Pentax DA* 60-250mm f/4 ED [IF] SDM Lens Review

Pentax DA* 60-250mm f/4 ED [IF] SDM Handling and Features

The build quality of this lens is very good indeed, with high quality plastics used for much of the lens barrel's construction and the bayonet being made of metal. It sports a weather and dust resistant construction and a manageable weight of just over a kilogramme. As a result it balances very well with the Pentax K-5 IIs body used for testing.

The lens barrel extends by around three inches at maximum zoom. As focusing is performed internally, the filter thread does not rotate, which makes it perfect for use with polarising and graduated filters. A deep petal-shaped hood is supplied with the lens that attaches to the front via a bayonet fitting and a removable tripod mount can also be clipped to a rotating section on the lens.



The manual focusing ring doesn't rotate during auto-focus and manual adjustments can be applied at any time. Manual focusing action is smooth and there is enough damping to make applying adjustments a pleasure. Even though auto focus is powered by a silent motor, it isn't very quick to lock onto subjects, often taking a while to drift into position. The minimum focus distance of 1.1metres is quite close for a lens of this type, allowing for frame filling close up images.

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