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05-11-2014, 09:20 AM   #46
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Did I make a boo boo?

So I know I told all of you I was looking for a classic manual portrait lens for my Super Program, and I know I said I wasn't planning on spending very much, but I went and gone done it.

What did I do? I bought the 43 Limited, and it's on its way to me via the trusty USPS.

First, I want to apologize if anyone feels I have wasted your time, and I do really appreciate your help, but I could not help myself. I am a victim of the Limited lust.

Second, how would this lens fair on the portrait front? I know it's extremely short for a traditional portrait lens, but I'm just hoping that the pixie dust will make up for that. And I know what you're thinking, why didn't I just get the 77! Well, I got the 43 because I have the 40 Limited and I absolutely love the focal length of that lens on both film and digital (especially for the street) but the very low contrast makes it almost unusable for me (outperformed by my 35/2.4 in fact). Plus, I bought it for $400, which I understand to be a good deal.

So what it comes down to is I'm just hoping I bought a lens that is versatile enough that it will cover my search for a portrait lens (at least for now) as well as be a super compact street lens.

Thanks for all the help!

05-11-2014, 10:34 AM   #47
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The 43 is fine for half body shots and even head-and-shoulder shots. And it's a beautiful lens! Definitely not a boo-boo

Sure, you will still want a 77 (or similar), but I'm absolutely sure you won't regret getting that 43. I find it very versatile.
05-11-2014, 08:49 PM   #48
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If it's a good copy you got a good price. You may end up retiring your DA40 after this.

I doubt you made a mistake. There are so many types of portraits - anything from 24mm to 300mm can be usable on APS-C. I found the FA31 - even though I thought it was too wide at first - actually took some good portraits on APS-C. So the FA43 should be good on film. Plus, it will bring nicer colors to that film than any other lens I've used.

Be aware of its character: It outperforms any of the Pentax AF 50mm lenses at the same f-stop (at least within the first couple of stops from wide-open). But it still should be stopped down to at least f/2.2 for improved IQ, and f/2.8 shows noticeable improvement over that. This is different in character from the FA77 and FA31, both of which are quite good wide-open. Also, the backgrounds are more average than the other two FA Ltds. But like I said, the colors and the subject look really good!
05-12-2014, 02:22 PM   #49
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That was an interesting choice. A superb lens by all accounts, but an interesting choice for portraits.
I think you'll be revisiting this thread at some point in the future In the meantime, enjoy the 43

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