[vrrattko]

Having too much expensive star and limited lenses at the moment, some of them used less than i would like to. So I was thinking about reducing it to 3 + 1specialty lens kit.

My current lenses are:
DA20-40ltd - universal lens, however i find it big and awkward for street photo. Mostly used for landscapes.
DA21ltd - I bought it for street photography, but also use it for landscape a lot. Compact!
FA31ltd - Most used for environmental portraits, landscape, some street. Great bokeh for wideangle.
FA43ltd - mainly portrait lens, but used for landscape and street as well. Works nicely with DA21 and DA70 - shares same filter.
DA*55 - beautiful portrait lens, but quite big, over the time I take FA43 with me more often. Works nicely with FA31, which has same filter thread.
DA70ltd - Can't beat the bokeh of DA*55 but has more reach as short telephoto. Great combo with DA21 + FA43. Great also for landscapes.
A*85/1.4 - this is an incredible lens. It suffers from purple fringing wide open, but its rendering outclasses everything from my collection. Great for mountain landscapes, portraits and I yet want to try it for astro photography. This is also most valuable lens i have, and will probably keep its value. Amazingly I found it almost mint. However it is big and heavy, and least used by me.

Idea here is to have 3 lenses that are commonly used and taken everywhere and one for special uses. So my options are:

A. DA 21,FA 43, DA70 + A*85 - small, lightweight, 49mm filters, nice for street, easy to carry to mountains or travel.
B. DA21, FA31, DA70 + A*85 - same as above, but FA31 replaced FA43, thus not so compact. Two filter systems needed - 49 and 58.
C. DA21,FA43, DA 70 + FA31 - main downside is that i would need to let A*85 go

What are your opinions? Thanks.

[photoptimist]

Based your descriptions, all seven lenses are keepers! LOL!

Why get rid of three lenses? How will you be better off without them?

I can understand not wanting to carry every lens on every outing. But it seems clear that if you make a 3+1 set for each type of outing: landscape, portrait, street, astro, etc., then you'll end up keeping every lens even if some lenses stay home on some outings.

[Ben-G]

Smc FA 31mm ltd, smc FA 43mm ltd and ... a new entry: an Smc Fa 77mm ltd ...

"The three musketeers" who are waiting for their companion D'Artagnan to arrive for 2021 :
D FA 21mm ltd 😊

3+1

[aslyfox]

another vote for the 77mm ( replace the 70mm with the 77mm )
[ I don't have the 31mm limited ]

if I had to choose, I would vote for " A "

why wide angle yes
normal yes
portrait/short telephoto yes
short telephoto yes

[vrrattko]

Based your descriptions, all seven lenses are keepers! LOL!

Why get rid of three lenses? How will you be better off without them?

I can understand not wanting to carry every lens on every outing. But it seems clear that if you make a 3+1 set for each type of outing: landscape, portrait, street, astro, etc., then you'll end up keeping every lens even if some lenses stay home on some outings.

Well bottom line is that I can use some money by selling those lenses. Having all seven is too luxurious to me. It is just difficult to decide which ones to keep. All of them are great.

---------- Post added 06-21-2020 at 02:31 PM ----------

another vote for the 77mm ( replace the 70mm with the 77mm )
[ I don't have the 31mm limited ]

if I had to choose, I would vote for " A "

why wide angle yes
normal yes
portrait/short telephoto yes
short telephoto yes

Thanks. It is not going to happen. I was thinking od buying one, but in here 77 costs almost twice the price of 70.... it's no contest really. I already had 77 before, beautifully made lens, but old K85 was little better in my comparisons, except AF od course

---------- Post added 06-21-2020 at 02:37 PM ----------

Smc FA 31mm ltd, smc FA 43mm ltd and ... a new entry: an Smc Fa 77mm ltd ...

"The three musketeers" who are waiting for their companion D'Artagnan to arrive for 2021 :
D FA 21mm ltd 😊

3+1

....that would be great, but i fear 21 would be very expensive lens. And it looks huge. Beautiful though.

I have to say, i am inclined to A. Three minimusketeers + Godzilla. 😀

[aslyfox]

. . . Thanks. It is not going to happen. I was thinking od buying one, but in here 77 costs almost twice the price of 70.... it's no contest really. I already had 77 before, beautifully made lens, but old K85 was little better in my comparisons, except AF od course

I can understand financial limitations

Well bottom line is that I can use some money by selling those lenses. Having all seven is too luxurious to me. It is just difficult to decide which ones to keep. All of them are great.

---------- Post added 06-21-2020 at 02:31 PM ----------



Thanks. It is not going to happen. I was thinking od buying one, but in here 77 costs almost twice the price of 70.... it's no contest really. I already had 77 before, beautifully made lens, but old K85 was little better in my comparisons, except AF od course

---------- Post added 06-21-2020 at 02:37 PM ----------



....that would be great, but i fear 21 would be very expensive lens. And it looks huge. Beautiful though.

I have to say, i am inclined to A. There minimusketeers + Godzilla. 😀

I would keep this threesome DA 20-40 Ltd, only Ltd worth having and keeping, The DA 55mm * F1.4, One of the best lenses there is at the moment, beautiful colours, very sharp and detailed and the heavy weight A* 85mm F1.4. So just three of them. It is obvious, if you keep the 20-40 you do not need the 21, 31 and 43. Keeping the 85 you do not need the 70, you just have to step back a little, don't you. The 55 is in the middle, you do not need the 70, just make a step forward. You have got two WR lenses and one NWR (not weather resistant). The 20-40 is a collection of Ltd's and it such a good lens, the only Ltd that IMnotsoHO is a real Ltd. First zoom in the series, first WR and first to have silent AF. All the other ones are based on old models and are build in the way that old K lenses were build. The 20-40 is a whole new design developed in this century.

