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06-27-2017, 11:02 AM - 2 Likes   #31
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QuoteOriginally posted by StefanMikes Quote
I tried the DA 14/2.8 on a film body and only centre of the frame was covered... So I thought it would be the same for other lenses. Thank you for the hint.
This must be evaluated on a case by case basis.

06-27-2017, 11:32 AM - 2 Likes   #32
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QuoteOriginally posted by StefanMikes Quote
I tried the DA 14/2.8 on a film body and only centre of the frame was covered... So I thought it would be the same for other lenses. Thank you for the hint.
There is a thread "DA lenses on FF" with test photos, so you can check which DA lenses are FF compatible. There are some other tools, like the lens search tool on this forum.
06-27-2017, 01:47 PM   #33
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QuoteOriginally posted by Na Horuk Quote
OP sure got a lot of answers Seems lots of people have been wondering about this question.
I wanted to add one more suggestion, though I have no experience with those lenses. Voigtlander made some nice compact Kmount lenses with good rendering. They are difficult to find, but people seem to love them, even though they are Manual focus.
Still, I think getting a used SMC DA 40mm limited and maybe later a wider prime to complement it would be the way to go

Good luck OP
I think Pete has a 40mm and it will be the 28 - 35 area he is thinking about. I have had my K1 for about a month now and the gap in focal length turning up for me is a nice portrait length where the 50s were in apsc. I am exclusively on legacy glass so I guess the nearest is the sup tak 105 2.8s. I don't have or expect to afford the 70 to 80mm stuff. At the wide end I was surprised how well prepared I was. 17mm & 24mm Tokinas and a bucket of 28s and 35s.
06-27-2017, 02:47 PM - 1 Like   #34
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@GUB DA 70 ltd is very workable for short tele portrait lens

06-27-2017, 03:55 PM   #35
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QuoteOriginally posted by mattt Quote
@GUB DA 70 ltd is very workable for short tele portrait lens
Apart from the obligatory practise shots of the farm dogs I haven't had a chance to have a serious go at portraiture yet. I am hoping I am going to adapt by working a little closer and cropping more.
06-27-2017, 04:52 PM   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by mattt Quote
@GUB DA 70 ltd is very workable for short tele portrait lens
+1 for the DA70 on FF ... it's excellent if you're used to 50mm on APS-C.

Compares very well with its more expensive FA77 cousin.
06-27-2017, 07:19 PM   #37
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Thanks very much for the many detailed and varied replies !
some interesting alternatives I hadn't thought of :-)
thanks to GUB for mentioning I have already got a da40.
Pete

06-28-2017, 01:29 AM   #38
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QuoteOriginally posted by Na Horuk Quote
There is a thread "DA lenses on FF" with test photos, so you can check which DA lenses are FF compatible. There are some other tools, like the lens search tool on this forum.
I've been busy taking photos with my K-5 for past couple of years with all necessary lenses at hand, so I did not pay attention to the Forum until I felt I really needed an FF Pentax. Thank you for the useful information!
06-28-2017, 02:18 AM   #39
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sandy Hancock Quote
This. Or keep a crop body.

Mind you, the FA31 does nice clean starbursts, but I agree its 18 point star is a bit busy - the 14 pointers from the DA21 and DA15 do have more appeal.


That time of year
Alternatively, just use a starburst filter on the 31 or 28 like I did in my film days. Bit 1970s but does the trick

Last edited by Theov39; 06-28-2017 at 02:30 AM.
06-28-2017, 04:45 AM - 2 Likes   #40
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QuoteOriginally posted by Theov39 Quote
Alternatively, just use a starburst filter on the 31 or 28 like I did in my film days. Bit 1970s but does the trick
Sadly it also lowers the contrast and resolution. And just photoshopping it doesn't work as well either.
06-28-2017, 03:09 PM   #41
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Well, the Sigma 35mm 1.4 "Art" lens is certainly a fine one, perhaps the best lens overall Sigma has made. I will stick with my modest FA 35mm Pentax for fine IQ since I don't often need faster than f/2.

But the original question is a FF replacement for the very useful and nice DA 21mm Ltd, so consideration has to address similar usage, including focal length. Any 35mm lens is not quite there, because of a substantial difference in focal length and field of view. The FA 31mm Ltd comes closest, and presents very fine quality IQ. Every test review has given it a very high rating. Photozone gave it top honors for sharpness and bokeh, although their test was only for APS-C use. This lens is not as fast as the Sigma, but much faster than the DA 21mm Ltd. It is also much smaller and lighter than the Sigma, yet with a noticeably wider field of view, which, on a FF body would be near that of the DA 21mm Ltd on an APS-C body.

