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06-27-2019, 12:27 PM - 1 Like   #1
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One K-Mount PRIME to rule them all 2019

I was looking back in time and ran across this post by @adam The FA* 85mm REALLY controls my mind - PentaxForums.com But rather than continue that very old thread I thought I would post here and ask for your - take everywhere Prime lens that you could be "Mostly Happy" using as your "only" lens. No ZOOMS allowed this is a single Prime. I will fudge and say if you are shooting multiple K-Mount formats that I prefer you only post one lens but I suppose posting one per format isn't a terrible stray from the idea of the thead.

06-27-2019, 12:44 PM - 2 Likes   #2
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For me that would be my "Special Lady” (Pentax-A 50mm F1.2)... IMHO just a stoic piece of glass.
06-27-2019, 01:18 PM - 1 Like   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by Kerrowdown Quote
For me that would be my "Special Lady” (Pentax-A 50mm F1.2)... IMHO just a stoic piece of glass.
Having acquired a very nice copy of that lens a little more than a week ago, it may be a good contender for my choice for 1 prime but I am only now starting to get to know it. Had you asked me 2 weeks ago I would have said hands down my Sigma 300mm f/4 APO Macro but now I'm not entirely sure. It is a pretty good astro lens, which I do a lot of when the weather cooperates, and at the 1:3 magnification end really suits my style of shooting for plants and flowers.

Now that I think about it, that 300mm gets used almost exclusively at infinity or within a few inches of its minimum focusing distance. I should probably explore using it at other distances more.

So given that I would probably at this moment still say that Sigma 300mm f/4.

Last edited by MossyRocks; 06-27-2019 at 01:19 PM. Reason: didn't add in a final conclusion
06-27-2019, 01:27 PM - 1 Like   #4
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I don't own the lens I think would be my best choice for "1" lens. Today I would probably select the FA 31 limited or the DA 40 Limited but the DA 35 macro seems like a better choice in my mind. I really enjoy macros (mostly not bugs) and I like the "normal" perspective for a 1 lens candidate. I would prefer a faster lens like the FA 31 but a lighter smaller lens and one with good close focus is just as important.

06-27-2019, 01:31 PM - 3 Likes   #5
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At first I was going to say it depends on what I am shooting but after putting more thought into it I would say FA 35mm f2. It is pretty much the most versatile prime I own and does mostly everything well.
06-27-2019, 01:32 PM - 1 Like   #6
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K35/3.5. Super sharp, wonderful colors and a joy in the hand. On K-1 and film it has a perfect all-around field of view and APSc it’s roughly a normal.

I think Pentax has made a string of fabulous 35’s going all the way back to the jewel-like Auto-Tak 35/3.5.

Assuming my partner could also choose and bring a lens, K85/1.8.

Last edited by monochrome; 06-30-2019 at 10:18 AM.
06-27-2019, 01:53 PM   #7
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I'm with UncleVanya: Loving Macro and having learned to 'see' 50mm extensively during the film age, it must be the somewhat ugly and scratchy feeling but highly functional D-FA 50mm Macro for the K-1. It has a neutral and overall pleasant rendering, quick-shift, is fast enough to isolate a subject, does 1:1 and has a field-of-view which suits portraits, potentially cropped, my kind travel and landscape photography and would even be usable in the gym from the sideline.

On APS-C, a 'normal' prime would not give enough macro working distance for me. So it would really depend on the camera, because the 31mm LTD feels nice on the K-5 but I like the FA 35mm better on the KP. I'd still pick the 31mm for its tougher build.

06-27-2019, 03:34 PM - 1 Like   #8
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For me it’s definitely the Pentax-F 50mm F1.7 on my K-1. It’s very light, sharp, fast, has very quick reliable autofocus and I simply adore the color rendition and that gorgeous 80s look of the F series lenses.

The only other option would be the HD FA 35mm F2 which is a little gem on it’s own and would probably be more versatile than a 50mm.

Last edited by alpheios; 06-27-2019 at 03:43 PM.
06-27-2019, 03:59 PM - 1 Like   #9
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I started with 55mm on my SV, and I'm closing with the DA*55 1.4 on my K-1. It's the only lens I'd use as a single.

Last edited by normhead; 06-27-2019 at 05:51 PM.
06-27-2019, 05:25 PM   #10
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Tough call. I can't even decide which single lens to take for a day around town...

I'm excluding my F 50 f1.4, which might be the obvious choice for my K-1, because it'll soon be on the market.


My DA 70mm f2.4 is a lovely lens (even on full frame) but it's a little too tight to be an "only" lens. I have high hopes for the FA 43mm f1.9 Ltd that is waiting for me in Florida, but for now I would probably have to pick my DA 35mm f2.8 Ltd. I think I have the same answer for both my K-5 and my K-1 Mark II, though the DA 35 does have some significant vignetting on the K-1...
06-27-2019, 05:27 PM - 1 Like   #11
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FA43. Hands down fav for me.
06-27-2019, 05:43 PM - 1 Like   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by monochrome Quote
K35/3.5. Super sharp, wonderful colors and a joy in the hand. On K-1 and film it has a perfect all-around field of view and APSc it’s roughly a normal.
That's my choice also. Not just in theory; I've been using it a lot this year, both on the K-1 and on my IR-converted K-5.
06-27-2019, 06:14 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
I don't own the lens I think would be my best choice for "1" lens.
Ok, you've set the precedent, UV, I'll say DFA*50 f1.4 on my K-1, but what I actually have is the DA*55 … it'll do as 'the one and only' for f16 landscapes, street, still life, f1.4 full-length and head'n'shoulders portraits, etc.

On my K-S2, I'll say the FA31 Ltd, for similar reasons, just with a cropped sensor.
06-27-2019, 06:47 PM - 2 Likes   #14
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On the wider end, it is the DA21 green ring for me. If i want wider, snap 2 and put them together in Photoshop.
06-27-2019, 07:25 PM - 1 Like   #15
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DA 15mm!! Always amazed by that little lens and a joy to use.
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