Not to knock the Vivitars, but the Pentax 70-210/4 PKA is so outstanding and affordable, there's only one bargain alternative: Tamron SP 70-210/3.5 (constant aperture). The hood actually extends and withdraws to match the focal length. The SP received outstanding reviews and is said to offer great sharpness and build quality and a brightness advantage that you can see, unlike the Vivitar that I tried in a store.
The Tamron is way undervalued. It routinely sell for $100 to $150 and seems to be widely available on the UK sites. If you're going to give up the PKA functionality or Pentax SMC coatings, it seems to me that you should be gaining something commensurate. The Tamron delivers (and can be fitted with a PKA mount). [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
