>> I am evaluating this zoom and wondering if anyone out there has one and >> cares to share your feelings about it.
> Fred likes it. It has a great reputation. Indeed! (Hi, Bob.) I think it's a really neat lens. Despite its weight (which always seems to bother other people more than it bothers me), it's my favorite "walking around" lens. (For "light traveling", this lens, plus the A 20/2.8 and either the A* 300/4 or the F* 300/4.5, make up a kit that handles almost all situations.) It also makes a good "wedding lens" (although the f/4 speed is not ideal indoors if the light is dim). Although it ~is~ a zoom, I think it commends itself nicely for all-around use. (Of course, a pocketful of primes are always going to beat it...) I find that it is just as good as its sibling, the highly-touted (here on the PDML) A 35-105/3.5, and I gladly take the loss of a fraction of stop of speed in order to get the greater FL range (I no longer own any 35-105/3.5's). I've appended below a quote of a review of this lens (tested along with the Super A, Motor Drive A, and AF200T) from Amateur Photographer for August 6, 1983). Fred =========================================================================== "28-135mm must be the most versatile 'standard lens' around. Other examples of this focal length are on the way but Pentax were first on the scene." "The lens incorporates most popular wideangle and telephoto lengths, plus everything in between. The f/4 aperture is modest but quite good considering the range. It's a fairly large lens and very heavy, but feels comparatively well balanced on camera." "Focusing ring is large with a chunky grip, with minimum focusing distance of 1.7 m. Behind this, the zooming ring has a short throw (like the focusing ring) with a click stop at the 28mm setting. Turning past this click stop engages the 'macro' mode, which enables focusing down to under 8 in. Because the focal length at this setting is still wideangle, this isn't particularly close and well off true 1:1 macro." "Focusing and zooming controls on our sample were not particularly smooth; the zooming ring was also a little stiff. Despite this, the short twist required to zoom or focus makes for fast handling. Overall, the lens is built to a high standard." "Filter size of 77mm means more expensive filters - but this can't really be avoided if you want the range and decent working maximum aperture." "Handling is fast and generally as good as a lens of much shorter range. It matches well with the Super A body." "It's one thing to design a lens with such a long range, but quite another to build in good performance. here the Pentax comes as a pleasant surprise." "Definition was very adequate throughout, with edge performance lagging just a little behind the centre. Softness was evident at full aperture and one stop down (f/5.6) at the edge, but otherwise the lens will cope with most assignments on any type of film." "The 28-135mm lens is expensive but takes the place of three or four other lenses comfortably." "Overall Performance - Very Good" "Central Definition - Very Good" "Edge Definition - Good" "Image Contrast - Very Good" "Optical balance - Good" "Best Central Definition - f/8, f/11, f/16" "Best Overall Definition - f/11" "Best Edge Definition - f/11" ===========================================================================
