[Crosshair]

Hiya,

When using Nikon I had the D90 and 85 1.8D, which was a decent setup both in terms of lightness and range. I don't feel so comfortable with 35 and 50 since I have to be slightly close to subjects and this distracts them & gives a short time to me to focus and make the shot. With 85 I have a comfortable distance and I can still keep a good thin DOF.

I have the FA*85 and been using it for 2 months in the street. Turns out the problem is; its a little heavy and bulky. I frequently find that I get lazy to lift the camera to my eye, since it is heavy. With a smaller and lighter lens I am much more agile and quick enough to get my instant moments. With the 85 this gets harder.

But I just love the film look and colors of the 85.

So I could use a little advice on how to address this. I might not be able to reach a 77 ltd now, so please shower me with alternatives.

Thank you.

[Giklab]

70 Ltd. ?

[Crosshair]

f2.4 doesn't appeal since I do lotta night shots.

[8540tomg]

Monopod?

Tom G

[Crosshair]

Doesn't go with "instant" and "candid" I guess.

[lytrytyr]

f2.4 doesn't appeal since I do lotta night shots.

If you have the K5, there should be no problem with the ISO bump compared with what the 1.8D needed.
I find the DA 70 to be excellent for street photography, especially since the AF is so fast, and it's already sharp at f/2.4.

[GabrielFFontes]

Pentax Autofocus 77 F1.8 SMC FA LIMITED BLACK (49) WITH CAPS DIGITAL SLR TELEPHOTO LENS - KEH.com
ORRRR
The DA 70mm LTD
Only a little bit slower...

[Mareket]

Yeah, go for the 70 Limited and bump the ISO up half a stop. It'll be a world of difference with the K-5 in terms of noise. And it's the tiniest, sharpest little nugget of awesome you'll get around that range.

[yusuf]

You don't have many options if you are not considering 77ltd and still want a small, fast lens in 85mm range. It has been my fav lens for street and personally I would choose it over da70

[usmcxm35]

@yusuf, what is the size difference between the FA 85 and the samyang 85?

[Mareket]

@yusuf, what is the size difference between the FA 85 and the samyang 85?

It's a bit lighter, a bit longer and probably about as wide. Pretty much the same size, despite not having any autofocus.

[Crosshair]

I thought about the 77 but hard to find. And also I know CA to be a big problem in the 77, as in the 85. CA makes the photos really bad and 1.4 and 1.8 nearly useless in most situations. Don't want the same with the 77.

[gtl]

I get the CA too with my 31mm limited but the newly released Lightroom 4.1 is awesome at getting rid of it for me in most situations.

[Marc Sabatella]

f/2.4 is plenty fast for night shots with modern DSLR's - just turn up ISO an extra notch over what you might have at f/1.8. You'll get a far more usable image in most cases than opening up wider at a lower ISO, unless you specifically *want* extremely shallow DOF. And even then, there isn't *that* much difference.

[Michaelina2]

Hiya,
With a smaller and lighter lens I am much more agile and quick enough to get my instant moments. With the 85 this gets harder.

But I just love the film look and colors of the 85.

I suggest, per your criteria, if you like the 85 FL, consider the... (read reviews from this forum's users)

M85/2: It's tiny, cheap, a bit slower than the FA85 (use K-5's iso performance to compensate) and MF (utilize hyper-focal techniques to compensate for lack of AF), also known as the poor-man's FA77, or...

K85/1.8: It's slightly larger and more expensive than the M85, but not much slower than the FA85. Like the M85, it requires more work to master, or...

Personally, and I speak from experience using every lens mentioned, I'd pick the DA 70..., or stick with your FA85, since none of these alternatives will out-class it.

...my 2 cents... Cheers...