PS. the +1 is the one you may choose yourself...

PS2. see also: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/408996-wha...ml#post5020440

---

Last edited by Unregistered User; 06-21-2020 at 09:17 AM. Reason: added another PS.

[btnapa]

What are your opinions?

You have great lenses. The 31, 43 , 20-40 and the 85 are legends. You never sell legends. I have the 31, 43 and 77 Limited. I almost sold them a few times because I do not use them much due to my zoom lenses mainly the 28-105 on my K1. But ultimately I decided not to sell for the same reason I mentioned earlier. So finally I made a pact with myself that as long as I am a Pentaxian and even if I am not, I will never sell the trio and my K1. YOU DO NOT SELL LEGENDS.

The ultimate legend in your line up is indeed the 85 f1.4. A friend of mine has that lens and we decided to do a face-off between the 85 and my FA77. I am stunned how color matched they are. And as far as sharpness, they are two of the best lenses I have ever shot. Wide open, they both have serious purple fringing but that is an easy fix in post. The lens that you have and I have been lusting after is the 20-40. That is a gem of a lens. If I had the 20-40, I would never sell it. I see you are shooting APSc bodies. If anything, I would add a 15mm Limited to the line up for a wider coverage, If you do not need the money, do not sell anything. Your lenses are all classics in their own right.

[vrrattko]

You have great lenses. The 31, 43 , 20-40 and the 85 are legends. You never sell legends. I have the 31, 43 and 77 Limited. I almost sold them a few times because I do not use them much due to my zoom lenses mainly the 28-105 on my K1. But ultimately I decided not to sell for the same reason I mentioned earlier. So finally I made a pact with myself that as long as I am a Pentaxian and even if I am not, I will never sell the trio and my K1. YOU DO NOT SELL LEGENDS.

The ultimate legend in your line up is indeed the 85 f1.4. A friend of mine has that lens and we decided to do a face-off between the 85 and my FA77. I am stunned how color matched they are. And as far as sharpness, they are two of the best lenses I have ever shot. Wide open, they both have serious purple fringing but that is an easy fix in post. The lens that you have and I have been lusting after is the 20-40. That is a gem of a lens. If I had the 20-40, I would never sell it. I see you are shooting APSc bodies. If anything, I would add a 15mm Limited to the line up for a wider coverage, If you do not need the money, do not sell anything. Your lenses are all classics in their own right.

Thanks, rumour says that FA77 optical formula was based on A85 design. One detail i always liked about 77 and it is its hood. Clever design. Same with DA15. Speaking of which: i had it, but it was simply too wide for me. 20mm focal lenght provides me with less exaggerated perspective, hence no desire for DA15.
DA20-40 is really sweet lens, but since i got 21, it doesnt get used much. Not that 21 is better, it is just more comfortable to use for me.
And yes....money is the issue, as always

[stevebrot]

What are your opinions? Thanks.

The question might be why they were purchased in the first place. If the purchase was based on a "need", then the answer is obvious unless the need is better filled by a different lens on the list. If the purchase was based on curiosity or impulse and there is no perception of future "need", then that one might reasonably be let go.


Steve

[zapp]

A*85 has 49mm filters?
All ltds make sense on full frame, on apsc I have trouble to use a wide angle design like the 31 as a normal angle. 77 always felt to long for portrait. It is funny that you think the *55 is big.
The *55 would be my portrait choice. A 21 would go nicely with it, either the DA or the upcoming Ltd which is again a FF wide angle design.
I actually preferred DA21&40 over the zoom.

If you ever want to go full frame, keep the full frame glass.

[vrrattko]

A*85 has 49mm filters?
All ltds make sense on full frame, on apsc I have trouble to use a wide angle design like the 31 as a normal angle. 77 always felt to long for portrait. It is funny that you think the *55 is big.
The *55 would be my portrait choice. A 21 would go nicely with it, either the DA or the upcoming Ltd which is again a FF wide angle design.
I actually preferred DA21&40 over the zoom.

If you ever want to go full frame, keep the full frame glass.

I sort of prefer 21 + 43 over 20-40 too as it gives me large aperture at 43mm. 55 is not that big really but compared to those limiteds still feels big. I do slightly prefer reach of 70mm over 55mm however bokeh of 55 is better, rendering smoother. It clearly is a portrait lens.
No plans for going fullframe. So far apsc was more than adequate for my use.

A*85 has 49mm filters?
All ltds make sense on full frame, on apsc I have trouble to use a wide angle design like the 31 as a normal angle. 77 always felt to long for portrait. It is funny that you think the *55 is big.
The *55 would be my portrait choice. A 21 would go nicely with it, either the DA or the upcoming Ltd which is again a FF wide angle design.
I actually preferred DA21&40 over the zoom.

If you ever want to go full frame, keep the full frame glass.

A* 85mm has 67mm filter thread. It is a huge heavy lens. I am one of the fortunate ones that own one!

[btnapa]

And yes....money is the issue, as always

In that case my choice would be A. Another suggestion, let the 70 and the 85 go in favor of the 77. The FA 77 is sublime. And yes the built in lens hood is beyond cool.

[vrrattko]

A* 85mm has 67mm filter thread. It is a huge heavy lens. I am one of the fortunate ones that own one!

Indeed, huge and heavy, although I believe next to new dfa 85 it will be quite compact. Still big enough to take on everyday walkarounds - that's why i carry da70 for normal use and A* only for special occassions.