FA Series lenses - the most useful Pentax lenses of all?

pathdoc · 10-28-2015, 08:07 AM - **1 Like**

Think about it:

1) Screwdrive autofocus, compatible with all known autofocus Pentax SLRs (except the ME-F, which is in its own category anyway, and the full-frame DSLR, for which the specs are not publicly confirmed).
2) Reports the focal length for use with SR on DSLRs,
3) Reports relevant data for MTF program mode on DSLRs.
4) "A" mode contacts for appropriately fitted manual focus SLRs and reporting aperture data to crippled K mounts.
5) Aperture ring, for use on all K-mount SLRs.
6) Designed in the film era, so of course they're all full-frame (please, Lord, let the "K-1" have a screw drive).
7) A reasonably wide range of focal lengths, both in zooms and in primes, and some absolutely top-notch high-level prime lenses.

The F series has similar functionality but won't report the data needed to run the MTF line - to what extent this matters, I do not know.

If the Magic Lens Fairy got quirky and malicious and abolished all new development of DA and D-FA lenses, but then got remorseful and attempted to atone by reopening all the FA production lines, I do not think we would be doing too badly.

(This is not to say that some Takumars, K, M, A or F series lenses weren't/aren't optically better; just a comment on across-the-board functionality.)

bxf · 10-28-2015, 08:44 AM - **1 Like**

You've ignored one missing criterion that is important to some people: quick, quiet AF. Screwdrive fails here in some applications.

lytrytyr · 10-28-2015, 08:58 AM - **1 Like**

AF without quick-shift?

I've tolerated it on the DA L 18-55 and the Tamron 17-50/2.8,
but generally speaking, it's a deal-breaker for me. YMMV.

pathdoc · 10-28-2015, 09:09 AM

Originally posted by bxf

Screwdrive fails here in some applications.

Originally posted by lytrytyr

AF without quick-shift? ... generally speaking, it's a deal-breaker for me. YMMV.

No good having DC or QS in your lens if it doesn't have an aperture ring and can't be used on a K-1000. Read my post again carefully, and note the point I was trying to make.

Originally posted by pathdoc

a comment on across-the-board functionality

Because sometimes there are more important things than superior optics and quiet AF.

aleonx3 · 10-28-2015, 09:34 AM

Originally posted by pathdoc

6) Designed in the film era, so of course they're all full-frame (please, Lord, let the "K-1" have a screw drive).

Any reason why you think that the new Pentax FF will not support screw drive? Pentax/Ricoh have not abandoned support of screw drive on all APS-C models so far. Just curious...

pathdoc · 10-28-2015, 09:46 AM

Originally posted by aleonx3

Any reason why you think that the new Pentax FF will not support screw drive?

No reason at all - just expressing my hope that they continue this pattern, and acknowledging that we haven't actually seen official photographs of the mount or specs yet!

It would be a disaster (and a deal breaker) if they decided that now was a good time to go over entirely to SDM/DC, but I sincerely doubt it would happen right now - there are too many crop lenses that rely on screw drive for them to stuff us around that way. One day they might, but I think it'll take at least another generation of cameras before they take that plunge - and even then, some models might retain it for legacy support. It's easy enough to do, after all.

elementdtlop · 10-28-2015, 09:47 AM

i feel like it'd be inconceivable for them to not have screw drive in it since so many of their lenses are sd only. they'd just be shooting themselves in the foot. the fa lenses are also not wr which is a big functionality key that pushed me to pentax. auto aperture feature is available on film cameras so you wouldn't need a ring for those right?

alamo5000 · 10-28-2015, 09:50 AM

No gear is perfect for everyone or everything. That's why they make more than one size of screwdriver. Some are big. Some are small. Some are flat. Some are not. The trick is getting the right tool for the job.

That said I am a huge fan of the FA Limited lenses. They just have this "thing" about them that makes em special

ChristianRock · 10-28-2015, 09:54 AM

The mockup FF shown earlier this year had an FA 31 Limited attached to it. So of course it will support screw drive AF.

bdery · 10-28-2015, 10:00 AM

There are quite a number of duds in the FA lines, especially the cheap zooms.

There are no real duds in the DA line.

I think the high-quality FAs are great (though some, like the 80-200, do suffer from CA) but there's no contest that, in general, the DA line is more consistently good, optically. Add quick-shift, improved and improving coatings, WR and the recent DC motor, and the DA have nothing to be ashamed of.

Re-release the FA limiteds with HD coatings, WR and DC focusing and people will be all over the place buying them, of course.

**MJSfoto1956** · 10-28-2015, 10:09 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by bdery

Re-release the FA limiteds with HD coatings, WR and DC focusing and people will be all over the place buying them, of course.

