Pentax SMC-DA 16-45mm f/4 ED AL - Review / Test Report
Lens Reviews -
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Special thanks to Rüdiger Neumann for providing this lens for testing!
The Pentax SMC-DA 16-45mm f/4 ED AL is something like a "consensus" lens in the
Pentax community. It is affordable enough for starters yet interesting enough
for enthusiasts. Its field-of-view is equivalent to 24.5-67.5mm in the 35mm format - a
pretty attractive range specifically for those with a preference for wide angles.
On the downside a 3x zoom ratio isn't all that impressive anymore these days.
Typical for all Pentax DA lenses it is compatible to APS-C DSLRs only.
The build quality of the lens is fine although you shouldn't really expect much of an
increase in perceived quality compared to the much cheaper DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL.
The outer body is made of a combination of plastic and metal parts assembled with
comparatively tight tolerances. Both the zoom and focus ring operate quite
smooth. As you can see above the lens extends towards the
WIDE end of the zoom range which is unusual although not unprecedented
(e.g. the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM L does the same). The front element does not
rotate so using a polarizer is no problem.
Some users complain about its comparatively "chunky" size but its relatively
fast max. aperture (for a standard zoom) comes at the expense of (comparatively)
large glass elements.
The lens has no internal AF motor and relies on a slotted drive
screw operated by the camera. As a result AF operation will generate a
moderate degree of noise. The AF speed is extremely fast and accurate on the K10D.
Thanks to a "Quick-Shift Focus System" manual focusing is instantly
possible once the AF has achieved focus - this works very well and
|Equiv. focal length||24-67.5 mm (full format equivalent)|
|Equiv. aperture||f/6 (full format equivalent, in terms of depth-of-field)|
|Optical construction||13 elements in 10 groups inc. 1 ED and 2 aspherical elements|
|Number of aperture blades||8|
|min. focus distance||0.28 m (max. magnification ratio 1:4)|
|Dimensions||72 x 92 mm|
|Filter size||67 mm (non-rotating)|
|Hood||petal shaped (supplied)|