New zoom 70-200 F4

**TwoUptons** · 03-28-2019, 10:40 AM

Originally posted by fsge

is there any major difference except PLM between 55-300 WR previous version and this new PLM release?

The PLM version is a tiny bit slower optically but faster in focusing.

-Eric

normhead · 03-28-2019, 10:58 AM - **3 Likes**

Originally posted by fsge

is there any major difference except PLM between 55-300 WR previous version and this new PLM release?

Huge differences.
7 times fast focusing in the wide end.
1.7 time fast focusing in the long end.
ƒ6.3 instead of 5.8

Those are all functions of PLM so maybe it doesn't answer your question. I also suspect the optics are a bit higher quality. 14 elements in 13 groups as opposed to 12 elements in 8 groups. The PLM has an 8.7 forum rating compared to 8.4. The PLM is a newer more modern and more corrected design, so it's almost certainly better for purple fringing and Chromatic Aberrations. Really it shares the 55-300 designation in name only.

For me personally, images from the older 55-300 never inspired me to buy the lens. Images from the 55-300 PLM crossed what ever that threshold is, and it's been better than expected.

reh321 · 03-28-2019, 11:11 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by fsge

is there any major difference except PLM between 55-300 WR previous version and this new PLM release?

PLM is a major difference - old one used screw-drive; my wife used to complain about the noise when we went on birding walks; focus also feels faster and more sure to me, but I've not bothered to set up any tests. It also has KAF4 aperture control, which feels much smoother to me, but I can't point to an actual performance difference.

repaap · 03-28-2019, 12:14 PM

Originally posted by bobmaxja

The 55-300 PLM is probably one of the best zoom. And the new 60-200 F4, will need to bring a lot of novelty

But 55-300 is aps-c lens. New 70-200/4 would be FF lens. That is only novelty, which is not novelty for aps-c user. They have 55-300 plm to work with.

bobmaxja · 03-28-2019, 07:19 PM

Yes that for sure the 55-300 PLM is for APSC

thibs · 03-28-2019, 11:53 PM

The optimal design had to be redone to allow use of plm.

normhead · 03-29-2019, 06:43 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by thibs

The optimal design had to be redone to allow use of plm.

I would say the optical formula was improved to allow for the use of PLM. The Aperture is slower, but the weight is the same, so , approximately the same amount of glass. So, it's a more complex, better corrected and sharper design. You can hardly say the original design was optimal optically. For a lens of this price is anything really optimal? Weight and size are optimal. Nothing else optimal about it. :d

thibs · 03-29-2019, 07:00 AM

Originally posted by normhead

I would say the optical formula was improved to allow for the use of PLM. The Aperture is slower, but the weight is the same, so , approximately the same amount of glass. So, it's a more complex, better corrected and sharper design. You can hardly say the original design was optimal optically. For a lens of this price is anything really optimal? Weight and size are optimal. Nothing else optimal about it. :d

My point was that PLM implied lightweight focussing group... straight PLM implementation into previous design was impossible. While at it, of course, lets improve it.

That wasn't clear in my post indeed.

**TwoUptons** · 04-27-2019, 01:52 PM

I was looking at the specs on the Panasonic 70-200 f4...

It currently lists on Amazon (US) for $100 less than the Pentax DFA* 70-200 f2.8
And it weighs about 250g less than the Pentax...

I hope that's not the route Pentax is taking with ours...

And I hope it comes out soon... I was shooting with the old 70-210 today, and it was annoying me...

-Eric

repaap · 04-28-2019, 01:14 AM

Originally posted by TwoUptons

I was looking at the specs on the Panasonic 70-200 f4...

It currently lists on Amazon (US) for $100 less than the Pentax DFA* 70-200 f2.8
And it weighs about 250g less than the Pentax...

I hope that's not the route Pentax is taking with ours...

And I hope it comes out soon... I was shooting with the old 70-210 today, and it was annoying me...

-Eric

I have DFA*70-200 with me now when I’m traveling. I was thinking if that new zoom would actually be that much lighter? 500g? 700g? 300g. You will loose 2,8 but get smaller paggage, by margin. And it would cost 700€ less, or 500, or..I’d say that I’d rather have DFA 70-300 3,5-5,6. Around 5-700€. Then again I’d couple of times really think if I could still take 70-200, just because it is 2,8. But yes, great to have these new lenses to choose from

JPT · 04-28-2019, 06:03 AM

Originally posted by TwoUptons

I was looking at the specs on the Panasonic 70-200 f4...

It currently lists on Amazon (US) for $100 less than the Pentax DFA* 70-200 f2.8
And it weighs about 250g less than the Pentax...

I hope that's not the route Pentax is taking with ours...

And I hope it comes out soon... I was shooting with the old 70-210 today, and it was annoying me...

-Eric

The Pentax 70-200/4 is going to be “compact” and “light”. That’s what Iwasaki-san (product development guy) said on the stage at CP+ when asked about its characteristics. Unfortunately, he didn’t say anything about when it is due.

