| Author: | | New Member Registered: March, 2012 Posts: 2 | | Lens Review Date: March 16, 2012 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $95.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Reasonable sharpness and excellent color | | Cons: | Small aperture just for daylight | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: KR
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I picked up this lens for a reasonable price one of these days.Generally it's just worth the price.Ideal sharpness and pleasant recovering.All just doesn't go beyond the spacialities of K-mounts.
| | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2012 Posts: 2 | | Lens Review Date: February 22, 2012 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: N/A
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | IQ, pleasant bokeh, colour, 3D | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: EOS 30D
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Hi,
this is my first contribute here, and notwithstanding I used the K200 on a "foreign" 30D, I had the opportunity to recently compare - not scientifically - the shots taken with K200/3,5, 180/2,8 ED, Tessar 200/3,5, ML100-300 @200.
Well to my eyes this cheap piece of glass performed at least on the level of both Nikkor and Zeiss. I'm used to mount old C/Y Zeiss lenses on my 30D (including 100/2) and the output of the K200/4 keeps amazing me. It's very often on my camera!
I have a pair of them and given the performance can't decide to part from one 
HTH,
Stefano
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2010 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Posts: 404 | | Lens Review Date: August 16, 2011 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $55.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Great IQ (with care), sharp, contrasty, good colour | | Cons: | It's big and heavy, and no built-in hood | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
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Better than the M 200/4
Nearly as good as the A* 200/2.8
Nearly indestructable.
Focus is easy, sharp images just pop.
Great K lens colour and contrast.
Shares hood with K135/2.5
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2010 Location: Eureka, CA Posts: 527 | | Lens Review Date: May 11, 2010 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $90.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Mechanical build, inexpensive, sharp when stopped down | | Cons: | Tad soft wide open | |
Stopped down to f11, this lens is remarkably sharp -- sharper, even, than my M 28 f2.8. Granted, the lens is a tad soft wide open, as are most lenses; but it will still, in terms of IQ and resolution, stomp all over any consumer grade zoom glass that might be compared to it. It has the Pentax "pop" that the old Takumars and K series lens are famous for. The build quality is off the charts and it's relatively compact for a telephoto lens. Not as compact, to be sure, as M version of this lens, which suceeded and replaced it; but this lens is considered sharper than its slightly smaller successor. It's a pity that no one makes a 200 f4: consumers prefer the slower, softer zooms. They don't know what they're missing.
  | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: October, 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 1,937 | | Lens Review Date: August 15, 2009 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $175.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Cost , size & quality. | | Cons: | Slowness, no built-in lens hood. | |
The K200/4 (Along with the K135/3.5 & K150/4) is one of the Pentax budget medium telephoto lenses released in 1975. The optics on the K200/4 are kept simple, so this lens is quite light in size and easy to hand hold. The K200/4 is also on the slow side, so it’s best for outdoor daylight use.
The K200/4 has a 58mm filter diameter and shares a lens hood with the K135/2.5 and the K85-210/4.5 zoom. With a telephoto lens of this focal length you should invest in the clip on hood and a good Multicoated UV filter, especially if you shoot film like myself.
The K200/4 is reasonably sharp and has nice contrast. I bought the Pentax T95 close-up lens for the K200/4 and this makes it a very good option in the macro field, giving you 1/4.8 to 1/2.6 magnification. (A poor mans A* 200/4 ED Macro!!)
This pretty much sums up the K200/4, a good budget telephoto, but it’s no match for the K200/2.5, except in size and price.
Sample shots taken with the K200/4.0. Photos are medium resolution scans from original negatives or slides.
Camera: KX Film: Kodak Portra 160NC ISO: 100
Camera: K2 Film: Fuji Velvia 100 ISO: 100 (Detail of office building windows.)
 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: May, 2009 Location: North Wales UK Posts: 35 | | Lens Review Date: May 17, 2009 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $45.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Super quality of image compared to my 18-250 zoom | | Cons: | None | |
This is the lens that started me being dissatisfied with my 18-250 zoom.
First time out with it I was very impressed with the feel of the Manual Focus only lens, super smooth focusing, and the quality of the images I got with my K20D.The first of many Oldies I hope.
| | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2008 Location: Germany Posts: 24 | | Lens Review Date: April 17, 2009 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $87.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Excellent IQ, very sharp, good contrast abilities, solid built | | Cons: | none | |
I'm a big fan of the old K and M lenses which are usually very sharp, give nice proportions at the DSLR crop and are excellent budget lenses, at least for those who like to focus manually (maybe by help of a focussing screen). However these lenses tend to be difficult when facing delicate lighting situations, notably back light and stray light. They also have a tendency to purple fringes.
This K200/4 is the great surprise, so far I have not encountered such problems, the opposite is true: this lens makes wonderful images: very sharp even full open, good contrast, smooth and silky yet clear colours, rich in detail. The Bokeh belongs to the best I've ever had with a lense. So far the K200/4 has never let me down, if an image was poor then it's been my fault. It has definitely become my favourite lens that I use when I'm in creative mood.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: July, 2008 Location: Nottingham UK Posts: 9 | | Lens Review Date: September 25, 2008 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $55.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Beautiful clarity and sharpness, excellent contrast, nice bokeh | | Cons: | Only that you have to do the focusing and set the aperture yourself but then you knew that | |
Just picked this up from ebay for the bargain price of £28. Have only really taken it for one short test ride so far but am honestly seriously blown away by the image quality. The overall impression you get is one of real clarity, I can't think of a better word describe it because sharpness doesn't quite cover it on its own. The amount of contrast is just right, colours are nice and there is that almost 3D look to pictures. And yes, its more than sharp enough.
I am very pleased with this aquisition. I'm sure I've seen them go for £80+ before and tbh I'd have been happy if I'd paid that.
I can't really think of any bad points. There's only 6 aperture blades but that doesn't seem to harm the bokeh and the build quality is as good as it always is with Pentax lenses of this vintage. I'm still a novice at manual focusing so I won't be doing any fast action photography with it any time soon and of course we'd all like our lenses to be faster but then you have to carry a bucket of glass around. As it is its reasonally compact and doesn't weigh too much.
Well happy, if you see one snap it up 
An example
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