A Cheap Combination: the SMC Pentax-FA 80-200mm 1:4.7-5.6 plus the Pentax K10D

Cost for lens: $29.99 (average market price 55.80$)
Cost for K10D: average market price 100$, but can be found for as low as 40$)

As this is a true Pentax auto-focus lens, I thought it to be a good occasion to find my old Pentax K10D in a drawer, charge the batteries and take it out for a spin. The K10D was introduced on 2006, so we are shooting with 12 year old digital camera. Will it be able to hold up?

The K10D was the first DSLR from Pentax with a sensor higher then 10 megapixels (10.2 MP) and introduced then advanced features such as in-camera Shake Reduction and Dust Removal. It won several awards in the year it was released. The in camera Shake Reduction is useful with older or cheaper lenses that have no build in Anti-Shake. Even todays some DSLR's do not have that feature yet.

It was actually a lot of fun to take this combination out. I have been shooting manual for the last 2 years, not owning any native lenses for my Sony a6000, so the auto focus made for a more relaxed shooting experience. Next time, I will take out my wife's old K20D.

The Pentax-FA 80-200 is a good looking lens, with little weight for this range. But to achieve the low weight, they used all plastic, including the mount, giving a cheap feeling. The finish is not to bad though, and the lens works pretty smooth. When using manual aperture, I do miss the velvety smooth feel of the older Pentax lenses.

With an aperture of 4.7 to 5.6, it is not a fast lens, so mainly for daylight shooting, or up that ISO. Auto-focus was OK for a camera-lens combination of this age. As I'm not used shooting auto-focus with my Sony, I can't really compare. But it felt good, reminding me of my film days.

A little disappointing in the image quality, and I don't believe it was due to the limited number of pixels of the K10D. It just lacked sharpness... not that uncommon for zooms with such a range from that period. Colors are good, with little color fringing. Bokeh is OK, but nothing special.

So, not the best in today's standards, but as you can get this combination on eBay for under 100$, it's really not that bad. If you have a very low budget, but would like to start playing with a DSLR, this is not a bad combination, but maybe start with a cheap 50mm prime lens first.

Lens Specification

Focal Length: 80-200mm
Maximum Aperture: F4.7-5.6
Minimum Aperture: F32
Image Format: 35mm
Lens Mount: Pentax K
Optics: 11 elements in 7 groups
Blades: 8
Focussing: Auto Focus
Minimum Focus: 110cm
Filter Size: 49
Weight: 270g
Length: 110mm
Production: 1999 to 2004
Serial Number: 6343354
Made in: Taiwan

More information on Pentax

Samples:

1/500 sec - f/11 - 88mm -  ISO400 - Handheld

1/800 sec - f/8 - 80mm - ISO400 - Handheld

1/800 sec - f/9.5 - 113mm -  ISO400 - Handheld

1/800 sec - f/8 - 200mm -  ISO400 - Handheld

1/800 sec - f/11 - 200mm -  ISO400 - Handheld

1/800 sec - f/8 - 180mm -  ISO400 - Handheld

1/500 sec - f/8 - 200mm -  ISO400 - Handheld

1/500 sec - f/11 - 128mm -  ISO400 - Handheld

1/500 sec - f/4.5 - 128mm -  ISO400 - Handheld

1/1600 sec - f/5.6 - 128mm -  ISO400 - Handheld

1/1600 sec - f/5.6 - 93mm -  ISO400 - Handheld

1/60 sec - f/11 - 143mm -  ISO400 - Handheld

Sources:

Wikipedia: Pentax

Pentaxforums

About a kit lens: Minolta AF Zoom 28-80mm 1:3.5-5.6 D

Cost: $6.99 (average market price 20$)

I was for sure hesitating to grab this lens when I saw it at a local thrift store, as it was clearly yet another cheap kit lens. But, heck for $6.99, I did not have to hesitate to long. And I was pleasantly surprised. It's a super light lens, all made of plastic including the mount, but in contrast with other similar lenses, it actually feels well constructed.

It's very smooth in use, and event the manual focus was easy to use for a more recent auto focus lens. Do note that this lens does not have an aperture ring, so you do have to use an adapter that allows you to set the aperture on the adapter.

Image quality is nothing special, but also not to bad for a kit lens. Not very sharp beyond F8, but pleasant colors and a nice focal range for a walk around lens. I kind of liked it, but it's not as good as some of my stars in this range.

Cheap, good colors.. not to bad. If you need a lens when you want reasonable pictures, but would not mind if the lens gets damaged or lost, this is the one to take with you. Not bad for a kit lens. 

"D": The "D" marked it as usable with advanced TTL flash control capabilities (ADI) of cameras like the Minolta Dynax 5.

"AF": Lens has the capability for auto focus on compatible camera's

Lens Specification

Focal Length: 28-80mm
Maximum Aperture: F3.5-5.6
Minimum Aperture: F22-38
Image Format: 35mm
Lens Mount: Minolta AF
Optics: 8 elements in 7 groups
Blades: 7
Focussing: Auto Focus
Minimum Focus: 40cm
Filter Size: 55
Weight: 186g
Length: 68mm
Production: 2001
Serial Number: 01215470
Made in: Japan

More information on Minolta

Samples

1/1250 sec - ISO 400 - Handheld

1/500 sec - ISO 400 - Handheld

1/500 sec - ISO 400 - Handheld

1/320 sec - ISO 100 - Handheld

1/100 sec - ISO 100 - Handheld

1/250 sec - ISO 100 - Handheld

Sources:
Camerapedia.wikia.com
Dyxum.com