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Questions & Answers

CHARLIE C : Does it work on a full frame?THOMAS W : Not well due to vignetting, unless you use “crop mode” at 16mp resolution. The Pentax 28-105mm, though not as “fast” works well on the K1.RICHARD A : I believe it will vignetteTHOMAS W : Addendum: a better choice for the full frame K1 would be the Pentax 28-105 lens. With the K1’s high iso capabilities, it is a wonderful kit lensTHOMAS W : Yes and no. It does not work well on the K1 set for “full frame” due to significant vignetting. However, with the K1 set to “crop mode” it works well, albeit at reduced (16mp) recording. I have found the 16mp images to be of adequate quality for printing and desktop images. I like this lens !JAY G : yes but you will get some vignetting. I don't have a full frame so can't tell you exactly. But I would not buy this if you currently have a full frame. This is made for a crop sensor camera like a K3.
Shopper : does it have a battery, can it be changed?RICHARD T : It does not have a battery.DANIEL H : This lens does not have a battery, but of course for the autofocus and other features it will use the battery of the camera battery itself.JAMES W : The lens does not have a battery. It is powered by the camera body.JOHN M : It is powered by the camera, no battery in the lens.JAY G : N0- it uses the battery in your camera.MARTIN S : Lenses don't have batteries. They draw power from the camera. All batteries need to be charged.
Shopper : Is this a 2012?STEVEN A : Although I bought mine around that time, I've seen reviews that go back to 2009 on this lens.ELENZER D : I would say, this is a wonderful lens for wide angle application and it was my mostly used lens when I was shooting with my Pentax K5 for Landscape Photography. (I switch to a full-frame Canon) You'll notice some chromatic aberration and distortion but that can easily be corrected in post processing such as Lightroom. Now my wife is using it and she loves this lens with my old K5. Focusing is fast and accurate and no need for micro-adjustment. It is a 24mm focal equivalent on a 35mm sensor which is wide enough for most landscape/architectural application. It is pretty sturdy than my DA* 50-135 since I used it a lot more in comparison. It is pricey but when your using Pentax, it's well worth it's cost.CATHERINE S : I bought this lens with my K-5 in 2010. It is a great lens and I have not had any issues with it. The version I have does have a reputation of issues. I do believe Pentax produced a new version and how to determine if this offering is the new lens or older version eludes me. You could do some research on the "Pentax Forums". This is a good price offering.JEFF M : I bought this lens in 2010 and the model has not been changed so far as I am aware. I have no hesitation in recommending it.

Reviews about this item

Review Summary

2022-01-26T07:51:37

Rated 5 out of 5

Fantastic lens

This is my second Pentax SMCP-DA 16-50mm f/2.8 ED-AL. My first lens, through no fault of the lens was crushed when I banged it into a shelf while trying to get a great shot. When I saw that the price was reduced due to a new version I grabbed it, because before the crash I had no problems. It's a great lens at any price, so if you can't find the first version buy the new one because the new lens is the same price I paid for the older version. The lens range is fantastic you won't be sorry.

LYNNE K.

2020-12-16T08:22:04

Rated 3 out of 5

Motor keeps going out

My motor on this lens has been replaced once (not under warranty) and now it is slowly going out again.

Jay G.

2016-12-30T11:59:29

Rated 5 out of 5

Wide angle zoom Wedding lens for Pentax k3

I shoot weddings and events. Most venues are fairly low light The f2.8 aperture is great for that. Crystal clear shots. I even have to soften them a little for bride shots.I've had no problems with the SDM focus motor after a full year.

RICHARD A.

2014-03-25T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

What an amazing lens

This lens is amazing. I was out in the rainforest and got some great pictures in spite of the low light. Fantastic

reel l.

2012-03-04T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Everyday Use Lens

This is the lens I keep on my camera at all times because it is versitle and has a wide range of uses from low light to bright sunlight. I have taken over 3,000 images with this lens and to date have not had any problems.

ROGER L.

2011-09-11T21:00:00

Rated 3 out of 5

A Great Lens (when it worked)

This lens WAS great for scenery and low light indoor photography. In museums and shows where a flash was prohibited the lens worked great. Also worked great for portraits. It does lack the little extra "reach" to make it a little more versitle lens (16-75 or 100mm would have been nice). Unfortunately, after a year and a half of light usage (after the warrantee ran out), the auto-focus motor quit working. I can get it to work sometimes by playing with the manual focus for a while then switch to auto-focus. In checking the Pentax forums etc. many other people have the same problem. Right now it is a $1,200 paperweight until I can save the money to have it repaired, then I'll probably sell it.

GARY A.

2011-09-08T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great lens....

