Nice! I still need to try it on my K3 & maybe on the K5. Yep you & me both! I'd love to see a new version of the 50-135 with all the upgrades this lens received!
Being in Pentax "boat" from their Spotmatic times, I just got caught, (haunted, almost), by their epic fails with SDM series lenses. I just could not understand they keep faulty production and neglect feedback given from users. Lee, You gave me a new hope not to sale all Pentax gear I have and think of these. Thank You!
That's great! Yes the PLM is by far the best focusing motor, I'd love to see it rolled out to more lenses because it literally breathes new life into Pentax cameras!
Great review. This DA*16-50mm PLM has been stuck on my K-3 III since I got it. For me it replaces the 20-40. I now carry a two lens setup, the 16-50 PLM and the 55-300mm PLM. When I first received the 16-50 I thought something was wrong with it, it focus so fast & silently I didn't realized it was focusing. What I was focusing on just happen to be in the focus range so I thought nothing was happening. Then I focused on a distant object and it just snapped into focus. About the same experience with the 55-300 PLM.
Thanks mate 👍 Yeah it's crazy how good the PLM is compared to the old SDM. It's almost silent, crazy fast & very accurate. Those are the two lenses I have set up at the moment, the 16-50 PLM on the K3iii Monochrome & the 55-300 PLM on the K3iii Colour. Now . . . All we need is for those Pentax engineers to take a look at implementing the PLM into the DA*50-135 & maybe the DA*200 😍
A deserved homage to what must be one stunning piece of glass. The new DA*16-50 PLM is undoubtedly one of the most desirable zoom lenses for Pentax APS-C, and by all accounts, it betters its rebranded FF equivalent. But all the goodness has to be paid for, and I find that the venerable DA16-85 DC manages to do almost everything I expect from an extended standard zoom exceedingly well. It may not be as fast (both aperture- and AF-wise) as the DA*, but it's nearly as sharp, noticeably lighter, and it gives me quite a bit more reach towards the long end, which makes it an excellent walkaround option. Plus, it's affordable - I could buy at least two of those for one DA*. If you need the lightning-fast AF and the constant F2.8, then there's no alternative to the DA*. So, both have an important role to play in the Pentax line-up.
Definitely agree both the DA16-85 & DA*16-50 have important roles to play in the line up. I've never shot with the 16-85 yet, I almost bought it a few year back but ended up with the 18-135 which is another nice walk around lens & when paired with the 55-300 covers a huge range!
@@LeeIveson Can't believe this is happening: Last night the missus gave the green light for jumping on a 15 per cent savings offer on a K-3 III. This will mean little pocket money for at least the next twelve months, and I will have to sell off my K-3 to mpb to cushion the blow, but if Amazon doesn't screw up, I should have a spanking-new K-3 III here by Thursday. I guess it will take me some time to shoot this beast confidently, but I'm glad I can now go from reading countless reviews of the camera to actually using it and discovering what it will bring to my photography. Sheesh, if you had told me on New Year's Day that before the end of February, I would be shooting a K-3 III, I would have replied, Get outta here.
@@Needacreate That's awesome, congrats mate! Now . . . You have lots of learning your new camera to look forward too! (I actually love that part haha) 👍
Well, I recently got myself "worst" 16-50/2.8 screw drive converted for $150 shipping included, so I'm not complaining at all )))) very good Tokina lens under Pentax badge I say )
I mean it's not really the worst lens Pentax have made . . . just the worst of their DA* line 😂 But in seriousness your absolutely right in saying its a fantastic lens especially at the price you snagged yours for! Well done on that deal.
@@LeeIveson been using the old SDM for documentation work for couple years. Its imho fine lens, just people had super high expectations and it didnt live up to them so it got ranked very harshly. Its not mindboggingly awesome lens with ton of character ..."just" pretty fine workhorse. having said that, ill probably get the eventually plm when i get using apsc more again for personal use.
Better to ask for forgiveness than permission 😉. Yeah it is an expensive lens but it is also top quality, if its within budget I'd definitely recommend 👌
Haha I should really get myself a new hat 😅 creature comfort I suppose. I'm not going to lie, I have a new appreciation for the Monochrome since using that camera. It just depends on what I'm looking to achieve i suppose. I'm looking to get back out to an Enduro event next weekend with the K3iii (colour) DA*16-50 & DA55-300.
