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05-17-2011, 01:10 PM   #151
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No it isn't 2.8 times better than any lense - espesially the DA 40.
FA 31 is for old experienced photographers who can make a difference out of it.

...my two euro-cents

05-17-2011, 02:21 PM   #152
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QuoteOriginally posted by climit Quote
FA 31 is for old experienced photographers who can make a difference out of it.
Wrong. While some beginners may struggle to get the best out of the 31, hardly anybody else would.
05-17-2011, 03:21 PM   #153
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QuoteOriginally posted by climit Quote
No it isn't 2.8 times better than any lense - espesially the DA 40.
FA 31 is for old experienced photographers who can make a difference out of it.

...my two euro-cents
The FA31 is for anyone who can appreciate its rendering qualities. That can include anyone from a novice to a wily old veteran. Now what one does with the lens is another matter altogether, but the same applies to lesser lenses as well.

Rob
05-17-2011, 03:59 PM   #154
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QuoteOriginally posted by robgo2 Quote
The FA31 is for anyone who can appreciate its rendering qualities.
Which are best appreciated on film.

Put the 31 on a full frame camera, and you will be like "wow, I've never seen a wide angle lens with bokeh like this".

Not true on digital, where it acts like a very good fast 50.

05-17-2011, 04:21 PM   #155
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QuoteOriginally posted by paperbag846 Quote
Which are best appreciated on film.

Put the 31 on a full frame camera, and you will be like "wow, I've never seen a wide angle lens with bokeh like this".

Not true on digital, where it acts like a very good fast 50.
OMG, the broken record is back! Really wish you would get a new cause here on PF.
05-17-2011, 04:24 PM   #156
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QuoteOriginally posted by krendel154 Quote
I am trying to find out difference in pictures that produce DA40 and FA31. Because, I have checked DA and FA clubs and all members are so proud of these lenses. I can see the difference in price. But how to find the side-by-side comparison, which will prove that FA31 2.8 times better?
Look at pictures taken with it on Flickr. Then get the DA15 and DA70. The 31 is a cult lens and you have to surrender a body part as well as $$$ to get one. It is an excellent lens but post processing is a great equalizer with digital. I, personally, don't want one...and yes I could afford it. Bottom line: It is an expensive 'normal'
lens on APS bodies.
05-17-2011, 04:26 PM   #157
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QuoteOriginally posted by paperbag846 Quote
Which are best appreciated on film.

Put the 31 on a full frame camera, and you will be like "wow, I've never seen a wide angle lens with bokeh like this".

Not true on digital, where it acts like a very good fast 50.
I agree 100% and it is an expensive normal lens to boot. If I still used film I would
by one YESTERDAY.

05-17-2011, 06:16 PM - 1 Like   #158
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it's kinda sad that some people have this limited thinking capacity of just because it's an FF compatible lens, the lens would become less pleasing on an APS-C sensor. the very same people who argue that people don't need fast FF (1.2, 1.4) lenses on an APS-C cameras because the DOF is so shallow? just think how shallow could it get on a FF camera.

anyways, I wonder what Pentax on it's existing DA line has to offer that is a fast 35mm equivalent on APS-C? oh, that's right, ZERO. also, I wonder what fast existing Pentax DA line has a 50mm FOV equivalent on an APS-C sensor? again, ZERO.

so let's be glad that we have the FA31 that people are looking at and answers the need for a fast 35mm equivalent on APS-C sensor camera, and stop the stupid argument of it being made only for FF or sensible for FF cameras. being an FF lens is an additional advantage, not a shortcoming.

Last edited by Pentaxor; 05-17-2011 at 07:08 PM.
05-17-2011, 08:06 PM   #159
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QuoteOriginally posted by Pentaxor Quote
being an FF lens is an additional advantage, not a shortcoming.
The 31 is a remarkable wide-angle lens. It really is one of a kind. It loses a little bit of it's special quality when you use it on a crop sensor, where it handles like a very good 50mm lens on full frame. Once upon a time this was not a 1000 dollar privilege.
05-17-2011, 09:41 PM   #160
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I've done a shootout between FA31 and FA35 with full sized images available for download.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/144298-fa35-vs-fa31-shootout.html
05-17-2011, 09:42 PM   #161
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QuoteOriginally posted by Spotmatic Quote
Look at pictures taken with it on Flickr. Then get the DA15 and DA70. The 31 is a cult lens and you have to surrender a body part as well as $$$ to get one. It is an excellent lens but post processing is a great equalizer with digital. I, personally, don't want one...and yes I could afford it. Bottom line: It is an expensive 'normal'
lens on APS bodies.
If you cannot see any difference, then don't get one. Others can see it and prefer the look of the FA Limiteds. You may think it is a cult built around a mirage, others know that it is genuine. Enjoy your DA Limiteds. They are fine lenses, but they have a different character. I cannot understand why this is even controversial. It's nice to have choices, don't you think?

