Is the Da 50-200mm zoom lens any good?

Hi fello pentaxian's. I am thinking about selling my old sigma 18-200mm aspherical lense and going for something slightly better in optical quality. With my K10 i have used it on some rare occasions, as i rarely use zoom, but have found that for some odd reason, the contrast is low and focus is not as sharp as i would like. I have no idea why because with my old MZ 35mm it worked quite well.

Having said that I was interested to know what people out there thought of the 50-200mm DA. Ideally i'd love to get a 50-135 but don't have the money to put forward.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

The 50-200mm is compact, light and inexpensive. It's also very good.

The 55-300mm is a bigger lens, but is slightly better i think than the 50-200mm.

One advantage of the 50-200mm is that if you are also using the 18-55mm they share the same 52mm filter thread, so the same filters and accessories can be used on both.

Thanks John. I'll take that into account. I think for a big zoom that i am only going to use on the odd occasion, the 55-300 is a bit out of my price range, after having spent 600 euro on a 16-50. If I can find one a bit cheaper i will definently go for that one.

Cheers mate

Hi Mattox,
I really have warmed to the 50-200, a nice lens.
Does the price of a lens always reflect it's quality? imo not always. I paid £129.99 a couple of months ago, who knows, in a few months time it could be a £300 lens the way price rises are going.
good luck with your decision.

Regards

Chris
K200D

I use the 50-200 on a K10D body and because of the superb imagery from a genuine Pentax lens I bought a DA300. The 50-200 knocks spots off my Tamron 28-300 which, in my opinion having used the Pentax zoom is soft at the extreme zoom and generally a bit naff. I am sure others will disagree but I think the manufacturers products match better than third party ones. Yep the Pentax is a cracking lightweight compact zoom and is well worth having.

Cedric

I have one and use it from time to time. It produces quite acceptable results and I'd guess that if you look at my Flickr pictures you might be hard pressed to see the difference in quality. You can when editing but in JPEG?

Really nice light lens.

Mike

Thanks guys. Sounds like i have been convinced. But one thing, what is the focus speed like? One thing that has always knocked me down is the speed. Ofcourse my SDM 16-50mm does well, but the kit lense and my trusty old FA 35mm are a bit on the slow side. Sometimes you really miss that candid moment and it is so so frustrating.

I wouldn`t get too hung up about focus speed. There are many variables that will affect it. Keep practicing will help capture that moment. it always amazes me how much we see developing in front of the camera as we are using it. personally I don`t find the DA 300 any different on the focus time. Probably only looking at nano seconds.

Cedric

Can't say I have any issues with the focus speed but then I try not to be in a rush. If I think I'm shooting candids I'll pre focus as best I can.

It's a pity you didn't get one when Jessops were doing them at rock bottom prices like £29.

Mike

Very interesting......

I would like a lens to complement my kit 18-55 for the K200. Also seems to be good on price and is not too large.

So, this would be a good buy for a second lens? Size and weight is a big consideration for me as it will get carried about! It does seem inexpensive in comparison to many of the others though......?

Would you like a sample DNG file to look at?

It's obviously not going to be as good as the 50-135 but it's OK and is very convenient to carry about.

Mike

Sounds like it'd be good enough for me!!

Give me something different. Rather than messing about too much with trying to find good second hand lenses........

Being a poor postgrad too.......

I took this picture yesterday with the 50-200.

Taken at 50mm focal length,f5.6 and 1/125.

Taken mid afternoon and fairly overcast.

She was an amazing bird

Regards

Chris
K200D

great shot mate. beaut exposure and sharpness. looks like the lense is a goah for the price judging from the quality of this photo

Looking for something cheap but good quality in this focal range myself so this thread has been most useful.

SimplyElectronics have this at £120 which looks like a good deal.

http://www.simplyelectronics.net/mainproduct.php?pid=1738

Regards,

George.