Originally posted by gm4life Thanks that is an awesome shot posted! I know it isn't small but I really don't drag my 300 DA SMC * around either only if I have a need for it.
I should look up the specs and see just how much heavier and bigger it is than my 300 F4 for a bench mark. I could sure get a 55-300 DA HD PLM but it still isn't a very fast lens and is actually a tad slower than my 55-300 DA HD screw drive and I could get a 200 DA SMC * or just buy one great zoom and be done with it... I like my primes going the zoom route effectively giving me a 100mm to 300mm at 2.8 even though a beast and expensive is tempting.
Anyone compared for example the image quality and sharpness wide open of the 200 DA SMC * to the 70-200 DFA HD * at 200mm is it comparable? Or is the prime that much better? My thought always had been if the quality is comparable with a big telephoto I would prefer not to have mess with different primes other than the 300.
Keep the thoughts coming, likely will be waiting for this fall and a sale then to pull the trigger.
I've compared my 60-250 with my DA* 200
DA*200
DA* 60-250.
To be a an even passable birding lens the 60-250 needs the 1.4 TC on it.
For wildlife it's a pretty much a given, you want the 60-250.
And it's a great landscape lens.
I also use it as a walk around lens on my K-1.
60-250 slide show
I have no experience with the 70-200 but I take the DA* 200 when I don't want to carry the extra half pound the DA*60-250 weighs. (1040.grams) The DA*200 is 825 grams. The DFA weighs in at 1755 grams. Just to put that in perspective, I can carry both the DA*60-250 and the DA*200 for the approximate weight of the DFA 70-200. I already favour the DA*200 on many outings. I can't imagine the weight of the 70-200. That coupled with the fact there is no FF Pentax TC makes use of this focal length extremremely limited for the out door shooter. I have Canon shooting buddies using their Canon 70-200s with a 2x TC making the lens a one stop shopping kind of lens. Not so for the Pentax version with no decent 2x available.
To buy the 70-200 , you absolutely have to be planning on shooting it over it's entire zoom range at ƒ2.8. That's the only way it makes sense. The DA*200 is half the weight. The DA*60-250 is still light enough to be a walk around lens.
Personally, I'm passing on the DFA 70-200. Weight and ease of carrying over long distances is important to me. To me the DFA 70-200 is a studio type lens, although I'm sure having said that, lots will tell us how they don't mind carrying it. Better them than me.