Andrew Robinson wrote: > In response to my queries about autofocus telephoto zooms, a couple > of folks have recommended the Pentax 70-200 f4-5.6 F or FA lenses. > Someone else instead recommended the Pentax 70-210 zoom. > Elsewhere I found a comment that the 70-210 zoom is not considered > highly. Has anyone got the scoop on these two (actually three) lenses?
Hi Andrew, Actually, it's even more complicated than you suggest. There are actually four SMC coated lenses in this range: -- an FA 70-200/4-5.6 (not particularly well-regarded); -- an FA 70-210/4-5.6 power zoom (better, introduced when the PZ-1p came out); -- an F 70-210/4-5.6 (discontinued around 1991, considered by many to be the best of the autofocus zooms in this range); and -- the venerable A 70-210/4 constant-aperture, non-autofocus, one-touch zoom lens (considered by many to be the best zoom in this range in terms of both optics and build quality, and a massive beast at ~150mm length and 680g mass). I paid $130 US for mine about a year and a half ago, but $200 is not an unusual price for one in excellent shape. Many folks on the list have remarked that there are two particularly outstanding zooms: one is this A 70-210/4, and the other is the A 35-105/3.5. There are also several non-SMC K-mount zooms in the 70-2x0 range, the most common of which is marked "70-210 Takumar (Bayonet)". These non-SMC zooms are of inferior quality and should be avoided. If you're shopping, look for "SMC PENTAX-A" or "SMC PENTAX-F" on the front of the lens. Make sure "SMC" is on there somewhere. You may want to check the following links for some excellent information on lens performance and lens dimensions: http://www.concentric.net/~smhalpin/ http://w3.one.net/~georgek/pentax/lenses/g0018.html Hope this helps. Bill Peifer Rochester, NY - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
