To 31 or not to 31, that is my question.

paperbag846 · 03-31-2011, 06:40 PM

Originally posted by SylBer

Make youself a favour and go for the FA 31 once for all

I have better things to spend 1000 dollars on.

paperbag846 · 03-31-2011, 06:41 PM

Originally posted by DogLover

I nominate papersack for the first honorary "broken record" award, aka the "can't take a hint" award.

How about one for you: the strongheaded award / unwilling to discuss other points of view award?

**Ash** · 03-31-2011, 06:51 PM

Allright you folks, settle down.
Whether we accept it or not, the 31 is a great lens, and has a large price tag.
Whether we think it's worth it or not, the FA ltd series are legendary, and cannot be denied. However they are far from being the most expensive Pentax lenses around, let alone lenses in general...

Now forget the justifications either way and just go out there with what lenses you have and shoot with them.

feilb · 03-31-2011, 07:23 PM

Well, what's done is done.

I've placed an order for:

....

<fanfare>dah-da-dah-dah</fanfare>

...

The 31.

We'll see how it goes and whether it truly does live up to the hype. If I don't like it, some other guy may get a chance at it on the marketplace

.

That being said, my decision was based largely on 2 things, speed and focal length. I think a 24/2 limited would be my ideal lens, but 31 should get me where i'm going. I'm most leery about the size, which is a bit bigger than I would like, though comparatively small looking at my past setup

.

Perhaps later this summer I can supplement the wide end with a 15 or 21. That and some of those nice, old, esoteric MF lenses. Thousands of those. Yeah, that will be nice.

Hope to share a celebratory shot next week some time

.

DogLover · 03-31-2011, 07:26 PM

Originally posted by feilb

Well, what's done is done.

I've placed an order for:

....

<fanfare>dah-da-dah-dah</fanfare>

...

The 31.

We'll see how it goes and whether it truly does live up to the hype. If I don't like it, some other guy may get a chance at it on the marketplace

.

That being said, my decision was based largely on 2 things, speed and focal length. I think a 24/2 limited would be my ideal lens, but 31 should get me where i'm going. I'm most leery about the size, which is a bit bigger than I would like, though comparatively small looking at my past setup

.

Perhaps later this summer I can supplement the wide end with a 15 or 21. That and some of those nice, old, esoteric MF lenses. Thousands of those. Yeah, that will be nice.

Hope to share a celebratory shot next week some time

.

Congratulations! See, you're just getting started with Pentax and already I'm jealous of you!

I will have the 31 before long, though.

VaughnA · 03-31-2011, 07:37 PM

I'll FINALLY chime in, and I haven't read all of the comments so I'll just ramble.

I had this decision a couple of weeks ago. I got a bonus and the wife said that I should quit threatening and finally spend some money on myself.

I contemplated a couple of DA primes, a 16-50 and other combinations. But when a FA-31 came up in the marketplace for < 900 bucks I jumped on it. I figured I could try it for a while and if I didn't like it I could probably get my money back. So far I'm leaning toward keeping it. It does have a magical quality to it. Even if I decide to trade, I'd probably go for the DA primes instead of a zoom. I'm finding that I really enjoy zoomin wit da feet. I'm considering trading in my 10-20 sigma for a DA-15.

v5planet · 03-31-2011, 07:51 PM

Originally posted by feilb

Well, what's done is done.

I've placed an order for:

....

<fanfare>dah-da-dah-dah</fanfare>

...

The 31.

We'll see how it goes and whether it truly does live up to the hype. If I don't like it, some other guy may get a chance at it on the marketplace

.

That being said, my decision was based largely on 2 things, speed and focal length. I think a 24/2 limited would be my ideal lens, but 31 should get me where i'm going. I'm most leery about the size, which is a bit bigger than I would like, though comparatively small looking at my past setup

.

Perhaps later this summer I can supplement the wide end with a 15 or 21. That and some of those nice, old, esoteric MF lenses. Thousands of those. Yeah, that will be nice.

Hope to share a celebratory shot next week some time

.

Congratulations! I think I would have waited to buy it had I been in your place BUT, as most people in this thread have said, you will not be disappointed with the 31 as a lens, or even all that grumbly about the price tag attached to it once you use it, I'm sure.

