[kernos]

I am entirely happy with the FA 77mm Limited. It makes me look like I'm a better photographer than I actually am which is my definition of a great lens. But, it's not the best for a wider perspective or indoors. So gentle readers, for portraits (head and shoulders or larger) what lens would you select (Pentax or other) for aps-c portraits between 40mm and 60mm? I have used the DA 50mm 1.8 and while competent in lots of ways does not have the wow factor for portraits that either the 77mm or 31mm seem to be able to produce. I've heard decidedly mixed reviews about the 43mm but want to be convinced. I kick myself for not buying the VL 58mm when I could and now it appears to be unobtanium. I hear good things about some of the Zeiss 50's. I hear good things about Leitaxing Leica or Contax lenses. What has been your experience. Extra points for sharpness, creamy bokeh and full frame compatibility.

[Auzzie-Phoenix]

Hmmm.... I'm not familiar with use of the 43 or 77, so I can't comment on those. However, some of the nicest portrait photos I've seen here on the forums have used the Plastic Fantastic 35mm and the M42 8-element super takumar. One or two users who do street photography have posted great portraits using the DA 40 XS.

[Jeff Lopez]

If manual focus is not a problem, I would go for the most excellent SMC M 50 1.7 for 3/4 to 100% body pics and the SMC M 85 2.0 for shoulder and head pics..

[K(s)evin]

What about the DA*55 1.4? I've heard good things!

[Alex645]

I personally believe that nothing is going to match your 77mm for portraits. And although both the 43mm limited or 40mm pancake are great "street" lenses, I think they are not long enough for most portrait work. If you really want to go that wide (which is actually a normal lens), then Iʻd suggest the Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4.

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Pentax DSLR Cameras 340109

If you must have AF, Iʻd go for the Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4.

Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens 20817 B&H Photo

If youʻre okay with manual focus, and this is for portraiture, consider the Lensbaby Velvet 56mm f/1.6.

Lensbaby Velvet 56mm f/1.6 Lens for Pentax K (Black) LBV56BP B&H

[cali92rs]

I've always really enjoyed the rendering from the 43mm limited. Very creamy

[pres589]

I'm thinking of a combo of an F50 1.7 and a Helios 44 of some sort. I doubt the Helios interests you based on the lenses you mention. A DA*55 would be lovely but I don't have the budget and like smaller lenses.

For street / general carry, the FA35 f2.0 seems the business; DA35 was more my liking only due to price so that's what I got. I should probably stop buying lenses that are sort of what I want + "cheap enough" and just have fewer, better lenses on the shelf.

EDIT: A lens I have thought about for a portrait lens is the Sigma 24-70 HSM. Seems like a really nice zoom, full frame coverage which gives crop users a sweet spot effect, and pretty excellent image quality through the entire zoom range. I simply don't know if I would get enough use of the thing to make it worth buying.

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Last edited by pres589; 06-05-2017 at 11:32 AM.

[jab2980]

FA 43, K 55 1.8, and DA* 55 have all worked great for me and are ff compatible.

My 43 is by far the sharpest of the 3 when wide open, and its very sharp when viewed at 100%. This lens loves people just like the 77.

K 55 has some of the finest bokeh out of any Pentax lens in my opinion. Sharp enough for portraits, beautiful 3D rendering, and the focus ring on mine smooth like butter with the perfect amount of tension.

55 1.4 gives you silent AF, WR, and a bit more light for more $$$. Bokeh is a bit smoother than the 43 but not as good as the K55. I use it wide open with the hood on my K1 and I have no issue with the small amount of vignetting. In my experience, sharpness is well below the 43 and somewhat lower than the K55 but still very acceptable for portrait use.

I can't leave out the DA 50-135 and Sigma 50-150 which both are incredible portrait lenses and cover the range you're referring to. They're very similar image quality-wise with the main difference being the Pentax having WR and having possible SDM failure, while the Sigma has much more robust and reliable silent AF but lacks WR.

