[Craigbob]

So I've been considering getting an FA* prime 200 f/2.8 to add to my collection and I'm seeing a lot of these pop up on eBay for $550 and up. I'm wondering if it's worth it (I've read teh reviews and it seems like a great lens from them).

I tend to shoot In the following arenas mostly (landscape, night landscape/Astrophotography, Architecture, Macro, and occasional sports stuff) I don't shoot professionally, and I've got the current gear:

Pentax K-1

• Pentax D FA HD 28-105
• Sigma 50-500
• Phoenix 100-400
• Pentax FA 100-300 (going to be selling this as the 100-400 is better IQ)
• Tamron 28-300 (travel lens primarily)
• Vivitar/Pentax/Cosina/etc... 100mm f/3.5 Macro (soon to be replaced with a 100 f/2.8 WR macro)
• Pentax FA-J 18-35
• Rokinon 14mm f/2.8
• Pentax FA 50 1.7
• Sigma 50mm f/2.8 macro
• Takumar 200 f/4 Screw mount
• Pentax 135 f/2,5

As you can see I've only got one or two pieces of good glass (the 28-105 and the "Bigma"). I'd really like a pro quality lens or two and was thinking the FA* 200 would fit the bill.

I'd use it for all around shooting as well as deeper astrophotography (mounted on my Losmandy G-11 for astroimaging)

What is the max I should pay for one of these?

[sergysergy]

I think the FA* 200 is a very nice prime but the Da* 200 would be a more modern possibility (they go for around the same price I think).

[Adam]

Agreed, I would go for the DA* instead. Price wise it should be close to a used FA*.

[Moe49]

Agreed, I would go for the DA* instead.

Is the DA*200 Full Frame compatible? K-1 Compatible as the OP owns?

I have the FA*200mm, it is a superb lens used with my K-1, and its bonus feature is an aperture ring which is a must to use with my Pentax Film cameras.

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Last edited by Moe49; 09-18-2018 at 07:31 AM.

[UncleVanya]

Is the DA*200 Full Frame compatible? K-1 Compatible as the OP owns?

I have the FA*200mm, it is a superb lens, and its bonus feature is an aperture ring which is a must to use with my Pentax Film cameras.

Yes - and there is a correction profile in the K-1 for shooting Jpgs with corrections enabled in FF mode. The DA* 200 and DA* 300 are both like that - labeled DA* but useable FF and corrections supplied in the camera for FF use.

[Craigbob]

Is the DA*200 Full Frame compatible? K-1 Compatible as the OP owns?

I have the FA*200mm, it is a superb lens, and its bonus feature is an aperture ring which is a must to use with my Pentax Film cameras.

Yes the DA* is FF compatible with the K-1. What started me on this journey, is that I saw one on eBay that had a starting price of $10.00 it's now at something like $460 when I checked this morning. So I thouhgt I'd check here and see if it was worth chasing when I found several others in the $550+ range.

I hadn't considered the DA* 200 f/2.8 as I thought they would be much more expensive. I've seen a few in the $600+ range, and a couple on KEH and Amazon in the range I'm considering.

So now the question is, how badly do I want it. and given my current gear, do I need it?

[twilhelm]

The FA*200 is a great lens. But when I was in your position, I was surprised it was selling for roughly the same price as the DA*200, so I ended up with the DA*, and it is nothing short of amazing...

[normhead]

Ditto, I paid for my quiet (SDM), water resistant DA*200 close to what was being asked for FA*200s. There's just no logical explanation for this apart from people must be paying it. Same with the DA*300. We looked for a long time for the FA*300 ƒ4.5, but given that it's a noisey screw drive, not WR and slower, we'd have to give up all that to save 50 bucks or something.

[shardulm]

DA* all the way. They are going cheap these days. I don't see any motivation to buy FA* given they are similarly priced. The WR on the DA* itself is a big deal for me aside from IQ.

[mikesbike]

I have the DA* 200mm, and I love it. I shoot APS-C, with this lens on both the K-5IIs mainly (sometimes with battery grip), and the KP (often with battery grip). I also have the FA 300mm f/4.5 which I also love, and I find its screw-driven AF to be especially fast and accurate, noticeably faster than the SDM of my DA* 200mm.

I also have the DA* 50-135mm SDM, sometimes paired with the DA* 200mm which I find having slower AF between the two. Since both are SDM from the same time period, I don't know why the zoom lens should have faster AF. The WR factor is a very good feature. Of course, conversion to screw-driven can be done.

[felixkh]

I have the FA*200mm and I love it on the K1.