[jeffshaddix]

Hey guys,

I recently got a little bit of settlement money for minor whiplash in a car wreck. Lame on the wreck and whiplash, but yay for money to buy a lens!

I'm still not 100% sure which lens I'd like to get, but I'm radiating towards the FA 77mm limited. I've done some research on the lens, and noticed many reviews claimed poor autofocus accuracy on the K20D (up to 20% bad focus lock from lenstip!). My main question then is does autofocus accuracy perform better on the K-7?

Anything else I should know about black vs. silver or made in Japan vs. Vietnam?

It's tough to decide on a good lens when there are so many to choose from! I'd love to get a DA 35mm limited macro or A 50mm f1.2 as well. :P

[wlachan]

I have had this lens for more than decade (2 copies) and its AF accuracy is no worse than any other Pentax lenses I have had. Just that I feel Pentax AF accuracy is not very high in general. If you mount the camera on tripod and let the camera AF a dozen times, you will see the exact point the lens stops at could be different almost every time. On the plus side, this lens is great for manual focus.

[roentarre]

Screw drive can be astoundingly good like most older autofocus nikon lenses. The problem with Fa lenses is lacking in micro-contrast based autofocusing technology in place.

Fa 77mm f1.4 is reasonable for everyday purpose photography including static "say cheeze" style shots.

However, I do notice a lot of street photographers getting their jobs done with this lens.

[roentarre]

When I buy Fa 77/1.8, I am keen on its incredible contrast and texture rendering.

[jva59]

I'm not in a position to compare, having used my FA 77 only on my K-7, but I think it's an absolutely terrific combination. Others can speak with more expertise than I can, but I've been able to get remarkably sharp shots using AF. I don't think you'll regret it.

[Pentaxor]

I'm biased towards the A50/1.2, so I say A50/1.2.

btw, the FA77 is a great lens as well and it's AF also runs good on the K-7.

[jeffshaddix]

Thanks for the comments guys, much appreciated. I'm mainly aiming to find a nice bokeh machine. Pentaxor do you have any images shot with your A50 1.2? From your lineup you seem to have a great collection. Do you have any recommendations for wide aperture sharpness and smooth bokeh?

[Pentaxor]

Thanks for the comments guys, much appreciated. I'm mainly aiming to find a nice bokeh machine. Pentaxor do you have any images shot with your A50 1.2? From your lineup you seem to have a great collection. Do you have any recommendations for wide aperture sharpness and smooth bokeh?

here are just a few. I haven't uploaded most of my photos so please bear with the lack of images.








with regards to wide apertures sharpness and not necessarily ultra-fast aperture, it would be the S1 90/2.5 and the FA135/2.8. the M85/2 also is a nice lens.

as far as bokeh is concerned, the A50/1.2 is my all-time favorite.

[JeffJS]

I've used mine on 4 different cameras including an IR modified K20d. I can assure you that it focuses just as well as any other lens on each camera (K20d, K7, K5).

Pentax FA77mm Ltd - a set on Flickr