Fred wrote:
So, how is the build quality? Good enough for us hard core manual
focus guys?
That depends of how you define built quality. If you think about feel I'll
say the older lenses are generally preferable to most FA* lenses. However,
in strength, most FA* lenses are the most solid Pentax have ever made. The
metal body used on these lenses are thicker and stronger than any previous
lenses and you can drive over them with a small car without deforming them.
However, most of them do sport an outer plastic cover that can be perceived
as cheesy although it probably help against impact damages. They are
probably also easy and cheap to fix if outer damages occur.
The biggest gripes about the FA* lenses are the outer finish which is just
paint something that make them extremely prone to wear and scratch marks.
Unfortunately, this summer my 77 Limited and my FA* 200/4 Macro happened to
occupy the same compartment in my camera bag during a mountain trip. The
FA* was scratched badly on the outer body while the 77 Limited didn't have
single surface mark. The Limiteds are truly excellent when it comes to
durability of surface wear. Another negative thing about the FA* lenses is
the way the focus (and zoom) scale windows are glued into place. They may
fall off, and Pentax have problem supplying new ones. The window to my
200/4 Macro lens, that falled off in the first week of ownership, is still
on back order from the factory and I'm going to be violent pretty soon if
they don't get their act together.
Pål
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