Originally posted by hcc I love my FA7mm because of the colours, the number of keepers and a very special feel. It is also metallic, petite and beautiful.
My FA77mm is the my preferred lens for portrait, because it gives the best portrait shots. Full stop.
Originally posted by Sandy Hancock When I have the option of using the FA77 on both APS-C and Full Frame DSLR's, it will be my one stop portrait shop. The DA*55 will be largely relegated to fast fifty status.
Originally posted by Rondec I guess to me the two biggest features of the FA 77 that make it special are the fact that it is sharp wide open and that it can have pretty amazing rendering of out of focus areas. My experience with most 50-ish mm lenses is that they need to be stopped down a fair amount to achieve a similar level of sharpness, while the FA 77 can be shot wide open without problem (as long as you don't mind the narrow depth of field). The DA *55 has similar sharpness, but it is every bit as expensive a lens.
The question was posed, "Why not the FA50 [for portraits] in APSC format?" These respected contributors have hit the nail on the head. I had the Trio, and this may be blasphemy, but I let the 31 go in favor of the DA 35 Ltd. However, I will never part with the 77! I was shooting portraits for a friend, using both the DA*55, and the 77. While the 55 is no slouch, the 77 blew it away consistently. The 55 just couldn't be counted on to deliver the goods at wide apertures the way the 77 can, and nowadays for portraits I won't even bother with any other lens. And, the 77 is also much more than just for portraits! Other lenses may come and go, but the 77 is a keeper.