Pentax DA* 16-50 and DA 17-70

There are not many choices for a standard zoom for Pentax. Nowadays, there are few choices
- DA18-50
- DA16-45
- DA17-70
- DA*16-50
- Sigma 17-70

There are lot of comparison between the DA16-45 and DA17-70, but not many between DA17-70 and DA*16-50. I got a chance to borrow a DA17-70 to try for a while, and finally got time to do a comparison.

The test below was carried out in my office in the night time and It was not professional at all. So if you see any obvious problems, please kindly share with me. The chop area is not very ideal due to various limitations. The conclusion is also very subjective. If you don't agree, just voice it out. :)

Setup:
- Pentax K20D
- On tripod with shutter release cable.
- Av (I should use M, but forgot to do so because it was too late)
- Spot Metering, Automatic White Balance, ISO 100, Spot Focus, JPG.



Scenario:

 

@16/17mm

@36mm

@50/53mm

 

@70mm

Conclusion:
- The center resolution between DA*16-50 and DA17-70 is similar.
- The border resolution of DA*16-50 is slightly better than DA17-70.
- The extreme border resolution of DA17-70 looks better than DA*16-50.
- The color rendering of DA*16-50 is more saturated.

In the daily shot, my feeling is that the DA*16-50 actually can provide a more 3D image than DA17-70, even for the same f4/f5.6. However, this is really a subjective feeling after using various lens.

The original size of the above chops can be found under:
http://picasaweb.google.com.hk/matchz/