Pentax manufactures a wide range of lenses for their cameras.
If you've bought a Pentax digital SLR, you might be wondering what types of lenses are available for your camera. Perhaps you have an older film Pentax camera and would like to know if your lenses can be used on a digital camera. No matter your particular situation, as long as you have a Pentax SLR you should be able to get lenses to fit it.
Film Lenses to Digital
If you've got an old Pentax film SLR and have acquired a set of lenses over the years, perhaps you are hesitant to get a digital SLR. You've probably got a lot of money invested in lenses and hate to just let them go to waste. Any type "A" (it will have an "A" setting on the aperture ring) will fit a "K" series Pentax digital SLR camera in manual mode. In addition, any "S" series lenses (they are screw-mount) can be used with an adapter.
DA Star Series
The Pentax DA Star series of lenses are manufactured specifically for Pentax digital SLR cameras. They feature a quiet focus system. They are tightly sealed to be both weather- and dust-resistant. There are currently (as of July 2010) six lenses available in the series. They range from a standard 55mm lens up to 60-250mm zoom lens. In addition, there are two telephoto lenses (200mm and 300mm) in the series.
DA Series
The DA series of lenses are designed to be compact and affordable. They are also made specifically for the Pentax digital SLR cameras. There are 10 models currently available in the DA series. The only one that isn't a zoom lens is the 14mm F2.8, which is a wide-angle lens. There is a wide-angle zoom available and a fish eye zoom lens. The longest zoom in the DA series is the 55-300mm lens. There are two weather-resistant lenses in the series.
DA Limited Series
The DA Limited series is a higher grade of lens than the DA series. They are designed to deliver a higher level of sharpness and image quality. There are currently five lenses in the series. There are no zoom lenses in this series, but there is a macro lens (35mm F2.8). The standard lens in the series is a 40mm one. There are two wide-angle lenses offered and one medium-range telephoto lens.
D FA
The D FA series will work with the 35mm film cameras manufactured by Pentax, but are designed for their digital SLRs. They are designed to prevent lens flares and ghosting. There are currently three lenses in the series. All are macro lenses. One is a 50mm F2.8. The other two are 100mm F2.8. The difference between them is that one of them is built to be weather resistant.
FA Series
The Pentax FA series fills a different need. Those with Pentax film cameras who are shopping for new lenses with the intention to eventually purchase a new digital SLR should probably look at these lenses. They are designed specifically for film cameras, but will work on Pentax digital SLRs. There are four lenses available in the series: a wide angle, two standard lenses and one telephoto.
Tags: Pentax digital, available series, film cameras, lenses available, lenses series, series lenses