There is no shortage of vintage MF glass floating around and often good deals can be had. So if you want to expand your focal range that way like you say, keep an eye on the marketplace -- great deals pop up now and again.

Nick Siebers · 03-31-2011, 07:58 PM

Yeah, its a good buy,congrats. I spent my first 3 or 4 years in photography with a 50/1.7 on a K1000, and managed to find plenty I liked to shoot.

feilb · 03-31-2011, 08:14 PM

Originally posted by Nick Siebers

Yeah, its a good buy,congrats. I spent my first 3 or 4 years in photography with a 50/1.7 on a K1000, and managed to find plenty I liked to shoot.

Indeed. I'm not terribly worried about finding something to shoot

.

Cheers to a fellow Wisconsonite!

extravagrant · 03-31-2011, 08:39 PM

It's after the fact, but I didn't read this thread until just now. I'll throw my 2 cents in just in case someone else reads this thread because of the same dilemma.

And my answer is .... it doesn't matter. Break the analysis paralysis. Flip a coin. Buy a random lens. Get the 31. Get an old m42 lens and an adapter. It doesn't matter. You can be ecstatic with whatever you get, as long as you go out and shoot with it. No lens is perfect, no collection of lenses is perfect, but there are photos out there to be taken with every single lens you can put in front of your camera.

Now, If you don't care about taking photos and just want to have sweet gear, then get the 31.

feilb · 03-31-2011, 08:58 PM

Originally posted by extravagrant

Now, If you don't care about taking photos and just want to have sweet gear, then get the 31

Perhaps it will give you the most street cred at least

I can agree with your statement. Getting caught up in gear lust and forgetting that lenses and bodies are a means to an end, not the end itself, is pretty easy.

**Fontan** · 03-31-2011, 09:18 PM

Eh, yes optically those FA ltds are pretty nice, and they look to be very solidly made, although I am not entirely sure what the hell that means. Personally, I think they become somewhat of rather goofy focal lengths on APS-C in my opinion. What people refers to "magic" is probably proportional to how fast the lenses are. The more light you gather, the more details there will be. DA 70 is a perfect example. One will not recognize how truly sharp that lens is unless you allow almost excessive lighting. In a studio setting, I think DA 70 can match pretty well against 77. No doubt.

But one thing I don't like about FA ltds is the way the barrel turns when manually focused. It is lame. I hardly ever use my 31 and 77 because of that. I bought them because I was curious. All that magic people talked about. Mine kind of sit there, collecting dust. I typically go with my Distagon T* 28/2 instead of 31. There is nothing like how a Zeiss barrel turns.

Chex · 03-31-2011, 09:28 PM

My first and only lens for the first month of owning my K-5 was a 43mm Ltd and its AMAZING! It's only downfall is that it spoiled me and I want that IQ or close to from all lenses! If I was in your shoes, I probably would go for it... hell I sorta envy you, I wanted the 31mm Ltd but it was out of my price range since my wife wanted a zoom lens for shooting the kids etc. Ahh well LBA says I WILL own a 31mm ltd by X-mas or else!

Chex · 03-31-2011, 09:29 PM

Originally posted by Fontan

I hardly ever use my 31 and 77 because of that

Well PM me before you go and throw those on the marketplace

sterretje · 03-31-2011, 10:05 PM

Originally posted by feilb

Well, what's done is done.

I've placed an order for:

The 31.
...
...

That being said, my decision was based largely on 2 things, speed and focal length. I think a 24/2 limited would be my ideal lens, but 31 should get me where i'm going. I'm most leery about the size, which is a bit bigger than I would like, though comparatively small looking at my past setup

.

Congrats. I had a similar motivation; more or less normal FOV and I wanted one fast lens next to the 18-55 and 55-300. FA31Ltd now lives on my camera about 100% of the time; gives me a perfect field of view. Other lenses now have become specialist lenses and only see the camera when it's in the bag next to them or when I really need something else.

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03-31-2011, 06:40 PM	#106
paperbag846 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,395	Originally posted by SylBer Make youself a favour and go for the FA 31 once for all I have better things to spend 1000 dollars on.