Socrateeze · 04-28-2019, 06:52 PM

As a (primarily) landscape photographer frequently hiking into the mountains, the words "compact" and "light" bring a painful longing to my heart.... and legs... and lungs. Hence my frustration at the delays and uncertainty with the 70-200mm f4.

However - that said, I can now wait! For in the meantime I have taken the suggestion of some here and have purchased and modified the DA* 60-250mm f4. And boy, I must say, the optics really impresses me. Post modification (I got a replacement baffle 3d printed, but ultimately filed down the original baffle) the vignetting is easily handled in PP. It *is* very hefty, so I've no doubt I will get the D-FA 70-200mm f4 as and when it comes out, so long as the optics are decent (and I mean D-FA 28-105mm standards of IQ or better).

MMVIII · 04-29-2019, 12:28 AM

Originally posted by Socrateeze

Hence my frustration at the delays and uncertainty with the 70-200mm f4.

Good to hear that the 60-250 seems to be up to the task!
Just, AFAIK there was no announcement for a release date of the 70-200, thus "delay" might not be the proper term. I do hope it will bring what you are looking for Taking recent lenses by Pentax as an indicator it might be worth the wait.

Socrateeze · 04-29-2019, 02:55 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by MMVIII

Good to hear that the 60-250 seems to be up to the task!
Just, AFAIK there was no announcement for a release date of the 70-200, thus "delay" might not be the proper term.

When I say "delay" I am referring to the fact that they had said Spring 2019 in the lens road map, but have recently removed that in the latest iteration. Why remove it if it is not now going to be delayed beyond Spring 2019? Technically, I suppose, Spring 2019 lasts until the Summer Solstice in June, but with not so much as a mock-up sighted or a spec sheet leaked it seems highly unlikely that they will keep to their earlier promise.

biz-engineer · 04-29-2019, 04:44 AM

Double guess tells me that Ricoh have postponed lenses (or removed from the roadmap) , and eventually resumed the manufacturing of FA limited lenses (+ adding FA ltd to the Pentax special site), because they are designing a new FF mirrorless model that may involve changes on the lens mount => no new lens designs for the K mount until the new mount is fully working. If the double guessing is true, we won't know about new lens roadmap until a new camera model (different concept mirrorless or hypbrid VF) is announced.

03-28-2019, 10:58 AM - 3 Likes	#227
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Originally posted by fsge is there any major difference except PLM between 55-300 WR previous version and this new PLM release? Huge differences. 7 times fast focusing in the wide end. 1.7 time fast focusing in the long end. ƒ6.3 instead of 5.8 Those are all functions of PLM so maybe it doesn't answer your question. I also suspect the optics are a bit higher quality. 14 elements in 13 groups as opposed to 12 elements in 8 groups. The PLM has an 8.7 forum rating compared to 8.4. The PLM is a newer more modern and more corrected design, so it's almost certainly better for purple fringing and Chromatic Aberrations. Really it shares the 55-300 designation in name only. For me personally, images from the older 55-300 never inspired me to buy the lens. Images from the 55-300 PLM crossed what ever that threshold is, and it's been better than expected. Last edited by normhead; 03-28-2019 at 11:03 AM.

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03-28-2019, 10:40 AM	#226
TwoUptons Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 4,223	Originally posted by fsge is there any major difference except PLM between 55-300 WR previous version and this new PLM release? The PLM version is a tiny bit slower optically but faster in focusing. -Eric

03-28-2019, 11:11 AM - 1 Like	#228
reh321 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: South Bend, IN, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,184	Originally posted by fsge is there any major difference except PLM between 55-300 WR previous version and this new PLM release? PLM is a major difference - old one used screw-drive; my wife used to complain about the noise when we went on birding walks; focus also feels faster and more sure to me, but I've not bothered to set up any tests. It also has KAF4 aperture control, which feels much smoother to me, but I can't point to an actual performance difference.

03-28-2019, 12:14 PM	#229
repaap Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2010 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,242	Originally posted by bobmaxja The 55-300 PLM is probably one of the best zoom. And the new 60-200 F4, will need to bring a lot of novelty But 55-300 is aps-c lens. New 70-200/4 would be FF lens. That is only novelty, which is not novelty for aps-c user. They have 55-300 plm to work with.

03-28-2019, 07:19 PM	#230
bobmaxja Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Laval, Quebec Canada Posts: 2,171	Yes that for sure the 55-300 PLM is for APSC

03-28-2019, 11:53 PM	#231
thibs Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Photos: Albums Posts: 7,001	The optimal design had to be redone to allow use of plm.