Otherwise, a used FA 28mm f/2.8 in top condition might be a good FF alternative. It would definitely offer more WA, and would be close in aperture- f/2.8 compared to f/3.2 and has also received very high reviews. I have one and like it very much. It does not have the build quality of a Limited, though.
06-28-2017, 10:47 PM   #42
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QuoteOriginally posted by mikesbike Quote
Well, the Sigma 35mm 1.4 "Art" lens is certainly a fine one, perhaps the best lens overall Sigma has made. I will stick with my modest FA 35mm Pentax for fine IQ since I don't often need faster than f/2.

But the original question is a FF replacement for the very useful and nice DA 21mm Ltd, so consideration has to address similar usage, including focal length. Any 35mm lens is not quite there, because of a substantial difference in focal length and field of view. The FA 31mm Ltd comes closest, and presents very fine quality IQ. Every test review has given it a very high rating. Photozone gave it top honors for sharpness and bokeh, although their test was only for APS-C use. This lens is not as fast as the Sigma, but much faster than the DA 21mm Ltd. It is also much smaller and lighter than the Sigma, yet with a noticeably wider field of view, which, on a FF body would be near that of the DA 21mm Ltd on an APS-C body.

Otherwise, a used FA 28mm f/2.8 in top condition might be a good FF alternative. It would definitely offer more WA, and would be close in aperture- f/2.8 compared to f/3.2 and has also received very high reviews. I have one and like it very much. It does not have the build quality of a Limited, though.
Although I much agree with these views, let us bear in mind the fame of the FA31 originated in the times when none of Pentax-brand owners ever planned making an FF digital SLR. FA31 is certainly excellent with APS-C but I believe it is not the top lens for high resolution FF sensor; it is enough to study the MTF figures. The FA31 was tested by Photozone at 10 Mpx and the center resolution at f/1.8 was 1848.5 lw/ph. Sigma A 35 as tested on an FF Nikon gave center resolution of 3262 lw/ph at f/1.4. You don't need pixel-peeking to determine that: It is clearly visible in pictures taken.

Although certainly the FA31 is a respectable lens, its high price and the old design make the lens natural to be reused by existing owners on the K-1 body but I would think thrice before I recommended the FA31 to a new user. Why to pay twice what you spend for Sigma to buy a lens that is outresolved by the K-1 sensor? And well, a 6-degree angle of view difference between both lenses? Is it worth paying the double price? I doubt and that's why I chose the Sigma for my coming K-1 body though I could afford the Pentax Limited lens.
06-29-2017, 02:18 AM   #43
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QuoteOriginally posted by StefanMikes Quote
The FA31 was tested by Photozone at 10 Mpx and the center resolution at f/1.8 was 1848.5 lw/ph. Sigma A 35 as tested on an FF Nikon gave center resolution of 3262 lw/ph at f/1.4. You don't need pixel-peeking to determine that: It is clearly visible in pictures taken.

You are comparing a 24mp full frame camera with a 10mp aps-c. Also the softer look wide open is part of the character of the FA 31mm which was not developed for digital at all but for film. They are much closer in sharpness than you think. When it comes to lens character there is no contest because it is in the eye of the beholder.
06-29-2017, 04:55 AM - 2 Likes   #44
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QuoteOriginally posted by StefanMikes Quote
Although I much agree with these views, let us bear in mind the fame of the FA31 originated in the times when none of Pentax-brand owners ever planned making an FF digital SLR. FA31 is certainly excellent with APS-C but I believe it is not the top lens for high resolution FF sensor; it is enough to study the MTF figures. The FA31 was tested by Photozone at 10 Mpx and the center resolution at f/1.8 was 1848.5 lw/ph. Sigma A 35 as tested on an FF Nikon gave center resolution of 3262 lw/ph at f/1.4. You don't need pixel-peeking to determine that: It is clearly visible in pictures taken.

Although certainly the FA31 is a respectable lens, its high price and the old design make the lens natural to be reused by existing owners on the K-1 body but I would think thrice before I recommended the FA31 to a new user. Why to pay twice what you spend for Sigma to buy a lens that is outresolved by the K-1 sensor? And well, a 6-degree angle of view difference between both lenses? Is it worth paying the double price? I doubt and that's why I chose the Sigma for my coming K-1 body though I could afford the Pentax Limited lens.
You imply that line per millimeters is the only element of interest in determining a lens's quality? Surely you don't mean that.

As Cartier-Bresson said, sharpness is a bourgeois concept.
06-29-2017, 05:41 AM   #45
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I think I'd be looking long and hard at the DA35 f2.4 for a low cost option, or the FA35 for something a bit nicer. A bit narrower field of view than your DA21 Ltd. provides on crop.

You could always shoot the DA21 in 1:1 crop mode to see what you think of that. You could also run it full frame knowing any shots you want to keep will need some cropping work when you're done. I believe it acts like a 26 or 27mm lens when you do that.
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