There's a very simple answer to that question, i.e. the dealers make little or no margin from Pentax so they won't pay for it and Pentax as a manufacturer can't afford to give free warranty repairs on items that are not in the warranty period. The SDM issue is annoying and I think we all agree that Pentax could / should have done more a few years ago, but it's so well documented that I think most buyers of these lenses know what they're getting into when they buy them. There are millions of examples of mechanical / electrical items having design faults that cause things to fail outside of warranty periods and the manufacturers don't pay for repairs. If you go onto any BMW owners forum you will find hundreds of examples of BMW building items into their cars which are prone to fail prematurely, but BMW don't pay them.

Regards
David

I'm not sure it's a case of Pentax having their 'heads in the sand', it's more to do with the fact that the SDM Motors have a fundamental design flaw and it's not easy or possible for Pentax to re-engineer the internals of the lenses to rid them of this issue. To cure it would mean replacing the internal motor design with one which works on a different basis.

There were reports that Pentax had fixed the problem in later versions of these motors, but to be frank that's absolute rubbish, the later ones seem to fail just as much as the earlier ones did. There are exceptions to the rule, the SDM motors in the DA*300 don't seem prone to fail, I'm not sure why this would be the case.

It's such a shame because in all other respects the DA*16-50 and the DA*50-135 are great lenses.

Regards
David

Welcome back to the site Graham, you've posted some great images already, look forward to seeing more from you.

Regards
David

If you ever come down David, please let me know, I'd love to go on a city walk with you.

Regards
David

A few images from a recent morning walk around Sheffield City Centre, mostly abstract. Please comment, all views welcomed both positive and negative. Images are a mix of K-3, K-01 and K-5iis, with several different lenses, DA L 55-300, DA L 18-55, Samsung 12-24, DA*50-135

1. Parkhill Flats



2. The Cheese Grater



3. Parkhill Flats



4. Parkhill Flats



5. City Centre



6. City Centre - compilation of architecture



7. City Centre - Student Union



8. Cheese Grater with Tree



9. Cityscape



10. Parkhill Flats



11. Parkhill Flats



Cheers
David

Number 3 for me too. Another nice set David, also like the last one.

Regards
David

A magnificent set, 1, 2, 3 and 4 are my favourites, with the first being top for me.

Your images just keep getting better and better.

Regards
David

Cheers Andy, thanks for the comments, nice to hear from you as always!

Regards
David

Thanks to all for the most recent comments, your input is very helpful and appreciated.

Regards
David

Great images Barrie, I agree with Gary that number 2 is top class.

Regards
David