Rob
05-17-2011, 10:24 PM   #162
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QuoteOriginally posted by paperbag846 Quote
The 31 is a remarkable wide-angle lens. It really is one of a kind. It loses a little bit of it's special quality when you use it on a crop sensor, where it handles like a very good 50mm lens on full frame. Once upon a time this was not a 1000 dollar privilege.
are you basically saying that the FA31 would be less special on an APS-C camera?

or maybe you are saying that the FA31 is wasted on an APS-C camera? so which one is it? maybe we can get some of the owners opinion about this one on another thread, like why not an FA31 or FF lens on a K-5 or any Pentax dslr?
05-18-2011, 05:21 AM   #163
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QuoteOriginally posted by Pentaxor Quote
are you basically saying that the FA31 would be less special on an APS-C camera?
Well, yes, because of the focal length.

The 31 is a great, great lens. But what makes it really special is that it renders like a portrait lens, but it's a wide angle lens. That is pretty unique. I personally think that the FA 31 is the most amazing lens in Pentax... but you need to use it on film to truly see that. On ASPC, it acts like a fast-50, and isn't that much better than a top-notch 50mm lens from Nikon, Sigma, or even the humble (cheap) Pentax (on a full-frame camera!).

So it's still great, but I fear a lot of people miss out on what makes the 31 *truly* special... the rendering of a portrait lens, with the FOV of the DA 21 on a digital camera!
05-18-2011, 05:39 AM   #164
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QuoteOriginally posted by paperbag846 Quote
I personally think that the FA 31 is the most amazing lens in Pentax... but you need to use it on film to truly see that. On ASPC, it acts like a fast-50, and isn't that much better than a top-notch 50mm lens from Nikon, Sigma, or even the humble (cheap) Pentax (on a full-frame camera!).
I assume you're speaking from personal experience having used the 31, right?
05-18-2011, 08:40 AM   #165
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QuoteOriginally posted by paperbag846 Quote

So it's still great, but I fear a lot of people miss out on what makes the 31 *truly* special... the rendering of a portrait lens, with the FOV of the DA 21 on a digital camera!
To me, this is one of the strengths of the FA31 on an APS-C camera. It is a "wide normal" lens with unique rendering characteristics that distinguish it from other "normal" lenses, which are almost all longer. It also has extraordinary sharpness and jewel-like construction. (In my personal experience, the only comparable lens in its league is the Zeiss Contax G 45/2, which is a FF film lens.) If you happen to like that particular focal length, as some of us do, then it is ideal for many uses and gives spectacular results. BTW, how many other "normal" lenses are there for APS-C? A 35mm lens is equivalent to 53mm on FF vs. 46mm for 31mm, a small but significant difference. A DA35 might serve the purpose, if one likes its rendering character and can accept the loss of speed. A 28mm lens is equivalent to 42mm, and the FA28 is not even close in quality. There may be some lesser third party alternatives, but that is not what we are discussing here.

I have not seen any evidence that the character of the FA31 is different when shot on a FF vs. an APS-C camera, although I fully expect that a digital sensor, especially like the one in the K-5, will win by a large margin over any film in terms of IQ.

So it seems that your argument comes down to one of effective FOV, which is purely a matter of personal taste and shooting style and has nothing to do with lens quality or character. I'm glad that we have finally gotten this straight, so in the future, when you want to argue that the FA31 is not worth what it costs, please make this point clear. You personally do not find the focal length particularly useful, but kindly allow that others might and that there are few, if any, alernative lenses that can match it. It is pricey, but that, too, comes down to personal factors, such as budget and willingness to spend.

Rob

Last edited by robgo2; 05-18-2011 at 09:55 AM.
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