50mm 1:1.2 - SMCP-K v SMCP-A ?

I have the K (Pre M) version of this remarkable lens. Is there any significant improvement to be gained by my aquiring the SMCP-A version for use with Pentax DSLR's and occasional use on my MZ-S.

The K version is heavy and the A version allows a little better control from the camera.

Is there anything I've missed? Do I really need to fork out £400 for the A version (minus whatever I can get for the K version)? Are the images going to be noticeably better?

As far as I know, the optical configuration is the same. The A lens will be more convenient on the digital bodies, but the quality will be the same.

Thanks John. I'll probably stick with my K lens then. It's not so difficult to use on the D. Cheers.

I tend to use this lens wide-open for soft portraits with tiny DOF. When it's wide-open you can use it in Av mode and get correct exposures automatically.

If you're not going to use it wide-open there is not a lot of point in having it! I know focussing is slightly easier because it's slightly brighter than a 1.4 lens, but this is seldom significant in practice.

G