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SMC Pentax-DA* 200mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-DA* 200mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM

Sharpness 
 9.5
Aberrations 
 8.3
Bokeh 
 9.5
Autofocus 
 9.1
Handling 
 9.7
Value 
 9.3
Reviews Views Date of last review
37 201,329 Thu February 2, 2023
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
95% of reviewers $911.39 9.16
SMC Pentax-DA* 200mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM

SMC Pentax-DA* 200mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM
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SMC Pentax-DA* 200mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM
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Description:

This telephoto lens features weather-sealing as well as Pentax's SDM focusing technology. Although designated as a DA lens it covers the full frame (24 x 36mm) format.

 


SMC Pentax-DA* 200mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
Full-frame / 35mm film
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
No
Diaphragm
Automatic, 9 blades
Optics
9 elements, 8 groups
Mount Variant
KAF2
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F2.8
Min. Aperture
F22
Focusing
AF (in-lens motor or screwdrive)
SDM
Quick-shift
Yes
Min. Focus
120 cm
Max. Magnification
0.2x
Filter Size
77 mm
Internal Focus
Yes
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 8.1 ° / 6.9 °
Hood
PH-RBK 77 mm
Case
S120-160
Lens Cap
O-LC77
Coating
SMC,SP
Weather Sealing
Yes (AW)
Other Features
AF/MF Switch
Diam x Length
83 x 134 mm (3.3 x 5.3 in.)
Weight
825 g (29.1 oz.)
Production Years
2008 to 2022
Pricing
$1168 USD current price
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-DA* 1:2.8 200mm ED [IF] SDM
Product Code
21700
Reviews
User reviews
In-depth review
Unofficial Full-Frame Compatibility Tests by Pentax Forums
★★★ Full coverage at all tested F-stops and all focal lengths
Show details
Notes
Two ED elements.
Designed for APS-C but officially full-frame compatible per Ricoh. The Pentax K-1 includes full-frame correction profiles for this lens.

Features:
Screwdrive AutofocusSupersonic AutofocusQuick ShiftWeather SealedInternal FocusingAutomatic ApertureFull-Frame SupportDiscontinued
Purchase: Buy the SMC Pentax-DA* 200mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM
In-Depth Review: Read our SMC Pentax-DA* 200mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM in-depth review!
Sample Photos: View Sample Photos
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-DA* 200mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM Buy the SMC Pentax-DA* 200mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-15 of 37
Senior Member

Registered: October, 2019
Location: Mississauga ON
Posts: 169

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: February 2, 2023 Recommended | Price: $400.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Yes
Cons:
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 1    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-3 II   

This is over my expectation in levels ... Excellent provide another grade of photography.
   
New Member

Registered: March, 2022
Posts: 1
Review Date: May 4, 2022 Recommended | Price: $750.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Compact for the focal lenght, versatile and great build
Cons: None so far
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K1 and K5   

This was my first "PRO" lens that I bought and it was everything I hoped for, on the K5 it has enough range to do some wildlife and on the K1 it's great for portraits, events and landscapes, it's really sharp but fringing can be an issue at times. Excellent build quality and weather sealing, ideal for tropical areas (like where I live). I definitely recommend this lens, I have more than 5 years with it and always find use for it, very practical.


.
   
New Member

Registered: April, 2020
Posts: 2
Review Date: April 1, 2022 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: small size, built quality, colours, bokeh, contrast, sharpness, 77 mm filter, aluminium build, weather fitted
Cons: no
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K1   

Very fast and compact lens on K1 FF, perfect for theatre, concerts, available light and portrait shots. Use it also for indoor sports and nature shots.

Never had purple issues.
   
Forum Member

Registered: May, 2021
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Posts: 72

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: September 11, 2021 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Beautiful IQ
Cons:
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 9    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K1   

I have actually had this lens since forever but just decided to add a review, because it doesn't get enough love from Pentaxians and gets some undeserved hate.

I bought it for wildlife originally and intended to use it with a teleconverter - only to discover there was no teleconverter available at the time. (I have since purchased the DA 300mm F4 and 1.4X teleconverter, which are my most used items.)

For a long time it didn't get much love from me becuase I was shooting APS-C and 200mm is a bit too in betweeny on APS-C. That all changed when I got the K1. 200mm is a great focal length on FF. It works for landscapes, astro, portrait (including dance and music performance) and for wildlife, where you are wanting to taking in the animals' environment.
   
