[bobik314]

Hello.

I'm thinking of next lens to my set, just like half of this forum members

I have already:
- SMC FA 50/2.8 - I love this lens, this is for me "the best prime"
- SMC DA 15/4 LTD - bought couple weeks ago, not tested in >1 day trip yet

I know there are billions of similar topics, but that I have already keep this topic less similar.

I'm thinking about:
1) SMC DA 35/2.4:
+ very good sharpness, good reviews, cheap, focal between 15mm and 50mm
- not limited, not metal, not as thin as 40 limited

1a) SMC FA 32/2:
+ quite compact, rugged version of 1,
- i think it is quite rare now than 2 years ago, probably weight more than 1)

1b) SMC DA 35/2.8 macro LTD:
+ macro, quite compact
- macro hunting, expensive, dark

2) SMC DA 40/2.8
+ size!, some people find it very (very = exceptional) sharp, limited quality or limited "religion"
- darker, more expensive than 35LTD, only 10mm wider than my FA50

3) SMC A 28/2.8
+ cheap, quite popular, decent quality
- no AF (sometime is is small drawback, sometime pain in the ...), old, a little bulky, I have experience that it's expensive to buy cheap things

4) SMC DA 21/3.2 LTD
+ size!, some people love it
- too similar to 15mm, price, not so fast (3.2)

5) SMC F/FA 28:
- very rare in my country

6) Sigma 30/1.4:
- bright as hell
- not SMC, big, expensive


What do you think? I'd like to know opinion especially from people who used 1 and 2.

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Last edited by bobik314; 09-26-2012 at 06:13 AM.

[GDRoth]

why not the 35mm LTD Macro?

[bobik314]

My FA 50/2.8 has macro 1:1 and I know what it is when AF starts it's travel around the world, but your right - it is an option.

[nmrecording]

I personally have the FA 35 f/2 and enjoy it very much. Very sharp, bright, great color rendition and contrast. The f/2 makes it a nice indoor /low light lens as well. Its more than the el cheapo 35 f2.4 but I was willing to pay more for the FF ability, extra stop, and higher build quality.

[jimr-pdx]

You're not alone in seeking something in the 20-something FL from Pentax!

My thoughts: I would find 40 and 50 to be too close. My us$35 manual-focus 28mm is ideal, but only Sigma makes a current AF model. As you say the F or FA can be found, but not easily. The 31Ltd would be a nice fit, but that's a bit of an expense certainly. The 21 is enough different from the 15 according to most owners, just cropping the 15 to get there is disliked by 21mm owners. And buying them all isn't a great idea but then you'd know your favorite setup, which we can only speculate about!

Good luck in your hunt, from a reasonably happy 15fisheye/28/DA40 owner.

[bobik314]

I personally have the FA 35 f/2 and enjoy it very much.

Added as an option. I'm going to look after it on "local ebay".

but then you'd know your favorite setup, which we can only speculate about!

Right. Every pentaxian is looking for the perfect setup and we need to buy lenses, test them, use them, discuss about them, and sell them to find it

I'll probably try to find SMC FA 35/2, or DA40, DA35 when it will be available with good price.

[i83N]

35 macro

[asp1880]

You could also consider the FA24/2. It's big and expensive, but supposed to be good. It's in fair supply on ebay.

Regards,
--Anders.

[demp10]

Depending on the type of Macro work, you may find the 35mm focal length rather Limited (). It will force you to work on very short distances from the subject which may be OK for still life but rather impossible for live subjects.

Besides the most important aspect of a successful Marco photo is not the lens or the camera but rather the lighting. Having extra distance from the subject, allows creative lighting techniques to be used.

A good overall macro focal length is around 100mm. For very unapproachable subjects, a close focusing long telephoto (e.g. 500mm) works really well.

[Eagle_Friends]

Save some money for another 2-3 months and get a FA 31mm

[lytrytyr]

Depending on the type of Macro work, you may find the 35mm focal length rather Limited (). It will force you to work on very short distances from the subject which may be OK for still life but rather impossible for live subjects.

This issue came up just a couple of days ago:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/200028-da35mm-...ml#post2112072

[demp10]

This issue came up just a couple of days ago:

I know, I was reading that thread too but I did not have the time to find the link. Thanks for posting it.

[Nick Siebers]

The Sigma 30/1.4 isn't much bigger overall than your FA 50 macro, and will give you low light and/or thin depth of field capability that none of the other choices can match. The FA 35/2 would be a good choice as well, smaller and lighter but not as fast. If you are open to manual focus, you could also look for a Vivitar 28mm "Close Focus" lens, some are as fast as f/2 and some have an "A" position.

[bobik314]

I personally have the FA 35 f/2 and enjoy it very much.

This lens at this moment is available at limiteds price. Maybe someday I'll find better deal.

You're not alone in seeking something in the 20-something FL from Pentax!

I'll try SMC-A 28 to find how this focal fit me and I'll keep money for something more expensive in near future.

Save some money for another 2-3 months and get a FA 31mm

It would be very hard for me to afford that amount of money, but it's possible within not near future.

The Sigma 30/1.4

It would be hard to have all this lenses in my travel set. Funny thing - Sigma 30/1.4 is a bit cheaper than Samyang 35/1.4 without AF.

[jimr-pdx]

I'll try SMC-A 28 to find how this focal fit me and I'll keep money for something more expensive in near future.

Manual-focus bargains are a great way to learn which focal lengths are good choices; my Rikenon-P takes absurdly sharp and detailed images. The SMC-A will not be available for a bargain price, but it's a great choice - and maybe you'll be hooked on manual primes, great for LBA on a tighter budget