Pentax Digital

You can see these ocasionally on ebay and other auction sites. They usually go for very high prices.

So what’s so special about that * (star) or “limited” designation then?

1. * (star) Lenses: These lenses are the top of the Pentax lens line-up. Their components were carefully selected, to make sure they are top quality. All of them have a very large maximum aperture for their focal length.
   The following star lenses exist, sorted by type:
   • M*: The only known * lens for the M-series is the M* 300/4
   • A*: These go for very high prices on ebay. There are only primes in this series aswell.
     A* 85/1.4 - A* 135/1.8 - A* 200/2.8 ED - A* 200/4 Macro ED - A* 300/2.8 ED [IF] - A* 300/4 - A* 400/2.8 ED [IF] - A* 1200/8 ED [IF]
   • F*:
     primes: F* 300/4.5 ED [IF] - F* 600/4 ED [IF]
     zooms: F* 250-600/5.6 ED [IF]
   • FA*: Most of the current star lenses are FA*. Included are some very high-end, extreme telephoto lenses.
     primes: FA* 24/2 AL [IF] - FA* 85/1.4 [IF] - FA* 200/2.8 ED [IF] - FA* 200/4 Macro ED [IF] - FA* 300/2.8 ED [IF] - FA* 300/4.5 ED [IF] - FA* 400/5.6 ED [IF] - FA* 600/4 ED [IF]
     zooms: FA* 28-70/2.8 AL - FA* 80-200/2.8 ED [IF] - FA* 250-600/5.6 ED [IF]
   • DA*: The latest, digital star series. These lenses feature a SDM supersonic autofocus motor, for fast and quiet AF.
     primes: DA* 200 mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM (tentative name) - DA* 300 mm F4 ED [IF] SDM (tentative name)
     zooms: DA* 16-50mm F2.8 ED AL[IF] SDM - DA* 50-135mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM - DA* 60-250 mm F4 ED [IF] SDM (tentative name)
2. Limited Lenses: The Limited series of Pentax lenses are a series of high-end primes, with a sleek and compact design. Their optical quality is excellent, and by some, they are considered among the best lenses in the world!
   • K Gold: The K 50/1.2 (Gold) is not really a lens labeled “Limited”, but I wanted to mention it anyway. It was issued with the special Pentax LX Gold Edition.
   • A special: The A 50/1.2 Special is not really a lens labeled “Limited”, but I wanted to mention it anyway. It was issued with the special Pentax LX Millennium Edition.
   • FA Limited: The FA Limited series were absolutely top of the bill. There are 3 types, still in production on this day. They exist in silver and black editions.
     FA 31/1.8 AL Limited - FA 43/1.9 Limited - FA 77/1.8 Limited
   • DA Limited: The latest, digital limited series. These are very popular, and according to user reports, also show extremely high quality.
     DA 21/3.2 AL Limited - DA 40/2.8 AL Limited - DA 70/2.4 Limited - DA 35/2.8 Macro Limited (tentative name)

If you have the funds to buy any of these lenses, they are all worth it, you can’t miss.

However, due to their high pricetag, most of these will stay a dream…

Tom

(sources: dimitrov’s page and pentaxslr.com)

P.S.: If you’re curious: currently the cheapest (new) of these lenses is the DA 40/2.8 AL Limited , with a list price of 399$, not deducting the rebate that’s currently running for US customers.

I’ve just finished typing the Pentax Lens Types page.

It offers a detailed look on all types of lenses you can use on your Pentax DSLR, which is actually every Pentax lens ever made, and more.

It’s meant to be an answer to the questions: “Can I use old lenses on my Pentax Digital SLR?”,  “Which lenses can I use on my DSLR?”,  “How will the lenses work?”

If you have questions or remarks, please leave them here as a comment, I would be glad to answer them

Tom

Hello, and welcome to this new site!

You can find out what this site is about on the “About” page, but I’ll put it here aswell

—

I’ve only been a Pentax user since May 2006, and have since then been looking all over the web for information about Pentax, and for bargains on lenses.

I’m pretty active on a few forums, and have noticed that some questions keep coming back, like “which lenses will fit my Pentax DSLR?” and more importantly: “How will they function?”. Now the result of such a question is usually some helpful people on that forum, writing an extensive post about all the different Pentax lens mounts, and their functionality.
There are a few pages that list all the Pentax brand lenses, but I have yet to find a site that tells you how they can be used on digital SLRs!

So, that’s what these pages are for.

I will try to gather accurate information and put it on this site. However, I am far from an expert, so there might be incomplete or false statements. If you notice one, please inform me about it using a comment, or an email, I would really appreciate your input

The only thing left for me to do is to hope the content of this site is useful to you, and wish you a pleasant stay!

Greets,

Tom De Nies

P.S.: I’d like to point out that this site is in no way linked to or sponsored by the Pentax corporation, and is used for informative purposes only.