[AfterPentax Mark II]

I have actually. The main thing holding me back on the 55mm is the stories I hear of motor failure.

I should not worry about the motor failure. Most important thing is to excercise it regularly. But you hear more complaints about the larger SDM driven lenses than this small one, I believe. I have not had any problems, although I do not use it often. As I regard your purpose, it will get used regularly and it is after all a lens for professional use (more or less).

[UncleVanya]

For me the 50-135 wins over the four primes due to flexible use in wedding coverage. The sdm reliability however is a bit of a messy situation. The 55 shares this distinction but I own both and haven’t experienced any problems. I’m also a guy who has likely converted to screw drive more of the four DA* lenses that can be converted (16-50, 50-135, 200, 300) than anyone else.

Weddings may be a place where sdm is both good (quiet) and bad (potential for failure). Personally I think the noise issue is over rated.

On purely optical terms the da*55 is by far the most “normalized” choice of all of these lenses as it mimics an 85mm perspective and has a very large aperture. But I personally shoot portraits at many different focal lengths. I tend to enjoy both wider AND longer lenses for portraits than most people. However weddings also suggest potentially constrained venues where longer lenses may fail to provide the right perspective on apsc without backing up more than you are able to. So as much as I love the FA 77 and the DA 70 limiteds, I’d lean towards the DA* 55 paired with the DA* 50-135. I’d probably have a spare for each with me or screw drive convert the zoom and bring the fa 77 or fa 43 as a backup to the 55. At worst you are using manual focus if sdm dies and you quietly swap lenses at the first opportunity. As cheap as the 50-135 is you could buy a spare w/failed sdm and convert it as a backup.

To illustrate these lenses…
50-135:

IMGP58932_DxO by -vanya_42nd-

IMGP9382_DxO by -vanya_42nd-

FA 77:
IMGP3162_DxO by -vanya_42nd-

IMGP1796-pp by -vanya_42nd-

FA 31:

IMGP1667-pp by -vanya_42nd-

DA* 200:

IMGP0640 by -vanya_42nd-

DA 40:

IMGP0093 by -vanya_42nd-

Sorry nothing good with 55 or 43 is immediately available but these are good also. The 200, 31, and 40 are tossed in to suggest lens focal length is more about venue and perspective than a hard rule. You can make most things work within reason. All are shot on apsc which has a big impact on the shots.

[ehrwien]

I am getting the 20-40mm.

Here is the list of lenses I plan on getting
15mm Limited
20-40mm Limited
35mm Macro Limited
55-300 PLM
18-135mm for my wife and K-70 walk around.
And still deciding on the 2 portraits lenses hence this thread.

Go for the 55 and 77

[sarge]

I should not worry about the motor failure. Most important thing is to excercise it regularly. But you hear more complaints about the larger SDM driven lenses than this small one, I believe. I have not had any problems, although I do not use it often. As I regard your purpose, it will get used regularly and it is after all a lens for professional use (more or less).

Thanks for letting me know about how to keep the 55mm functioning properly.

[UncleVanya]

Thanks for letting me know about how to keep the 55mm functioning properly.

I will say that this is mostly magical thinking as far as I can tell. My sdm lenses sit for long periods of time with no I’ll effects. What I do think is that IF the SDM is starting to fail keeping it moving may lower the tendency to develop stiction (high enough static friction that the sdm motor can’t overcome it.) however for good working sdm without any failure evidence I don’t think it has any effect - otherwise new old stock lenses would fail more or less regularly which they don’t.

[Paul the Sunman]

If you're planning on using the DA 15 Limited for group shots, I would rethink. I dearly love the lens, but the edges are weak. This is not an issue for landscape or when isolating a foreground subject, but it doesn't really do edge-to-edge. The DA 16-85 at 16mm is better for that, and better than the 18-135 in general.

[vector]

If price is not a problem the DFA*50mm f1.4 would make an amazing APSC portrait lens. It's heavy though.

Sample shots of my kids. Wide open on a K1.

