Originally posted by Mr. The Guy ...If you have a digital camera, why on earth do you think that a film lens can ever possibly be a better solution?...
Ummm, how about because Pentax DA/digital lenses have yet to match some Pentax titanic film lenses of the past ... FA85mm1.4, F50mm1.4, FA135mm1.8, FA31mm, FA28-70mm2.8, A50mm1.2.
Originally posted by Peter Zack Exactly what Marc just said. You will always be able to use DA lenses.
And someone will always be able to use their Pentax Elfina APS camera if there's a battery in it, but why on Earth would they want to when better, more advanced camera and lens setups will inevitably exist?
Let's say Pentax never makes another APS sized sensor body. Fast Forward 8 years from now and Pentax is unleashing it's 42 megapixel FF body. Are you really going to want to keep shooting at 14.6 with those DA lenses?? If you had spent that $800 on an FA lens, you'd be all set.
Bottom line is, if you could care less about how much money you spend and may lose, and want to live in the now, buy DA. If you like to invest and spend your money wisely, buy FA lenses. The DA lenses will almost certainly not hold their value over the years, as technology advances, when in fact some of the the FA's have increased.
The other thing you could do, if you're someone who is savvy about selling your stuff, is buy DA now, and make sure you sell them at the right time, before they start to decrease in value. They're not long term keepers.