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04-06-2008, 12:01 PM   #1
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DA35, FA31 resolution comparison, samples.

Pentax FA31mm ltd and DA35mm ltd macro resolution comparison - a photoset on Flickr

Shot the brick building across the street to satisfy my curiousity as to whether or not the newcomer was to dethrone the king. I will shoot some samples which play to the strengths of the lenses later today and add them so feel free to check back.

If you have any further datas, corrections, thoughts, etc, please add!

Thanks,


Kelly.


***I would like to add the disclaimer that I enjoy this process. I did it for fun and to sate my wonder. I like to know things and I find them out. If you are not interested in literal performance tests than you have now been amply warned of what lies ahead and are free to move along!


Last edited by thePiRaTE!!; 04-06-2008 at 12:08 PM.
04-06-2008, 12:16 PM   #2
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thanks Kelly for your work! i was eagerly looking forward to your samples today and lurking around
this just fuels the urge for an FA31 even more
04-06-2008, 12:24 PM   #3
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LOL, nice comparison. I guess there is no need for me to get a 35 macro. For the same distance, the 35 has a bit more advantage in resolution, but it doesn't show that well here.
04-06-2008, 12:30 PM   #4
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is it just me, or does the 35 seem to be a bit higher contrast? Mine shoots a tad dark too, but I'm starting to be taken with the 3D-ness of near images. For instance in your crop the lightpost has a very nice look in the 35 shot. Plus the difference between the light and dark side of the building seems greater.

I had a 31 but it had focus issues that I couldn't fix with the AF adjustment on the K20d. I think I got a rare lemon, but the lack of quick shift on the 31 is another "con" to me. I agree that if you have a 31 there really is no reason to get this lens other than LBA. You're likely better served with a 50 or 100 macro. But if someone doesn't have a 31, the 35 is a close second (akin to the 70 vs. 77 from what I can tell).

04-06-2008, 12:50 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by aegisphan Quote
LOL, nice comparison. I guess there is no need for me to get a 35 macro. For the same distance, the 35 has a bit more advantage in resolution, but it doesn't show that well here.
Yeah, the focus range variance is visible in the shots. For being slightly more (8.8%) magnified, it should benefit the DA35 as it is 'closer' to the details. Even with the lower magnification though, the FA still holds a bit cleaner sharpness which I found impressive.

Last edited by thePiRaTE!!; 04-08-2008 at 08:54 AM. Reason: fixed math
04-06-2008, 12:57 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by nostatic Quote
is it just me, or does the 35 seem to be a bit higher contrast? Mine shoots a tad dark too, but I'm starting to be taken with the 3D-ness of near images. For instance in your crop the lightpost has a very nice look in the 35 shot. Plus the difference between the light and dark side of the building seems greater.

I had a 31 but it had focus issues that I couldn't fix with the AF adjustment on the K20d. I think I got a rare lemon, but the lack of quick shift on the 31 is another "con" to me. I agree that if you have a 31 there really is no reason to get this lens other than LBA. You're likely better served with a 50 or 100 macro. But if someone doesn't have a 31, the 35 is a close second (akin to the 70 vs. 77 from what I can tell).
I think its a combination of the darker image the 35 gives (if you note the mortar between the bricks, its also darker) and the high contrast fringes, which hold up better on the 35 (see BOARD lettering. It looks better on the 35).

I've noted the 31 and 35 have AF issues with my K20 as well, they don't focus right on infinity. Sadly, these are my only two AF lenses, everything else I own is MF, so I can't say for sure whats the problem, the body or the lenses.

I would concur on your observation. If you have a 31, this lens is superflous. If you need to fill the range, then the 35 is a lower cost alternative. That said, I wonder if the 40 is better than the 35 for even less again?

And I wonder how the DA*30 will come out of this!
04-06-2008, 01:54 PM   #7
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So any1 know the speed of the DA* 30.

04-06-2008, 04:19 PM   #8
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Thanks Kelly for posting up the comparison photos. I'd love to see more though, especially for close target (0.5 to 3m) which I shoot the most.

Never used a 35mm macro lens, wonder how well it'd do comparing w/ a 50mm macro for normal product (lens, camera and stuff like that) shots. Seems 35mm macro would have a much closer working distance, might not be easy to set up the lights? Thought about getting this one to replace my A50/2.8 macro ...
04-06-2008, 04:24 PM   #9
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Thank you for posting these.
04-06-2008, 04:47 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by thePiRaTE!! Quote
That said, I wonder if the 40 is better than the 35 for even less again?
You lose the close focus ability with the 40 so that is worth the extra money depending on how you shoot. I end up often wanting to move in close, so the 35 is a perfect "walking" lens for me.
04-06-2008, 10:41 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by frank Quote
Thanks Kelly for posting up the comparison photos. I'd love to see more though, especially for close target (0.5 to 3m) which I shoot the most.

Never used a 35mm macro lens, wonder how well it'd do comparing w/ a 50mm macro for normal product (lens, camera and stuff like that) shots. Seems 35mm macro would have a much closer working distance, might not be easy to set up the lights? Thought about getting this one to replace my A50/2.8 macro ...
Hi Frank, here's some lens pr0n via the 35. The images here are handheld, un PP'd, crop and convert from DNG to jpg only. I added polished versions as mock adverts for the Nokton to the original comparison link.







I used sunlight on these (I haven't invested in anything else yet ) Working distance for all these shots was within 1.5 - 12 inchs aprrox.
04-06-2008, 11:59 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by thePiRaTE!! Quote
Hi Frank, here's some lens pr0n via the 35. The images here are handheld, un PP'd, crop and convert from DNG to jpg only. I added polished versions as mock adverts for the Nokton to the original comparison link.

...
I used sunlight on these (I haven't invested in anything else yet ) Working distance for all these shots was within 1.5 - 12 inchs aprrox.
Thanks for the sample photos. Looks pretty nice. But wonder how it'd be if a light tent is used ...

Oh well, I guess I'll have to use it myself to test it out
04-07-2008, 10:02 AM   #13
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Still no light tent, but a macro shot. ISO was @ 100, handheld @ 1:1, f5.6 on a K20D. No processing other than resizing and DNG to JPG.



The foreground blurred baby's breath was nearly touching the glass, the in-focus sprig was approx 1 inch away from the front element. There you have it folks, wide-angle macro photography. I will say that with the lightness of the lens and close proximity, hand-holding sharp macros was a breeze. Thats a neat little advantage if you're just out and about shooting things.

To show you a little more, here is the same baby's breath, cropped.



Also, I will put up a shot taken with the Voigtlander 125 of the same scene simply for curiousities sake. I did one at 1:1 and another (very) roughly simulating the FoV of the DA. It was much harder to handhold the VL, for obvious reasons, which is when I got the warm fuzzy about how easy it was to get the focus right with the DA. Shots in a minute.

Last edited by thePiRaTE!!; 04-07-2008 at 10:29 AM.
04-07-2008, 10:16 AM   #14
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Wow, this definitely wouldn't help with my LBA. Before, I don't believe in this "too" short focal macro, but the flexibility is there, especially for flower macro. I probably will wait until this is available on Amazon to grab one. Kelly, you just convert a non-believer .
04-07-2008, 10:29 AM   #15
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Good review and basically confirmed my thoughts on keeping the 31mm Ltd. This new 35mm is a great choice for someone that doesn't have or want to spend that kind of money. It woud be interesting to see how it compares to the older FA35 f2
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