4-5.6.html for use on both my DL and Z1-P.

Anyone vouch for it's performance?

Hi Kimbo,
I got one of these with mainly for use with the D and in preference to the 16-45 so I could also use it as a super wide on the MZ-S. Bearing in mind that it was on sale for new for about £75 when I bought it, it was cracking value and very convenient. However, as you would expect, although I find it very useful for day to day work and snapshots, it is not a patch on the A series primes in the same range and I would always use these for serious work.

Kim

Thanks for that Kim, I find myself wanting a general purpose zoom (ideally AF) that will give good wide angle results with the DL but also suitable for the Z1-P.

I was in Paris last weekend (thankfully before the trouble started) and I took the DL and F35-135, I should have chosen the FA28-105 and Tamron 24mm.
I love landscapes and full-length images of large sights such as the Eiffel Tower and L'Arc de Triomphe but found it quite frustrating with the 35-135 - giving the approximate angle of view of a standard lens at it's widest setting.

I'm not looking to buy new and there are a number of manual zooms that fit the bill but the FAJs are starting to become available second-hand.

There are so many superb lenses to choose from, but how about the following:

SMC Pentax-A 24-50mm f4
SMC Pentax-FA 24-90mm


These will give excellent results.

The 18-35 is a better lens than it is sometimes said to be. I haven't used it on a film camera, only the *ist D (with which it came as a kit lens).

It has superb flare performance. You can shoot straight into the sun with very little detriment (except to your eyes).

Sharpness, contrast, colour are all perfectly adequate.

For its price, it's perfectly OK.

G

Thanks for the comments folks, I shall bear them in mind.
For me, 24mm is ideal for film but only equates to approx 35mm for digital work - which is hardly wide-angle at all and that is why I thought of the 18-35.
I'm glad to hear that it's a decent performer, although I expected nothing less esp. as it features AL glass.

I'll snap one up if the price is right!