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Do we really need/want updated DA★ lenses?

Started Oct 27, 2020 | Polls thread
BryantP Regular Member • Posts: 406
Re: Do we really need/want updated DA★ lenses?
1

Heliar wrote:

PocketPixels wrote:

Several reactions in the main K-3 Mark III news have mentioned a keen desire for new DA★ 16–50mm and/or DA★ 50–135mm lenses. Aside from some Sonic Drive Motor (SDM) reworking circa 2015, these lenses haven't changed since their introductions in late 2007. Ricoh/Pentax finally rounded out the "trinity" of professional, constant-aperture ƒ/2.8 lenses in 2019 with the DA★ 11–18mm, so chances are that one will hold up until 2032

What about the 16–50 and the 50–135? Are you keen for updates to the professional DA zoom lineup?

(And I guess we can lump in the ƒ/4 DA★ 60–250, which is also a 2007 release.)

DA* 16-50 not only has long term SDM reliability issues, it's also optically very bad (lots of fringing and pronounced mushiness wide open).

Regardless if old SDM design got some kind of a rework or not (nothing official on the matter), those motors are still very slow to focus.

If we want to say that Pentax has one of the best lens lineups in APS-C category, Ricoh needs replacements of those old * lenses really badly. Not every single one of them needs optical rework (DA* 300mm is a great lens), but I guess it could be somewhat enforced by newer focusing solution, and potentially, in-lens stabilizer.

While I agree about the SDM issue with the DA* 16-50, I've not noticed mushiness or much purple fringing with my copy.

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