[lea828]

FA 50mm f/1.4 AND DA 40mm f/2.8 xs - to purchase or not to purchase?

Hi all!

I've just seen the Black Friday deals for some of the lenses on Adorama and BH and am having trouble deciding whether to take advantage of the drop in price for the DA 40mm f/2.8 XS pancake lens.

I currently have:
18-55mm kit lens
FA 35-75?mm f3.5-4.5 zoom (I dont get much use out of it)
FA 50mm f/1.4 prime
K-r body


The 50 is almost always attached to my K-r and I do quite a bit of traveling. I mainly use this to take pictures of family and friends at get-togethers, scenery when I travel, and occasionally, portraits for folks who have fashion/travel blogs.

I've been looking for another prime that I hope to like just as much as my 50 but more travel friendly, fast, and something that I could use in a greater range of spaces wouldn't hurt either. Sometimes in places with a lot of people, it's hard to make/find enough room to capture everything that I would like (i've been using a small point-and-shoot to compensate for this, but practically, it's hard to switch from camera to camera ).
I think that the size and price of the 40mm are great; but would it make a difference to what I already have/what I use the 50 for? As much as I like the size of the lens, I do want to purchase something that could offer more to my selection of lenses (but within my budget! -->*low* budget)

What do you all think?
If I have the FA 50mm f/1.4, would picking up the DA 40mm f/2.8 XS be a good addition?
If not, any suggestions of something more suitable?

Your opinions are much appreciated!

---

Last edited by lea828; 11-28-2015 at 04:17 AM.

[Rondec]

The biggest thing the DA 40XS has going for it is that it is tiny. Well, it is sharp at f2.8 and pretty flare resistant. But the focal length is pretty close to the FA 50's focal length and I just wonder if you would use it much. I would look harder at the DA 35 f2.4, which if you can find a good price shouldn't be too much different in price from the 40, but will be a little wider. The DA 35 f2.4 isn't as tiny as the DA 40XS, but it is still pretty small and I've seen pretty nice photos from it on the forum.

[clackers]

You've already indicated your current favoured lenses are too long for some important situations. The 40 is similar to the 50. You may find the DA21 Ltd or DA35 mean you throw away that P&S.

[ncallender]

The da 21 and fa 50 make a fantastic light two lens travel kit. I'd go with something wide if I already had the fa 50.

[biz-engineer]

Purchase is always good, it makes you a loyal K mount user.

[clackers]

Purchase is always good, it makes you a loyal K mount user.

I think you need an Intervention for your LBA, biz-engineer.

I'll let you know what they're like after mine. :-)

[BrianR]

Purchase is always good, it makes you a loyal K mount user.

Is there a loyalty card that goes with this addiction? Maybe after it's been stamped ten times, you'd be given a bigger card with room for 20 stamps, etc...

[pathdoc]

The DA40 Limited is a fantastic lens for travel if you want sharpness and compactness, but too close to the 50 in focal length to travel as part of the same kit IMO. It's also slower than the vast majority of 50mm lenses; the only fifties I know that are slower are either Macros or M42 lenses such as the Soviet Industar.

If you're going to follow the advice of some of the others here about the DA35/2.4, put your 35-70 on at widest zoom for a bit and see how the 35mm focal length suits you. If it does, go for it.

[ismaelg]

I see the 40 as a possible future member of my collection, but since I got the DA35/2.4 to accompany my FA50, the zooms are sleeping. My next target is the 21, and then UWA (maybe 15 or so) or tele prime(~85+ up to 300) before the 40.
Unless of course a great deal on the 40 makes me tumble......

Thanks,

[UncleVanya]

I agree with the others. The 40 and 50 are really similar. In my case I carry the 40 more often but that is in combo with the 15 and 70 so the 50 would be more awkward in that kit. The 31, 50, 77 kit is all about low light and special uses. The 15, 40, 70 is about size etc.

[robthebloke]

I prefer the 40mm myself. Tiny, sharp as you like, great bokeh, and resistant to flare (something that can be an issue with the 50).

[Alnjpn]

I have the DA50mm 1.8, DA40mm 2.8xs, DA35mm 2.4 and DA21mm 3.2. I bought the 40mm xs cheaply and on a bit of a whim. To be honest I don't really need it and don't use it as much as the other lenses. Out of this bunch it is the 35mm and 21mm that get the most use. Overall I prefer the IQ of the 35 2.4 to that of the 40xs and it is noticeably better than the 21 3.2.

As others have said the 40mm xs is very close to your 50mm. You say you use the 50mm a lot which means the 21 may be a bit wide for your taste. In which case I am going to give another vote for the fantastic 35mm. It really is a top little lens.

[filoxophy]

My 40XS admittedly sees more use on my ZX-7, since I love that AOV and it makes a super compact AF kit.

But if you are thinking about getting it, this lens hasn't budged in price even as pretty much all others have come down in the past few years.

[Rondec]

I have the DA50mm 1.8, DA40mm 2.8xs, DA35mm 2.4 and DA21mm 3.2. I bought the 40mm xs cheaply and on a bit of a whim. To be honest I don't really need it and don't use it as much as the other lenses. Out of this bunch it is the 35mm and 21mm that get the most use. Overall I prefer the IQ of the 35 2.4 to that of the 40xs and it is noticeably better than the 21 3.2.

As others have said the 40mm xs is very close to your 50mm. You say you use the 50mm a lot which means the 21 may be a bit wide for your taste. In which case I am going to give another vote for the fantastic 35mm. It really is a top little lens.

It is pretty easy to crop a 35mm to a 40mm angle of view, hard to do the reverse.

[6BQ5]

My 40XS admittedly sees more use on my ZX-7, since I love that AOV and it makes a super compact AF kit.

But if you are thinking about getting it, this lens hasn't budged in price even as pretty much all others have come down in the past few years.

Agree here. The 40mm focal length is a little odd on APS but on FF/film it is exceptional. If you are using APS then go for the DA 35mm f/2.4. It's sharp and contrasty and it will compliment your 50mm prime on APS.

The 40mm XS is tiny which gives it some sex appeal and it is definitely a very sharp lens. I'm not knocking its design or performance. I think if you had a K-01 then it would be an obvious fit considering the form factor of the camera.