Originally posted by angerdan The correct answer is:HD FA 35mm F2
Fair enough, the investment required to add seals and HD coatings to the DA 55-300 probably wasn't much more than what was required to fabricate a a slightly different barrel to replace a part that was no longer available and add HD coatings to the FA 35 f2. The original point that Ricoh hasn't developed a truly new screw-drive lens for more than a decade is still valid. The DA 18-135 with a DC motor was released in 2010 and the owners of the Pentax brand have been putting their best efforts into non-screw-drive lenses every since. The SMC DA 15 Limited was released in 2009, the SMC DA 55-300 was released in 2008, the first version of the DA 18-55 kit lens in 2004 and the FA 35 f2 in 1999.