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Pentax smc DA* 200mm f/2.8 ED [IF]SDM

Pentax smc DA* 200mm f/2.8 ED [IF]SDM lens
 

Ultrasonic AF

Lenses with ultrasonic focusing mechanism tend to be quiter and faster than traditionally focusing lenses.

 

One or more Low Dispersion lens element is used

Low Dispersion lens elements help to reduce chromatic aberration.

 

Not stabilized

Image stabilization helps to reduce blur caused by hand shake, especially at high focal length or in low light situations. Image stabilization can give 1 to 3 stop advantage over none stabilized lens, based on the reciprocal rule.

 

Metal mount

Cheaper lenses are usually equipped with plastic mount, while more expensive, professional lenses have metal mount. In general, metal mounts are more durable, and a good thing to have when lenses are changed a lot. When a camera is used mainly with one lens, the material of the lens mount is not that important.

 

Internal Focusing

Internally focusing lenses don't change their size while setting focus.

 

The front lens is fixed

The fixed front lens is not rotating during zoom and/or focusing. This allows the photographer to use petal shaped lens hood. Fixed front lenses also make the use of polarization filters a lot easier.

 

No drop-in filter support

Drop-in filters are used in those lenses where either the front lens is too large, or the field of view doesn't permit the use of traditional filters at the front of the lens. Usually bright tele and ultra-wide angle lenses support this filter type.

Pentax smc DA* 200mm f/2.8 ED [IF]SDM Specification

Available mount(s) Pentax K
Application(s) Sports, Wildlife
Category(s) Telephoto prime
Multiplier N/A
Stabilizer no
Focal length 200 mm (prime)
Lens construction 9 elements in 8 groups
Angle of view 35mm: N/A
digital: 8.1°
Number of blades 9
Maximum aperture f/2.8
Minimum aperture f/22
Minimum focusing distance 120 cm
Magnification 0.2×
Filter size 77 mm
Size ∅ 83 × 134 mm
Weight 825 g
Notes
AF speed N/A
AF sound
Internal focusing yes
Internal zoom N/A
Fix front lens yes
Mount type metal
Weather sealed N/A
Drop in filter no
Ultrasonic AF yes
APS-C sized circle N/A
Low dispersion lens element yes
Hard case N/A
Soft case S120-160 (included)
Lens hood PH-RBK77 (included)
Tripod adapter not included
Pentax smc DA* 200mm f/2.8 ED [IF]SDM Specification

Pentax smc DA* 200mm f/2.8 ED [IF]SDM Reviews

Pentax smc DA* 200mm f/2.8 ED [IF]SDM in the news

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Pentax smc DA* 200mm f/2.8 ED [IF]SDM Owner Reviews

Most useful owner reviews from Amazon

Top Notch - with a Caveat

Nov 2, 2008

In order to augment my Pentax DA*50-135 f2.8 with more reach, I had been interested in the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 but decided to go with the Pentax DA*200 f2.8 - I really wanted the SDM focus motor of the Pentax lens. Online professional lab tests indicated typical prime lens performance in near zero distortion and across-the-frame level sharpness over a wide range of apertures. But the caution here is the surprisingly high level of purple fringing they experienced at open apertures.

The construction, feel and appearance of this lens is nothing short of the best offered by Canon and Nikkor. Unless I'm mistaken, the DA* 200 has a metal body and the only detectible plastic is the huge impressive lens hood edged in rubber. In comparison, the DA*50-135 is quality plastic with focus ring action that isn't quite as butter-smooth as the DA*200 and has internal rattles that the 200 doesn't (zoom mechanism?). The pictures taken with the DA* 200 I found to be outstanding. While the lab numbers for sharpness are a tad lower than the DA* 50-135, the resultant images are every bit as good and actually better in across-the-frame sharpness and contrast. I've been very impressed with the several hundred pictures I've taken so far with this lens. However, there is a down side to consider.