+1 -- totally agree with this. In fact, it would make sense for them to release them at the same time as the FF, thereby generating maximum buzz

Michael

cali92rs · 10-28-2015, 11:28 AM

On FF cameras, sure....but on APS-C cameras, the widest FA limited is a normal lens, so you really need another lens to complement the set.

pathdoc · 10-28-2015, 11:41 AM

*sigh* Put a DC motor in a Limited lens, and you increase complexity, weight, price, and almost certainly size too.

Put a gasket on the mount, rainproof the internals and the focus ring as much as you can, put some HD coatings on it if you must, and leave the rest be. But you will still find people coveting the originals.

If you're going to put in DC motors and quick shift too, might as well go the whole hog, take off the aperture ring, reshape the aperture blades to please the bokeh-freaks, seal them completely, and call them D-FA* Limited. But in that case you keep the FA Limited production equipment in mothballs rather than scrapping or selling off, because sure as hell people are still going to be buying the originals.

Stone G. · 10-28-2015, 11:52 AM

Originally posted by bdery

Re-release the FA limiteds with HD coatings, WR and DC focusing and people will be all over the place buying them, of course.

Originally posted by MJSfoto1956

+1 -- totally agree with this. In fact, it would make sense for them to release them at the same time as the FF, thereby generating maximum buzz

Michael

Reminds me of the time when Pentax released their bayonet mount: 26 lenses released at the same time.

From Popular Photography in 1975:

TOKYO-The lid was lifted recently from one of the photographic
industry's best-kept secrets when Asahi Penlax unveiled
a brand-new line (designated the Pentax K series) of three new
35-mm single-lens reflex cameras. These have 45-mm bayonet
lens mounts and a matching line of 26 Super-Multi-Coated Pentax
lenses.

**savoche** · 10-28-2015, 12:04 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Stone G.

Reminds me of the time when Pentax released their bayonet mount: 26 lenses released at the same time.

Now, that would create some buzz

But back on-topic, I think adding QS, AW, and new coatings to some FA lenses would be just fine, but for me the main attractor is small size. I'm not interested in anything that will make small primes bigger.

10-28-2015, 08:07 AM - 1 Like	#1
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	FA Series lenses - the most useful Pentax lenses of all? Think about it: 1) Screwdrive autofocus, compatible with all known autofocus Pentax SLRs (except the ME-F, which is in its own category anyway, and the full-frame DSLR, for which the specs are not publicly confirmed). 2) Reports the focal length for use with SR on DSLRs, 3) Reports relevant data for MTF program mode on DSLRs. 4) "A" mode contacts for appropriately fitted manual focus SLRs and reporting aperture data to crippled K mounts. 5) Aperture ring, for use on all K-mount SLRs. 6) Designed in the film era, so of course they're all full-frame (please, Lord, let the "K-1" have a screw drive). 7) A reasonably wide range of focal lengths, both in zooms and in primes, and some absolutely top-notch high-level prime lenses. The F series has similar functionality but won't report the data needed to run the MTF line - to what extent this matters, I do not know. If the Magic Lens Fairy got quirky and malicious and abolished all new development of DA and D-FA lenses, but then got remorseful and attempted to atone by reopening all the FA production lines, I do not think we would be doing too badly. (This is not to say that some Takumars, K, M, A or F series lenses weren't/aren't optically better; just a comment on across-the-board functionality.)

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10-28-2015, 08:44 AM - 1 Like	#2
bxf Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Lisbon area Posts: 1,660	You've ignored one missing criterion that is important to some people: quick, quiet AF. Screwdrive fails here in some applications.

10-28-2015, 08:58 AM - 1 Like	#3
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,310	AF without quick-shift? I've tolerated it on the DA L 18-55 and the Tamron 17-50/2.8, but generally speaking, it's a deal-breaker for me. YMMV.

10-28-2015, 09:09 AM	#4
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381 Original Poster	Originally posted by bxf Screwdrive fails here in some applications. Originally posted by lytrytyr AF without quick-shift? ... generally speaking, it's a deal-breaker for me. YMMV. No good having DC or QS in your lens if it doesn't have an aperture ring and can't be used on a K-1000. Read my post again carefully, and note the point I was trying to make. Originally posted by pathdoc a comment on across-the-board functionality Because sometimes there are more important things than superior optics and quiet AF.

10-28-2015, 09:34 AM	#5
aleonx3 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Brampton, Ontario Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,996	Originally posted by pathdoc 6) Designed in the film era, so of course they're all full-frame (please, Lord, let the "K-1" have a screw drive). Any reason why you think that the new Pentax FF will not support screw drive? Pentax/Ricoh have not abandoned support of screw drive on all APS-C models so far. Just curious...

