Frits, Thanks for the response! I agree with you that the 28-80 is not a very good lens. I took it back to the shop where I bought it because after running about 10 rolls of film through it, I didn't have 1 photo that I was really happy with. To me, the 28-80 was not sharp at all. Compared to the photos out of my dad's old Canon w/Kalimar lens, the 28-80 seemed no better than a disposable camera, very soft. I recently purchased a Tamron 70-300 and I'm very satisfied with the sharpness of the photos taken through that lens. IMHO, Handheld at 300mm, the photos taken through the Tamron looked sharper than the photos taken through the 28-80 on a tripod.
Paul -----Original Message----- From: Frits_J._W�thrich Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2002 19:35:46 -0000 To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: good wide angle zoom lens? > Paul, > > I have the SMC-FA 28-80mm 3.5-4.7, which isn't very good in my view and > doesn't have a good reputation on this list, and I have replaced it with the > 24-90mm. This lens is great, and I can recommend it without any hesitation. > At 24mm there a slight pincushion distortion, and at 90mm this is more > noticeable. The sharpness is excellent, and I am not the only one on the > list who likes this lens. > With the Sigma you have a lens that has a stop or so more light, but it > doesn't go to 24mm, which is a BIG difference. Some people have reported > compatibility issues with Sigma lenses and Pentax cameras, concerns about > build quality and poor service. I don't own a Sigma anymore, my old one was > OK though. > > There is one thing I don't understand from your question: what is it that > you don't like about the lens? Is it the lack of sharpness, or.. > > > Frits W�thrich > > > Paul Knize asked: > > I visited my local camera shop last night because I was extremely > > disapointed in the quality of the photos I was getting out of my > > SMCP-FA 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 AL autofocus lens. I just bought the > > camera/lens as a kit in December. The shop guy said he was > > willing to let me return the lens and get credit for a better one. > > So, the lenses the shop had were: > > > > Pentax SMCP-FA 24-90mm f/3.5-4.5 AL Autofocus Lens > > and > > Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 Aspherical > > > > This will be my most often used lens. Does anybody have > > experience with either/both of these lenses. Are there other > > lenses (brands/models) near this range that may be better? My > > budget is under $500 (shop price, which seems to be about $100 > > over B&H's price). Any feedback that will help me make a wise > > purchase will be greatly appreciated. BTW, the camera is a pentax zx-30. > > > > Thank you. > > Paul > - > 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 . > > -- - 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 .
