This lens has a different optical design than that of it's A* counterpart and it features internal focusing (IF).
Three versions of this lens exist:
S/N 301xxxx: old-style hood and no silver ring above and in-line with the aperture ring
S/N 302xxxx/303xxxx: old style hood, silver ring above and in-line with the aperture ring
S/N 307xxxx: new style hood, silver ring above and in-line with the aperture ring (see photo).
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA* 85mm F1.4 [IF]: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): N/A
| Rating: 10
Pros:
Extremely solid. Very sharp. Bright.
Cons:
Very heavy. Not a quick focuser.
I had coveted this lens for years and finally had a chance to get one back in 2000 direct from Pentax. It is so solid that it survived a drop into a concrete gutter in it's carrying case and did not suffer any damage. I have now had it 7 years and couldn't live without it.
Because of it's weight I don't carry it with me all the time, but always take it to weddings, portraits, glamour shoots, etc. Great for shooting family too.
It is not very quick focusing because the focus ring has a ways to go to get from minimum to infinity. It does OK with small adjustments but not if it has to go move very far. I am guessing that this is because with such shallow depth of field that having the ability to have very subtle focus adjustments is needed.
Without question, this lens was worth the wait. I think one of the main reasons you don't see these more often on the used market is because they are so coveted by their owners, to which now I can attest.
It is optically near-perfect for my style of shooting. It has nice, even blur disks, it is tremendously sharp in the center of the frame (even at f/1.4!) and with the exception of a little purple fringing from time to time is well controlled for optical defects. Starting at f/2 any defects are pretty well gone, and you are left with just a stellar lens that you can fearlessly point at any subject.
Did I mention that the bokeh is smooth and creamy, even with harsh backgrounds?
The big, heavy lens hood is impressive in and of itself.
It weighs a lot, but that is a small price to pay for this beatiful optic.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA* 85mm F1.4 [IF]: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $850.00
| Rating: 10
Pros:
Build quality, extremely sharp. great in low light, bokeh
Cons:
Heavy
This is probably the sharpest 85mm lens ever made. That includes the lens from C and N. When the image requires critical sharpness this is the lens of choice in my opinion.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA* 85mm F1.4 [IF]: No |
Price (U.S. Dollars): N/A
| Rating: 5
Pros:
Godd at close distances
Cons:
Bad at longer distances. Awful, scratch prone painted outer finish
An excellent portrait lens but not so good at farher distances. Not an all round lens; the A* 85/1.4 and the 77/1.8 greatly outperforms it.
It does not sport the FREE (fixed rear elements) of the A* 85/1.4 and the 77 Limited that ensures great optical performance at all focusing distances. Hence, the lens is optimized for shorter focusing distances. It is substandard performer for eg landscape use. There is a reason for the fact that its predecessor, the A* lens, reach higher used prices and is often modified by users of other brands to fit their cameras.
Built quality is adequate at the price. Not at the level of the A* lens; the FA* will rattle if shaken. It uses a a sturdy metal main lens tubus but it's outer body is soft, cheap feeling plastic, and only painted. Like all FA* lenses the silver paint is incredibly scratch prone and close to impossible to keep in pristine condition.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA* 85mm F1.4 [IF]: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $950.00
| Rating: 10
Pros:
Extremely sharp, fast, and relatively small.
Cons:
Lens hood cannot easily be reversed for storage.
This is by far one of my favorite prime lenses! It makes its way into my photo bag on nearly all trips and events.
First of all, this is an FA* lens, and like other members of the series, it boasts a sturdy all-metal construction which makes its very easy to hold and use. The focusing clamp optimizes AF speed and make manual focusing a breeze. This 85mm produces some of the sharpest photos I've seen, and if stopped down to F4 or greater, the results are truly breathtaking. It's a great travel lens for the more serious photographer, and also a great portrait lens, so if image quality is one of your top priorities, your should definitely try to acquire it. It's truly a joy to use- last summer, over half of my total photos were taken with it. Some may think that a focal length of 85mm is not practical when used on a DSLR, but I disagree since I find myself using it so often.
I can't say anything negative about the optical performance or physical construction of this lens, but one thing that bothers me is the large lens hood. Although it makes the lens look nice when attached, it is very difficult to reverse-mount for storage, and thus, this lens is a pain to store when packing for longer trips, especially since the lens itself fits in most small lens pouches without the hood.
This lens features a different, and arguably better optical construction than the A* 85mm, which is already superb to begin with.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA* 85mm F1.4 [IF]: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): N/A
| Rating: 10
Pros:
sharp, great background blur, nice feel
Cons:
large hood, pretty heavy
Bought this lens after looking closely at bokeh comparison posts between this lens and the FA77Ltd. Of course there is a lot of personal taste involved, but I did not really like the bokeh created by 77Ltd. This 85 is a whole of a lot better there. Spectacular highlights in the background are recreated smooth and soft.
For a "portraiture-take one lens" job, this is the one lens I take. If more lenses are an option, I would bring my FA50/1.4, K135/2.5 and FA*200/2.8. Those four make a really wonderful set.
