Pentax releases its first-ever weatherproof macro lens

PENTAX-D FA MACRO 100mm F2.8ED AW
(Image credit: Ricoh Imaging)

As we hear more and more reports of Canon, Nikon, Tamron, and others, pensioning off its DSLR lenses, Pentax is bucking the trend by launching a brand new lens for its digital SLRs. The HD Pentax-D FA Macro 100mm F2.8ED AW becomes the first all-weather macro lens in its K-mount range. The new full-frame prime will effectively replace the Pentax 100mm f2.8 SMC D-FA WR Macro which dates back to 2009.

The 100mm macro lens has a new optical design with 10 elements in 8 groups; these incorporate one Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass optical element and two Anomalous Dispersion glass optical elements to compensate for aberrations and minimize unwanted purple fringing.

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Chris George

Chris George has worked on Digital Camera World since its launch in 2017. He has been writing about photography, mobile phones, video making and technology for over 30 years – and has edited numerous magazines including PhotoPlus, N-Photo, Digital Camera, Video Camera, and Professional Photography. 

His first serious camera was the iconic Olympus OM10, with which he won the title of Young Photographer of the Year - long before the advent of autofocus and memory cards. Today he uses a Nikon D800, a Fujifilm X-T1, a Sony A7, and his iPhone 15 Pro Max.

He has written about technology for countless publications and websites including The Sunday Times Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Dorling Kindersley, What Cellphone, T3 and Techradar.