A $1K Pentax DA* 300 f/4 lens is at the heart of a nanosatellite.
A modified Pentax 300mm f/4 heads into space aboard a nanosatellite
The lens is a crucial component of Japan's Kitsune 6U nanosatellite and will be used to take high-res photos of Earth.
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Pentax weather sealed primes ... people have been putting them into high altitude baloons and, now ... satellites! I have the DA* f/2.8 200 (306mm equiv 35mm) perfection myself, and this is the DA* f/4 300 (460mm equiv 35mm). Both lenses have virtually no distortion, no vignetting and are the ultimate in the $1K price-point ... let alone are very compact, hence the use here.
Taking out of its terrestrial housing, it still has all the other gaskets and seals, and allegedly works well with total lack of pressure, actually improving some sealing. Flare coating is standard, so that did not need be added.
This is the same, 4-model series, as my DA* 200 f/2.8 (the only other tele prime of the 4) many of you probably saw me lug to games a decade ago or so. I still take it with me to away games sometimes. Both the 200 f/2.8 and 300 f/4 tele primes were designed in the '00s, from the prior, highly-rated, Pentax glass, only updated to be compact, and are pretty much unchanged since.
Lens Test: Pentax SMCP-DA* 200mm f/2.8ED (IF) SDM AF
How to shoot perfectly sharp photos in less-than-perfect light with a pro-caliber, digital-only tele.
www.popphoto.com
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