Sigma 180mm f3.5 EX DG APO Macro IF Lens

[baltochef920]

I have been trying to locate one of these lenses for about 4 months now with zero success..

Does anyone on the forum know if this lens has actually been produced in a Pentax mount??

They seem to be almost as rare as the FA 200mm f4 Macro ED IF..

Thanks, Bruce

[snostorm]

Hi Bruce,

I think that the DG model, and just about all the models for the mount are being delayed for the release of final production DA* zooms so the AF protocols can be reverse engineered to be incorporated into HSM models for Sigma. This is just a guess on my part, but I think it makes sense -- Sigma could become the preferred mfg for a lot of Pentax owners by introducing a whole line of HSM lenses for the mount, making them the "top of the line" for those wanting lenses with onboard motors.

Personally, If I were in the market for a long dedicated macro, I'd probably at least try the pre-DG, and if I didn't run into any digital ghosts (the majority of problems with non-digital optimized lenses seem to be a central light spot on some exposures, with some lenses, usually with flash), then I'd just stick with it, doing a lot of testing before the return deadline. It depends on just how you work, but most seem to prefer MF for macro work, so the AF performance is usually not a top priority.

But of course, YMMV.

Scott

[danielchtong]

baltochef920 wrote:

I have been trying to locate one of these lenses for about 4 months now with zero success..

Does anyone on the forum know if this lens has actually been produced in a Pentax mount??

They seem to be almost as rare as the FA 200mm f4 Macro ED IF..

Thanks, Bruce

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/re...ssage=19212933

It was in production and like all autofocus Pentax (or equivalent), all out of stock.

I recall I was looking at that direction before I got my FA100mm macro 2.8

Daniel

[NonEntity1]

Interesting question, I had wondered the same thing. Scott's theory seems to make sense, hopefully Sigma is waiting to unleash a slew of HSM lenses for Pentax.

Tim

[baltochef920]

Thank you Scott & Daniel

What are the choices in non-digital 150-200mm macro lenses for Pentax??

Other then the extremely rare FA 200mm f4 Macro ED IF??

I only asked about the Sigma as it seems to be the only choice near the 200mm focal length currently being manufactured..

Bruce