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up vote 6 down vote favorite

Pentax has in current product line weather-sealed lenses with three different markings -

  • DA★ on primes and fast zooms;
  • WR on consumer zooms and 100mm macro;
  • AW on some newer primes.

What are the reasons to use different notations for weather sealings? Are there any significant differences in their protection, expected lifetime etc?

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1 Answer

up vote 4 down vote accepted

DA* are top-of-the-line Pentax lenses. According to Pentax, they are the best lenses ever made and they include weather-resistance but the DA* label means a lot more, including ultra-sonic motor and a commitment to excellent quality.

AW label introduced for DSLRs along with the DA 560mm F/5.6 ED AW. It is also used to designate weather-sealed lenses for digital medium-format cameras. According to Pentax again, this signifies a new improved class of weather-resistant lenses which are also high quality.

WR is the basic Weather-Resistance label and implies nothing more than a weather-resistant lens.

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Several AW lenses for 645 system were introduced already before the 560mm/5.6. – Imre Sep 21 '12 at 15:55
Thanks! Edited. Forgot about the 645D considering it's above my budget. – Itai Sep 21 '12 at 16:14

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