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Ricoh Announces Pentax 85mm f1.4 Prime
28 May 2020
Ricoh has announced the HD Pentax-D FA*85mm f1.4ED SDM AW lens, the second fixed focal-length lens in its Star lens series. Designed for use with Pentax K-mount dSLR cameras, Star-series lenses boast the highest imaging performance of all Pentax lens lineups.
Pentax developed a new, ring-type Supersonic Direct-drive Motor exclusively for this new lens to enable high-speed autofocus with an exterior design that provides a firm grip for manual focus.
HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights of the new prime include:
- Star series lens
- Three Super Extra-low Dispersion elements
- One glass-molded aspherical element
- High-Definition (HD) lens coating
- Large ring-type SDM
- Dustproof, weather-resistant construction
SPECIFICATIONS
Specifications for the 85mm lens include:
HD PENTAX-D FA*85mm f1.4ED SDM AW LENS SPECIFICATIONS Mount K Mount Focal Length 85mm Aperture f1.4 to f16
9 rounded diaphragm bladesMinimum Focus 2.8 feet Optical Design 12 elements in 10 groups
3 Super Extra-low Dispersion elements
1 aspherical element
HD coatingAutofocus Yes Image Stabilization No Filter Thread 82mm Dimensions 3.73 x 4.87 inches Weight 2.77 lbs. PRICE, AVAILABILITY
Pentax said the 85mm f1.4 lens will be available in mid-June for a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $1,899.95.
For more information see the news release below.
Ricoh Announces HD Pentax-D FA*85mm f1.4ED SDM AW for K-mount dSLR Cameras
Second fixed focal-length model added to next-generation, high-performance Star lens series
PARSIPPANY, N.J. -- Ricoh Imaging Americas Corp. has announced the HD Pentax-D FA*85mm f1.4ED SDM AW lens, the second fixed focal-length lens in the new-generation Pentax Star (*) lens series. Designed for use with Pentax K-mount dSLR cameras, Star-series lenses boast the highest imaging performance of all Pentax lens lineups.
Pentax developed a new, ring-type SDM (Supersonic Direct-drive Motor) exclusively for this new lens to enable flawless, high-speed autofocus operation, with an exterior design that assures a firm grip for manual-focus operation. The HD Pentax-D FA*85mm f1.4ED SDM AW lens is designed not only to assure the highest imaging power currently possible, but also to optimize the joy of picture-taking.
The new lens incorporates three Super ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass optical elements to effectively minimize chromatic aberration and a glass-molded aspherical optical element to effectively compensate for spherical and chromatic aberrations and field curvature to deliver extra-clear, high-contrast images with edge-to-edge sharpness, even at open aperture. This design also reduces distortion to nearly zero at a focusing distance of four meters to deliver well-defined, distortion-free images over the entire focusing range, from the minimum focusing distance to infinity.
The HD Pentax-D FA*85mm f1.4ED SDM AW lens boasts an f1.4 maximum aperture, useful with many different subjects in a range of applications, including portraiture with an effectively defocused background, handheld shooting of indoor scenes and scenic photography. The extra-large aperture produces a bright, clear viewfinder image that will surely inspire photographic creativity and imagination.
Developed as an AW (All Weather) model, the new lens features dustproof, weather-resistant construction with eight special seals to prevent the intrusion of water into the lens barrel. When paired with a dustproof, weather-resistant Pentax dSLR camera body, it assures a durable, reliable digital imaging system that performs superbly in demanding shooting settings -- even in rain or mist or at locations prone to water splashes or spray.
Pricing and Availability
The HD Pentax-D FA*85mm f1.4ED SDM AW lens will be available in mid-June at http://www.us.ricoh-imaging.com as well as at Ricoh Imaging-authorized retail outlets for a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $1899.95.
Main Features
1. New-generation, high-performance Star-series lens to deliver ideal image quality
Anticipating the further advancement of SLR camera bodies in the future, Pentax has designed this lens to deliver extra-clear, high-contrast images with edge-to-edge sharpness by compensating various aberrations to a minimum, while greatly enhancing resolving power -- two factors absolutely essential in the next-generation Star series. It provides exceptionally high imaging performance even at open aperture, a beautiful bokeh (defocus) effect and outstanding image rendition at close ranges -- all reasons why it produces high-quality, well-defined images. It also boasts an extra-large f1.4 maximum aperture, useful with many different subjects in a range of applications, including portraiture with an effectively defocused background, handheld shooting of indoor scenes and scenic photography. It helps the camera to produce a bright, clear viewfinder image that will inspire the photographer's creativity and imagination.
2. State-of-the-art optical technology
This lens incorporates three Super ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass optical elements to effectively minimize chromatic aberration and a glass-molded aspherical optical element to effectively compensate for spherical and chromatic aberrations and field curvature to deliver extra-clear, high-contrast images with edge-to-edge sharpness, even at open aperture. It also reduces distortion to nearly zero at a focusing distance of four meters to deliver well-defined, distortion-free images over the entire focusing range, from the minimum focusing distance to infinity. This lens is also treated with high-grade, multi-layer High-Definition Coating, which reduces average reflectance in the visible ray spectrum to less than 50 percent of conventional multi-layer coatings, effectively reducing flare and ghost images to a minimum even in demanding lighting conditions such as backlighting.
3. Newly designed, large ring-type SDM
To deliver the highest image quality possible over the entire focusing range -- from the minimum focusing distance to infinity -- this lens features a newly designed, large ring-type SDM to efficiently drive the focusing mechanism, which consists of a larger number of optical elements than ordinary lenses and is required to shift heavy rear-optical-element groups in unison. Generating a torque approximately 1.3 times that of the unit installed in the HD Pentax-D FA*50mm f1.4 SDM AW, this new SDM assures flawless, high-speed autofocus operation.
4. Dustproof, weather-resistant construction
Developed as an AW (All Weather) model, this lens features a dependable dustproof, weather-resistant construction with eight special seals to prevent the intrusion of water into the lens barrel. When paired with a dustproof, weather-resistant Pentax dSLR camera body, it assures a durable, reliable digital imaging system that performs superbly in demanding shooting conditions -- even in rain or mist or at locations prone to water splashes or spray.
5. Other features
Nine-blade, round-shaped diaphragm to produce a natural, beautiful bokeh (defocus) effect up to the f2.8 aperture setting, while minimizing the streaking effect of point light sources
Exterior design that facilitates focus-ring operation in manual-focus shooting and provides a firm hold
Electromagnetic diaphragm-control mechanism for flawless, high-precision exposure control during video recording
SP (Super Protect) coating to keep the front surface free of dust and spots