> just a quick comparison with the FA 85/1.4 (at 85mm, of > course...). The FA* lens performed a little better, but not that > much.
...which is to be expected, of course, when comparing a zoom with an F* prime... (The above quote is a strong compliment for the A 70-210/4.) My overall favorite, of the few 80-200 and 70-210 Pentax zooms I have used, is in fact the A 70-210/4. (And, I have a LN- copy of the sometimes-touted F 70-201/4-5.6, if anyone's interested...) My impression of the M 80-200/4.5 is that it is also a really good zoom, but it is not ~better~ than the A 70-210/4, and it lacks the (sometimes useful) A electrical contacts and the wider zoom range (70-210, at 3:1, is distinctly wider than 80-210, at 2.5:1). I did not find the F 70-201/4-5.6 to be better than the A 70-210/4, and its variable (and mostly smaller, except at 70mm) aperture does not fit my shooting style. Of course, AF is important to some... Fred