03-29-2019, 06:43 AM - 1 Like	#232
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Originally posted by thibs The optimal design had to be redone to allow use of plm. I would say the optical formula was improved to allow for the use of PLM. The Aperture is slower, but the weight is the same, so , approximately the same amount of glass. So, it's a more complex, better corrected and sharper design. You can hardly say the original design was optimal optically. For a lens of this price is anything really optimal? Weight and size are optimal. Nothing else optimal about it. :d

03-29-2019, 07:00 AM	#233
thibs Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Photos: Albums Posts: 7,001	Originally posted by normhead I would say the optical formula was improved to allow for the use of PLM. The Aperture is slower, but the weight is the same, so , approximately the same amount of glass. So, it's a more complex, better corrected and sharper design. You can hardly say the original design was optimal optically. For a lens of this price is anything really optimal? Weight and size are optimal. Nothing else optimal about it. :d My point was that PLM implied lightweight focussing group... straight PLM implementation into previous design was impossible. While at it, of course, lets improve it. That wasn't clear in my post indeed.

04-27-2019, 01:52 PM	#234
TwoUptons Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 4,223	I was looking at the specs on the Panasonic 70-200 f4... It currently lists on Amazon (US) for $100 less than the Pentax DFA* 70-200 f2.8 And it weighs about 250g less than the Pentax... I hope that's not the route Pentax is taking with ours... And I hope it comes out soon... I was shooting with the old 70-210 today, and it was annoying me... -Eric

04-28-2019, 01:14 AM	#235
repaap Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2010 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,242	Originally posted by TwoUptons I was looking at the specs on the Panasonic 70-200 f4... It currently lists on Amazon (US) for $100 less than the Pentax DFA* 70-200 f2.8 And it weighs about 250g less than the Pentax... I hope that's not the route Pentax is taking with ours... And I hope it comes out soon... I was shooting with the old 70-210 today, and it was annoying me... -Eric I have DFA*70-200 with me now when I’m traveling. I was thinking if that new zoom would actually be that much lighter? 500g? 700g? 300g. You will loose 2,8 but get smaller paggage, by margin. And it would cost 700€ less, or 500, or..I’d say that I’d rather have DFA 70-300 3,5-5,6. Around 5-700€. Then again I’d couple of times really think if I could still take 70-200, just because it is 2,8. But yes, great to have these new lenses to choose from

04-28-2019, 06:03 AM	#236
JPT Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Tokyo Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,821	Originally posted by TwoUptons I was looking at the specs on the Panasonic 70-200 f4... It currently lists on Amazon (US) for $100 less than the Pentax DFA* 70-200 f2.8 And it weighs about 250g less than the Pentax... I hope that's not the route Pentax is taking with ours... And I hope it comes out soon... I was shooting with the old 70-210 today, and it was annoying me... -Eric The Pentax 70-200/4 is going to be “compact” and “light”. That’s what Iwasaki-san (product development guy) said on the stage at CP+ when asked about its characteristics. Unfortunately, he didn’t say anything about when it is due.

04-28-2019, 06:52 PM	#237
Socrateeze Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Vancouver Posts: 58	As a (primarily) landscape photographer frequently hiking into the mountains, the words "compact" and "light" bring a painful longing to my heart.... and legs... and lungs. Hence my frustration at the delays and uncertainty with the 70-200mm f4. However - that said, I can now wait! For in the meantime I have taken the suggestion of some here and have purchased and modified the DA* 60-250mm f4. And boy, I must say, the optics really impresses me. Post modification (I got a replacement baffle 3d printed, but ultimately filed down the original baffle) the vignetting is easily handled in PP. It is very hefty, so I've no doubt I will get the D-FA 70-200mm f4 as and when it comes out, so long as the optics are decent (and I mean D-FA 28-105mm standards of IQ or better).

04-29-2019, 12:28 AM	#238
MMVIII Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: EU Posts: 1,121	Originally posted by Socrateeze Hence my frustration at the delays and uncertainty with the 70-200mm f4. Good to hear that the 60-250 seems to be up to the task! Just, AFAIK there was no announcement for a release date of the 70-200, thus "delay" might not be the proper term. I do hope it will bring what you are looking for Taking recent lenses by Pentax as an indicator it might be worth the wait.

04-29-2019, 02:55 AM - 1 Like	#239
Socrateeze Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Vancouver Posts: 58	Originally posted by MMVIII Good to hear that the 60-250 seems to be up to the task! Just, AFAIK there was no announcement for a release date of the 70-200, thus "delay" might not be the proper term. When I say "delay" I am referring to the fact that they had said Spring 2019 in the lens road map, but have recently removed that in the latest iteration. Why remove it if it is not now going to be delayed beyond Spring 2019? Technically, I suppose, Spring 2019 lasts until the Summer Solstice in June, but with not so much as a mock-up sighted or a spec sheet leaked it seems highly unlikely that they will keep to their earlier promise.

04-29-2019, 04:44 AM	#240
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,245	Double guess tells me that Ricoh have postponed lenses (or removed from the roadmap) , and eventually resumed the manufacturing of FA limited lenses (+ adding FA ltd to the Pentax special site), because they are designing a new FF mirrorless model that may involve changes on the lens mount => no new lens designs for the K mount until the new mount is fully working. If the double guessing is true, we won't know about new lens roadmap until a new camera model (different concept mirrorless or hypbrid VF) is announced.