I was hoping you would mention the monochrome. I’m primarily a street shooter with an occasional street portrait. I might have to pair that k3 mono with one of the new 50mm lenses. I’d love to pair it with the 20-40 limited too.
@@sdhute It really is a fantastic camera, I'll admit that before using it for myself I didn't give Monochrome photography the respect it deserves. The K3iii Mono opened my eyes literally! I think any of the HD coated lenses will work a treat with the K3iii Monochrome they really complement the sensor in producing awesome detail. That's another lens I'd actually love to try (DA 20-40) just going off how highly other's rate it.
My 16-50 PLM became my favorite immediately! Sharp photos. Sadly I damaged it in a drop from a cheap strap. My fault. I’m hopeful it will be good as new from repairs in Japan.
@@LeeIvesonI got it back from repair and looks to be good as new...in fact it may be new. It has a different serial number. They said they had to replace that ring...but it wasn't damaged or at least didn't seem to be. Anyway, I'm so happy to have my favorite lens back with me.
@@vincemokry9643 Good to hear you have the 16-50 back in your arsenal! I bet it feels like Christmas all over again haha! P.s I hope you have a better camera strap now too! 📷
@@LeeIveson He he... Yeah... I paid the price for the worn out strap. It did last several years. But this time I'm getting a Peak Design setup which is the only kind B&H carries. Worth it!
I'm not a pro, so I was never bothered by the list of shortcomings you mention. I do have one question about the PLM series of lenses. Do they retain the screw connector focusing as a backup in case the internal motor fails? Just wondering.
I just had a look, it doesn't have the screwdrive from what I can see. To be fair I've never thought to look before you asked. Hopefully the PLM fairs alot better in the long run than the SDM that had a reputation for failing. The copy of the DA*16-50 SDM I owned had already been converted to screwdrive so I never got to see what the focusing motor was like, although I can vouch for slow & inaccurate performance from my DA*50-135 & DA*200 both of which had working SDM.
@jimzielinski946@@LeeIveson There is no mechanical coupling or backup system on PLM Lenses - they are 100% electric motor driven for focus and aperture. The PLM lenses operate much faster because all mechanical coupling is removed and the lens operates by electric wire contacts only. Since you lose mechanical manual focusing, the camera has to be turned on to power the motors when manual focusing and with KAF4 mount, setting aperture is also motor driven instead of a mechanical coupling.
I absolutely wouldn't be so sure. We'll see after 10 years how this new engine will perform. Most SDMs die after this time. Some Pentax Q lenses are also starting to die. Nobody knew this when they bought them and they paid very high prices for them. So is this lens worth such a high price? - it will only become clear after some time. My trust in Pentax has decreased significantly, experiences and failures have contributed to this. We cannot pay for design errors, unforeseen ones... You can take the risk, because Pentax helps you, that's why it's easy for you to say so. I personally lost thousands of pounds (even two lenses from the limited series 21 and 70 joined this inglorious list, oil on the aperture blades) and I bought them all new, a total of 6 lenses were defective, plus two Q lenses, a nightmare with that Pentax
I agree nothing lasts forever be it Pentax or any other camera brand. I can only speak from my experience, I've owned the Pentax DA 55-300 PLM for around 4 years now with the only issue being a small amount of dust inside the lens (being an external zoom). That lens is not expensive & preforms brilliantly, it's not DA* lens IQ but it is very good. I'm not sure what you mean by "You can take the risk, because Pentax helps you, that's why it's easy for you to say so" ? As I've bought Pentax cameras & lenses since I started photography in 2018 & used them in all weather conditions at my own expense.
@@LeeIveson I joined Pentax in 2012 with the Pentax K5. By that time I had completed the system for myself and later for my wife. Very expensive systems at that time, because there was nothing used on the market yet. My RU-vid channel is about fish, I never talked about Pentax because half of the videos would be negative. The fact that even today I cannot seriously use Pentax to record today's RU-vid videos speaks for itself. However, even if we only talk about photography using the Pentax system, it does not look good when considering the cost of purchase - the amount of broken equipment in relation to the photos taken. That's why I take any kind of very positive films on Pentax Subject with caution. It has nothing to do with you, whom I respect very much.
@@LeeIveson Personally, I have nothing against You, I respect your work. I watch all episodes. But it is known that these "Woke" Pentxians have a hard time on social media. They are, how to put it correctly, "ignored" (?) which should not be the case.
