[UncleVanya]

I'm currently most interested in Sigma 24mm f1.8 and Pentax DA* 55mm f1.4.

Both Pentax 31mm and 77mm are praised lenses, but I find them to be too overpriced - I'd rather buy Pentax DA* 50-135 instead. I rarely go above 150mm on my 70-200 anyways.

The DA* 50-135 is a SUPERB lens!

[Digitalis]

I'm currently most interested in Sigma 24mm f1.8

I took the liberty of looking that lens up on photozone ( tested on a full frame Nikon body)


[From photozone]

Here are the test results on APS-C format ( on nikon DSLR again)


[From photozone]

If you're anything like me, the decreased resolution in the corners of the image field will drive you nuts. Like the abominable Sigma 30mm f/1.4 (and the art version too), the Sigma 24mm f/1.8 doesn't get critically sharp outside the center of the frame at any aperture.

PS. for reference, this is what a good lens looks like*:


FA31 tested on 16Mp K5 [From photozone]

* the FA31 maintains this resolution characteristic on full 35mm format....you get what you pay for.

[clackers]

I'm currently most interested in Sigma 24mm f1.8.

I've got and like that film-era piece of glass, but like many 24mm lenses it's soft away from the centre - more of a problem if you upgrade to FF.

[noelpolar]

When I've shot a couple of weddings.....I came away wanting the 31 on a FF..... as well as one on my K3.

[Zafar Iqbal]

I actually did not look at the specs of the 24mm f1.8 yet - it has so far been the only wide lens with a large aperture - but being too soft on the sides is indeed a minus.

[yorik]

Both Pentax 31mm and 77mm are praised lenses, but I find them to be too overpriced - I'd rather buy Pentax DA* 50-135 instead...

Can you buy them from US internet retailers? The 31 is currently $900.00 at B&H and the 77 is $714.00... (and the 50-135 is $860.00)

[Zafar Iqbal]

I'd have to pay import taxes, and it would run up to about 1290USD. It's cheaper than what the lens goes for here, but no warranty however.

[yorik]

I'd have to pay import taxes, and it would run up to about 1290USD. It's cheaper than what the lens goes for here, but no warranty however.

Sorry to hear that...

[UncleVanya]

I'd have to pay import taxes, and it would run up to about 1290USD. It's cheaper than what the lens goes for here, but no warranty however.

Used from the marketplace here is another option...

[mtux]

I actually did not look at the specs of the 24mm f1.8 yet - it has so far been the only wide lens with a large aperture - but being too soft on the sides is indeed a minus.

Have you consider FA* 24mm f/2? I've seen great shots with it. and it's FF lens. but you have to buy second hand.

[Zafar Iqbal]

I was googling for 50mm the other day, when I stumbled upon a secondhand 50-135 at half price - I got it today and it seems I got one of the worst copies of "one of the best lenses ever produced by Pentax". That's just my lock :/

I'm writing to ask if it can easily and for cheap money be fixed, or if I should simply get my money back.

A (100% crop) photo so you can see what I mean: Shot at 135mm, 1/2500, f2.8, ISO 200 - SR turned off



Except for few shots @ 50mm, I'm having hard time seeing anything being tack sharp because of this smeared look washing the details away. The performance of this particular lens is almost as bad as my 15 years old Sigma 70-300. I see nothing in the way this lens renders, be it at 50mm or 135mm, that I like.

It's supposed to be awesome - so again, should I send it in for repairs and what kind of expenses should I expect?

[UncleVanya]

I would just return the 50-135 if it is that bad. But before you go there if you try shooting with LiveView or manually focusing do you get different results?

[ChristianRock]

That kind of looks like a lens that has been dropped. Any chance you might be able to return it?

[Zafar Iqbal]

I suspected something might be off when I first tried the lens so I gave the seller two options: 1, We part our ways without exchanging anything. 2, I buy the lens, but on the condition that I have few days to test it properly and see the photos on an actual monitor.

Before I let him decide, I made it very clear that I suspected the lens was not performing as it should and there would be a high chance of me returning it. He agreed on the terms.

I felt the issue is bad enough and not something micro AF adjustment can fix, so I've actually already written to him before writing here, saying the lens isn't what I expected and we should meet again - I wrote here because I was hoping the issue was something worth having a look at. But I'm not interested if it's a hassle, risk/gamble or too expensive.

Focusing using Liveview doesn't improve anything and I bet if I showed 2 similar photos, one taken with PDAF and the other using LV, you wouldn't be able to tell which is which.

It does indeed look like the lens was at some point dropped but he assured me the lens was never dropped or anything like that - Could also be the lens came out bad from the factory. I've googled a bit and have found others having similar issues.

[hoopsontoast]

I love my FA*24, my copy is sharp as anything wide open in the centre (much like my second copy of the FA43).
The 3 photos below are shot wide open, AF is quite quick and the build as you would expect, is pretty epic.

I am currently looking for a DA*55 and an 85mm to go with it. Based on my experience of the FA*24 and the reviews of the DA*55 I would say they should make an excellent pair!

FA*24 Images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hoopsontoast/albums/72157655158965169










Its larger than a lot of the DA Primes but not that large in the grand scale of things, compared to the uber lightweight FA20-35