[robgo2]

I really wanted this lens, but after testing five copies that could not focus consistently on my K7, I gave up and got a FA43 Limited. I also tested one of them on a K-5 with similar erratic focusing. My sense is that it can be a fine lens, if it focuses accurately. When it did manage to hit the focus target, I felt that it was fairly soft at f1.4 and OK at f2.0. Above that, it was much sharper. The FA43 is better at f2.0.

Rob

[Asahiflex]

The DA* 55/1.4 SDM is not "fairly soft". At least mine is not, or your definition of "fairly soft" is different to mine

100% crop at f/1.4, unsharpened and unprocessed:

[TOUGEFC]

Some great examples! It kind of has a FA43 look to the images or is it just me?

[axl]

Some great examples! It kind of has a FA43 look to the images or is it just me?

Exactly what I'm thinking!
But from personal experience, wide open the OOF of 55 is bit busier. But these examples are very convincing I have to say. Looks like I might give this lens another go and sell some of my ltds

[axl]

The DA* 55/1.4 SDM is not "fairly soft". At least mine is not, or your definition of "fairly soft" is different to mine

100% crop at f/1.4, unsharpened and unprocessed:

And another +1 here. I only had my 1st copy for week but up to f4 it easily beat K50/1.2

[TOUGEFC]

Exactly what I'm thinking!
But from personal experience, wide open the OOF of 55 is bit busier. But these examples are very convincing I have to say. Looks like I might give this lens another go and sell some of my ltds

Well they both were designed by Jun, so i guess it makes sense that they render much a like.

Whats the build like on this lens? Is it metal?

[farfisa]

The 43 used to be my most-used lens, but last year I found I gravitated towards the 55 so much that I almost stopped using the 43 entirely.

When it came time to trim my kit I let the 43 go. Do I miss it? Absolutely! It's a great walkaround lens, and amazing sharpness and bokeh stopped down. But I find the 55 fills its shoes (albeit in a larger package) and I prefer the focal length for portraits and how it does skin tones.

I found the 43 bokeh to be quite busy wide open too, so usually had it stopped down a bit anyway. With the 55, I have no qualms using it at f/1.8 or lower, and even 1.4 can be nice if you get the distances right.

[icypepsi]

I really wanted this lens, but after testing five copies that could not focus consistently on my K7, I gave up and got a FA43 Limited. I also tested one of them on a K-5 with similar erratic focusing. My sense is that it can be a fine lens, if it focuses accurately. When it did manage to hit the focus target, I felt that it was fairly soft at f1.4 and OK at f2.0. Above that, it was much sharper. The FA43 is better at f2.0.

Rob

I think it is fairly sharp at 1.4, given ok light I'll guarantee you the 6th copy will still have focus shift issues, if that's what you are talking about

[DogLover]

Whats the build like on this lens? Is it metal?

I find the build to be very good, though the outer casing is not metal. It does feel pretty solid, has a nice wide rubber focus ring, and a felt-lined, generously-sized hood. Looks heavier than it actually is, probably because it's not metal. Comparatively slow AF is the only down-side of this lens for me. This does, however, lead to better MF feel than many AF lenses, as it has a fairly long throw.

[Rondec]

Well they both were designed by Jun, so i guess it makes sense that they render much a like.

Whats the build like on this lens? Is it metal?

Build is standard DA * build -- rubber/plastic shell over a metal interior. Feels very similar to the DA *50-135, just smaller.

I think the biggest reason why I like it is the focal length. I just don't connect so well with 40-ish mm focal lengths. Even the FA 50 felt a little short to me.

[robgo2]

I think it is fairly sharp at 1.4, given ok light I'll guarantee you the 6th copy will still have focus shift issues, if that's what you are talking about

No, none of mine exhibited focus shift. Rather, with autofocus, the focus plane moved in almost random fashion at constant aperture. With manual focus, the focus plane shifted only minimally as the aperture was reduced from f1.4. I strongly advise anyone buying this lens to test its focusing accuracy very carefully. Also, at f1.4-2.0, contrast is rather poor.

Rob

[Rondec]

I know you've already got the DA *55 Peter, but I just wanted to post a photo at f1.4. It is quite sharp (although the narrow depth of field limits its uses at this aperture).



Heavy crop of above photo: