Barry - Pentax forte for some time was macro lenses. Lots of other good glass, but macro seemed to be an area where they really did things just right to get a superior product. (Others would argue that their 77-85 range is equally good; I would have a hard time disputing that claim. The 50mm lenses have been another special niche.) I have had substantial experience with the M (or was it A?) 50/4.0 and the A 50/2.8. And the M 100/4.0, and the A 100/2.8, and FA100/2.8 and the DA 100/2.8. And the FA* 200/4. Not many of the later were produced, those of us who own them are not likely to let them go. But if you should find one available, run, do not walk, to the nearest bank to arrange a third mortgage, or sell your car, or otherwise rearrange your finances as needed to be able to buy it. Any of the 100mm plus 2x should also do the trick, but you will degrade the image somewhat. Any of the 200 or 300mm lenses, with a short tube to bring the close focus point nearer will do ok, but you won't get the Pentax macro quality and you will lose autofocus. I think the most realistic option is to go for the DA 100/2.8 which is on the market and will give good results.
(If you can live with manual focus, my A 100/2.8 is on my to-be-sold list. If a DA* 200 came along I might let go of the FA*, but for now it is on my to-be-buried-with-me list.) stan On Apr 22, 2008, at 5:48 PM, Barry Rice wrote: > > Hey Folks, > > My wife is becoming increasingly interested in photography of flighty, > skittish, and sometimes dangerous animals, such as butterflies, > reptiles, > and snakes. I realized that the ideal lens for her would be > something like a > 200 mm 1:1 macro. Even better would be if it were autofocus. > > Is there anything like this that would fit her *istDs? Or are we in a > fantasy land that I couldn't afford? Currently she uses my 90mm > Tamron, but > can't quite get close enough with that lens. > > Cheers > > Barry > > > Barry A. Rice, Ph.D. > Invasive Species Specialist > Invasive Species Team > The Nature Conservancy > V: 530-754-8891 > http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above > and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
