Expert: John Oliverio - 11/5/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have heard that Sears brand lenses are mostly repackaged lenses from other makers, and that Sears lenses vary in quality from lens to lens. If possible, could you inform me of the quality of the Sears 28-70mm Zoom Lens? I appreciate your time.

ANSWER: I would need to know more about the lens.  What camera does it mount to?  How old is it?  What is the range of the max. aperture?

John

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QUESTION: It mounts to all K-mount cameras, such as the Pentax K1000. It has a maximum aperture of f3.5. It also feature macro functions. As for the age, I'm not sure and can't seem to find it anywhere. Actually, I can't seem to find any other information about this lens anywhere, although I do have a picture.

Answer
Hi Jordan,

Your lens was built by Pentax for Sears to Sears specifications.  This means that it was built to meet a lower "house brand" price point to offer alternatives to the more expensive camera manufacturers.  The quality of this lens wasn't all that bad, but the Pentax SMC version is a noticeably better lens.

John