DA70 Limited, FA77 Limited, and A*85 are of the Same Gene

First, have a look on these optical construction:

DA70/2.4:


FA77/1.8:


A*85/1.4:


So, the optical design of FA77 and A*85 are very close enough, with the same 7 elements in 6 group configuration. It is quite obvious that the FA77 is a miniature of the A*85, only with some minor modifications. And then the DA70 is yet another simplified version of the FA77, with one close-to-rear element omitted. So, everything are of the same Pentax gene actually. Indeed, when I first used my DA70 on my Pentax DSLR, I did feel the extraordinary film taste of it for its very good 3d feel and colour rendering, unlike other DA lenses that I may not that like.


Reference Links:

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/lenses/primes/short-tele/index.html

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/2959-fa-85mm-f-1-4-vs-limited-77mm-f-1-8-a.html#post23940