[tonyzoc]

I see you have the 35/2.8 macro limited in your list. While the 35 is an awesome lens and I have one, you might also consider the 100/2.8 WR macro. it's also a great lens and it'll give you some working room for those hand/rings shots. I find I'm using it more often than the 35 for macro shooting. I can't remember what I paid but I know it was under $300 in mint condition.

[FS1]

I'll add another strong vote for including the Pentax DA* 50-135mm f2.8. For APS-C, I think you'd wind up getting more high quality wedding and portrait shots (indoor and outdoor) from that lens than from any other. I've certainly gotten more photoshoot keepers from that lens than from any other APS-C lens. (Going back to the 6MP - 16MP days, the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 was also quite good / handy, but I don't think it would fare nearly as well with the K3 III.) Have to add that the SDM did die on my 50-135, though mine is an earlier copy. Once I converted it to screw drive (using instructions from PF!), I actually liked the lens even better. Also use it for landscape views, flowers, fall color, still lifes, etc.

As for the for the Pentax DA* 55mm f1.4, although it *can* be a '10' in terms of portrait image quality, mine has often been an '8' or '9' in terms of focus aggravation - sometimes, the micro-adjustments go on and on, causing fleeting moments to be missed. Given your planned setup, keep in mind you could also pick up an inexpensive copy of the 'plastic fantastic' Pentax DA 50mm f1.8... Might be good to have ready on the K-70 body, and your wife may find lots of good subjects / uses for it! (The image quality wouldn't be as stellar as the 55mm, but it would inexpensively provide bokeh options in the same general mm ballpark, and it would likely focus faster and more assuredly than the 55mm.)

Beyond that, I'd add that it would be kind of a shame to set up new Pentax outfits without at least one FA Limited! The warmer, more 'filmic' look would go well with your chosen topics, and the overall look would add some diversity to what your other lenses could supply.

[Paul the Sunman]

If price is not a problem the DFA*50mm f1.4 would make an amazing APSC portrait lens. It's heavy though.

Heavy ... AND expensive. An absolutely jaw-droppingly stunning lens on FF, but I don't think I'd buy it for APS-C. Overkill.

[zapp]

It all comes down to angle of view and image drawing of individual lenses.
On apsc the DA*55 makes for anime portrait lens - I had af precision with K5 and K3. FA77 has wonderful drawing, but I prefer it on fullframe, looks are great on apsc as well. DFA50 draws differently, still nice, same for DFA85. Above is a nice series of portraits with different lenses. You can easily spot which one was made with 77 or dfa 50 and which was not.
For a dedicated portrait lens go 55 or 77 on apsc.

[sarge]

Looks like it will be the 77mm Limited and the 55mm DA* lenses.
I want to thank everyone who gave their input. I forgot how helpful and friendly this community is. It is quite refreshing!

[UncleVanya]

Looks like it will be the 77mm Limited and the 55mm DA* lenses.
I want to thank everyone who gave their input. I forgot how helpful and friendly this community is. It is quite refreshing!

I expect you’ll enjoy using both quite a bit. Good luck and share a few results if you are able to do so.

[BarryE]

Your style and personality are worth considering in your choice of lens. When a small lens is used it's portable and less of a challenge to the sitter. The 77mm works well in this respect. Maybe if you've got one of those personalities that easily engages with sitters and you can put them at ease very quickly with charm and wit, a big in-their-face lens is fine. For most photographers with normal personalities, a portable, small lens is perhaps a better option.

[nosillec]

My wedding/family portrait kit is the DA* 16-50 & 50-135 and 43. Upgraded from the k30 to KP last year. I haven't had any issues with autofocus on the DA* (I bought both used for under $400 each). For portraits, the 50-135 and 43 are my go-to lenses. I also have a 20-40, which I'll be selling soon because the weight/size savings isn't significantly different from the 16-50 and I prefer the 16-50 rendering.

Regarding getting the k70: Consider getting a used k3ii instead. The shutter is so much quieter.