Originally posted by Dave L I think we may be at cross purposes here. Do you think the new zoom is aimed at the pro market as I do, and if not, who? I doubt if anyone outside Pentax/Ricoh really knows the exact significance of the star anyway so its absence IMO is not important, but we shall see when some exacting reviews appear.
This is from a Pentax Lens Catalogue of January 2013:
DA* SDM Series
Consisting of super-high-performance, large aperture models, this series features a smooth, quiet AF mechanism driven by a supersonic drive motor (SDM) and excellent weather-resistant, dustproof performance.
Water and Dust Protection
Humidity and dirt are the natural enemies of high performance electronics and precision optics. AW lenses provide maximum weather-resistant and dustproof performance preventing the intrusion of drizzle and dust into the lens barrel.
The next category of “all weather” PENTAX lenses is designated as WR or weather-resistant. These affordable lenses utilize a simplified weather-resistant construction, making it more difficult for water to enter the lens and are designed to repel a light splash of water.
The Catalogue makes it clear that
DA* lenses are AW lenses, not "merely" WR lenses.