Originally posted by Socrateeze Hi,
First up - this is my first post here as I've just purchased a K-1 - still waiting for it to arrive, in fact. I'm completely new to Pentaxia and to Full Frame digital photography in general and I have a few newbie questions related to the Pentax lens range that I'm hoping you folks can help me with.
I'm choosing lenses and have been pouring over reviews of lenses on this site, and I'd like to know whether there is any *general* differences in the D FA range that make them better, optically, for the K-1 than (older, cheaper and usually far lighter) FA lenses. I've heard suggestion that D FA are "specifically designed for digital cameras", but what does that actually translate into in terms of real world image quality? What exactly does the "D" in "D FA" add to the "FA"? Can FA lenses (especially FA*) keep up with the increase in resolution the K-1 provides over film, or would I be wasting some of the K-1's capacity to pair it even with some of the better FA* lenses?
Cheers,
Socrateeze
welcome
perhaps it would be worth your time to look at these resources:
Pentax Lens Compatibility Chart
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Pentax bayonet lenses labeled "SMC Pentax" are referred to as "K" lenses in the table below. Other Pentax bayonet lenses have the lens designation as a part of their name as in "SMC Pentax-FA."
Note that "star" lenses work like their "non-star" counterparts: DA* lenses work like DA lenses, FA* like FA, F* like F, A* like A, and M* like M.
Exceptions: FA and F "soft" lenses behave like M lenses in terms of metering.
The Pentax Camera Lens Compatibility Chart
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Pentax K-Mount Lens Series Explained: The differences between various Pentax lens series
In a nutshell
There are several series of Pentax K-mount lenses; the ones currently being produced include the DA (digital), DA L (cheap digital kit), D FA (full-frame, digital optimized), and FA (full-frame) series. While all Pentax K-mount lenses ever produced are compatible with all current Pentax DSLRs (in some cases with restrictions in that not all exposure modes of the camera are supported by old lenses), there are significant differences between each lens series and each has different features. Furthermore some of the newer lenses do not work with older cameras. We'll be exploring the differences between the various K-mount series lenses in this article. . . .
Remarks: smc PENTAX-D FA lenses work like FA lenses. They have been optimized optically for digital sensors but work equally well on a 35 mm film camera (D FA lenses without an aperture ring require that the aperture can be set from the camera - these lenses are thus not suitable for use on all film cameras). Their image circle covers the full 24 by 36mm negative format. These lenses provide an easy way to manually fine tune the subject distance set by the autofocus system ("quick shift" focusing system).
DC: Lenses with the DC designation feature a built-in autofocus motor and no screw drive AF mechanism. These lenses can only autofocus with newer cameras (K100D Super, K10D, and later). The HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW is an example of a D FA lens without screw drive support.
The second version of the SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR does not feature an aperture ring, unlike its non-weather-sealed D FA predecessor. . . .
The FA series lenses are autofocus and allow for certain modern cameras (film and digital) to automatically set aperture (Tv mode), shutter speed (Av mode), or both (Program mode). You can also set exposure manually if the camera body allows for this. On recent camera bodies (e.g. *ist and all digital SLR cameras) you use dials on the camera body to set the aperture value (the aperture ring on the lens must be in the "A" position at all times). On older models (such as ZX-5N, MZ-5N, LX, ME, MX, K1000) the aperture is set with the aperture ring on the lens.
Three FA "Limited" lenses were made available in 2001. Except for these and the 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/1.4, the FA series, which consisted of 42 lenses total, has been discontinued.
While FA lenses are identical in operation to F lenses, they feature improved electronics that support the MTF program line.
The FA series also includes 11 "star" lenses (FA*) that employ the finest of Pentax optical and mechanical engineering.
*Exceptions: The smc PENTAX-FA Soft 85mm F2.8 and smc PENTAX-FA Soft 28mm F2.8 lenses have no "A" setting on the aperture ring. Hence they work like smc PENTAX-M lenses with respect to exposure; they are still autofocus. The "A" setting has been removed because the degree of image softness is controlled by the aperture ring and it would be meaningless to let the camera decide the setting.
**Power zoom is only supported by certain camera bodies. The following lenses feature power zoom:
-SMC Pentax-FA 28-80mm F3.5-4.7
-smc PENTAX-FA 28-105mm F4-5.6
-smc PENTAX-FA 70-200mm F4-5.6
-smc PENTAX-FA 100-300mm F4.5-5.6
-smc PENTAX-FA* 28-70mm F2.8 AL
-smc PENTAX-FA* 80-200mm F2.8 ED [IF]
-smc PENTAX-FA* 250-600mm F5.6 ED [IF]
Pentax K-Mount Lenses Explained: The differences between various Pentax lens series
those are free
there is an Ebook as well for a reasonable price you might want to consider
Instantly download your Pentax eBook! (K-1, K-70,K-3, K-5, K-50, K-S2 and more DSLRs) - PentaxForums.com