Opinions of Pentax DA 50-200mm sought vs KM-A2 28-200

[dg1]

Kind of an odd question. I have a Pentax DS and MZ-S, a F 50mm

f/1.4, F 28mm f/2.8, DA 40mm f/2.8 pancake, and the kit 18-55mm. I'm

not really into zooms and got the kit zoom with the DS.

 

So, having a KM-A2 I have figured I would simply have that be for my

longer zoom needs and a small all-in-one. It's a fine digicam, but

I've begun to think perhaps I should consolidate and I'm considering

selling the A2 and purchasing the Pentax DA 50-200mm zoom to more or

less replace its reach.

 

By way of comparison, would anyone have experience with both the KM

A2 and the 50-200mm?

 

I'm fond of the image stabilization of the A2 as well as the speed of

the lens at the tele end, f/3.5 @ 200mm equiv. The image

stabilization is worth a couple stops, so I'm guessing that to equal

the A2's stability at ISO 200, 200mm f/3.5 handheld, the DS with the

50-200 at a 200equiv (~130mm f /5? )equiv would probably need to be

set at ISO 1600. ISO 400 on the A2 is just so so, while ISO 800 gets

rather rugged. Anyway it seems the DS useable ISO range could make

up for the relatively slow zoom.

 

Any info on how the 2 might compare for sharpness?

 

I'm also wondering if the DA 50-200mm will work on my MZ-S 35mm SLR.

The DA 18-50mm works ok down to 24mm, and the DA 40mm works well

also. With the longer zoom I'd expect that to work also.. ?

 

Thanks in advance.

[don_laing]

Hi Dean, I don't currently have the 28-200 zoom as sold it a year ago. The 50-200 lens I have is good at the 50 end but performance falls of after 135 and is definitely not as good at 200 as I remember the 28-200. Contrast is low on the 50-200 and usually requires a substantial boost in Photoshop. Construction wise, the 50-200 is fine-a nice rubber zoom grip, is very small and light (this contributes to the problem of holding it steady at 200). Because it is made to cover the APS-C sized sensor of the DS, it won't cover the larger 35mm neg satisfactorily. I won't use it on my MZ-S.

[p_l_jensen]

According to Pentax published near future lens launch plan there's a high-performance 50-200 FA-D (full frame) lens coming next year. Hopefully it will be shown at PMA in february. It is either a 2.8 lens or an F:4 lens. It might be an idea to wait out for this one if you can afford it.

[dg1]

Thanks for the info Don. My post might be a bit unclear though. The 28-200 I referred to was actually my Konica Minolta Dimage A2 digicam's lens. I'm deciding really between continuing to use the A2 for more casual zoom duty, or sell it and get a zoom to cover that range for the DS, giving up some of the features of the A2 and consolidating everything in my SLR.

 

However I was also looking into one of the super zooms from Tamron, either the 28-200, or 28-300, but figured I'd like to stick to the Pentax lenses if possible. But perhaps I shouldn't dismiss those either.

[george_d._gianni]

I recently borrowed a friend's DA 50-200 and tested it against my old FA 80-320. The main advantage of this zoom is its price, weight and <b>size</b>. It is optically a good lens, worth every cent. Its sharpness and contrast are very good at 50-150 and average in the longer range. I noticed no visible aberrations or distorsions at any focal length. Another strong point: it focuses accurately and very fast.<br>

The downside is in its mechanical construction which lets it creep when pointing downwards in spite of its low weight. I experience the same problem with the much heavier FA 80-320, a remarkable lens in the range of 80-240 even close to wide open (f/5.6-6.7), which I now only use for my kids' outdoor sports, mainly mounted on a tripod. <br>

Though I like small lenses, I very much doubt I will ever buy the 50-200. I can wait for the faster DFA Pal mentioned.<p>

Sorry Dean, I cannot help you with the comparison to the KM A2; after three pocketable digicams (Sony, Canon, Sony) and a disappointing Canon 10D I got back into SLR photography with the cute *ist DS and don't look back. I hope you will enjoy yours as much with your fine prime lenses...<p>

Responding to your last question: the 50-200 should cover the 24x36mm frame above the focal length of around 120mm.

[dg1]

Thanks George, we must be on the same page. I also had a 10D and sold it to get the *ist DS. The DS is excellent for my needs. With my MZ-S, I've got a very complimentary pair of cameras, both light and small, and now the KM A2 is sort of "odd man out".

[petre_petrov1]

Whenever a question comes up about a Pentax zoom lens in this range, I preach one and the same thing: get the SMC-F 70-210 f4-5.6. It hasn't been in production for a while, but it turns up on eBay with some regularity. By far the best thing by any manufacturer in this zoom and price range. You can get it for under $200 in mint condition, and this will be the best money you ever spent. The focusing is a bit slow, the build leaves something to be desired, but the image quality, ah!!! This lens does something with light and color that is pure magic. I have two, in case one fails. Although I own some of Pentax's best glass, this is the lens I love most. I will be clutching it when they put me to my grave!

[mawz]

The 50-200 outperforms every consumer Pentax zoom except the SMC-A 70-210 f4. The SMC-F 70-210 f4-5.6 is a good lens, but is not up to the 50-200's performance, especially when you consider the 50-200's full time manual focus and improved coatings.

[dg1]

I think that because my use of a zoom lens will be for traveling convenience and more casual shooting, I will continue to use my KM-A2 for those duties and enjoy the unique digicam features, at least for the time being.

 

My original motive for posting this question came out of trying to decide whether to sell the A2 and replace it with glass for the Pentax cameras. I don't think the trade off will be even. Considering the all purpose nature of the A2 and what it would fetch on the used market, it's better to hang on to it.

 

When I do add a longer zoom lens for my DSLR I will get a DA 50-200. It sounds like a good lens for the money, and with the 18-55mm kit lens makes a good pair. I've been generally pleased with the 18-55 although I haven't used it a lot.

 

Thanks all for the input. Helps sort out my thinking a bit.

[rodelion]

Comment about DA 50-200/4-5.6 vs F 70-210/4-5.6

 

I tested four samples of the DA50-200 on my K100D. Two of them had centering issues, one of them was consistently soft in the centre, and only one out of four had no problems.

 

Then I compared this single good lens to my F70-210/4-5.6. Wide open my F70-210 suffers from some terrible optical defect, rendering it useless in contrasty situations, but from one stop down and forth it blew the DA50-200 to oblivion in terms of center and corner sharpness. When I found this out, I decided not to buy it, but stick to my razersharp "F70-210/5.6-8".

 

The DA50-200 is decent, but you truly get what you pay for, and a used F70-210 is more bang for the buck.