[pinholecam]

My guess :

Set1
-------
55/1.4 ; 30/1.4
77/1.8 ; 43/1.9


Set2
------
30/1.4 ; 55/1.4
43/1.9 ; 77/1.8


Set3
------
43/1.9 ; 55/1.4
30/1.4 ; 77/1.8



I'm generally a bokeh dummy, that all look nice to me.

[TOUGEFC]

Ok since it doesnt look like anyone else willing to guess(I assume alot of people are sitting on the fence on this one ) and have a bit of fun, I will "grade your picks" and reveal the answers. Thanks for everyone who had a participated

Set 1:
top left: FA 77
top right: DA* 55
bottom left: FA 43
bottom right: Sigma 30

2 are correct

SET 2.I think the top left is the 43, top right 77, btm left is 55 and bottom right 30 Sigma. The bottom left has lower contrast, top left has a busier bokeh, btm right has very different colour rendering, top right has a built in lens hood giving better contrast. Just a guess though

1 is correct

Not as hard as I thought it would be:

always going from top left to bottom right
Set 1:
77 - 55 - 43 - 30

Set2:
30 - 77 - 43 - 55

Set3:
43 - 77 - 55 - 30

conclusion:
in capable hands all 4 are clearly capable great results
I'm quite surprised just how close in OOF quality the 55 and 77 are!
I'm quite surprised to see so many cat's eyes OOF highlights, especially considering the FA Ltds are FF lenses, 55 is reported to cover 135 image circle too. I thought lenses with FF image circle would hold distinctive advantage over the APSC "only" Sigma, but it doesn't appear to be so!

Thanks for posting this one Simon!

SET 1: 2 is correct
SET 2: none are correct
SET 3: 4 are correct

Thanks Simon for going to the trouble of doing this shootout

Without looking at anyone elses guesses, here's my wild guesses:

In set #1
1. FA77
2. DA55
3. FA43
4. Sig30

In set #2
1. Sig30
2. FA77
3. FA43
4. DA*55

In set #3
1. FA43
2. FA77
3. DA*55
4. Sig30

SET 1: 2 is correct
SET 2: none are correct
SET 3: 4 are correct

My guess :

Set1
-------
55/1.4 ; 30/1.4
77/1.8 ; 43/1.9


Set2
------
30/1.4 ; 55/1.4
43/1.9 ; 77/1.8


Set3
------
43/1.9 ; 55/1.4
30/1.4 ; 77/1.8



I'm generally a bokeh dummy, that all look nice to me.

SET 1: none are correct
SET 2: 2 are correct
SET 3: 1 is correct

The answers:
SET 1
55 77
43 30

SET 2
43 55
30 77

SET 3
43 77
55 30

[TOUGEFC]

Exactly--and how large the discs are is a good indicator of the focal length.

Not always. The sigma 30 produces bigger discs than the FA43 in set 2 and 3.
And the DA*55 produces very close in size to the FA77, sometimes smaller, sometimes bigger, depending on subject distance

[Class A]

Exactly--and how large the discs are is a good indicator of the focal length.

The disc size would be a good indicator if all shots would have been done with the same distance between subject and camera.

The images demonstrate what a huge influence the amount of background defocus -- which is directly dependent on the distance between subject and camera -- has on bokeh, including whether the background looks "busy" or not.

The Sigma 30mm is pretty easy to identify by its "onion bokeh", but I must admit that I mixed it up with the 43 in set two. In hindsight, it makes sense and I should not have mixed the lenses up, but I didn't look closely enough. N.B., in real life usage the Sigma 30mm is a cracker of a lens. The "onion bokeh" (caused by the aspherical lens element which helps to reduce spherical aberrations) only shows in extreme examples, such as the Christmas lights here.

I think anyone here can be forgiven to get some of the guesses wrong with such a variety of different subject to camera distances. Very instructive game, thanks TOUGEFC.

---

Last edited by Class A; 12-08-2011 at 05:42 AM.

[trickletreat]

Thanks for doing this, only just found it. In the three sets , the ones I preferred before knowing which was which, all turned out to be taken with the 43.
So thanks for that, as I thought I was cured from LBA!
I suppose I could squeeze one in between the 28 and 55.
Nigel

[axl]

Wow!
So not as easy as I thought
Oh well, we all learn all life

I'll revisit the thread on a PC a draw my conclusions.

Thanks a lot Simon!

[repaap]

Nice shoot out, man! now is the time to make some list for santa, I guess I was also surprised by "cat's eye bokeh from FA and DA* but really it does not bother me at all.Great shots from all of lenses...by you. Thanks for posting these.

[Rondec]

Interesting. I was pretty much off.

FA 43 seems not to do very well wide open. I mixed it up with the Sigma on several of those.

[TOUGEFC]

No worries guys
Stay tuned because next week I may do part 2. "Stopped down bokeh"

[mika.]

Set #2, the lower left pic has the best color reproduction. Whatever lens it is, it would be my top pick.

[Digitalis]

Interesting effect on the bokeh from the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 - those concentric rings in the blur circles gives me the impression that sigma do not grind their aspheric elements finely enough - you see that effect quite a bit in Sigma ASPH lenses. Though there aren't any other lenses in that particular comparison that have any ASPH lenses in them, so I really wouldn't call that comparison fair and balanced at all*. Aspherics typically wreck the bokeh from lenses the nikkor 28mm f/1.4 is a classic example of this, the Nikkor is one hell of a lens,sharp,contrasty except under certain circumstances look at the bokeh from it you can feel your retinas detaching.


*there was an old rumour that early versions of the FA43mm f/1.9 Limited posses an aspheric element, unfortunately this isn't the case.

[TOUGEFC]

Wow!
So not as easy as I thought
Oh well, we all learn all life

I'll revisit the thread on a PC a draw my conclusions.

Thanks a lot Simon!

Cheer's, drawn anymore conclusions?

Interesting. I was pretty much off.

FA 43 seems not to do very well wide open. I mixed it up with the Sigma on several of those.

Yeah I too expected the 43 to be better , generally the Sigma does a nicer job IMO and has bigger discs.

The 55 and 77 seem to have very simalar bokeh and looks like alot of people got them mixed up.

Part 2 is going to be quite interesting.....

[axl]

Well yes, side by side comparison like this reassured me that selling 77 in favour of 55 was a good decision, and that 43 despite being nice, and small and special doesn't measure up against the 55 for the style I want to be doing most of the time. Sigma is out of contest as those onion discs are rather annoying for me. So it seems that the *s (24+55+28-70) will do for me, with the zoom replacing 43 as my walkaround lens, while 24 and 55 serving specific purposes

Thanks again!

When is part II coming?

[Digitalis]

Sigma is out of contest as those onion discs are rather annoying for me.

they are a dead give-away as to which lens is being used IMO. Yet another reason for the high cost of the FA31 - Pentax puts more effort into polishing the aspheric lens elements therefore the onion ring bokeh isn't as obvious.

[TOUGEFC]

I was wondering when the fence sitters would start the Sigma bashing

In "real world" shooting the onion effect isnt apparant, you either get very creamy butter bokeh-


or very faint circle highlights-


the Sigma 50mm seems to have alot of onoin bokeh too, I wonder if the new Sigma 85mm is the same....