Pentax A Star Series Telephotos
While there are more modern equivalent lenses from Pentax, I prefer the A series line of telephoto lenses from the 1980s. The build quality of these lenses is extraordinary, being of aluminium construction. This makes them a little heavier than the FA and DA line of lenses and of course they won't offer auto-focus, but considering how shallow the depth of field becomes when using a telephoto lens, I have found auto-focus to be mainly a nuisance.
Here is a Pentax K-7 Silver camera with my A*300/2.8. This lens is still light enough to use handheld, but it is a heavy lens at 3kg. These lenses were available via special order from the mid 1980s through to the end of the 90s.
Here is a picture taken with a K5 and the A*300 @ f8 ISO800. (Click on the picture for a larger size)
Here we have an A*600/5.6. While I don't know this to be true, I've always thought of the A*600 as a modified, slightly lengthened A*300. I had owned the A*300 and the A*1200 before receiving the A*600, and had presumed it would be sized somewhere between the two, but it's really quite small, not being that much larger than the A*300.
As you can see in the photo, the lens is very front heavy, to the point where it is almost unusable when attached to a tripod via the tripod mount.
Placing the lens on a tripod via a Manfrotto "Long Lens Support" helps balance the lens, but now there is an issue with lateral balance, especially when used with a ball head tripod mount.
Here is the A*600 mounted on my Wimberley Gimbal II head. I've used a fairly long Wimberley arca swiss plate to get the lens back far enough to balance the load. This is the best setup for using this lens, and usable for tracking moving objects.
The A*600 still can't be moved back far enough to fully balance the lens due to the lens coming into contact with the mount if pushed back too far. It is however very close to being balanced and very usable.
The drawback to this setup is the weight from the Gimbal and the larger tripod. I've walked for hours with the other tripod setups, placing the lens on my shoulder, but I wouldn't be able to go very far with this setup.
Hummingbird in December - Victoria, BC, Canada
Camera: Pentax K-5 ISO 3200 / Lens: A*600 @ f8 (click on the photo for a larger size)
Here is a A*600 but this time for a medium format camera (the 645 / 645d). This lens is very nicely balanced and very nice to use. There are variations to this lens during the production run with this one equipped with a lens hood that slides out in 2 pieces.
This is the largest (and my favorite) lens I own.....the Pentax SMCP-A* 1200/8 ED-IF. It is a beast of a lens but produced nicely coloured and incredibly sharp pictures.
This is not an easy lens to use, with the slightest movement or vibration being amplified by the focal length. The depth of field is reduced to 1 cm, (half an inch) or less when used at f8, which means that a birds eye can be in focus but it's beak with be blurred. Good luck getting a sharp shot if the bird moves, which of course they always do.Pentax1200mmA120012008EDIFPentax 1200Pentax A1200Pentax 1200mm
Goldstream in November just after the fall salmon run - K5 - A*1200. This is a protected area so although there are dozens (hundreds) of eagles that migrate here to feed before winter, the public lookout area is a long ways away from where the birds are located. There are 1.4x and 2x converters designed for this lens which, when combines with the crop from an aps-c camera really brings the birds in close.
Another shot of the A*1200/8. One drawback is the attention this lens draws. I enjoy chatting with folks, but not so much the "rubber necking" it causes when I'm out trying to quietly and inconspicuously take wildlife shots.
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