Pentax DA and DA* lenses are the current lens line for Pentax digital SLR cameras. They use the Pentax KAF Mount. All of these lenses have an autofocus feature, either operated from the camera body or from an internal SDM motor. Pentax compatible lenses are also made by third-party companies.
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Takumar lenses were primarily supplied with Pentax cameras through the 1950s and 1960s using the M42 (Pentax) Screwmount. Pentax began supplying lenses under the Pentax name in the early 1970s, using a bayonet (K) mount. In addition to the 35mm line, Pentax added professional 645 and 67 format cameras to its lineup. Pentax has designed its digital SLR cameras to be compatible with any Pentax K mount and M42 screwmount (with a Pentax adapter) ever made, and thus providing, countless lens possibilities. 35mm and 645 lenses optimized for digital cameras are currently in production.
Unlike many manufacturers, Pentax provides "shake reduction" (SR) functionality within the camera, instead of inside each lens to be purchased. This is advantageous as any lens can be used with full SR functionality, and the lenses are cheaper to manufacture as they do not require any shake reduction equipment inside.
Another feature that sets Pentax lenses apart from other manufacturers is that many of their top line lenses, like their camera bodies, are weather proof, allowing for their continued use in poor weather and wet locations. Pentax currently provides weather sealed premium lenses up 300mm, and by special order, the FA*600mm. The largest lens produced by Pentax was the Reflex 2000mm, with non-mirrored lenses available up to the A* 1200mm. With all major manufacturers, super telephotos of this range are no longer in production. Pentax provided premium focal lengths well beyond 1200mm, such as their 3800mm through the Pentax telescope division. Tamron and Sigma also produce a significant number of "third-party" lenses for Pentax cameras.
Main article: Pentax K mount
The first generation of Pentax K-mount lenses with the SMC coating, these were exclusively manual focus lenses with no automatic features.
The M series of lenses followed on from the earlier SMC lenses. As with the earlier lenses, these were manual K-mount lenses without any automatic features. Some later Pentax digital cameras have had difficulty using the SMC and M lenses due to the lack of an automatic aperture setting.
Another K-mount lens, the A series of lenses saw the introduction of "automatic" aperture settings. The lenses had an aperture ring (unlike the later DA series), and thus the aperture could be set manually, but they also had an "A" mode, which allowed the camera to control the aperture automatically.
The F series were autofocus lenses. They featured an aperture ring, which allowed the aperture to be controlled manually. Thus F lenses are able to be used on older cameras which do not support automatic setting of the aperture, such as the Pentax K1000.
These lenses are designed with use for full-frame film SLR cameras. As with the F series, they feature an aperture ring providing compatibility with older camera bodies.
These were largely identical to the FA series of lenses, but lacked the aperture ring. As a result they are not compatible with some older manual focus cameras, as there was no method of setting the aperture other than through the camera body.
These lenses are coated with glazes that make the lenses more suitable for digital cameras. However, they also support older 35mm camera formats, as they provide "full frame" coverage.
The DA lenses were designed specifically for the Pentax digital cameras incorporating a APS-C digital sensor. As the APS-C sensor has a smaller surface area than 35mm film, these lenses are not generally considered to be compatible with older cameras. They also lack an aperture ring, limiting their use on cameras that do not support automatic aperture settings.
Similar to the DA series, these are smaller and lighter lenses than the DA models, but have a plastic (as opposed to steel) mount and lack the quick-shift focusing system of their heavier siblings.
The DA* lenses are designed for use with Pentax digital SLR cameras. DA* lenses have higher quality optics than the DA series and are typically have the distinction of being weather sealed to match the weather sealed capabilities of the Pentax K10D, K200D, K20D, K7 an K5 DSLR camera bodies. The DA* lenses are more expensive and generally feature improved light transmission and larger aperture openings for better low light performance. Some DA* lenses also feature both body driven screw drive focusing and the Pentax SDM (Sonic Drive Motor) lens based focus mechanism
These are high quality prime lenses with the lens housing made of nicely crafted metal. Also, they usually have a bigger aperture compared to zooms but smaller as compared to other prime lenses. This is a compromise as DA Limiteds are usually made to be much more compact than other primes lenses.
The Pentax-developed SDM, with SDM standing for "Supersonic Drive Motor", departs from the previous Pentax system which utilizes a screw-drive autofocus motor inside the camera body. Instead, SDM lenses incorporate an autofocus motor as part of the lens itself. All current production Pentax SLR bodies are compatible with SDM lenses. However the DA* 55mm, DA 17-70mm and DA 18-135mm lenses are not compabile with some older Pentax digital SLR's such as the K110D, first version K100D and earlier models (The K100D Super is compatible). .[1]
The SDM mechanism is claimed to provide smoother and quieter focusing.[2] The first Pentax cameras to support SDM lens were the K10D (firmware 1.30 or later) and K100D Super. These and subsequent Pentax DSLR bodies support both SDM and in-camera screw-driven AF.
Pentax claims that all their auto-focus cameras are backward compatible with K-mount lenses dating back as far as 1975 without need for an adaptor. However, some limitation apply to K and M series lenses. All Pentax and Samsung D-Xenogon lenses are interchangeable since Samsung adopted K-mount on their camera bodies. The Samsung GX-10 and GX-20 are the only two models compatible with SDM lenses. Some Pentax SDM lenses are also not compatible with some early production digital SLR's.
| Lens | Aperture | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 10-17mm Fish Eye | f/3.5-4.5 | DA |
| 12-24mm | f/4.0 | DA |
| 16-45mm | F4.0 | DA |
| 17-70mm | F4 | DA |
| 18-55mm | f/3.5-5.6 | DA |
| 18-55mm II | f/3.5-5.6 | DA |
| 18-55mm | f/3.5-5.6 | DA L |
| 18-135mm | f/3.5-5.6 | DA |
| 18-250mm | f/3.5-6.3 | DA |
| 20-35mm | f/4 | FA |
| 28-80mm | f/3.5-5.6 | FA J |
| 28-105mm | f/3.2-4.5 | FA |
| 50-200mm | f/4-5.6 | DA |
| 50-200mm | f/4-5.6 | DA L |
| 55-300mm | f/4-5.8 | DA |
| 55-300mm | f/4-5.8 | DA L |
| 75-300mm | f/4.5-5.8 | FA J |
| 14mm | f/2.8 | DA |
| 15mm | f/4 | DA Limited |
| 21mm | f/3.2 | DA Limited |
| 35mm | f/2.8 | DA Limited |
| 35mm | f/2 | FA |
| 40mm | f/2.8 | DA Limited |
| 70mm | f/2.4 | DA Limited |
| 50mm | f/2.8 | D FA |
| 50mm | f/1.4 | FA |
| 31mm | f/1.8 | FA Limited |
| 43mm | f/1.9 | FA Limited |
| 77mm | f/1.8 | FA Limited |
| 16-50mm | f/2.8 | DA* |
| 55mm | f/1.4 | DA* |
| 50-135mm | f/2.8 | DA* |
| 100mm | f/2.8 | D FA |
| 200mm | f/2.8 | DA* |
| 60-250mm | f/4 | DA* |
| 300mm | f/4 | DA* |
| 600mm | f/4 | FA* |