[bassek]

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The "easy to find at a bargain" F70-210 is not bad either. And had fast AF...

Seb

[monochrome]

The price may be down but the weight of that lens hasn't: K 200mm f/2.5 950g Vs 200mm f/4 535g. Also LoCa can be significant issue with fast old telephoto lenses.

K200/4 was my first telephoto lens - still have it and use it.

[BruceBanner]

My thoughts on this...

I think your 100 Macro is sharper than any legacy 200mm you're likely to acquire. Because of this, if you crop an image from your 100 so it matches the FOV of (for instance) the Tak 200/4, the Tak might have captured only marginally more detail, especially if both lenses are used wide open. And the majority of inexpensive legacy 200mm's are slower than f/2.8. And you'd have to spend more time & effort cleaning up CA. So, just from a practical POV, I don't think a legacy 200mm is the way for you to go. Best to save up for a DA* 200/2.8 or 70-200/2.8, IMO...

Hmm... can't help feel you're making sense here. I actually have a x2 Teleplus and tried using it with the 100mm DFA, wasn't too bad, but I think if I cropped the 100mm shots I kinda end up with a better sharper version.

But what a lot of great suggestions! I shall indeed look into this further.

The conclusion I came to over the past weekend however is this; because the KP handles ES so well, it becomes an excellent quiet 'church' shooter. The DFA 100mm attached onto it gives me a 24mp shot, whereas the same lens on the K-1 gives only 16mp when using the crop sensor, so in a way this lens 'reaches' further (with higher resolution) on the KP/ASP-C sensor if reach is actually an important factor for me.

I was using LV and focus peaking on, I would long press the middle 'OK' button to zoom into the frame slightly and then try and take the shot, and I could burst during that shot all in complete silence. This then made me start thinking about if good glass existed for an ASP-C sensor that was purely MF but therefore cheapish in price.
When switching to AF, the DFA can sometimes struggle and it whirzzzs like crazy as it zooms between macro and infinity till it finds its target, and then if you miss it can restart that whole noisy process again. The AF sounds really quite loud on the KP whereas the K-1 motor feels like it drives it a tad quieter (but really still too loud).

So moving forward, perhaps I should also look at quiet AF lenses, which is why I bookmarked the DA* 200mm as I believe that one is supposed to be very quiet for focusing?

[noelpolar]

The SMC K 200/4 surprised me...

K5II images

[BruceBanner]

The SMC K 200/4 surprised me...

K5II images

Does look nice indeed! Is this it here or a different variety of the 200? Pentax SMC A 200mm f/4 f/4.0 Telephoto Prime lens K mount Exc from Japan | eBay

[monochrome]

Does look nice indeed! Is this it here or a different variety of the 200? Pentax SMC A 200mm f/4 f/4.0 Telephoto Prime lens K mount Exc from Japan | eBay

The linked eBay lens is the A200/4. The lens referenced in the post is the K200/4. The K lens does not have auto exposure / aperture control contacts.

[BruceBanner]

The linked eBay lens is the A200/4. The lens referenced in the post is the K200/4. The K lens does not have auto exposure / aperture control contacts.

So you can control the Aperture from within the body on the A200 (significant advantage) but not the K200, however, optically do the two differ? Is the K200 known for being better than the A200?

[monochrome]

So you can control the Aperture from within the body on the A200 (significant advantage) but not the K200, however, optically do the two differ? Is the K200 known for being better than the A200?

K200/4 optical formula 5 Elements in 5 Groups PF Review

A200/4 optical formula 6 Elements in 6 Groups PF Review

I’ve never owned the A, but I think the K is a much better lens than its price suggests. At a point you just buy a lens and use it. It isn’t like you have mortgage payment money on the line.

[BruceBanner]

K200/4 optical formula 5 Elements in 5 Groups

A200/4 optical formula 6 Elements in 6 Groups

So it is quite a different lens entirely then. How do they compare, is there a general consensus that the K is better than the A (in this specific regard)?

[monochrome]

So it is quite a different lens entirely then. How do they compare, is there a general consensus that the K is better than the A (in this specific regard)?

I can’t speak for the A. The reviews are helpful. The K is the preferred lens.

[BruceBanner]

I can’t speak for the A. The reviews are helpful. The K is the preferred lens.

Yeh I can see that now in the review section.

[D1N0]

The Super (Multi Coated) Takumar 200 F4 has the same optical formula as the K:



Here is a review of six 200mm lenses on FF: http://forum.mflenses.com/six-budget-200mm-lenses-compared-on-5dmkii-t39948.html

[cyberjunkie]

LoCa can be significant issue with fast old telephoto lenses.

Yes, it's true. Almost all suffer from this problem, but it's not always noticeable, and in general it is less of a problem than LaCA.
Some very sharp vintage 200mm show an overwhelming amount of fringing, like the CZJ Sonnar 2.8/200mm in M42 mount.
With a K-01 it was close to unusable wide open, I'm curious to try it on my K-1.
The 2.8/180mm in Pentacon Six mount is not as sharp, but doesn't suffer from tons of LaCA!

It's a pity that fast and cheap very rarely go together.
I like very much some ISCO lenses, and I love the 2.8/180mm. Unfortunately it's rare and quite expensive.
I found on Ebay its slower brother, apparently in rather good conditions, for just €49 + shipment. It is f/4 though, I think the OP was looking for something faster.
I had the crazy idea to buy it, but I already have an identical one...

Cheers

Paolo

[danielchtong]

M200 is worth consideration, if you want to go as cheap as possible. If willing to invest a few hundreds more to get significantly better IQ , I would recommend M*300/4.

Or the A* 300/4 version