RE: Pentax-A 4/24-50mm vs. Pentax-F 4/24-50mm

[Joe Wilensky]

The F lenses look toy-like and plasticky, but I know that some, like 
the F 24-50 and the F 70-210 are heavy and dense feeling, with metal 
parts, and some reviewers have called them "tank-like" and "rugged." 
They may not be _that_ tough, but perhaps compared with some of the 
later FA zooms, they come across as more durable. The F 50/1.7 is 
very plasticky and light, and the F 28/2.8 is a bit better, but still 
plasticky.

The A 24-50 looks quite a bit smaller than the F 24-50, even though 
they are optically identical. Most of the difference seems to be the 
added bulk and circumference of the knobby zoom ring and aperture 
ring, giving the lens a somewhat more ungainly look.

Joe

Thanks, Joe.
I wouldn't want the M version for the *ist D. I believe the A and F sell for
about the same money and it si tempting to get the auto focus. I own a
couple of F lenses. They are actually better than they look :-) Still the A
version looks soooo nice.
It's a petty the F-lesnses are designed very toy-like and plasicky. Pentax
should consioder to re-introduce the design of the Spotmatic Takumars (the
pretty focusing ring) as a retro-design/new limited series :-)
Jens Bladt
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://hjem.get2net.dk/bladt
-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
Fra: Joe Wilensky [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sendt: 22. november 2004 21:18
Til: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Emne: Re: Pentax-A 4/24-50mm vs. Pentax-F 4/24-50mm
I've had both, and I liked both lenses. The F version is much better
suited to autofocus, since it has a pretty loose manual focus feel,
and it has that particular bulky yet durable feeling plastic feel
that some of the F zooms have. The A lens is the one I kept (and my
only zoom right now) -- it's very compact, has a very nice focus feel
for an A zoom, and more than acceptable results. It may be a bit more
prone to flare, especially at the wide end, than some other Pentax
zooms and primes, but it's very useable. I also had the M 24-35,
which is probably a better zoom and has a slightly nicer feel, but
the zoom range was too limited for me.
I also like the A zoom because to me, at least, it's about as large
as a lens can get without starting to feel too front-heavy on the
compact bodies without winders, like the Super Program.
Joe


A question to the PDML knowledge base:
Any comments on these two lenses, please. Are they optically identical,
apart from the MF/AF issue? Any experience with either of these two Pentax
lenses?
Thanks
Jens
Jens Bladt
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://hjem.get2net.dk/bladt