Summary: As many other users have pointed out, the Pentax FA 80320 has decent sharpness and unmatched color rendition at F8-11 from 80-200mm. Small aperture and limited low light performance is a given at this price point. However, I found it perfect for travel or outdoor snapshooting with its compact (fully retracted) and unobtrusive profile. I use it routinely with a 58mm Sony M3358 achromatic close-up lens for brilliant macro shots. IMHO the FA 80320 has better optics than FA 100300, FA 80200 and FA 70200. When used in a Pentax DSLR, the newer DA 50200 pulls ahead with a better CA and fringing control. Still, the 80320 represents the best value in the Pentax lineup if you need a low cost, fine quality tele-zoom. Since I seldom make prints larger than 8X10, this fine lens is all I need in this focal range.
Strengths: Unmatched color rendition and flare control (classic "Pentax aura")
In a DSLR, the 320mm has extra "reach" that makes a difference in some shots
Image quality, contrast and tonality very pleasant at 80-200mm from F8-11
Usable indoor with a flash, high ISO and/or SR
Unbeatable value if you buy second-hand
Weaknesses: Rough bokeh
Zoom creep
Average build quality
At 250-320mm, image is quite soft and lacks contrast in prints 8X10 or larger
Similar Products Used: Pentax FA 100-300
Pentax FA 80-200
Pentax FA 70-200
Sigma APO 70-300
Summary: This is the best lens in it s class i ever used. The optical performance amazed me from the first shots. Wide opened, it is a little soft and vulnerable to vignetting ( as any zoom...) but stopped down at f8, it s color rendition, contrast and definition of the image willl be very good. Avoid using it at 320mm, where the image quality decreases significantly. Fixed on a Slik Able 300ST tripod and a Pentax Z1 camera, at this focal length i obtained quite soft images even stopped down to f16. But i am sure that any zoom in this class will not perform better ( excepting, maybe, the legendary AF Nikkor 75-300mm f 4,5 -5,6, that i did not use). The Pentax coating seems to be at it s best, too...just minor flare problems. Some people may be disappointed by the mechanical quality. Indeed, as many Pentax consumer zooms, it could be built better. The 58mm filter mount is plastic made...and vulnerable.
Considering the concurrent lenses, i rate it 5 stars. Anyway, don t try to compare it s results to those of the pro 2,8 telezooms.
Strengths: Optical quality.
Weaknesses: Built quality.
Similar Products Used: Canon EF 70-300mm f 4-5,6 USM
Sigma AF 70-300mm f 4-5,6 Macro
AF Nikkor 70-300mm f 4-5,6 G
Summary: I have been shooting Insects (Dragonflies), Birds (Green and Great Blue Heron), and Animals (Cheetah, Tiger, Zebra, Eland, Giraffe). I also have an 80-210mm zoom which had been performing beautifully, but the 80-320mm Pentax lens extends the range very significantly with excellent definition throughout the zoom range.
I read other photographers comments about falloff in definition above 250mm, and initially believed it myself when I was shooting at 1/350 second. Then I realized that shooting it on my Pentax *ist DS gave me a field of view equivalent to a 480mm lens on a 35mm film camera. When I stabilized the lens on a tripod/monopod and/or pushed the shutter speed up over 1/750-1/1000 second the definition was there all the way out to 320mm.
I am mounting 13"x19" prints made on a Canon i9900 printer and displayng them for sale as limited edition signed prints. I am able to crop out 20-25% shooting at ISO 200 and still make a print 13"x19".
Strengths: I can shoot a dragonfly 5' away at 320mm, and not disturb the insect using full sun or fill flash.
The lens is a perfect lens for wildlife to retain shooting distance and permit me to stalk a Green Heron for instance and get a sequence of exposures without flushing the bird.
The reach of the lens has let me get shots I hadn't noticed until I began to use it as a monocular and pickup game I had missed visually.
I was considerably less impressed with the mechanical ruggedness and "feel" of third party lenses which had very high ratings, and " supersonic or hypersonic" focus motors.
The Pentax 80-320mm lens produced pictures which I enlarged and found equivalent to similar focal-length zooms, and had a longer maximum focal length than any I found.
I have shot almost into the sun without any form of lens shade and the lens is not as sensitive to flare as many are with lens hoods.
Weaknesses: I can't argue with a "non-macro" 80-320mm zoom which focusses to 4.9', but I woldn't mind having a macro capability.
I like the fine manual focus capability, but the lens does take a moment to pull focus if it begins to hunt the wrong way for autofocus.
The outer barrel cover is plastic, but the lens feels good mechanically.
Similar Products Used: I have used an 80-210mm Promaster (private-labelled Tamron) with excellent results and still like the lens. The Pentax has it covered and then some from one end of the zoom to the other so I rarely mount the lens or carry it any more. I have an older Lietz series 7 Elpro close-up lens I used extensively with the Promaster, but I use it much less now with the Pentax.
I would recommend the low-cost and light weight of the Promaster-Tamron 80-210mm if it has enough reach for the photographer.
Customer Service: The lens has a reassuring feel every time I use it. I purchased it used on excellent condition with the original Pentax box, and I have had no reason to consider service.
Summary: A convenient zoom range in a slightly awkward package. This lens is fairly sharp, has good contrast, and delivers a fantastic telephoto zoom range. It is softer than I hoped for at 320mm, and suffers from zoom creep so bad that you can't just hang it around your neck between shots.
Strengths: Very convenient telephoto zoom range.
Sharp optics. Low flare for a consumer tele zoom. Compact size for this type of zoom, when stored in its smallest setting. Pretty good contrast. Decent build quality for a consumer zoom.
Weaknesses: Zoom creep is so inconvenient it makes me think twice about bringing the lens along when I go out for the day of shooting. If you point the lens straight down, it will creep out to 320mm, and becomes about two feet long. But what can I say, in every other way the lens exceeds the average for consumer telephoto zooms. It's a good lens for any mid to high end amature.
Similar Products Used: Pentax 80-200 FA f/4.7-5.6
Pentax 100-300 FA f/4.5-5.6
Pentax 28-200 FA f/3.5-6.4
Rating Reviewed by: Pavel M(Unregistered User)
(Intermediate)
Review Date April 22, 2002
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for More than 1 year
Visitors rate this review 4.67 of 5,
6 votes
Review 5 of 13
Price Paid:
$252.00
Summary: I bought this lens just to be able to take pictures of Sukhoys and MIGs in the air at MAXX annual air show near Moscow. I hardly expected any outstanding results from a consumer zoom of that price. The more impressed was I with the prints! Moreover, this lens keeps delivering its small surprises even now, when I have been using it for about a year already. I can not figure out, how Asahi Optical managed to make a consumer zoom with such a low price tag and high picture quality.
Strengths: Surprisingly good picture quality in terms of sharpness and saturation. Quite sharp even wide-open, with a slight loss in contrast at 320 mm. Outstanding performance at f/8-11. Bright enough to stop it down to these settings and get a sufficiently short shutter speed to avoid the shake effect
Weaknesses: Plastic all over, except for the mount. A noticeable play in the lens barrel (it never affected the picture quality, though). The focusing ring turns too easily when focusing manually. Autofocus is actually fast but it may take time to autofocus due to a long focusing ring travel (which is good, however, for manual focusing)
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