[noelpolar]

Hi everyone, thankyou for having a look at this thread......I currently have a few of the DA limiteds and I have poured over all the relevant posts regarding the pro and cons of the SMC DA 70 v's FA 77 and am now getting to the point of purchasing one of them to round out my prime collection (15, 21 & 40)

Part of me (heart...not head) is thinking that I need to get the FA77 and give it a try .........but another part (head?) says that the HD DA70 will make a more reliable travel lens for grabbing good snaps when I can't control a number of the variables (such as light, angle, time to compose shot etc).

Should I be worried about this or just get it (the FA77)?

On a scale of 1-10 I'm about a 5 as far as competancy in photography goes....

Thanks in advance.

[ogl]

I have the both. For travel - I use DA70.
Just because of of size and weight.

[hcc]

Go with your heart. Both the DA70mm Ltd and FA77mm Ltd are excellent primes. You cannot go wrong with either. But I prefer the FA Limited's, and the FA31mm and FA77mm are possibly the best ones. The FA77mm has even be called the 'greatest lens' (sm-02-05-02).

I would go for the FA77mm (I have it now and I use it in my travel). It is very nice for portrait, outstanding IQ IMHO, and fast. I love also the rendering. This however is no criticism of the DA70mm.

Hope that the comment will help.

[DSims]

Part of me (heart...not head) is thinking that I need to get the FA77 and give it a try .........

Yes, you probably need to give it a try. Because the character of the images from this lens is unlike anything you have right now.

Your head vs. heart "analogy" is probably a good one, because the DA70's output (whether the HD version or not) is more analytical and "digitally sharp" in appearance, whereas the FA77 yields a slightly softer, more beautiful appearance. I definitely lends itself to a more emotional, artistic approach to photography. When I decided (almost at the last minute) to purchase the FA77 instead of the DA70 (I was initially certain the DA70 took better photos) it transformed my photography - I now consider sharpness secondary to the beauty of a photo. This is why you need to give it a try - because it may change your photography as well. You probably wouldn't be asking this question if you'd already made this transition.

On a scale of 1-10 I'm about a 5 as far as competancy in photography goes....

And getting the FA77 will change that.


But on the practical side as well, remember that the FA77 is still remarkably small. It's almost a full stop faster than the DA70, and it retains near-optimal IQ even wide-open (a very rare quality - it's hard to see any difference in IQ between photos shot at f/1.8, f/2, and f/2.2). The small size and fast aperture make it just as versatile as the excellent DA*50-135 - without even having any zoom! In some situations (like dark stage performances) you may find it's the only lens suitable for the job.




EDIT: Upon reading your post again, I think you may have been getting at a different question as well ...

but another part (head?) says that the HD DA70 will make a more reliable travel lens for grabbing good snaps when I can't control a number of the variables (such as light, angle, time to compose shot etc).

I don't think the DA70 would be any more "reliable" at getting the shot when you have little or no time to prepare for it. In fact, this is what makes the FA77 so great. You simply set it to somewhere between f/1.8 and f/2.2 in AV mode (unless the light is so bright the shutter can't go fast enough) and shoot away. The FA77's character (especially at wide apertures) will make an otherwise ordinary photo look more interesting by featuring (isolating) the subject.

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Last edited by DSims; 01-22-2014 at 02:04 AM.

[Digitalis]

It is hard to say - optically the DA70mm f/2.4 has a slight advantage over the FA lens in terms of aberration control and also in AF speed due to the shorter focus throw. Though when these two lenses are stopped down to f/4 and smaller the difference in optical quality disappears - though the real reason to get the FA77mm f/1.8 is the extra lens speed that it delivers.

[David&karen]

We had both. Now we only use the smc da70. The hd version is almost identical. We felt the fa 77 was too soft and had too much purple fringing at its wider stops to make it worth while. But if you need/want that that is a difference. We sold our 77.

David

[noelpolar]

Thankyou for all you thoughts on this......with all the basic differences aside (size, cost, FF etc) it was the concern of purple fringing at its wider stops/contrasty situations (where I'd be 30% of the time with either lens) that worries me with the FA77.....This concern is somewhat offset with the faster speed and .....well just great following it generally has........ahh.....decisions decisions.

[Rondec]

FA 77 is faster (of course), slower to auto focus, doesn't have quick shift and is bigger. A little more prone to flare and has quite a bit of purple fringing. But it also has a lot better rendering of out of focus areas (DA 70 isn't bad, FA 77 is just better). I ended up with the FA 77 due to faster aperture, mainly.

FA 77 at f2

[Digitalis]

The Aberrations from the FA77 aren't beyond control, Lightroom 5 has many tools that can help deal with them.



It is an exceptional lens - one of the reasons I bought mine was the image quality, the aperture ring and the size. It is considerably smaller than the Canon EF85mm f/1.2L - which I might add being an incredibly expensive L series lens, also has bigger problems with purple fringing and LoCa than the FA77 does.

[legacyb4]

I can help make that decision easier as I'm planning on selling my DA 70mm to fund some other gear purchase... PM me!

[LeRolls]

I have both. Haven't touched the 70 since getting the 77. I like it that much more. Same thing happened when I picked up the 43. I completely stopped shooting with the 40.

What can I say? I'm a huge fan of the FA Limiteds, even with the increased CA and PF. The only DA I bother with anymore is the 15. That's just me though...

[SpecialK]

The 77 would be the odd man out with a trio of DA's :-) You'll think it is huge, like the Sigma 30...

[noelpolar]

I'm still getting my mind around how size may impact me, I did carry my 70-200 2.8 Sigma with me around China last year because I wanted to take some "low light reach" for pictures of the Terracotta warriors etc. also had my Tamron 17-50 and Sigma 10-20 with me. I was hoping to have a second smaller kit for future holidays etc (15,21,40 and 70/77). I'll probably go for the 77 to satisfy the itch.

[noelpolar]

EDIT: Upon reading your post again, I think you may have been getting at a different question as well ...


I don't think the DA70 would be any more "reliable" at getting the shot when you have little or no time to prepare for it. In fact, this is what makes the FA77 so great. You simply set it to somewhere between f/1.8 and f/2.2 in AV mode (unless the light is so bright the shutter can't go fast enough) and shoot away. The FA77's character (especially at wide apertures) will make an otherwise ordinary photo look more interesting by featuring (isolating) the subject.

This hit it on the head regarding my major concerns.......I will get a FA77!

Thankyou to all for helping me in through this.

[vrrattko]

C'mon DIGITALIS ..... how can you compare FA77/1.8 with Canon 85/1.2 .... I find that totally unfair
of course Canon has bigger problems with CA....it is an f1.2 lens......same applies for price....
dont get me wrong, I am Pentaxian and I am proud of thier lenses, but If you are making such comparisons at least compare apples to apples
FA77/1.8 to Canon 85/1.8 and maybe FA85/1.4 to Canon 85/1.2 please....

btw. I had both the FA77 and DA70 and neither lens blows other away, their both are superb.....before the choice was easy as the DA70 was significantly cheaper than FA77. Today they are not far apart pricewise, so it is up to subtle preferences ..... I prefered DA70