[Driline]

I've made the decision that this will be my first Pentax limited lens. I've pored over all of the FA 43 pictures on this site but cannot seem to find any shots of the sun so I could see what the starburst effect looks like. Does anyone have one I could look at?

The lenses that were in the running but lost out were the DA 35 Macro, and the DA 40 limited. I still plan on purchasing the DA15mm at a later date. The only lens I currently have is the Pentax 18-135mm zoom paired with a K5.

[oxidized]

The bursts would look just like those with all of the other limited lens, except there will be fewer of them. Most of the limiteds I have experienced have had odd number of blades (15mm,31mm,77mm) which creates stars with twice as many rays compared to the number of aperture blades. The 43 has 8 blades, so it will create 8 pointed stars. The shape of the blades should be the same so the stars should be nice and defined (past F10). Sorry I cant post pics bcs I dont have the lens

[oxidized]

I found this on flickr. I might be helpful. However, judging by the stopped motion of the cars the aperture was probably close to wide open to handhold and the starbursts are not that great.
Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe at night in black & white | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Driline]

I found this on flickr. I might be helpful. However, judging by the stopped motion of the cars the aperture was probably close to wide open to handhold and the starbursts are not that great.
Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe at night in black & white | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Thanks, I was hoping they would look nice and distinct looking. Probably not as cool as the 15 limited but good nonetheless .

[Just1MoreDave]

The stars are created by the points on the polygon formed by the aperture blades. Each side of the polygon makes two spikes of light. When the aperture has an even number of blades, the spikes overlap.

The 43/1.9 has two disadvantages compared to star-producing champions like the 15/4. The overlapping spikes make them less distinct, especially if the octagon isn't perfect. The longer focal length means highlights are typically larger - the sun or moon gets too big to make great stars. Streetlights work better and you can arrange stuff so they are farther away and smaller.

[elpolodiablo]

I found this on flickr. I might be helpful. However, judging by the stopped motion of the cars the aperture was probably close to wide open to handhold and the starbursts are not that great.
Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe at night in black & white | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

It's my shot, FWIW was at ISO1600, F5.6, 1/15th hand held, I love this lens for star burst, OK I got DA 15 Limited as well and it's a star burst monster(same with the DA 35 Macro), but even my DA 12-24, which doesn't have the legendary flare resistance as the 15 can produce very pleasing star burst as well.