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One of rarest and best Pentax Lens that goes for sale one in a while...

SMC Pentax-FA* 200mm F4 Macro ED [IF] *RARE* | eBay

[jpzk]

One of rarest and best Pentax Lens that goes for sale one in a while...

SMC Pentax-FA* 200mm F4 Macro ED [IF] *RARE* | eBay

Looks like it's been "well" used! Lots of markings (external) .... I would hesitate at that price.

[monochrome]

Looks like it's been "well" used! Lots of markings (external) .... I would hesitate at that price.

No hood.
No Returns.
No. Thank you.

[Wasp]

The silver lenses of that era have a bad reputation for showing wear and tear. Now I know how it got that bad rap and it seems to be deserved.

[sculptor666]

overpriced, but still cheaper than the A versions on ebay. a sigma 180mm macro sold within hours of it being listed for under $400 a couple weeks ago.

[RobA_Oz]

The paint on the FA* lenses is comparatively easily damaged, and two of mine have minor wear or nicks, while the third is a bit sad. What the paint condition does tell you is how well it's been looked after. This one looks like it's not been carefully used over a period of time, although the glass seems good, from what eBay photos will tell.

No hood on a macro would be a deal-breaker for me, although it may be that the hood from the FA*80-200 will fit, so I could manage in that case, if everything else, including price and non-cosmetic condition were good. In this case, I wouldn't be interested, regardless.

[angerdan]

$1,925 seems a bit pricey for that condition and incomplete accesoires.
An PH-RBG67 hood (fits also 645 FA150-300/5.6 & FA300/5.6) wouldn't be cheap.
In february and march two FA* 200 Macro did find a new home for $1,100 / $1,887.

[shardulm]

I have a feeling that the A* is sharper than FA* albeit 8bladed. I also downloaded the images he posted using this lens and K-1 and I was not much impressed. Images even at f5 or f8 looked a little softer from the raving reviews it gets. It is also a lot different from the A*. Internal focusing, anti-ghost coating, AF, non-built-in hood, better tripod foot, and ofcourse silver etc being some of them. Can someone who have this lens vouch for the image sharpness in those RAWs?

---------- Post added 12-05-17 at 10:52 PM ----------

On additional thoughts I have a feeling that Ricoh/Pentax is going to announce a D-FA* version of this Macro at some point.

[Adam]

I have a feeling that the A* is sharper than FA* albeit 8bladed. I also downloaded the images he posted using this lens and K-1 and I was not much impressed. Images even at f5 or f8 looked a little softer from the raving reviews it gets. It is also a lot different from the A*. Internal focusing, anti-ghost coating, AF, non-built-in hood, better tripod foot, and ofcourse silver etc being some of them. Can someone who have this lens vouch for the image sharpness in those RAWs?

---------- Post added 12-05-17 at 10:52 PM ----------

On additional thoughts I have a feeling that Ricoh/Pentax is going to announce a D-FA* version of this Macro at some point.

Hard to come across these in good shape, so I'm sure the price will keep going up.

I have both the A* and FA* 200mm macros and back when I used them a lot on APS-C, they fared very well. Haven't done any controlled testing on the K-1, but that might be really fun to do!

[shardulm]

I have both the A* and FA* 200mm macros

That is L'hoarding Adam. You should sell one to me.

[rgknief60]

I also downloaded the images he posted using this lens and K-1 and I was not much impressed. Images even at f5 or f8 looked a little softer from the raving reviews it gets.

I downloaded also. A fast glance I thought was okay, but I'm not real impressed with the online photos either after looking closer.
They were taken 7/31/2016 with version 1.00 of the K-1. If I were a purchaser, I'd like to see current pictures to see the current
state of the lens. I paid good money here on the forum for a cosmetically bad (non 200) A lens. I trusted the seller and enjoyed
his quality work here, so was not disappointed. It's just hard to know. Best to look at in person for this lens.

As you get closer to 1:1, the lens would behave more like a long lens, and need similar technique. Handholding is probably not
as forgiving as a 100mm macro!

Could be a great lens, and the wrong hands would not produce good results.

Someone on the forum once said that he was glad these lenses weren't apportioned on the basis of skill and ability!

Using a screw in filter adapter for a square filter holder should provide a good base for a DIY hood.

If someone were to want the lens, it might be good to contact the seller with the completed recent listings so he can have a chance
to bring the lens in line with what a potential purchaser sees as the actual value of the lens. I'm not aware of spare parts!