100mm f/2.8

One of my favourite and most used lenses is my M series 100mm f/2.8. Small, light, soft in a nice portrait friendly way wide open, sharp when stopped down just a little.

I noticed an A series version on ebay which is optically the same as the M series just more convenient in use. Blow me down with a feather but it sold for £230... Admittedly, the M series is much more common but I hadn't expected that!

K.

Yes, the SMC Pentax-M 100mm f2.8 is one of my favourites as well. It's unfortunate that the A version is relatively rare and goes for very high prices, as we can see!

I've got an A50 f2.8 Macro, and it's an absolute gem of a lens. From a purely optical point of view when comparing it with my other lenses, even without AF, I'd say it was worth £200+ - though I know they go for less than this.

If the A100 is of comparable quality, and given it's greater utility as a macro lens (I use my A50 more for general purpose), I can kind of understand why someone might shell out £230 if it was a good copy. Especially given the recent inflation in Pentax optics (old and new).

The lens we're talking about isn't a macro lens but a standard 100mm. It's light, compact and excellent and perfect for a variety of subjects from portraits to landscapes.

Ah, my mistake. Was the A series 100m the last non-macro Pentax made at this focal length?

I'd have to check to make 100% sure, but I think ehwn zooms came in and took over the F series may have only had a 135mm.

I'm not entirely surprised by the price. The M series version seems to go for around £100-£150 and the A will naturally be rarer as people had started to move to zooms (at least for telephoto lenses) by the time they were released.

I nearly bought one a few months ago and now wish I had, as they seem to have settled at the £150 mark rather than the £90 or so they went for then. Recession? Not amongst people buying Pentax lenses apparently!

Womble...about seven or so years back when I traded lots on fleabay even back then, I had an SMC-A 100/2.8 near mint which I sold for about £160, so the £200+ current price seems to follow inflation.

I shall take extra care with my M 100 then! It is a lens a rarely leave behind.

K.