03-31-2011, 06:41 PM	#107
paperbag846 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,395	Originally posted by DogLover I nominate papersack for the first honorary "broken record" award, aka the "can't take a hint" award. How about one for you: the strongheaded award / unwilling to discuss other points of view award?

03-31-2011, 06:51 PM	#108
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Allright you folks, settle down. Whether we accept it or not, the 31 is a great lens, and has a large price tag. Whether we think it's worth it or not, the FA ltd series are legendary, and cannot be denied. However they are far from being the most expensive Pentax lenses around, let alone lenses in general... Now forget the justifications either way and just go out there with what lenses you have and shoot with them.

03-31-2011, 07:23 PM	#109
feilb Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 83 Original Poster	Well, what's done is done. I've placed an order for: .... <fanfare>dah-da-dah-dah</fanfare> ... The 31. We'll see how it goes and whether it truly does live up to the hype. If I don't like it, some other guy may get a chance at it on the marketplace . That being said, my decision was based largely on 2 things, speed and focal length. I think a 24/2 limited would be my ideal lens, but 31 should get me where i'm going. I'm most leery about the size, which is a bit bigger than I would like, though comparatively small looking at my past setup . Perhaps later this summer I can supplement the wide end with a 15 or 21. That and some of those nice, old, esoteric MF lenses. Thousands of those. Yeah, that will be nice. Hope to share a celebratory shot next week some time .

03-31-2011, 07:26 PM	#110
DogLover Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 2,054	Originally posted by feilb Well, what's done is done. I've placed an order for: .... <fanfare>dah-da-dah-dah</fanfare> ... The 31. We'll see how it goes and whether it truly does live up to the hype. If I don't like it, some other guy may get a chance at it on the marketplace . That being said, my decision was based largely on 2 things, speed and focal length. I think a 24/2 limited would be my ideal lens, but 31 should get me where i'm going. I'm most leery about the size, which is a bit bigger than I would like, though comparatively small looking at my past setup . Perhaps later this summer I can supplement the wide end with a 15 or 21. That and some of those nice, old, esoteric MF lenses. Thousands of those. Yeah, that will be nice. Hope to share a celebratory shot next week some time . Congratulations! See, you're just getting started with Pentax and already I'm jealous of you! I will have the 31 before long, though.

03-31-2011, 07:37 PM	#111
VaughnA Banned Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,363	I'll FINALLY chime in, and I haven't read all of the comments so I'll just ramble. I had this decision a couple of weeks ago. I got a bonus and the wife said that I should quit threatening and finally spend some money on myself. I contemplated a couple of DA primes, a 16-50 and other combinations. But when a FA-31 came up in the marketplace for < 900 bucks I jumped on it. I figured I could try it for a while and if I didn't like it I could probably get my money back. So far I'm leaning toward keeping it. It does have a magical quality to it. Even if I decide to trade, I'd probably go for the DA primes instead of a zoom. I'm finding that I really enjoy zoomin wit da feet. I'm considering trading in my 10-20 sigma for a DA-15.

03-31-2011, 07:51 PM	#112
v5planet Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Seattle Photos: Albums Posts: 1,915	Originally posted by feilb Well, what's done is done. I've placed an order for: .... <fanfare>dah-da-dah-dah</fanfare> ... The 31. We'll see how it goes and whether it truly does live up to the hype. If I don't like it, some other guy may get a chance at it on the marketplace . That being said, my decision was based largely on 2 things, speed and focal length. I think a 24/2 limited would be my ideal lens, but 31 should get me where i'm going. I'm most leery about the size, which is a bit bigger than I would like, though comparatively small looking at my past setup . Perhaps later this summer I can supplement the wide end with a 15 or 21. That and some of those nice, old, esoteric MF lenses. Thousands of those. Yeah, that will be nice. Hope to share a celebratory shot next week some time . Congratulations! I think I would have waited to buy it had I been in your place BUT, as most people in this thread have said, you will not be disappointed with the 31 as a lens, or even all that grumbly about the price tag attached to it once you use it, I'm sure. There is no shortage of vintage MF glass floating around and often good deals can be had. So if you want to expand your focal range that way like you say, keep an eye on the marketplace -- great deals pop up now and again.