Forum Member

Registered: April, 2012
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 55

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 29, 2021 Recommended | Price: $500.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Sharp, fast focus, not too heavy, great bokeh
Cons: Purple fringing, hard to focus
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 9    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-3   

I believe this to be a great buy-used lens. Incredibly high built quality, for sure.
FOCUS: The in-depth review mentioned a slow focusing motor. In my experience, most of the subjects for a 200mm lens will be somewhat far away, so focusing will stay in a similar distance, making short and quick adjustments. It's not SNAP fast, but it's pretty quick. If you are going from infinity to closest, then yes, it'll take more than a second.
SHARPNESS: It's not a light lens, so it is hard to focus properly. Most of my blurry images have been user error. The sharpest images I get is when I find a way to rest the lens on a stable surface. And wide open, the DoF is narrow, so it's very easy to miss the focusing point. While its sharpness is very very good, it's also not the sharpest thing in the planet. My FA 50 1.4 is sharper.
PURPLE FRINGE: Yup, it's there. It's annoying. There is PP for that, but shouldn't be there on a high-end lens. Doesn't make it unusable though.
HANDLING: Lots of people complain that this lens needs a collar. I don't know where they would put a collar, and I don't think it's balanced properly for a collar. It's not large or heavy enough. I use a battery grip on my K-3, so the weight leans to the camera, not the lens. Maybe because my hands are quite large, and I'm used to the 70-200 2.8 I had, I don't mind it. To focus properly I have to find a way to rest the lens, or to shoot with very short exposure. I imagine that with 200mm, something's gotta give.
BOKEH: As nice as you would come to expect from high-end pentax glass.
VALUE: I don't think I would get a new one. Canon has a 200mm 2.8L for less than this one new, and I believe that to be a better value (I shot Canon's 135mm 2.0 for an event once, and it was BEAUTIFUL). But I payed less than $500. I'm keeping it. It has gotten me pics that I couldn't get with my 70-200mm 2.8. Over all, I love this DA* 200mm 2.8.
   
Forum Member

Registered: November, 2007
Location: Jakarta
Posts: 52

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: March 11, 2018 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros:
Cons:
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: 6 months   

I really love this lens, it has a very quick AF with K1 and the bokeh and sharpness are stunning.
   
New Member

Registered: February, 2017
Location: Blekinge
Posts: 11

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: February 27, 2017 Recommended | Price: $370.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Bokeh, sharpness, colors. Silent focus.
Cons: Nothing so far
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K7   

I was searching 70-200 but got this as I found a nice deal.
Just love it. Best lens so far. It has sharp image, nice colors, beautiful bokeh.

Sometimes quality (sharpness) of photos varies in series, but I think it's human/environment factor. If it would be lens it would be different between shoots. Now in good condition (lightning angle?) it keep doing nice images no matter what.


   
Veteran Member

Registered: September, 2013
Location: Sydney
Posts: 844

7 users found this helpful
Review Date: December 3, 2016 Recommended | Price: $600.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Focal length, f2.8
Cons: Purple fringing, flare resistance
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 6    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 7    Handling: 10    Value: 9    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K-1   

I'd give this lens an 8.5, so am rounding up to 9.

I owned the DA*300 before buying this lens, and to be honest, just buy that. The DA*200 is a lens you will buy because:

A) the DA300 is beyond your budget
B) you need something shorter than the DA300
C) you need a bigger aperture than the DA300
D) you have money to burn

The DA200 is not a bad lens at all. At the time of writing, it's available new for £599 in the uk. At that price, it's worth it (although I will point out that my DA300 was £630 in a Black Friday sale).

I like the lens. It offers me a faster aperture than I get with the DA300. It takes good photos. It's sharp. The bokeh is fantastic. Compared to any consumer grade DA zoom, it's a big upgrade.

Compared to the DA300 though, it's left wanting in a few areas. Flare resistance, contrast, CA's, they are all massively improved with the DA300. Build quality is exceptional with both lenses, I'd say the DA200 is a touch slower wrt autofocus, but not humungously different.

And now we get to the weird bit. I don't like the DA200 as much as I like the DA300, however in semi-to-low light scenarios, other people prefer the DA200 images. The only explanation I have for that, is that once flare and high contrast issues are removed from the equation, the DA200 does a decent job.

It's good. It's better than any zoom at the same range. The AF is a bit slow. The DA300 is for most people probably the lens they want, but if you fall into that category where the DA300 is too long, or the apeture is too slow, or it's simply beyond your budget, then it's worth a consideration.

The fringing is there almost *all the time*. It fringes a lot. Nine times out of ten, it cleans up fairly well in Lightroom. The DA300 is more like a DA limited in this regard - ie mostly problem free.

Yes there's plenty of fringing, yes that's annoying, but it's still not a bad lens (but I'd still recommend the DA300 over the DA200
   
Forum Member

Registered: July, 2016
Posts: 53

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 4, 2016 Not Recommended | Price: $1,000.00 | Rating: 1 

 
Pros: sharpness
Cons: CA

Purple Fringing !! What a disappointment.
   
Senior Member

Registered: May, 2011
Location: Hanoi
Posts: 213

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 27, 2015 Recommended | Price: $800.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: holy fast autofocus, sharpness
Cons: non colar-ring
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: Pentax K200D   

Someone could complaint about the speed autofocus of pentax lenses. Maybe, they would change their minds when shooting with holy DA* 200mm. It would be perfect adding the colar-ring.

Pink garden, on Flickr


HLUer, on Flickr


HP, on Flickr
   
New Member

Registered: August, 2013
Posts: 17

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: September 20, 2014 Recommended | Price: $900.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Very Sharp, Colors, Fast aperture
Cons: Purple fringing
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: Pentax K3, Pentax K30   

I was a bit reluctant to buy it first but after testing it and seeing how sharp and beautiful colors it produce, I was left with no other option than to own it. Its a wonderful lens.
   