I am a pro wedding and event shooter and I also freelance for a couple of daily and weekly publications covering human interest stories, dinning and night life. This lens has the perfect zoom range for shooting in crowded and cramped rooms and has the great f2.8 aperature to allow me to shoot quality images in a low light venue such as chapels, restaurants and night clubs. The build quality and weather sealing allow me to focus on my work rather than babying my lens in a crowded club or on a wet wedding day. The images are crisp and the focus pops right in to place. I would highly reccomend this lens to anyone who uses a Pentax system.

ANTHONY C.

2011-09-03T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Good basic lens

This lens is OK. It does a nice job, but end up doing a little manipulation to the photo in my AcdSee using the sharpening. Use for outdoor team photos and it works ok.

MARK H.

2011-06-10T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

A workhorse lens!

This is the second copy of the lens from Adorama. Finally, very impressed by it's performance. A bit soft wide open & on 50mm especially on border, but stopping down a little give perfect result. Best for landscape and general use. Pairing with 50-135, you don't need other lens.. :D

bhuana

2011-03-05T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

An Excellent Landscape Lens.

This is my mostly used among all my lenses. Excellent for landscape photography and combined with Pentax K5 gives fast and silent Auto-focus. Sharp on all apertures and produces a nice bokeh on close-up shots. All that I expected from this lens. Build quality is excellent. I think it's worth every penny.

ELENZER D.

2010-05-08T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

As good as it gets

This is the 'as good as it gets' zoom lens for Pentax. I've used DA 16-45mm before and tried a DA 17-70mm as well. But in the end the DA* 16-50mm was IT. The versatile f/2.8 with weather seals and silent SDM really makes a huge difference over the lens that I had before. SDM focusing is not as fast as Canon USM I tried before (it wasn't even an L - just 50mm f/1.4 USM) but then again the focusing might be to do with my K20D body than the actual motor. I can't fault the pictures that I have taken with this lens so far.

Jihong P.

2010-04-10T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great lens!

Purchased lens to replace kit lens that came with K-7. So far I'm pleased with the images. I recently ordered the 50-135mm f2.8 to complement this and with these two lenses I will have everything I need.

Gregg S.

2010-01-09T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

I love this lens

This is the best lens I own... and I now own 2 (just incase...) It rarely leaves my camera. Very versitile, sharp and fast.

SEAN L.

2010-01-09T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Excellent upgrade from the kit lens

The weather sealing was the seller for me.

Frantz V.

2009-08-18T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Image quality is great

The lens operates very smoothly. Although it's a little heavy, a lot of glass. But I'm very please with the images. 77mm filter size makes for expensive filters.

SAMUEL P.

2009-07-10T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Legendary performance

I own the legendary 50-135mm and in my last photo-shoot I had to stand too far back, though the images were still stellar, I just wanted better close-ups for groups of people and this lens does it with distinction. Initially I agonized about quality control for this lens. I debated between this and the 12-24mm. But I needed a lens for weddings, general use and not just landscape. I finally took the plunge to get the 16-50mm f2.8 from Adorama (and it came in 3 days..thanks adorama); you can not beat this lens. At the 16mm end you can take landscape pictures of trees, sky and miscellaneous objects. For people photography go up to 25mm-45mm and stop down to f5.6-10 and nothing beats this lens for IQ, clarity, color, contrast and sharpness...period. This lens is simply phenomenal, super quiet and instantaneous focus, weather sealing. If you can afford this lens...hurry as prices are going up. You will be pleased about your photography.

CHUDI E.

2009-06-10T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

SUCH a great lens!

I traded in my 31ltd for this lens, to keep it's bigger brother, the DA*50-135 company in my bag. Both lenses are superb zooms, with a constant aperture throughout the focal range. While the 50-135 has IF, this lens extends, but with no creep. I needed this focal range for weddings and events, but haven't had a gig to fully test it out yet, I have used it for some product shots and have been happy with the results. An added bonus; when attached to your k20 (and eventually, your k-7) you have a fully weather sealed camera. Pentax's day in the sun is returning........

Ari K.

2009-05-03T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Better AF then Standard Lenses & 17-70mm

Excellent pro glass for half the price of Nikon/Canon. The * seems to make the difference in AF: Better, more accurate AF then standard (non *) lenses, solid construction, quality feel. Better AF performance in dim ligh then Pentax 17-70mm (have both, tested). As usual, don't expect the sweet spot wide open and stop down 1-3 f-stops. F8/F11 seems to be the best performance (applies to any of my lenses). Use it on a K20D.

Bruno P.

