Finally putting formal names and specifications to the two large lenses shown under glass at CES last month, Ricoh has also confirmed that both the HD Pentax-D FA* 70-200mm F2.8ED DC AW and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW will work on full frame cameras – including the DSLR that it’s announced as being under development for release at the end of 2015. The Pentax 70-200mm is designated a ‘Star’ lens, indicating that it offers among the very best image quality of all the company’s optics.
Both lenses feature weatherproof construction, with an array of seals to prevent dust and water ingress. They have in-lens DC focus motors, and a new three-position switch for the ‘Quick Shift’ manual focus system. Alongside a conventional manual ‘M’ mode, QFS/A is an autofocus priority setting that allows manual adjustment after autofocus has been achieved. Meanwhile, QFS/M is a manual focus priority setting that allows the autofocus to be overridden completely by turning the manual focus ring.
The 150-450mm has four AF control buttons, that are arranged every 90° around the barrel for easy use in different shooting orientations. Currently only compatible with the Pentax K-3 DSLR, their precise function is user-assignable, including options to send the lens quickly to a preset focus distance, or to temporarily interrupt continuous AF operation.
Both lenses include plenty of exotic elements, including extra-low dispersion (ED) glass and super-low dispersion glass, to minimise spherical and chromatic aberrations. The 70-200mm features 19 elements in 16 groups, while the 150-450mm has 18 elements in 14 groups. Both are supplied with lens hoods and tripod mounts as standard.
As we saw at CES, they’re sizeable optics too. The 70-200mm measures 9.2cm in diameter and 20.3cm in length, has a 77mm filter thread, and weighs 2.03kg all-in. The 150-450mm is, as you’d expect, even bigger: it’s 9.5cm in diameter, 24.2cm long, has a filter thread of 86mm and weighs 2.33kg including the hood and tripod mount.
Ricoh hasn’t yet given information on availability dates or pricing for either lens.