Best "normal' FOV lens

northcoastgreg · 02-16-2011, 10:42 AM

Originally posted by CWyatt

The FA 31mm certainly has a stellar reputation, with only a few drawbacks: price (which is, I think, pretty fair), AF speed and AF noise (from what I'm told).

I agree that price is a drawback (although the lens is still worth that price, given what it can do), and perhaps the alleged slow AF speed might be a drawback as well, but I don't get these complaints about AF noise. Yes, I know, there are a few special circumstances where quiet AF is highly desirable. But in the majority of cases, it's an unnecessary frill that comes at the expense of adding built-in obsolescence to the lens. The "noisy" AF of the FA* 31 is a feature, not a drawback. It's a reminder that the lens can be counted on the auto-focus for many years to come.

civiletti · 02-16-2011, 11:29 AM

Originally posted by TOUGEFC

best normal fov lens? FA 31 ltd/end thread

If IQ is your measure, the FA 31 is tops.

CWyatt · 02-16-2011, 11:46 AM

Originally posted by northcoastgreg

I don't get these complaints about AF noise. Yes, I know, there are a few special circumstances where quiet AF is highly desirable.

I should have pointed out I shoot 95% street stuff. So for me if I use AF the speed and noise are a very big deal.

TOUGEFC · 02-16-2011, 11:03 PM

Originally posted by civiletti

If IQ is your measure, the FA 31 is tops.

IQ, colour rendering, contrast, bokeh, aperture speed and build is my measure

Unsinkable II · 02-17-2011, 04:01 AM

My FA31 was a thing of beauty, but shooting my little kids running around, my Tammy 17-50 2.8 ends up being more useful.

But if I were limited (pun intended!) to one lens for the rest of my life on a cropped sensor, it'd be the FA31.

I am daydreaming about a Kx-sized FF with the DA40 though!

**Digitalis** · 02-17-2011, 04:32 AM

let me preface this by stating that I use current top of the line Nikon,Canon Leica and Pentax glass and the FA31 is hardly the noisiest AF lens I have ever used...THAT title belongs to the canon 50mm f/1.8

the AF speed of the FA31 is nothing to worry about IMO, it's very fast for a screw drive lens. It's certainly faster than my Pentax FA*200mm f/4 ED IF Macro without the focus clutch on.

I recommend the FA31 f/1.8 limited as a superb normal on digital, and it is a truly excellent semi-wide lens of full frame film. I would go so far as to say it is one of the greatest 30mm something lenses I have ever used.

CWyatt · 02-17-2011, 12:07 PM

Hmm does sounds like the AF noise/speed 'issue' may have been overstated.

DogLover · 02-17-2011, 01:09 PM

Originally posted by germar

My choice for normal was one that ...honestly... I would NOT have chosen before I actually tried it.

I am a person who gravitates toward wide lenses, I just use them more than anything else. I figured that a 31 or a 28 would be what my eye told me was normal. But no, it turns out that the fov that truly looks "right" to my eye is that of the wonderful FA 43mm lens. It just looks completely right to me, like the view I expect to have with my own eyes. The 31 is too wide, includes more area than what I expect for normal, and the 50 is too long.

So +1 for the mighty 43, the FA limited who tends to hang in the shadows of it's 31mm and 77mm sisters! For me, it's the ultimate "normal" lens!

I agree! The 43 also strikes me as a "normal" field-of-view, particularly indoors. That's why it has become my most used lens.

Originally posted by pmastello

Obviously there is a big price difference between say the DA35mm and the FA43mm LTD, but taking price into consideration too, What is your favourite/best lens?

Assuming you're referring to the DA35 and not the DA-L, the price difference is only $30US at B&H.

vrrattko · 02-17-2011, 01:56 PM

Well the Tammy 18-50/2.8 is not bad either, it has quite a reputation

RioRico · 02-20-2011, 06:17 PM

My only AF prime is an FA50/1.4 and my only AF zooms that cover the 'normal' range are the DA18-55 and F35-70, so I won't much discuss specific lenses. All my 'normals' are manual, outside your criteria. So I'll discuss 'normality'.

Yes, 29.5mm is the diagonal of an APS-C sensor and is thus 'normal', and its 135/FF equivalent (FOV wise) is 43mm. Back in the film era, makers suppled glass everywhere from 30mm to 60mm as 'normal'. The APS-C equivalent range would be 24-40mm. Since SLR makers often supplied 50mm kit lenses, generations of 135/FF SLR photographers think of that short tele as 'normal'. What fools!!! And while many fixed-lens rangefinders had lenses around 45mm, Leica and some others sold 35mm as 'normal' and thus imprinted that slightly-wide FOV into the visual systems of many. What dolts!!

