I have owned this lens for about four years now, and it is my standard
lens. I traded in a 50 f1.7, a 28 f2.8, and a 28-105 for it, plus some cash.
But it was well worth it. The lens is sharp as a tack, convenient focal
lengths, fast for a zoom, and the colour rendition and contrast rivals that
of the best of primes; even photos that I took with the 50mm 1.7 have some
weird fake snapshot-type quality to them colour-wise compared to this lens.
I guess it is the rare glass that aligns the colour more accurately. The
build quality is very good, although the bayonet mount hood is a little
awkward unless you put a mark on it (common with all FA* lenses). I put a
little dot with a felt pen on it, and it has not been a problem.
A couple of minor drawbacks; the front element rotates, so working with
a polarizer is a little finicky, but the lens hood is so big it is easy to
get your fingers in to adjust it. And the powerzoom mechanism occasionally
sticks, but one good CLA at Pentax fixed that up (it was probably sand). And
the onboard flash on a PZ-1P will cause vignetting, so you cannot use it,
although I use my onboard flash to trigger my Metz MZ40-2 with a wireless
slave from a distance; put the Metz on Automatic, so it uses its own sensor
for proper exposure (the next best thing to wireless TTL, which I really
look forward to in the MZ-S), scale the onboard flash so it is overwhelmed
by the off board one, and use a couple of reflectors. There you have a
fabulous portrait setup, wireless, battery operated, and small.
I love the powerzoom for what I am doing; taking action shots of dogs for
a pet food company. Image size tracking is fabulous, and all of those people
whining about powerzoom are only complaining because they have never found a
use for it. It would also be great for sports action shots, car racing
events, etc. I now find it hard to believe that it has not caught on; if
Pentax had only brought out a couple of pro bodies much sooner, I am sure
they could have done very, very well in the sports photojournalism segment
of the market. They really blew it there.
Anyway, it is fabulous for outdoor photography, nature shots,
landscapes, even macro with extension tube and/or reverser rings, and even
does exceptionally well for portraits at 70mm at f2.8 to 5.6. Fabulous lens,
in spite of some whining that has gone on here about it. I only wish I could
afford its companion, the mighty FA* 80-200 f2.8, both of which, by the way,
make their Canon & Nikon counterparts look cheap by comparison.
Cameron Hood
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