SMC Pentax-FA 43mm F1.9 Limited Review

Specifications

The SMC Pentax-FA 43mm F1.9 Limited lens name does not feature the long list of acronyms often found on more recent products. Below is an explanation of various terms pertinent to this lens:

SMC

"Super Multi Coating", the name of the famous Pentax coating used for many decades (with improvements added over time). Pentax's "Ghostless" improvement to standard coatings was introduced with the 43mm. On premium lenses, it was replaced by the new "HD Coating" starting in 2012.

FA

"FA" refers to a lens designed for full frame film cameras.  The lens carries information used for specific program lines, in-camera lens corrections, and so forth.

F

"F" is the maximum aperture of the lens, 1.9 in this case.

Limited

"Limited" lenses are high-quality lenses, almost always primes, hand-crafted, with stellar optical performances and relatively small sizes.

Below are the lens specifications.

Lens Name

SMC Pentax-FA 43mm F1.9 Limited

Optical Formula

7 elements in 6 groups

Image Circle 35mm (Full frame)
Auto-Exposure Support Yes (aperture ring with A position)
Construction Metal
Field of View

Diagonal / Horizontal

APS-C: 37 ° / 31 °
Full frame: 53 ° / 45 °

Aperture Range F1.9 - F22
Aperture Blades 8
Aperture Ring Yes
Max. Magnification 0.12x
Focus Type AF, screw-drive
Minimum Focusing Distance 45 cm
Internal Focus  No
Filter Thread Diameter 49mm
Cap Dedicated metal push-on
Hood MH-RA 49 mm screw-on cylinder
Case Dedicated leather pouch
Diameter x Length 64 x 27 mm (2.5 x 1.1 inches)
Weight 155 g
Pentax Mount Designation KAF
Weather Sealing No
Price (US MSRP)

$596.95

Launch Date

1997

Originally available in silver or black, the silver version was phased out in 2014 and the black is the only one currently available new.

Earlier versions of the lens were "Made in Japan" while more recent copies are "Assembled in Vietnam". On the former, this information is written at the front of the lens, while for the latter it is discretely indicated on the lens mount, and thus hidden when the lens is on a camera.


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