Originally posted by Conqueror Yeah I'm going round in circles.
I've seen good deals on the 77 and 43 in particular... 31 not such good deals at the moment
This my current setup:
15mm DA
35mm FA
55mm DA*
100mm WR
Would the 43 or 77 justifiably coexist with the 35mm, 55mm and 100mm? The 55mm is very impressive but not the smallest, 35mm a dark horse, feels fragile at times though...
If your main use of the FA35 is for walkabout work, you may or may not be able to adapt to the 43mm focal length, which is a tighter FOV, and lacks that subtly flattering wide-angle depth exaggeration which a 35mm lens inevitably gives.
But if you can, you'll be rewarded with the FA43's legendary rendering, once you've learnt how to use it. It's easy to get used to the 43's rendering magic though, let me "warn" you - so much so that you might possibly retire the 35 eventually, with all due respect; replacing it with the DA21 Ltd or even a second-hand FA*24 f2.0 - both metal bodied lenses, by the way, which may be important to you.
If however you cannot accept 43mm as a walkabout focal length, you would then want to consider whether you love short-tele close-up work, as I do. If yes, the FA43 is a natural. It will also not conflict with your 55 as they render very differently.
In terms of portraiture, both the 43 and 77 are excellent, but demand different working distances, and will also give results with different perspective, and slightly different rendering style.
The 77 would be what many people classically consider a portrait lens - having said that, I have portraits taken by either lens (43/77) which the other could not have done, due to the differences in perspective and rendering flavour, as mentioned.
As a portrait lens, the 77 will not overlap your 55 due to their different rendering styles. The 77 will however demand longer working distance, something you may want to consider.
I don't think the 77 will conflict with your 100WR since the latter can do macro. Even if you use the latter solely for tele work, it renders very differently than the 77. However, being used to 100mm focal length, you might find 77mm slightly lacking in reach, again, something to consider. I personally also use the DA* 50-135; consequently I often find the 77 too short for certain tele work. But as a portrait lens, the 77 is rightly legendary.