Bottom line: 'normal' is whatever you think it is. I now have manual f/2 primes in 24-28-35mm. Which do I use most? The 24/2. Yeah, my 'normal' is a bit on the wide side. Maybe Mom was traumatized by a Leica, eh?

What's next? Well, the 35/2 just arrived, so a 35/3.5 and a 37/2.8 are tied there in actual usage. Some members here swear by the DA40; but I have a nice sharp 40/4.5 that just feels a bit long to be normal. And on the other end, for shoot-from-the-hip street work, my 21/3.8 stopped down to f/11 and prefocused to 2m for DOF from 1m to infinity is great.

Maybe 28mm is just too 'normal' for me, 'cause my twenty 28's don't see that much use. My brand-new Vivitar-Komine 28/2 Close Focus may change my mind. Your mileage may vary.

bhairavp · 02-20-2011, 10:41 PM

^Which 35/2 did you get?

Wheatfield · 02-20-2011, 10:46 PM

Best "normal' FOV lens

31mmLTD.
I don't believe this is a discussion...

**Digitalis** · 02-20-2011, 11:36 PM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

31mmLTD. I don't believe this is a discussion...

Some people will debate about anything regardless of how trivial it is. Once I had two students who had differing views on what material should be used to fill lens support beanbags....I had such a hard time keeping a straight face while they were arguing.

RioRico · 02-21-2011, 02:01 AM

Originally posted by bhairavp

^Which 35/2 did you get?

Nikkor. It force-fits on the PK mount; and because it has a continuous aperture-ring lip, I can't tape the base to enable Catch-In-Focus on my K20D. But it's smooth and sharp and distortionless. No, the mount isn't locked-in secure; but I've used several both modified and 'stock' Nikon-mount lenses on PK mounts and I haven't lost one yet!

Class A · 02-21-2011, 05:11 AM

The Sigma 28/1.8 EX Macro focuses closer than the Pentax 31/1.8.

Seriously, I like the versatility a close focusing lens like this gives me. And its bokeh is not shabby at all.

If strong-armed, I might trade a 31mm Ltd for it

but it has a lot going for it as well.

P.S.: "Normal" is not what you want it to be. You can say a lens corresponds to how you look but that is not the definition of "normal" for a lens. Pentax is hopeless regarding its use of "normal". The Pentax FA 50/1.4 is described as being a normal lens. The times when this has been true have long gone for Pentax...

02-20-2011, 06:17 PM	#25
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	My only AF prime is an FA50/1.4 and my only AF zooms that cover the 'normal' range are the DA18-55 and F35-70, so I won't much discuss specific lenses. All my 'normals' are manual, outside your criteria. So I'll discuss 'normality'. Yes, 29.5mm is the diagonal of an APS-C sensor and is thus 'normal', and its 135/FF equivalent (FOV wise) is 43mm. Back in the film era, makers suppled glass everywhere from 30mm to 60mm as 'normal'. The APS-C equivalent range would be 24-40mm. Since SLR makers often supplied 50mm kit lenses, generations of 135/FF SLR photographers think of that short tele as 'normal'. What fools!!! And while many fixed-lens rangefinders had lenses around 45mm, Leica and some others sold 35mm as 'normal' and thus imprinted that slightly-wide FOV into the visual systems of many. What dolts!! Bottom line: 'normal' is whatever you think it is. I now have manual f/2 primes in 24-28-35mm. Which do I use most? The 24/2. Yeah, my 'normal' is a bit on the wide side. Maybe Mom was traumatized by a Leica, eh? What's next? Well, the 35/2 just arrived, so a 35/3.5 and a 37/2.8 are tied there in actual usage. Some members here swear by the DA40; but I have a nice sharp 40/4.5 that just feels a bit long to be normal. And on the other end, for shoot-from-the-hip street work, my 21/3.8 stopped down to f/11 and prefocused to 2m for DOF from 1m to infinity is great. Maybe 28mm is just too 'normal' for me, 'cause my twenty 28's don't see that much use. My brand-new Vivitar-Komine 28/2 Close Focus may change my mind. Your mileage may vary. Last edited by RioRico; 02-22-2011 at 08:46 PM.

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02-16-2011, 10:42 AM	#16
northcoastgreg Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Northern Michigan Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,172	Originally posted by CWyatt The FA 31mm certainly has a stellar reputation, with only a few drawbacks: price (which is, I think, pretty fair), AF speed and AF noise (from what I'm told). I agree that price is a drawback (although the lens is still worth that price, given what it can do), and perhaps the alleged slow AF speed might be a drawback as well, but I don't get these complaints about AF noise. Yes, I know, there are a few special circumstances where quiet AF is highly desirable. But in the majority of cases, it's an unnecessary frill that comes at the expense of adding built-in obsolescence to the lens. The "noisy" AF of the FA* 31 is a feature, not a drawback. It's a reminder that the lens can be counted on the auto-focus for many years to come.

