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09-26-2008, 04:02 PM   #1
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best 24-28 option?

Many people, many opinions but let's see if "pentaxians" can find any sort of consesus.
What would be the best wide angle fast or fast-ish prime to sit between my DA40 (which I love btw) and Sigma 10-20
To direct you toward the answers:
forget the zooms (I know there are good options out there but I want to go prime)
FA35 is too close to 40
FA31ltd is way out of budget
DA21ltd is too close to 10-20
Don't mind M but prefer A or FA or DA
...
so what's the best, reasonably priced 20 to 30 mm f2.8 or faster prime out there?
TIA

Peter

09-26-2008, 04:05 PM   #2
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FA*24, last one i saw was around $500
but they are difficult to come by

there's a K30 2.8 floating in the marketplace too
the 28/2.8 aren't bad lenses from what i heard. there was an FA that you missed
09-26-2008, 04:16 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by axl Quote
Many people, many opinions but let's see if "pentaxians" can find any sort of consesus.
What would be the best wide angle fast or fast-ish prime to sit between my DA40 (which I love btw) and Sigma 10-20
To direct you toward the answers:
forget the zooms (I know there are good options out there but I want to go prime)
FA35 is too close to 40
FA31ltd is way out of budget
DA21ltd is too close to 10-20
Don't mind M but prefer A or FA or DA
...
so what's the best, reasonably priced 20 to 30 mm f2.8 or faster prime out there?
TIA

Peter
Adjust your budget, get creative, sell some stuff on flea-bay, sell some blood, a kidney... Get the FA31ltd while you still can. You won't regret it, best $850US I ever spent.
That said, Pentax doesn't have any current lens in your range, as you know. I would probably try to get a FA28 but they are hard to find and not cheap for used product.
I have heard raves about the Sigma 28mm 1.8 but have heard focus problems as well as wide open softness. Have you heard that the FA31ltd is incredibly sharp at 1.8? Just checking.
09-26-2008, 05:03 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by axl Quote
What would be the best wide angle fast or fast-ish prime to sit between my DA40 (which I love btw) and Sigma 10-20
I don't know about "best", but the various 28/2.8's all seem to be quite good. I've got the M version, which - like the M50's - is ridiculously cheap. I just bought one for my wife on Ebay for $20, although that may have been a bit of a fluke. Still, under $100 is the norm! The A is only a little more. The FA is a lot more.

09-26-2008, 05:55 PM   #5
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The obvious answer(s) are the Sigma EXs 24mm or 28mm f/1.8...
09-26-2008, 06:28 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Marc Sabatella Quote
I don't know about "best", but the various 28/2.8's all seem to be quite good. I've got the M version, which - like the M50's - is ridiculously cheap. I just bought one for my wife on Ebay for $20, although that may have been a bit of a fluke. Still, under $100 is the norm! The A is only a little more. The FA is a lot more.

I am with Marc...Any of the Pentax 28s are pretty good. Ditto for Vivitar or Tamron and any number of the various off-brand 28/2.8s that have surfaced in the Off-brand and Dirt-cheap club threads. It seems that the late '70s through the '80s were very good years for moderate wide-angles. Most 28s of that vintage are pretty fast, have good resolution, good build, and are relatively free of distortion.

My personal favorite is the Tamron Adaptall-2 28/2.5. Sharp, compact, and light. It can usually be found for less than $40. I bought my copy new in the early '80s and it remains my favorite lens for 35mm film.

Steve
09-26-2008, 07:32 PM   #7
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I like my Sigma Miniwide II 24mm f2.8, which seems significantly wider than my Pentax-F 28mm f2.8 or Vivitar/Kiron 28mm f2.0. Both 28s are fine lenses too. The Sigma is similar to a Pentax-A, manual focus and I hear rated quite well. There's an AF version too. It may take a while to find one. I only have two complaints: painted on markings which are a bit worn, and the contacts need cleaning on mine, which I keep forgetting.

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