[m42man]

I like my lenses to be small and light too, and the M 135/3.5 came immediately to mind - so I'll add my name to the list of recommenders! Manual focus, obviously, but it's certainly fantastic value for money.

[dgaies]

Both the F/FA 135 and DFA100 are also on my LBA list.
Sorry to go slightly off-topic but whats AF speed like on the 100?

The AF speed of the 100WR isn't too bad. It's true that if it misses focus it takes longer than a non-macro lens to cycle back and forth. But even in low light, I've found the 100WR doesn't miss much and seldom cycles through the range (at least on my K-5).

For AF lenses, the 100mm macro or a used F/FA135mm.
The 100mm macro does add in the new option of macro photography.

True, and it does both tasks (macro and non-macro) very well IMO. FWIW, the FA135 goes down to 1:4, so it's pretty good for close work as well. I've also tried the FA135 with an AF extension tubes and that works pretty well for getting a bit closer.

Problem with both versions of DFA100 is missing limiter. If the lens misses the focus it takes a bit.
On the other side, the older FA100 has limiter at 70cm. And the AF between 70cm and infinity is very fast. Faster than FA ltds I'd say. Price to pay? Size...but I'm rebuying it anyway

True, if the 100WR has a limiter, it would certainly be beneficial as a telephoto lens. The focus limiter of the FA100 is nice, and the focus speed of the FA100 is very quick between the limiter and infinity. I don't think know if it's faster than the FA135 (I'll tell you on Tuesday ), but probably a bit quicker than the 100WR and FA limiteds. In terms of size, both the FA135 and 100WR are each a little more than half the weight of the FA100, which as you said, is a bit on the heavy side.

[TOUGEFC]

Thanks for the replys Peter and dgaies,
I hear what your saying about the dfa100 if it misses focus it can take a while to come back, prehaps using the quick-shift could help it if it misses focus?

[dgaies]

Thanks for the replys Peter and dgaies,
I hear what your saying about the dfa100 if it misses focus it can take a while to come back, prehaps using the quick-shift could help it if it misses focus?

You're welcome. Actually, using quick-focus can be helpful, either if it does happen to miss (to quickly get back in the right range) or to help speed things up if you know you are going from macro to infinity. The focus throw on the 100WR is about 270 degrees, but the focus throw from about 0.7 meter to infinity is closer to 15-20 degrees. The vast majority of the focus throw (250 degrees) covers from just 0.7m to 0.3m. So it's easy to quickly move the focus ring back into the "non-macro" range should it end up on the other end, either intentionally or unintentionally.

[acrollet]

I'll add to the recommendations for the F/FA 135mm f2.8 - lovely IQ, stunningly quick AF, high build quality. I don't think it's been mentioned that they have an internal focus design, so they're always the same size. It's as compact a lens as you'll ever find for a fast telephoto > 100mm...

[selar]

Voigtlander APO-Lanthar 180mm f/4 SL - teeny-tiny (for 180mm), incredible build/optics, close-focusing, 49mm filter(!), KA mount, not AF, difficult to find.

Second that, its in my travel kit bag of primes, packed and ready to go... Very useful lens for shooting architectural detail while travelling, and useful close focus function.

[selar]

VL 180/4 APO Lanthar as a closeup lens: