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Pentax Lenses: Auto-Focus (AF) Sound Test Roundup

I noticed people in general are interested in how each lens sounds (myself included), so I thought it would be helpful to put together a video demonstrating a set of lenses and how they sound when doing auto-focus (AF). This set is Pentax as it is the brand I use currently. The other benefits of this video is that you can get a feel for how the lens handles and what the focus travel is, if any (some lenses are internal focus).

Here is the video on Youtube (720p version available):

The camera doing the auto-focus is a Pentax K-7 and the one taking the video is a Pentax K-5 using 720p 30fps video mode.

The lenses included in the video:

  • Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8 ED IF Digital Auto Focus Lens
  • Pentax SMCP-DA 10mm-17mm f/3.5-4.5 (IF) Auto Focus Fisheye Zoom Lens
  • Pentax D-FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro WR (Weather Resistant) Auto Focus Lens
  • Pentax FA 31mm f/1.8 AL Wide Angle Auto Focus Limited Edition Lens
  • Pentax DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED WR Auto Focus Telephoto Zoom Lens
  • Pentax DA* 55mm f/1.4 SDM Auto Focus Lens
  • Pentax DA* 300mm f/4.0 ED (IF) SDM Auto Focus Lens

I’d love to do more, but that’s the extent of what I have available…

This was the first time using an external microphone hooked up to my camera (object on the right in the video). For an extremely cheap microphone (I thing it was around $3) it certainly did a great job compared to the on-camera microphone! Really happy with the result there compared to past videos I’ve made with on-camera sound.

Needless to say, lenses that use the screw-drive mechanism are louder than ones that use an internal SDM motor. The DA 40mm f2.8 and DA 14mm f2.8 steal the show with crazy fast focus driving speeds. The DA* 55mm f1.4 SDM and D-FA 100mm f2.8 WR Macro is the slowest of the lot.

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