HD Pentax D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6ED DC AW lens becomes official

Ricoh has introduced its second telephoto zoom lens of the day aimed at Pentax K-mount full frame DSLR cameras in the body of the HD Pentax D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6ED DC AW lens.

In anticipation of the CP+ Camera & Photo Imaging Show 2015, Ricoh has confirmed the development of a Pentax-branded DSLR camera with a full frame sensor and support for K-mount lenses.

Moreover, the Japan-based company has introduced the HD Pentax D FA 70-200mm f/2.8ED DC AW lens, which has been designed for the aforementioned camera type.

Now, a second optic aimed at such DSLRs is official. It consists of the HD Pentax D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6ED DC AW lens, which is a super-telephoto zoom optic with numerous features.

Ricoh has unveiled the Pentax D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6ED DC AW lens for Pentax K-mount DSLR cameras with full frame sensors.

HD Pentax D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6ED DC AW lens announced for Pentax K-mount cameras

It may have been created to cover full frame image sensors, but the HD Pentax D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6ED DC AW lens is also compatible with APS-C-sized cameras. When mounted on such devices, it will offer a 35mm focal length equivalent of 230-690mm.

Ricoh says that this is a super-telephoto zoom lens that has been designed for professional photographers who are into wildlife photography. Nevertheless, it will offer great value to aircraft and sports photographers as well.

The lens comes with three Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) elements and a single Super-Low Dispersion element in order to reduce chromatic and spherical aberration. Additionally, color bleeding is minimized, so the images will turn out very sharp.

The lens comes with an HD Coating consisting of multiple layers, which will provide improved light transmittance while cutting down reflections to keep ghosting and flare under control.

There are four autofocus buttons on this super-telephoto zoom lens

The HD Pentax D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6ED DC AW lens is a weather-resistant optic, meaning that it is both dustproof and splashproof.

Ricoh has added four autofocus buttons to the product’s barrel. It appears that there is one AF button at every 90 degrees, so that users can autofocus with ease regardless of the lens’ position. However, it is worth noting that only the Pentax K-3 can take full advantage of all four buttons for the time being.

Just like the new 70-200mm f/2.8 model, the HD Pentax D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6ED DC AW lens features a Quick-Shift Focus system. This mechanism gives users the possibility to switch to manual focusing as soon as the autofocus system has focused on the subject.

The manufacturer has confirmed that the 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 lens will become available for $2,499.95 as of March 2015.