02-16-2011, 11:29 AM	#17
civiletti Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Oregon Photos: Albums Posts: 1,435	Originally posted by TOUGEFC best normal fov lens? FA 31 ltd/end thread If IQ is your measure, the FA 31 is tops.

02-16-2011, 11:46 AM	#18
CWyatt Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,291	Originally posted by northcoastgreg I don't get these complaints about AF noise. Yes, I know, there are a few special circumstances where quiet AF is highly desirable. I should have pointed out I shoot 95% street stuff. So for me if I use AF the speed and noise are a very big deal.

02-16-2011, 11:03 PM	#19
TOUGEFC Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Brisbane Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,561	Originally posted by civiletti If IQ is your measure, the FA 31 is tops. IQ, colour rendering, contrast, bokeh, aperture speed and build is my measure

02-17-2011, 04:01 AM	#20
Unsinkable II Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 1,352	My FA31 was a thing of beauty, but shooting my little kids running around, my Tammy 17-50 2.8 ends up being more useful. But if I were limited (pun intended!) to one lens for the rest of my life on a cropped sensor, it'd be the FA31. I am daydreaming about a Kx-sized FF with the DA40 though!

02-17-2011, 04:32 AM	#21
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,694	let me preface this by stating that I use current top of the line Nikon,Canon Leica and Pentax glass and the FA31 is hardly the noisiest AF lens I have ever used...THAT title belongs to the canon 50mm f/1.8 the AF speed of the FA31 is nothing to worry about IMO, it's very fast for a screw drive lens. It's certainly faster than my Pentax FA*200mm f/4 ED IF Macro without the focus clutch on. I recommend the FA31 f/1.8 limited as a superb normal on digital, and it is a truly excellent semi-wide lens of full frame film. I would go so far as to say it is one of the greatest 30mm something lenses I have ever used.

02-17-2011, 12:07 PM	#22
CWyatt Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,291	Hmm does sounds like the AF noise/speed 'issue' may have been overstated.

02-17-2011, 01:09 PM	#23
DogLover Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 2,054	Originally posted by germar My choice for normal was one that ...honestly... I would NOT have chosen before I actually tried it. I am a person who gravitates toward wide lenses, I just use them more than anything else. I figured that a 31 or a 28 would be what my eye told me was normal. But no, it turns out that the fov that truly looks "right" to my eye is that of the wonderful FA 43mm lens. It just looks completely right to me, like the view I expect to have with my own eyes. The 31 is too wide, includes more area than what I expect for normal, and the 50 is too long. So +1 for the mighty 43, the FA limited who tends to hang in the shadows of it's 31mm and 77mm sisters! For me, it's the ultimate "normal" lens! I agree! The 43 also strikes me as a "normal" field-of-view, particularly indoors. That's why it has become my most used lens. Originally posted by pmastello Obviously there is a big price difference between say the DA35mm and the FA43mm LTD, but taking price into consideration too, What is your favourite/best lens? Assuming you're referring to the DA35 and not the DA-L, the price difference is only $30US at B&H.

02-17-2011, 01:56 PM	#24
vrrattko Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Photos: Albums Posts: 753	Well the Tammy 18-50/2.8 is not bad either, it has quite a reputation

02-20-2011, 10:41 PM	#26
bhairavp Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 399	^Which 35/2 did you get?

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02-20-2011, 10:46 PM	#27
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,975	Best "normal' FOV lens 31mmLTD. I don't believe this is a discussion...

02-20-2011, 11:36 PM	#28
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,694	Originally posted by Wheatfield 31mmLTD. I don't believe this is a discussion... Some people will debate about anything regardless of how trivial it is. Once I had two students who had differing views on what material should be used to fill lens support beanbags....I had such a hard time keeping a straight face while they were arguing.

02-21-2011, 02:01 AM	#29
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	Originally posted by bhairavp ^Which 35/2 did you get? Nikkor. It force-fits on the PK mount; and because it has a continuous aperture-ring lip, I can't tape the base to enable Catch-In-Focus on my K20D. But it's smooth and sharp and distortionless. No, the mount isn't locked-in secure; but I've used several both modified and 'stock' Nikon-mount lenses on PK mounts and I haven't lost one yet!

02-21-2011, 05:11 AM	#30
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	The Sigma 28/1.8 EX Macro focuses closer than the Pentax 31/1.8. Seriously, I like the versatility a close focusing lens like this gives me. And its bokeh is not shabby at all. If strong-armed, I might trade a 31mm Ltd for it but it has a lot going for it as well. P.S.: "Normal" is not what you want it to be. You can say a lens corresponds to how you look but that is not the definition of "normal" for a lens. Pentax is hopeless regarding its use of "normal". The Pentax FA 50/1.4 is described as being a normal lens. The times when this has been true have long gone for Pentax...