Pentax HD DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR Lens
[21387]

Having recently bought the HD DA 55-300 WR I wanted a WR zoom to cover wide angle to normal focal lengths. I have the excellent HD DA 20-40 Limited WR but I wanted something that would go a little wider as well as overlapping with the short end of the 55-300. Microglobe s excellent price and the consistently great service I ve had from them was enough to convince me to give the HD DA 16-85 WR a go. The lens arrived promptly and well packed as always but when I tested it on my K3 I noticed there was a problem with one of the internal lens elements. The image moved up and down in the viewfinder during focusing which made it difficult to focus on detail in subjects. I returned the lens the following day and requested a replacement. The guys at Microglobe tested it and obviously agreed there was a problem as a few days later the new one arrived. In short I m delighted with it. It is perfectly useable wide open throughout the zoom range but really shines between f/5.6 and f/8 where the edge sharpness is truly excellent and doesn t appear to be far off the impressive centre sharpness. Chromatic aberrations are well controlled. Focusing is super quick and doesn t seem to hunt even in poor light. Colour reproduction and contrast are fantastic. The HD DA 20-40 Limited is one of my favourite lenses but it s not the best choice if you want sharpness across the entire frame. This HD DA 16-85 is a revelation and in my view a better all round lens than the 20-40 Limited. It is quite chunky for a normal zoom but the performance is really excellent. Combined with the 55-300 it forms part of an essential weather resistant kit capable of leveraging the resolution of the high MP sensors in recent Pentax cameras. If you have a standard kit zoom such as the 18-55 and would like a big step up in IQ then you should consider this lens. At Microglobe s price it is great value for money. Thanks again to the team for processing my return and getting me a working lens. It is much appreciated.