Boz's site describes the * as meaning a compact high performance lens.
I think compact and/or high performance would be a better
description.Compact is certainly not what I think when I consider the
A* 135 f1.8 A* 85 f1.4 FA* etc. they are roughly equivalent in size to
their Canon and Nikon competition. About the only ones that qualify as
compact for their focal length are the M*/A* 300 F4.0.
Jens Bladt wrote:
For the Pentax SMC M series the star (*) means "compact* (only two M*-lenses
was made, one of which is the M* 4.0/300mm). I have read this in one of the
little Asahi Pentax booklets, that used to come with a new lens.
For the A and FA series the star (*) also means compact as well as something
like "top-of-the-line quality" or "we did our best here". These lenses are
usually excellent, sometimes even unmatched, compared with similar
non-Pentax lenses. All this does not mean, that all excellent lenses have
got a star. The SMC Pentax-F 1.4/50mm is perhaps a good example.
Jens Bladt
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://hjem.get2net.dk/bladt
-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
Fra: Keith Whaley [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sendt: 1. september 2004 17:44
Til: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Emne: Re: The meaning of letters in lens names?
Steve Jolly wrote:
Jostein wrote:
There are some other designations too, like the asterisk (*) that
alledgedly denotes use of special quality glass. At the prices of
those lenses, they damn better have some special glass too...:-). The
asterisk can be found on both A, F and FA series lenses.
I thought it implied the use of at least one aspherical element?
S
No, however, some do.
What I preceive is, the wider angle lenses need the correction more than
others, and they get it. They are identified by having "AL" as a suffix to
the lens callout.
They may or may not be * lenses, and may or may not be A or FA designs, so
you can see, it's not just the Star lenses that have the aspherical
elements.
keith whaley
--
Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is a virtue. Fleas are interested
in dogs.
P. J. O'Rourke