[pathdoc]

K 55 has some of the finest bokeh out of any Pentax lens in my opinion.

Wasn't the formula for this one pretty much a direct carry-over from the late Takumar era?

If so, I would second your recommendation. My Super Tak 55/2.0 does this...



...close to wide open on my K-5, and so neither centre sharpness nor bokeh is lacking.

I guess it's up to the OP whether they'd rather run stop-down in Av mode with a Tak or wide-open with the green button and an SMC K. The K, of course, probably has much better flare resistance, but if OP is shooting portraits they're probably doing their utmost to control the light anyway.

[victormeldrew]

If youʻre okay with manual focus, and this is for portraiture, consider the Lensbaby Velvet 56mm f/1.6.

Lensbaby Velvet 56mm f/1.6 Lens for Pentax K (Black) LBV56BP B&H

Second that! Artsy soft focus wide open, close it down a stop for flattery, a stop or two more for sharp-but-interesting.

[RKKS08]

Nowadays I don't shoot portraits often, but I would use my Zenit MC Helios 44K-4 (58mm/F2).

I wish I had this lens in the seventies. If APS-C wasn't a newer thing, you could think these Helios 44 lenses (and the Zeiss lenses where they come from) were specially designed for indoor portrait work.

[pschlute]

I personally believe that nothing is going to match your 77mm for portraits

mmmm.... there is one contender ......FA* 85/1.4 [IF]

[clackers]

The DA*55 has the look you're after ... it was designed by Hirakawa Jun, who also is responsible for the FA43, FA77 and FA*85.

[Na Horuk]

I have used the DA 50mm 1.8 and while competent in lots of ways does not have the wow factor for portraits that either the 77mm or 31mm seem to be able to produce.

Well, of course. The DA 50mm is a great lens, for the price. But obviously a lens that costs 10x as much simply has to be better.
I have DA 35mm f2.4 and DA 40mm XS. DA 35mm has quite some distortion, so it is not great for portraits, unless they are really wide, environmental portraits. If you take a photo of shoulders and face, the face will look a little round, with wider nose - generally not something people like in their portraits. But it is a good, sharp lens. I think it is similar to the DA 50mm, though - great, light, sharp, but simply not on the same level as the Limited lenses. DA 40mm XS is a good compromise, as it is the same optics as SMC DA 40mm limited, but at a lower price (due to lack of QS, lens hood, distance scales). Simply put, it has those deep contrasts and colours you can expect from DA limited lenses. The XS has rounded aperture blades and Tessar-based formula, which gives interesting bokeh, but it is not exactly a bokeh monster (like the Voigtlander you mention)

DA 35mm f2.4 is probably my most used lens, its great on APSC, but I would use something more telephoto for tight portraits. If you have a bit of landscape and the whole body in the shot, it might be enough. It is sharp, but not super artsy.
DA 40mm XS is a good lens, super compact, with nice colours and contrasts. It has more of the Limited character at the price of a regular DA lens.
But since you like the FA 77mm so much, you should probably think about FA 43mm limited. Its the least expensive of the limited lenses and its bokeh is slightly better than the DA 40mm (the FA is more telephoto and has faster aperture, and more 'character').

Edit: Also, there are many many legacy and third party lenses around 50mm to 55mm and 58mm. Something like the Helios 44(many versions of this lens, some are even kmount) can give you amazing bokeh at a really low price. Or an old Takumar, or Pentax A series, a Rikenon 50mm,.. its hard to get a bad prime lens in the 50mm range, though there are significant differences in the character (bokeh, wide open sharpness, flare resistance, contrast, colours). If you don't mind going more or less manual

Tl;dr: DA 40mm XS, DA 40mm limited (SMC or HD version, just different coatings and aperture blades), FA 43mm limited.

[Alex645]

mmmm.... there is one contender ......FA* 85/1.4 [IF]

Yes, for sure. Totally agree, but the OP is looking for something in the 40-60mm range as a wider alternative to the 77mm and the 85mm f/1.4 would be a great longer alternative.