In fairness, David, you are comparing premium modern lenses with everyday lenses from the '80s. The FA* 28-70 and FA* 80-200 would be much more evenly matched, but they are hard to find, and expensive when you do. That's because they are still good by modern standards.

G
PS: In my earlier post I omitted to mention the FA* 28-200. It is of course a superb lens.
PPS: Ebay is listing several FA* lenses. The shorter ones go for over £500, and the longer for over £800.

Funny. I thought that when you wrote the following:
"Weight can also equal stability, and for many situations that is a valuable plus. Why not add the battery grip? That may in fact create a better experience with the big lens due to better grip and balancing."
you were saying that the additional weight of the grip was helpful. I obviously misunderstood.

It seems that for you the small size and weight of the Pentax, which many of us treasure, is actually a disadvantage. That's a shame, but we shouldn't expect one size to fit all. Perhaps there is a 645D in your future.

I agree that most of the mid-range zooms weren't up to much. In fact, zooms in general were fairly thin on the ground until the late 1990s. But there were three exceptions:

The first (often bundled with the early AF cameras) was the Pentax-F 70-210 1:4-5.6. The second was the (even better but heavier and not AF of course) Pentax-A 70-210 1:4. And the last was the Pentax-M 75-150 1:4.

Everything else in the 70/80-200/210 area should be avoided like the plague.

G

Very well done. I always loved that Puffin shot, and the others are great too.

G

Vic,

My post was intended to be light-hearted, and I was referring to people on Internet forums generally, not just this one. So please don't take it personally. I am sure your comments were well-founded.

I would just note in passing, however, that often on this forum there has been criticism of Pentax (irrespective of owner) for not turning up at all at a show. So when they do turn up, perhaps we should give them encouragement. Carrots often work better than sticks.

Cheers

G

I know that's your theory. And that of other grip fans.

So what do you do when you attach an even heavier lens than the Sigma (which weighs around 1,400 gms)?

The FA* 250-600 weighs over 5 kilos. If we follow your logic, we should attach 3 kilos to the bottom of the camera (if you can afford the lens, you can probably afford to use Krugerrands for this) in order to "balance it". Then there's the A* 1200 at 8 kilos. Add a few more Krugers.

Obviously this would be absurd, but it does suggest that your approach is flawed.

The problem, I think, is your concept of balance. According to you, the centre of gravity of body and lens has to be at or close to the edge of the camera. But why? Why does it matter where it is? You have two hands (I hope) and can hold the lens wherever you like.

I can understand that people with hands like bears' paws (or Antarctic explorers with heavy gloves) might prefer to use a 6x7, or a Canon, but I still don't get the point about "balance".

My heaviest lens is an ancient brass 400mm. With that on the camera, the centre of gravity is about ten inches in front of the body. But is it unbalanced? Not in my book. It's just that the balance is further away.

Your solution is especially inappropriate because the heavier the lens, the more weight you want to add to the kit, which I think makes no sense at all. What you should be doing is reducing the total weight, unless you want to end up with forearms like a gorilla. So, if you normally use a grip, I would suggest you take it OFF when using a heavy lens.

I know this is heresy in the eyes of those who have bought grips, but you must admit it's logical.

Have you any more news on this?

G

I am replying to this a bit late, but why would existing K-Mount lens makers have to sign a new contract?

G

It's understandable that those who have experienced a focus motor issue are wary of the lens, but those who haven't generally seem to be impressed. I think it's a super lens.

G

I suggest you ask on a US website.

And good luck, but I don't hold out much hope.

G