10-28-2015, 09:46 AM	#6
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381 Original Poster	Originally posted by aleonx3 Any reason why you think that the new Pentax FF will not support screw drive? No reason at all - just expressing my hope that they continue this pattern, and acknowledging that we haven't actually seen official photographs of the mount or specs yet! It would be a disaster (and a deal breaker) if they decided that now was a good time to go over entirely to SDM/DC, but I sincerely doubt it would happen right now - there are too many crop lenses that rely on screw drive for them to stuff us around that way. One day they might, but I think it'll take at least another generation of cameras before they take that plunge - and even then, some models might retain it for legacy support. It's easy enough to do, after all.

10-28-2015, 09:47 AM	#7
elementdtlop Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 97	i feel like it'd be inconceivable for them to not have screw drive in it since so many of their lenses are sd only. they'd just be shooting themselves in the foot. the fa lenses are also not wr which is a big functionality key that pushed me to pentax. auto aperture feature is available on film cameras so you wouldn't need a ring for those right?

10-28-2015, 09:50 AM	#8
alamo5000 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,962	No gear is perfect for everyone or everything. That's why they make more than one size of screwdriver. Some are big. Some are small. Some are flat. Some are not. The trick is getting the right tool for the job. That said I am a huge fan of the FA Limited lenses. They just have this "thing" about them that makes em special

10-28-2015, 09:54 AM	#9
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910	The mockup FF shown earlier this year had an FA 31 Limited attached to it. So of course it will support screw drive AF.

10-28-2015, 10:00 AM	#10
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,357	There are quite a number of duds in the FA lines, especially the cheap zooms. There are no real duds in the DA line. I think the high-quality FAs are great (though some, like the 80-200, do suffer from CA) but there's no contest that, in general, the DA line is more consistently good, optically. Add quick-shift, improved and improving coatings, WR and the recent DC motor, and the DA have nothing to be ashamed of. Re-release the FA limiteds with HD coatings, WR and DC focusing and people will be all over the place buying them, of course.

10-28-2015, 10:09 AM - 1 Like	#11
MJSfoto1956 Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Boston Posts: 1,305	Originally posted by bdery Re-release the FA limiteds with HD coatings, WR and DC focusing and people will be all over the place buying them, of course. +1 -- totally agree with this. In fact, it would make sense for them to release them at the same time as the FF, thereby generating maximum buzz Michael

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10-28-2015, 11:28 AM	#12
cali92rs Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 3,354	On FF cameras, sure....but on APS-C cameras, the widest FA limited is a normal lens, so you really need another lens to complement the set.

10-28-2015, 11:41 AM	#13
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381 Original Poster	sigh Put a DC motor in a Limited lens, and you increase complexity, weight, price, and almost certainly size too. Put a gasket on the mount, rainproof the internals and the focus ring as much as you can, put some HD coatings on it if you must, and leave the rest be. But you will still find people coveting the originals. If you're going to put in DC motors and quick shift too, might as well go the whole hog, take off the aperture ring, reshape the aperture blades to please the bokeh-freaks, seal them completely, and call them D-FA* Limited. But in that case you keep the FA Limited production equipment in mothballs rather than scrapping or selling off, because sure as hell people are still going to be buying the originals.

10-28-2015, 11:52 AM	#14
Stone G. Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: North Zealand, Denmark Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,516	Originally posted by bdery Re-release the FA limiteds with HD coatings, WR and DC focusing and people will be all over the place buying them, of course. Originally posted by MJSfoto1956 +1 -- totally agree with this. In fact, it would make sense for them to release them at the same time as the FF, thereby generating maximum buzz Michael Reminds me of the time when Pentax released their bayonet mount: 26 lenses released at the same time. From Popular Photography in 1975: TOKYO-The lid was lifted recently from one of the photographic industry's best-kept secrets when Asahi Penlax unveiled a brand-new line (designated the Pentax K series) of three new 35-mm single-lens reflex cameras. These have 45-mm bayonet lens mounts and a matching line of 26 Super-Multi-Coated Pentax lenses.

10-28-2015, 12:04 PM - 1 Like	#15
savoche Master of the obvious Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Lowlands of Norway Posts: 18,311	Originally posted by Stone G. Reminds me of the time when Pentax released their bayonet mount: 26 lenses released at the same time. Now, that would create some buzz But back on-topic, I think adding QS, AW, and new coatings to some FA lenses would be just fine, but for me the main attractor is small size. I'm not interested in anything that will make small primes bigger.