Pentax Lens Terminology
By PF Staff in Articles and Tips on Aug 8, 2011
The following terms are commonly used in Pentax lens names and descriptions.
| * | Professional-grade |
| Limited | Compact, top quality |
| ED | Extra-low dispersion element |
| [IF] | Internal focusing |
| AL | Aspherical element |
| SDM | Supersonic drive motor |
| DC | 2nd-generation SDM |
| WR | Weather-resistant |
| Quick Shift | Manual focus adjustments can be made in AF mode simply by moving focusing ring |
| OS | Optical Stabilizer (Sigma) |
| HSM | Hypersonic Drive Motor (Sigma) |
| SMC | Super Multi Coating (standard coating) |
| HD | High Definition Coating (premium nano coating) |
| AW | All-Weather |
| WR | Weather Resistant |
Pentax Lens Series
Pentax produced several series of lenses over the years. Series in active development include the DA (digital-only), DA L (budget kit lenses) and D-FA (digital-optimized full-frame ); some FA (full-frame) lenses are also still in production. Basic differences between them are outlined in the table below. Read more about the different series here.
| Autofocus | Quick Shift | Auto-Aperture | Aperture Ring | DSLR-Compatibility | |
| DA | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | APS-C |
| DA L | Yes | No | Yes | No | APS-C |
| D-FA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Varies | Full-Frame |
| FA | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Full-Frame |
| F | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Full-Frame |
| A | No | N/A | Yes | Yes | Full-Frame |
| M/K | No | N/A | No | Yes | Full-Frame |
Exhaustive Lens Listings
We feature lens databases complete with every Pentax lens every produced, containing technical specifications as well as over 5,000 user-submitted reviews. Visit the databases!
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