Senior Member

Registered: November, 2009
Location: 'Merica!
Posts: 209

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: April 12, 2014 Recommended | Price: $1,200.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Stunning optical and build quality
Cons: No tripod mounting ring
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K-5IIS   

The lens looks, feels and behaves as a precision instrument. The build quality is phenomenal. As a weather sealed system on the K bodies it makes a perfect outdoor companion for any conditions. The hood mounts solidly and provides further rain shielding and fair weather glare protection. I appreciate that the hood is plastic. It is light weight and can be inexpensively replaced if needed.

This lens works for hand held shots as long as you can get a high enough shutter speed to reduce camera shake induced blur. The bigger 300mm version has a tripod mount ring. I wish the 200mm did as well. I would say it is just short enough and just light enough to do hand held work. A monopod is useful to add stability when shooting this lens, even at higher shutter speeds.

Between the f/2.8 bright aperture and the shake reduction built into the K bodies, you can reasonable work this lens hand held down to at least the traditional 1/200th second minimum shutter speed for this focal length and likely lower if you have steady hands and calm winds.

I personally find the 200mm focal length and the APC size sensor to be ideal for both indoor and outdoor sports actions as well as nature images and outdoor portraits. The shallow depth of field and pleasingly smooth bokeh for near subjects works well for isolating subjects. The auto focusing has to be experienced to be appreciated. The internal motor is silent and fast. A real revelation when compared to the screw driven focusing of the lesser lens in the Pentax lineup.

Optically this is perfection. Wide open there may be minor fringing or artifacts found by pixel peepers. I have not found anything that offends me. As I normally find f/4 to a more reliable place to shoot not because of any limitation of the lens but because f/2.8 is often too shallow for me to consistently hit focus on the desired subject in action shots. And in full daylight at ISO100 is still maxing out the K-5 at 1/4000th shutter in some scenes. f/4 brings the shutter down below its limit and still provides more than enough speed to capture the action.

Buy this lens. Just do it. You will not be able to get the !#$ eating grin off of your face when using it.
   
Pentaxian

Registered: November, 2012
Location: Newark, Delaware
Posts: 1,035
Review Date: February 16, 2014 Recommended | Price: $940.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: sharpness, build quality, quiet autofocus.
Cons: Ridiculous huge hood, some purple fringing in high contrast situations.
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 9    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K5 and K10D   

This is my birding & wildlife lens, it is a little short for many birding situations, but this is not a fault of the lens but my choice to go with the 200 mm for its more compact size than the 300. Likely I will get the new rear converter up the road sometime which should give some extra reach. Fortunately between the sharpness of the lens and the 2.8 aperture, I can crop images fairly significantly. While I list sharpness, my most important attribute as a strong positive I do not think it is quite the equal of the DFA 100 mm WR macro which is my most sharpest lens. Build quality of this lens is probably as good as the best you can buy at any price, a solid metal beauty where the focus ring turns with smooth precision. Unless its raining, I just don't bother using the huge hood, but it is good to have it if needed. As I use the lens more I seem to be avoiding purple fringing situations better but you always need to be mindful of it when using this lens. Switching to aperture priority and using an aperture of 5.6 to 8.0 definitely helps so this is not as much of a con as it would have been had I reviewed this lens before I realized it.
   
New Member

Registered: December, 2013
Location: wellington new zealand
Posts: 21
Review Date: December 23, 2013 Recommended | Price: $900.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: light sharp ,weather sealed.
Cons: none its pentax
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 9    New or Used: New    Camera Used: k3.k511s,LX FILM   

THE 200MM 2.8 IS A LOVELY LENS ON THE K3 I CANT FAULT IT,ITS A FAST TELEPHOTO LENS YES ITS AUTO FOCUSING IS NOT AS FAST AS CANON OR NIKON BUT I HAVE NEVER HAD AN OUT OF FOCUS SHOT YET.
   
Forum Member

Registered: November, 2008
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 88

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: December 23, 2013 Recommended | Price: $700.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Build, weight (relative to what you get...), WR
Cons: Clutching at straws... Monster hood?
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 7    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K5 & K20   

Love this lens, I use it as a walk around telephoto, forcing me to see as the lens does. I find it ideal as a go to candid lens at events (used it at a wedding and it was great). Got a bad rep for purple fringing, but hand on heart this hasn't been a remote problem for me! Out of 2000 ish shots I've got one that has been ruined by it (sun reflecting off waves) but I can't think of any lens that wouldn't in similar circumstances.

On a K5 (and better) it really shines as the ISO no longer mashes your images with the speeds required - if you have an older camera seriously think of upgrading before buying this. Another note is the build - seems a definate step up from the 16-50 and the 55 stars, really tight and solid with not a lick of lightweight plastic.

Overall the clarity of this beast is spectacular, been really chuffed. The only caveat is the hood literally doubles the size.
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