Hi Everyone - It finally happened - my trusty old SMC A* 200mm macro developed a problem this past weekend, and there is clearly an issue in the linkage between the arm that controls the aperture and the aperture mechanism itself. I sent it off to Pentax
in hopes that they can get it fixed up, and hopefully they can. But I may as well do some contingency planning as I await to hear form them... The only viable option I see out there now is the Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro. Has anyone tried this lens? They state that it has a minimum focusing distance of 15 inches which is 1:1 magnification. So, minus the length of the lens (5 inches) it looks like there would be about 10 inches of working room. That's not bad - the 200mm macro hit about 12 inches of working room at 1:1. The D-FA 100 only has about 6 inches. Any thoughts about other options? The Sigma 180mm macro is long gone and the A* and FA* 200 macros are impossible to find. I just started playing around with my A* 300 f4 and a Canon 500D multi element close up lens - the first test were surprisingly sharp, but the range you can focus in is very small and the maximum magnification is only about .65 life-size. I plan on trying the D-FA 100 with a teleconverter this weekend, but am not optimistic. Any thoughts on the Sigma 150 or other options that might be out there? Thanks - MCC www.markcassino.com/b2evolution/ -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
