AAAH...very confused

I'm new to pentax kit and am looking to buy a *istD SLR, however in looking for suitable lenses i seem to come across many many different mounts and "systems"

645, 67, ES, PAF, PFA, PK and PKA - thats the list from the Jessops website.

I really dont know what ones are modern and what ones are old, and also what is suitable for the *istD.

Any help and advice would be greatfully recieved

Why don't you nip over to
http://www.pentaxcanada.com/support/manual_download.php
and download the user manual?

AFAIK, all K lenses will fit (without any adapter) and can be made to work but you'd be best to stick to lenses including an A in the designation. (extracted from page 144 of the manual).

First, forget the 645 and 67 lenses, which are intended for medium format.

The ideal lenses for the *istD will be marked FA-J. These have no aperture rings and are designed specifically for the *ist cameras.

In addition, any FA designated lenses will be fully useable and retain autofocus.

Any A series lenses will be useable but are manual focus.

Eerlier lenses can be fitted, with limited functionality.

Hope that helps a little...

I'm newly back in the Pentax fold so there is a gap in my knowledge but I don't believe the FAJ lenses were designed expressly for the *ist D, AIUI the 'circle' will cover a full 35mm frame and J lenses (not the 18-35) appeared some time before the *ist D.

The first 'digital only' lens has just arrived, though not yet in the UK, and is a 16-45 which won't cover a full 35mm frame. Whether that leads to economies remains to be seen.

My impression is that J series lenses are all 'cheap and tacky', if not in performance then at the very least in terms of build quality. They help my rounded shoulders though.

The FA-J lenses were designed for *ist cameras in that they do not have aperture rings, and this is the way the *ist and *istD work by default.

However, you are quite right that there will shortly be some specific digital lenses designed to cover the smaller format (FA-D?) but I didn't want to over-complicate the post.

Thats a great help, cheers guys.

One thing though - wont these news Digital specific lenses have a bit of a problem if Pentax then produce a "full frame 35mm" digital camera?

They would; and it's probably the ultimate proof that they have no intention of moving to full frame.

I am sure Malcolm is right.
As technology improves, chip densities will increase, and there will be no need for 35mm-sized chips in order to get very high resolutions. Sony already has an 8MP camera which has a smaller chip than the *ist D.
Just to add to the above, the FAJ lenses were surely designed for the MZ30, 50 and 60.
In fact, the best advice on which lenses to buy is to avoid K and M lenses if you have one of these cameras, or the *ist. The *ist D, however, now works reasonably well with these older lenses, and the Ms are so cheap compared with a new (and less well-made) lens, that it is madness to avoid them.

Just to fill in a quick bit of extra things (slightly off topic, but relevant)...

Full frame CCDs are a nightmare to make. You have to literally grow a piece of perfect silicon crystal big enough. Not surprisingly the yield rate is very low, and the costs very very high. That's why you need a few thousand quid spare for a full frame DLSR. I don't expect Pentax will make a full frame DSLR (they already did a prototype and ditched it).

On the other hand, the smaller you make the CCD, and the more pixels you cram in, the more subject the silicon is to noise. Image noise becomes a real pain.

The *istD frame size is a nice compromise, and is going to be around a while given the newer lenses.

The FAJ lenses work on the *ist (film) as well as the *istD (digital).
The newest DA lenses work only on the *istD (image circle is too small for 35mm). I'm about to get the 16-45mm as soon as it's in stock

The SMC-FA and SMC-F are really nice lenses, and you can pick them up second hand very cheaply (I've got the wonderful 100mm/f2.8 macro, the 50mm/f1.7, and the excellent 28mm/f2.8 in SMC-F for the *istD). The trouble is a lot of camera shops just classify "Pentax AF", with no further information. So, before buying get as much info as you can (e.g. the F series will be marked "SMC Pentax-F" on the side).

Matt

Did you get yours Matt? Mine arrived from Park Cameras (nearly four weeks after placing the order) on Monday morning - just as you were making your post. It still feels rather plasticy compared to my old M lenses but the wide angle extension is rather impressive. Not perhaps as impressive as the bulge of my 15mm.

Malcolm,

Yes Park rang Tuesday so I whizzed up and snaffled it
I don't mind the build so much - it's not as plasticy as the Pentax 28-70/f4 I had on my MZ5. But the build is not as nice as the SMC-F primes, IMHO. However, it's got a very positive feel to it, and it's nice and light.

Only real niggle is the lens cap. You just can't clip it on and off when the petal hood is on. Have to replace it with a Hama cap that has centre squeeze buttons.

Optics, needless to say, are just lovely - but then I don't need to tell you that!! Here's a shot with it: "High Rise"

Yes, the wide angle is great to have back. I even tried putting it on my Z1 and was surprised there was not that much vignetting. I shall hopefully be putting it through its paces this weekend...

Matt