I took it to a theatre shot too, shooting while the show was in action. High ISO, little light and I set F around 1.7 or 2.0. I was very pleased with the results, especially after a little PP. Even the shots @f1.4 and ISO 1600 on K10d were well usable.
Portraits shot in normal lighting conditions hardly need any PP. They're sharp and display well the character.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA* 85mm F1.4 [IF]: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $600.00
| Rating: 10
Pros:
fantastic bokeh and sharpness
Cons:
scratchy Hood, silver finish, plastic aperture ring
Even better than the old 1,4/85 mm, a complete new construction.
But the silver finish will not really match to a LX nor then a K20D.
I tested it against totall new 1,4/55 mm DA* Digital lens, and its even better then the new one.
But very expensive.
Pentax should make it again - but in black!
With my testing it is with the FA* 1,8/77 mm Limited the best Pentax portrait lens, they ever made. Far better then all old legendary 2,0/85 mm!
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA* 85mm F1.4 [IF]: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $800.00
| Rating: 10
Pros:
About the sharpest 35mm lens you'll find.
Cons:
Nothing to report.
I remember a magazine lens reviewer back in the 90's who reviewed all current lenses and had this lens as the sharpest out there, and that was going against MF Contax, Leica, and Nikon and Canon AF. You'd be hard pressed to get noticeably sharper slides from any other 35mm lens. Worth every penny then, and now.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA* 85mm F1.4 [IF]: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $1,050.00
| Rating: 10
Pros:
AF, construction, bokeh, colors, sharpness
Cons:
Silver finish, flare resistance
This lens is great in almost every way. The colors are great, it's resolving power is very good even wide open, it is very resistant to PF, the bokeh it produces is some of the best I've ever seen. Compared to the other 85mm f1.4 lenses available for Pentax, it is nice that it has AF.
The only problems I have with the lens are that its silver finish is very easily scratched, and that it is less resistant to flare than the A* 85mm, which I also own.
I think both the A* and FA* 85mm lenses are great, but if I could only keep one of them it would be the FA*. That is mainly due to the fact that the FA* is more resistant to PF and has better colors, and the A* doesn't significantly excel in any way, except for flare resistance, as compared to the FA*.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA* 85mm F1.4 [IF]: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $1,050.00
| Rating: 10
Pros:
Fastest sharpest AF glass you can find
Cons:
No longer in production, and the rave reviews are driving up the price.
I'd like to echo a lot of what Adam said with a few additions.
This glass is amazing for subject isolation. It produces fantastic out of focus blur and highlight bokeh. It's color rendition is superb.
If I could have only one lens (and it wasn't raining or dusty) I'd choose this lens.
It's AF is fast, and accurate, however, you should make sure that you have no front or back focusing issues. Ours needed a +4 adjust. With 2.6 inches DoF at 10 feet, you just don't have room for FF/BF issues. Stopping down will help these types of issues, but you're not buying this glass to shoot it stopped down.
I don't have the same complaints about the hood that Adam has. I like the additional protection it offers, and I haven't had an issue keeping it reverse mounted on the lens during trips. It occupies a bit more space, but this lens is already no DA 15 Limited in terms of size.
It's quite rare that this lens doesn't make it in the bag on any manner of trip.
I wish it was weather sealed as the DA* glass, and I wish the AF was quick shift as the DA* glass. Since I can't get those in a lens, I'll happily enjoy shooting with this one.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-FA* 85mm F1.4 [IF]: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $1,100.00
| Rating: 10
Pros:
Super sharp, lets in a lot of light
Cons:
Little heavy, not made anymore
I shoot in a lot of low light situations, so having the lowest f-stop as possible appeals to me.
I had wanted to see this lens for a while, but with prices well over $1,200, I just didn't think I could justify it, not with those inexpensive MF 85mm/1.4f on the market.
I was going to go with one of those after seeing sample photos, but then this one became available, below the normal asking price. It was a stretch, but I decided to put in a bid (ebay) and if I could get it for a price, I couldn't let it slip away. To my surprise, I won, but I was already starting to feel remorse - after all, I had never had a lens that was more expensive than my camera, and this was used!
My fears were unjustified - this lens lives up to all its glowing reviews. For an older lens, I expected noise, but this thing is quiet, and very fast. Unlike my DA* 16-50, it never stalls or hunts. And when this lens is locked on, it is the sharpest lens I have ever seen.
But really caught my attention is the depth of field, which I have to say is the best I have ever seen. On lenses with this open of an aperture, the depth of field isusually so tight that you have to really think about where you focus to make sure your subject does not blur. This lens seems to have the perfect amount of depth, keeping the whole subject in focus, while softly fading into the background.
While it is a heavy lens for its size, there does not seem to be one piece of plastic in its construction, exc. for the aperture ring, which must be borrowed from the FA 50mm 1.4. Still, its a tank, and I think it would be the last lens to break in my bag.
I know that Pentax has focused on the small Limited primes in recent years, but I think that if Hoya really wants to make a mark, they need to update FA* lenses like this one, as I would say this outshines anything made by Canon or Nikon.
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