It has been said a lot that the F is very good (maybe some said that
it is also better than the A) but from what I know of the A lens (I
have shot with one), it is a very good lens and if the F is better,
it is certainly by a very small margin.
I'd go for the "physical interface" you prefer and your aperture
needs... By the way, what you loose at 210mm is only 1 stop, the F
is at 5.6 at 210mm.
I prefer to manual focus most of the time (for stage photography) as
my main subject is often off center and moves a lot. Center focus AF
point is of little use in these circumstances. Auto focus point
selection on more recent cameras is also not safe enough.
I also prefer a one ring zoom, contrary to Godfrey, but on a bad zoom
mechanically, a one ring zoom becomes a nuisance as focal lenght will
change too easily when you focus. Some stiffness is needed. The A I
had (a like new specimen) was very good mechanically. But I don't
know if it ages well and stays stiff enough. The Takumar ones
(non-SMC), as I said earlier, are rapidly unusable.
Andre
Thanks Andre for your suggestions. Do you believe the F- lens is better
optically or just because it is auto-focus? And I thought that I will lose an
extra 1.5 stops at 210 mm (f/4 on A vs. f/6.7 on the F-lens). I am now used
to manual-focus since my only lens is a A-35-105 f/3.5.
Gaurav
On 11/15/05, Andre Langevin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I use a Pentax 35-105 f/3.5 on my Pentax PZ-1 currently. I plan to
>compliment this
>lens with something like 70-200. I notice that there are two versions:
>
>SMC A 70-210 f/4 (which I believe has a very good reputation??)
>and the
>Takumar-A 70-200 f/4 Macro (how good is this??)
>
>Any thoughts, comparisons, For-sale, suggestions?
>
>Thanks,
>Gaurav
The Takumar is bad mechanically. It will loosen in no time if it is
not already loose. The A is a good lens in all respect. For a bit
over over 100$ I think you may find a still better F 70-210 4.5-5.6,
and you will benefit from AF. If you prefer a manual focussing lens,
the F lens has only a small plastic focus ring but you may get used
to it, or may not...
Andre
