In fact, those SDM death reports have never ever stopped. Different users/owners of those expensive SDM lenses, in particular mostly with DA*16-50 and DA*50-135, have been reporting/complaining about the death of the SDMs in their lenses, at various different Pentax forums everywhere on this planet, from day to day.
A few very recent cases as reported:-
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&thread=33020855
(DA* 16-50)
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&thread=32988147
(DA* 16-50, 50-135 and DA* 300)
http://www.dchome.net/viewthread.php?tid=757982
(DA* 50-135; Posts in Traditional Chinese)
So, putting aside the ridiculous slow speed of the SDM lenses in doing AF of the Pentax SDM design (of which this "modern" design is yet much slower than the original Pentax body-driven "screw" AF back to the 80s!), the reliability of the SDM is still in question after years of launch. What have Pentax been doing? Still no solution and any possible remedial action by the manufacturer?
And, it's rather funny that someone has suggested that it's Hoya whom should be blamed instead of "Pentax"? So, what's the difference?? (Fanboyism in action and serious symptom shown?!)
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Wednesday, September 23, 2009
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Comments by IntenseDebate
SDMs of DA* Lenses Continue to Die
2009-09-23T13:30:00+08:00
RiceHigh
Issues|Lenses|Pentax|Quality Issues|SDM|System Performance|System Reliability|
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Real Engineer · 807 weeks ago
elho_cid · 807 weeks ago
Statistics doesn§t work with forums on dpreview. I you'd ask there "Who ever saw a sasquatch?" the poll result would be very similar. I never saw neither sasquatch nor SDM failure. I admit that both may exist, but the probablility is low.
RiceHigh 110p · 807 weeks ago
Walter · 807 weeks ago
Why cannot Pentax amend the length of the warranty on the SDM lenses to 3 or 5 years? Are they not confident their SDM assemblies will last that long?
Third party manufacturers can do it.
Peace · 807 weeks ago
Although my own 4 DA* lenses are still working I'm totally not confident that they live trough decades to come. If there is foundational design flaw with these lenses then Pentax should react with a call-back for all involved DA* lenses and repare them free of charge and with shipping included. These are top lenses as advertised by Pentax and they need to maintain normal function for at least 10 years.
Pentax should show some backbone and react to problems which are this wide spread, i for one will not pay for any repair if my SDM failure is experienced. And indeed i go to court for it, maybe in a joint effort.
Real Engineer · 807 weeks ago
You can have 100% failure on a poll and it be in fact less in reality than a 0.01% failure rate on another poll.
Its the actual percentage that are returned that is important.
If you are suggesting that 20% of DPreview polls constitutes a high percentage of the actual failure in world then you are both wrong and guilty of hyperbole. It is illogical to assume anything from the data given. Pentax may have a serious issue with quality control or it may have a a handful of issues that are not even Pentax issues. Till a common link is found and reported everything is speculation.
If these are the only lenses in the series which has sold how many tens of thousands by now, is it still a major problem as you claim?
Bottom line is you don't know.
Claiming that you do is wrong.
I have been on the receiving end of FUD so I damn well know what it is like and what it does to reputation.
Yet even after I was vindicated (installer error, by people who don't read the manual no less) in my case the reports went on for years as to the unreliability of my product.
Till you know the facts you have nothing but speculation.
But you can do great harm to Pentax anyway so have at it.
Peace,
could you provide data for it being a "universal" problem?
Some valid statistics to show your case?
You yourself have four and don't have a problem yet you are claiming its universal.
You are adding to hysteria and yet you are one of the ones without a problem.
jamesm700 · 807 weeks ago
Funny what a short memory you have... and how you can twist things, did you read the whole post that ended 4 hours ago? I don't own any SDM lens, I was trying to help those who do, becuase if Pentax won't can't, then its Hoya or Hoya should? NO?
RiceHigh 110p · 807 weeks ago
1. *Should* Pentax/Hoya acknowledge and fix the problem?
2. *Will* they do it?
jamesm007 · 807 weeks ago
RiceHigh 110p · 807 weeks ago