03-31-2011, 07:58 PM	#113
Nick Siebers Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Madison, WI Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,165	Yeah, its a good buy,congrats. I spent my first 3 or 4 years in photography with a 50/1.7 on a K1000, and managed to find plenty I liked to shoot.

03-31-2011, 08:14 PM	#114
feilb Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 83 Original Poster	Originally posted by Nick Siebers Yeah, its a good buy,congrats. I spent my first 3 or 4 years in photography with a 50/1.7 on a K1000, and managed to find plenty I liked to shoot. Indeed. I'm not terribly worried about finding something to shoot . Cheers to a fellow Wisconsonite!

03-31-2011, 08:39 PM	#115
extravagrant Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Chicago Photos: Gallery Posts: 121	It's after the fact, but I didn't read this thread until just now. I'll throw my 2 cents in just in case someone else reads this thread because of the same dilemma. And my answer is .... it doesn't matter. Break the analysis paralysis. Flip a coin. Buy a random lens. Get the 31. Get an old m42 lens and an adapter. It doesn't matter. You can be ecstatic with whatever you get, as long as you go out and shoot with it. No lens is perfect, no collection of lenses is perfect, but there are photos out there to be taken with every single lens you can put in front of your camera. Now, If you don't care about taking photos and just want to have sweet gear, then get the 31.

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03-31-2011, 08:58 PM	#116
feilb Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 83 Original Poster	Originally posted by extravagrant Now, If you don't care about taking photos and just want to have sweet gear, then get the 31 Perhaps it will give you the most street cred at least I can agree with your statement. Getting caught up in gear lust and forgetting that lenses and bodies are a means to an end, not the end itself, is pretty easy.

03-31-2011, 09:18 PM	#117
Fontan Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: 5th floor Posts: 1,610	Eh, yes optically those FA ltds are pretty nice, and they look to be very solidly made, although I am not entirely sure what the hell that means. Personally, I think they become somewhat of rather goofy focal lengths on APS-C in my opinion. What people refers to "magic" is probably proportional to how fast the lenses are. The more light you gather, the more details there will be. DA 70 is a perfect example. One will not recognize how truly sharp that lens is unless you allow almost excessive lighting. In a studio setting, I think DA 70 can match pretty well against 77. No doubt. But one thing I don't like about FA ltds is the way the barrel turns when manually focused. It is lame. I hardly ever use my 31 and 77 because of that. I bought them because I was curious. All that magic people talked about. Mine kind of sit there, collecting dust. I typically go with my Distagon T* 28/2 instead of 31. There is nothing like how a Zeiss barrel turns.

03-31-2011, 09:28 PM	#118
Chex Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: The 'Stoke, British Columbia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,678	My first and only lens for the first month of owning my K-5 was a 43mm Ltd and its AMAZING! It's only downfall is that it spoiled me and I want that IQ or close to from all lenses! If I was in your shoes, I probably would go for it... hell I sorta envy you, I wanted the 31mm Ltd but it was out of my price range since my wife wanted a zoom lens for shooting the kids etc. Ahh well LBA says I WILL own a 31mm ltd by X-mas or else!

03-31-2011, 09:29 PM	#119
Chex Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: The 'Stoke, British Columbia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,678	Originally posted by Fontan I hardly ever use my 31 and 77 because of that Well PM me before you go and throw those on the marketplace

03-31-2011, 10:05 PM	#120
sterretje Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Roodepoort, South Africa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,561	Originally posted by feilb Well, what's done is done. I've placed an order for: The 31. ... ... That being said, my decision was based largely on 2 things, speed and focal length. I think a 24/2 limited would be my ideal lens, but 31 should get me where i'm going. I'm most leery about the size, which is a bit bigger than I would like, though comparatively small looking at my past setup . Congrats. I had a similar motivation; more or less normal FOV and I wanted one fast lens next to the 18-55 and 55-300. FA31Ltd now lives on my camera about 100% of the time; gives me a perfect field of view. Other lenses now have become specialist lenses and only see the camera when it's in the bag next to them or when I really need something else.