[Wild Mark]

Personally it is not about bragging rights. It is about bang for buck. If I can get similar performance out f what I already have then there is no need to 'upgrade'. I simply want to know how different the lenses are and judge for myself what the best action is.

[skyer]

Personally it is not about bragging rights. It is about bang for buck. If I can get similar performance out f what I already have then there is no need to 'upgrade'. I simply want to know how different the lenses are and judge for myself what the best action is.

That's exactly what I mean!


As for the statement that it's hard to find a good copy of FA* 80-200 because it is too old, I can say that it is much harder to find a good copy even of some modern Pentax lenses (DA* 16-50/2.8, for example). So a comparison of extraordinary but rather cheap FA* 80-200 (I bought it for just $1000) with sharp and very expensive D FA* 70-200 is still highly appreciated.

[Borrelli]

How about these tests? Quels zooms « pro » pour le Pentax K-1 ? - Le Monde de la Photo
The venerable FA* does not come out that well (I own a copy). The DFA* 70-200 is not perfect either. But is this all their is to it? I'm not sure.

[Wild Mark]

thanks for that Borrelli. I am sceptical of those results. The 80-200mm copy I have performs extraordinarily well on APS-C. I will find out soon if the K-1 experience is any different, although, I won't be able to compare to the recent zoom.

---------- Post added 07-10-16 at 10:24 PM ----------

I found this paragraph interesting (referring to the FA limited lenses)

"Pentax has recently relaunched the series 'mythical' Limited of which dated from the early 2000s, traditional metal construction, these models are perfectly at the "pro" to which zooms. The focal lengths available are 31, 43 and 77 mm and 100 mm WR macro complements very well. The new versions feature a new anti-reflective coating, but the tested specimens are older models as found in the occasion, the current round of price is very high."

Updated coatings

[zapp]

I agree that you need to comapre lenses directly to spot differences. At the same time all the arguements trying to suggest that a 15 year old design will provide the same image quality and features than a new lens is so missing the point.
The new D-FA is great optically and mechanically by all means, the older one is lighter and OLDER.
The D-FA zoom is also on a different level as the also outdated FA lenses.

[Borrelli]

I just got my K-1 in today. I'll need to get to know it before I could say some more on the iq of the FA*. I will say that having the K-1 changes all your lenses as to reach and fov from the aps-c we were used to. Having that extra reach has come in handy, although I do also own the FA* 300mm F4.5 to get to 300mm on ff. Otherwise on the shorter end it's a blessing. My FA* 24mm is so much better on ff than on crop bodies. I will really need to see where I'm headed and how my lenses will fit in this new ecosystem.
The DFA* would be an option for me, but is also heavier still and much more expensive. I also have an 70-200 Sigma HSM II which I will be comparing the FA* too in some weeks as it still needs to get a firmware update and hardware modification before I can mount it to the K-1.