2008-06-01T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Excellent lens

Great focus mechanism, silent and fast. The image quality is outstanding. Great for landscape photography and family photos. Because of its size, the in-camera flash causes big shadow on the lower portion of the picture, it will require an external flash. I am so happy with this lens that my next one will be the Pentax DA*50-135 mm on the same family of products. Pentax did a good job on this DA* family. Highly recommended.

Walter C.

2008-03-24T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Fantastic Lens

There are some QC issues with some of these lenses. [...]

Ted

2008-03-09T21:00:00

Rated 3 out of 5

Nice build but average IQ

Weatherproof Design, nice build quality, Quickshift and noiseless AF are nice. Image Quality at open aperture is just on average level. Some issues with Front/Backfokus. Lenshood is sometimes tricky to mount.

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Pentax 16-50mm Specifications

General

General

Jump to...
  • Brand

    Pentax

  • MPN

    21650

  • Lens Series

    Pentax DA

  • Color

    Black

  • Lens Type

    Wide Angle To Standard Zoom

  • Lens Mount

    Pentax K

  • Format Compatibility

    APS-C / DX

  • Focus Type

    Auto Focus

  • Focusing Technology

    N/A

  • Closest Focus Distance

    12" / 30cm

  • Distance Information

    N/A

  • Built-In Motor

    N/A

  • Focal Length

    16-50mm

  • Angle Of View

    83 - 31.5 deg.

  • 35mm Equivalent Focal Length

    24-75 mm

  • Coverage

    N/A

  • Minimum Aperture

    f/22

  • Maximum Aperture

    f/2.8

  • Maximum Magnification

    0.26x

  • Lens Coating

    N/A

  • Aspherical Elements

    Yes

  • ED Glass Elements

    Yes

  • Filter Size

    77mm

Construction

Jump to...
  • Lens Elements / Groups

    15 Elements / 12 Groups

  • Diaphragm Blades

    N/A

  • Dimensions

    3.9 x 3.3" (98.5 x 84mm)

  • Weight

    19.9oz / 565g without hood
    21.2oz / 600g with hood

Features

Jump to...
  • Image Stabilization Type

    None

  • Tripod Collar

    N/A

  • Waterproof / Water Resistant

    N/A

  • Dust Resistant

    N/A

  • UPC Code

    027075129252

6 Accessories for Pentax SMCP-DA 16-50mm f/2.8 ED-AL (IF) SDM Autofocus Zoom Lens for Digital SLRs - U.S.A.

  • All Accessories (6)
  • Filters (3)
  • Bags & Cases (1)
  • Covers & Caps (2)

About Pentax 16-50mm

FEATURED REVIEWS

Excellent lens

By Walter C.

Great focus mechanism, silent and fast. The image quality is outstanding. Great for landscape photography and family photos. Because of its size, the in-camera flash causes big shadow on the lower portion of the picture, it will require an external flash. I am so happy with this lens that my next one will be the Pentax DA*50-135 mm on the same family of products. Pentax did a good job on this DA* family. Highly recommended.

Better AF then Standard Lenses & 17-70mm

By Bruno P.

Excellent pro glass for half the price of Nikon/Canon. The * seems to make the difference in AF: Better, more accurate AF then standard (non *) lenses, solid construction, quality feel. Better AF performance in dim ligh then Pentax 17-70mm (have both, tested). As usual, don't expect the sweet spot wide open and stop down 1-3 f-stops. F8/F11 seems to be the best performance (applies to any of my lenses). Use it on a K20D.

The PENTAX DA * 16-50mm F2.8 ED/AL (IF) wide angle zoom lens is designed for exclusive use with PENTAX digital SLR cameras and delivers the highest level of ultimate optical image quality. With aspherical elements, special optical-glass elements and original lens coatings, this lens is superior in terms of contrast, clarity and edge-to-edge sharpness.

The 16-50mm features tightly sealed, weather-resistant and dust-resistant construction to enhance durability for use in rain or dusty conditions. It also features the PENTAX-original Quick-Shift Focus System for instant switching to manual-focus operation and PENTAX-original SP (Super Protect) coating to repel dust, water and grease. A new SDM system hasbeen incorporated for smoother, quieter autofocusing operation using a built-in supersonic motor.

Pentax 16-50mm Features

  • High performance, wide angle zoom lens
  • SDM system creates smoother, quieter auto focus
  • Weather resistant and dust resistant body
  • Quick-shift Focus System for instant switching from auto focus to manual
  • Pentax SP coating protects the exposed lens elements
  • Two ED elements and 3 aspherical elements compensate for chromatic and sphericalaberration
  • Developed specifically for Pentax digital SLR's
  • Focal length equivalent to 24.5mm to 76.5mm in the 35mm format