If you needed proof that Pentax has a high-performance, professional-quality DSLR in the offing, this $1,000 (street) lens is it.
Based on the film-era 200mm f/2.8 FA lens, it's equipped with new internal-flare-suppressing coatings, and it has a newly designed rear element which Pentax claims projects a perfectly flat-field image. A 300mm equivalent, it sports Pentax's SMC supersonic focusing motor for near-silent autofocus action, as well as Quick-shift focusing that lets you touch up focus manually while the lens remains in the AF mode.
Joining the 300mm f/4, 16-50mm f/2.8, and 50-135mm f/2.8, this is the fourth lens in Pentax's DA* family of matched, pro-oriented glass. Fully loaded with water- and dust-repelling gaskets and O-rings, it's a high-speed tele prime that's clearly well constructed and ready for outdoor action.
Hands On
Surfaced in a faint, matte-black crinkle finish and ornamented with the bright green aluminum ring that signifies a Pentax digital-only lens, this mostly polycarb prime is average in weight and size for the class -- very similar to the Sigma 150mm DG macro lens, for example. (At 1.8 pounds, it's more than a pound lighter than the comparable Olympus 150mm, which also scales up to about 300mm, but that's because the Oly is an f/2).
Although the Pentax is more than 5 inches long, it throws no shadow at close-focus when used with the K200D's built-in flash. It also has plenty of gold ornamentation, a depth-of-field scale, and an extra-deep 3.25-inch lens shade that includes a clever trapdoor ( or finger window) that lets you reach in to fine-tune the positioning of a mounted filter.
Julia Silber
more : popphoto
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