[rbefly]

Well, if you want a tight "Head Shot" lens, as opposed to an upper-body photo, here's a way to spend your $100.00 and have a great all-around fast prime;
M 100mm f2.8.
Shorter than the 135mm.
Faster than any zoom under $500.00.
Tack sharp, wonderful bokeh, light and small.
Perfect color rendition.
Much cheaper than any 85mm you'll find in a bayonet mount.
The only downside is...once you try a MF prime, there's no going back, you're hooked!
JMO,
Ron

[Just1MoreDave]

That's pretty good to know. I thought I had read somewhere once that the DAL produces very close to, if not the same, image quality as the DA 18-55 ii.

I've never been able to find a test that would prove this. Anyone know if a test has been done?

They have the same optical formula. Probably you could find differences between two individual lenses that come down to sample variation or testing procedure/error. The WR version is also the same, but the seals make the WR version feel better to me.

[Larsenio]

135 wouldnt work for indoor portraits unless you got a long room or something

I have to say I disagree on that.
This pic is taken with K20d& 135mm f/2.5 attached to it on 2-3metres distance

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28102359@N05/6214641435/in/photostream/lightbox/

[creampuff]

Any of the current Pentax telephoto zooms can deliver portrait shots (DA 18-135mm, DA 17-70mm, DA 50-200 WR, DA* 50-135mm, DA/DAL 55-300mm), it just boils down to camera to subject distance. Take my advice and go with a modern AF lens, you'll get more keepers because it is easier to shoot spontaneous shots like these with AF rather than MF. Decide how much you want to spend and what works for you.


DA 55-300mm

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Last edited by creampuff; 01-03-2012 at 07:00 AM.

[Brangdon]

The only thing is, I wonder if I would actually get better results with an older prime. I've never used anything older than an FA model, so I don't know how an M, A, or even a third party prime would perform with my Kr.

Glass ages well. Old manual lenses work better on modern cameras than they did on contemporary cameras when they were new. You do have to do almost everything yourself, though: use M mode, then set ISO, aperture, shutter speed and focus. You can configure the Green Button to set shutter speed for you, from the other variables, but you still have to do it. None if it is hard but it takes time and I find it easy to forget a thing, and you do need to understand the fundamentals of exposure. Manual focusing has a knack to it. Practice and technique helps, as does having plenty of time in a studio. Using "Catch in focus" may help, but again it's something that needs set-up.

[dadipentak]

I use the FA 135/2.8 for candid portraits but I have big space and prefer not to crowd my subjects.



In tighter spaces, I'll use the FA 77/1.8 or FA 43/1.9.