DxOMark rates lenses for Pentax K-50, and reviews Sigma 50-500mm

Our friends and collaborators over at DxOMark have been investigating lenses for the Pentax K-50, and have just published an article assessing which score best on this well-featured little SLR. They’ve looked at 28 different models, from both Pentax itself and third-party makes like Sigma and Tamron, and given recommendations for the best lens to buy in various categories. This week they’ve also tested the Sigma APO 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM super-telephoto zoom, and compared it to the latest, and rather more expensive Nikon AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR. Click the links below to read more.

DxOMark review: Best lenses for your Pentax K50: Pentax lens overview

DxOMark review: Sigma APO 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM Nikon mount lens review

Click here for our first impressions of the Pentax K-50

Our lens reviews are produced using DxOMark data: click here to see our latest reviews

Pentax K-50

Comments

I find DxOMark lens reviews quite useless. However, their measurements could be useful enough.

Go to the profiles tab for Sigma and Nikkor and compare directly 500/8 vs. 400/8. The difference is whopping. Another example that DxO lens tests are useful, their scores are not.

At least one website is reviewing lenses. Hintity Hint Hint.

Would anyone here at DPReview care to address a perceived contradiction in the test results of this lens–on the D800, it receives both a lower overall and a lower sharpness score than on the D600.

A difference of one point is within the margin of error. If you compare the sharpness graphs between the two they look basically the same. What this tells us is that the Bigma cannot resolve the extra pixels from the D800. No real surprise.

DxO scores are blind for very high resolutions because of their weighting. Go to the profile tabs to really read their results. And keep in mind that D800 pixels are smaller, so similiar acutance means much higher sharpness.

Why would Dxo even bother if they’re gonna leave out pentax’s best 3 lenses? (31mm/43mm/77mm).
Pointless comparison if you leave out the best lenses imo.

“We’re going to test to see which are the best nikon zooms… Except we’re going to leave out the Nikon 14-24, 24-70 & 70-200”.
Fail.

And don’t forget the DA*50-135 DA*200 and DA*300 too.

GG DxO. Well, at least they actually looked at Pentax for a change.

interesting that the DxOmarks for the D800 + Bigma are so different than the D600. This is probably due to the fact that the Bigma is 1/2 stop slower at each focal length than the Nikkor. If we are to trust this measurement, then I would probably pass on the Bigma for use with my D800. But the D600 looks like it could be a good match.

The lens doesn’t actually get any worse on the D800, though. There are just (much more expensive) alternatives that can do better.

Hm, the Bigma tested better than I expected.

That’s not a criticism of DXOMark, I think it’s good testing.

Good testing of lenses? Look at what they write:
“Our DxOMark lens scores take into account the sensor performance of the camera, especially the results from the Color Depth test and Dynamic range.”

WTF? Lens score should have nothing to do with Color Depth and Dynamic Range of a sensor, because lens quality has nothing to do with sensor.

Thats’s true.
I always go to the profile tabs to see actual measurements. Both the Score and the PMpix value are to be ignored totally. With this in mind, their tests are a goid resource.

@peevee So, you would have all lenses tested perpetually at 12 mp?