On 2 Apr 2006 at 20:02, David Oswald wrote: > SMC Pentax-FA 20mm f/2.8 AL > Pros: Compact. Wide-ish angle. Not prohibitively expensive. > Cons: Used on a DSLR, it's not really all *that* wide.
I don't believe that this lens has AL elements, it's a pretty old design, it's the same formulation as the A20/2.8 I believe, it's an OK performer on the DSLRs but nothing special. > Frankly, I feel that the right choice for me just isn't made. If it > were, it would be called: SMC Pentax-DA 16mm f/2.8. Could such a > contraption be on the horizon? I wouldn't mind a new 20mm but for the moment most of my WA shooting is done using my A16/2.8 FE which I then re-map to rectilinear, it's certainly a handy FL and speed. > SMC Pentax-FA 77mm f/1.9 Limited > Pros: Image quality, build quality, convenient focal length. > Cons: What amateur can honestly justify its price tag? > > SMC Pentax-FA* 85mm f/1.4 > Pros: It's an FA*! It's super fast. > Cons: Big, expensive, reportedly not ideally suited to digital. > > SMC Pentax-FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro > Pros: Excellent reputation for image quality. Macro is a bonus. > Cons: Tending toward being a little longer than I need; I already > have a 135, after all. And it's a little heavy. Not all that > fast, compared to the 77 and 85. > > SMC Pentax-DFA 100mm f/2.8 Macro > Pros: Reported to have excellent image quality. Macro also a bonus. > Cons: A little spendy. Not real fast. And still, a little longer > than I think I want, when I already have a 135. The 77 would be my pick if I was only able to buy one lens and if I didn't specifically require macro facilities. It's useful wide open, it's a pretty decent performer at minimum focus, it's small and it feels great to use. And often amateurs can justify purchasing higher priced items than pros ever would. Cheers, Rob Studdert HURSTVILLE AUSTRALIA Tel +61-2-9554-4110 UTC(GMT) +10 Hours [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://members.ozemail.com.au/~distudio/publications/ Pentax user since 1986, PDMLer since 1998
