Pentax FA 100-300

[er_tomo]

Hi,

There are two version of cheap telle zoom lens available on my local store

here.

1. Pentax FA 100-300 4.5-5.6 (1998) black

2. Pentax FA 100-300 4.7-5.8 (2000) silver

Which one is performig better on Pentax *ist DL ? I don't have any plan to

purchase more expensive one in the near future, but like to hear other product

from third party company like Tamron or Sigma.

Thanks,

Ertomo

[ben conover]

Hello Er,

 

This link has loads of information about Pentax lenses.

 

http://home1.gte.net/vzeehbv4/html/pentax_primes.html

 

Cheers.

[stemked]

Eromo,

 

I've tried out several versions of these lenses on film bodies, so my impressions are general. Of the two you have listed here the f4.5-5.6 version is MUCH larger and weighs almost twice as much (605 g). I really didn't like the manual focusing feel of this lens at all but it focused fast. This lens also comes with power zoom for a camera like the PZ series; the feature I believe is wasted on the DL and a major reason for the weight of the lens.

 

The f4.7-5.8 is obviously a slightly slower fstop. It also (in the store) was a tad slower to autofocus than the f4.5-5.6. But then it only weighs 390g! The manual focus, though not great, was better than the f4.5-5.6.

 

I have seen some performance comparisons of the f4.5-5.6 which is fine on the short end but, as expected, not so hot on the long end. It was only marginally better on the long end than say was the 80-320 f4.5-5.6.

 

Ultimately I purchased a Tamron 70-300 f4.5-5.6 because of the ability to go 1:2 'macro' (I was on a trip where I was looking for an 'all-in-one' lens). Likely this was an error on my part because the 62mm filter thread is not standard in the Pentax lineup and is my only lens with this size filter. The lens has gone twice with a friend to the Galapagos with a friend and a K-1000 and has performed fine.