When I first mounted this lens on my K10D, the AF system would jam near infinity. I had to switch to manual mode to free it. This happened a few times and then never happened again. The next thing I noticed was that the lens had a significant back-focus problem. On my K20D, however, it was fine and only needed a small amount of AF adjustment provided only by the K20D. But I soon learned that the problem was the K10 camera and not the lens; some K10Ds apparently have been experiencing a back focus problem, but one that is now correctable via a software program from Russia that let's one hack into the K10D's firmware (v1.3) and bring up the Debug Mode menu. This allows for focus adjustment much like the K20D but not for individual lenses. Problem fixed. The DA*200 and my DA*50-135 now focus perfectly on my K10. So the only remaining issue here is the harsh purple fringing on edges of medium to high contrast objects and features shot at anything under f4.0. The fringing can be quite pronounced and annoying. It also appeared that the lens was noticeably less sharp at f2.8, but I found that softness to be more a product of the fringing. However, purple fringing can be greatly reduced, if not eliminated, with various software photo editing tools available.

I had hoped that the DA*200 f2.8 would be a perfect lens given the price and the fact that it is a prime and not a zoom. But few lenses are perfect, so it becomes a matter of the buyer deciding whether the overall performance relative to the price meets your expectations. For me the fringing issue gave serious pause, but the exceptional look and feel of this lens in combination with the overall quality of the shots I've taken have convinced me to keep and treasure it. Next consideration: how much would the image be degraded and fringing increased with a 1.4x teleconverter to produce a 280mm f4.0?

Update (11/11/08): I discovered that it is important to ensure that the auto focus adjustment in the camera (K10 or K20) is properly set for this lens and balanced across all apertures. It appears that apertures of f2.8 through f3.5 tend to shift toward back-focus - at least on my copy. This means that if you are boarderline back-focusing at f4 and higher, but still sharp, you may slide into a back-focus situation under f4 without knowing it, as I was, and images will be slightly fuzzy. This in combination with purple fringing, when it occurs, could result in a foggy-halo effect that I had been seeing in many of my pictures taken in brighter light. Once I curred my slight back-focus, images shot at or near f2.8 are now just about as sharp as those taken at f4 and higher. In resolving the AF adjustment issue with this lens and comparing results between the K10 and K20, I was reminded of what a nice improvement in resolution and noise reduction the K20 is over the K10. But regardless of what Pentax D-SLR you use, this lens will get you truly impressive results.

Update (11/22/08): I tried the Tamron AF 1.4x tele-converter on this lens and was surprised by the quality of the images - no noticeable reduction in sharpness, contrast or color. Purple fringing, when it occurs, is no worse with this TC. I was also pleasantly surprised when I found that the SDM focus system still works, although it tends to hunt for focus just a bit more under lower light conditions. The Tamron AF 1.4x essentially turns this lens into an impressive 280mm f4. So good are the images with the Tamron TC on the DA* 200mm that I no longer have an interest in either the Pentax DA* 300mm f4 or the Sigma 100-300mm f4. While this TC looks to be a perfect match with the DA* 200, interestingly, quick tests with the DA* 50-135 did reveal some degradation in sharpness, contrast and increase in aberrations.

A Performer

Oct 5, 2008

The Pentax DA* 200MM f/2.8 ED IF SDM Lens was quite an upgrade to my relatively small stock of lens. I shoot different photographic seens most of which are sport events in low light conditions. This fast lens excells in those environments in combination with my K20D DSLR. AF speed is remarkable. Clarity is brilliant. I have mostly "keepers" in fast action such as high school football games. The value for dollar makes the Pentax DA* f/2.8 200MM ED IF SDM Lens an outstanding investment in your photography. This lens has taken my game to a new level. The first sport event photo competition I entered I won 1st place with this incredible lens. I currently use this lens for approximately 70% of my shots. If you have the photo bug this lens is a must for you.

pentax DA*200mm f/2.8 lens is great

Nov 17, 2008

This lens is everything I heard it was, fast, sharp very accurate. I highly recommend this lens to anybody ready to upgrade from the kit lenses.

A real disappointment

Sep 5, 2008

I've used this lens for several months, under a lot of different circumstances. It has been a disappointing performer, from its notoriously slow autofocus mechanism, notably in low light situations, to the high amount of purple fringing and longitudinal chromatic aberrations. For general use, the new 55-300mm delivers better image quality at a fraction of the cost, although it's not as fast and is louder.

Pentax smc DA* 200mm f/2.8 ED [IF]SDM Sample Photos

Pentax smc DA* 200mm f/2.8 ED [IF]SDM Accessories

Lens hoods for Pentax smc DA* 200mm f/2.8 ED [IF]SDM

77 mm Filters

77 mm Polarizer Filters

77 mm UV Filters

77 mm Skylight Filters

77 mm Lens Caps

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