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04-02-2022, 09:47 AM   #106
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As a K-70 owner myself (along with a K3 III), there is something to be said for buying specialist APS-C lenses for it, mainly because of the size and weight advantage.

I love my trio of little Limited primes, the DA 21mm f/3.2, DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro and DA 70mm f/2.4 which have a total combined weight of 480g (1 pound 1 ounce). And they all fit with the camera in a Lowepro Toploader Zoom 50 shoulder bag. The light weight makes one-handed use easy and all have "quick shift" full time manual focussing which the FA lenses lack.

The DA 35mm is a total gem as a walkaround lens, tack sharp, amazing colours and contrast, normal FOV on APS-C and great macro capability. However, if you did not need that and got the 40mm f/2.8 instead, the total weight would be 353g (12.5 oz), which is only about 10g more than the FA 31mm on its own!

The FA Limited primes are gorgeous items, so I was tempted into buying the HD FA 31mm when my local camera shop offered it at a small discount. However I quickly realised that was a mistake. I really missed the quick shift focussing, never used the aperture ring, found the lens hood / cap aggravating and the AF was slow on the K-70. It also duplicated the function of my DA 35mm, so it went back to the shop and I used the money towards the K3 III

The great thing was I bought all three DA lenses via ebay, boxed and barely used, for a total of £920 ($1,200), which is around half their new price. With APS-C and DSLRs falling out of fashion there are some bargain lenses to be had!

04-02-2022, 10:49 AM   #107
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QuoteOriginally posted by TheLastMan Quote
As a K1000 owner myself, I do like the look of the 43mm f/1.9 on it. I wonder how it would compare with my M 50mm f/1.7 ?
I'll let you know. I have the M 1.4 and 1.7, and the A 1.4 and 2.0 50mm lenses as well. Actually, on a MF camera like the K1000 I'm more likely to use one of those MF lenses, but it will be interesting to try out the Limited lenses on a K1000 or Super Program as well. Maybe for occasional use for a different lens character.

---------- Post added 04-02-22 at 12:53 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by TheLastMan Quote
As a K-70 owner myself (along with a K3 III), there is something to be said for buying specialist APS-C lenses for it, mainly because of the size and weight advantage.

I love my trio of little Limited primes, the DA 21mm f/3.2, DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro and DA 70mm f/2.4 which have a total combined weight of 480g (1 pound 1 ounce). And they all fit with the camera in a Lowepro Toploader Zoom 50 shoulder bag. The light weight makes one-handed use easy and all have "quick shift" full time manual focussing which the FA lenses lack.

The DA 35mm is a total gem as a walkaround lens, tack sharp, amazing colours and contrast, normal FOV on APS-C and great macro capability. However, if you did not need that and got the 40mm f/2.8 instead, the total weight would be 353g (12.5 oz), which is only about 10g more than the FA 31mm on its own!

The FA Limited primes are gorgeous items, so I was tempted into buying the HD FA 31mm when my local camera shop offered it at a small discount. However I quickly realised that was a mistake. I really missed the quick shift focussing, never used the aperture ring, found the lens hood / cap aggravating and the AF was slow on the K-70. It also duplicated the function of my DA 35mm, so it went back to the shop and I used the money towards the K3 III

The great thing was I bought all three DA lenses via ebay, boxed and barely used, for a total of £920 ($1,200), which is around half their new price. With APS-C and DSLRs falling out of fashion there are some bargain lenses to be had!
Certainly those DA Limited lenses are very nice, and probably a better overall approach if your primary application is the APS-C camera. What appealed to me on the FA Limited line was that they would work well for my K-1 Mark II and the film cameras as well. The fact that tI could use them on the K-70 was more of a bonus.
Some day I'd like to get the DA 15 limited, for just the K-70.
04-03-2022, 05:31 PM - 1 Like   #108
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QuoteOriginally posted by OldChE Quote
And here they are on some of my older film bodies, the 1976 K1000, the 1995 Z-1P, and the 2001 ZX-L. I can also use them on my 1983 Super Program, the 1989 SF1n, and the 1997 ZX-5n. I think that is very neat. Photographs courtesy of my Sony A6000 (although maybe I should have used my K10D to keep it in the family). Thanks everyone for your advice. - Richard.
A big congrats! You made the perfect choice. These excellent lenses are interchangeable throughout your Pentax SLR camera bodies, 35mm film and digital, new and old. As you demonstrate, they also look great, and they are great!

---------- Post added 04-03-22 at 05:33 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by OldChE Quote
my thinking has changed during the discussion!
That tends to happen.

---------- Post added 04-03-22 at 05:41 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by OldChE Quote
Some day I'd like to get the DA 15 limited, for just the K-70.
A very good move for APS-C. I have a couple of very fine ultra-wide zoom lenses for APS-C, but I love this little gem. It is so small it lives in the front accessory zipper-pocket of my holster-style camera case, not even showing its presence, with room left over for a spare battery, SD cards, and more! When I might need it, it is always there. So handy, and such fine imaging!
04-07-2022, 06:34 PM - 1 Like   #109
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QuoteOriginally posted by OldChE Quote
So, it looks like the first of the FA limiteds (FA43/1.9) was released in 1997, when the top Pentax camera was the MZ-3, or the PZ-1p, depending on your point of view (my pick would be the PZ-1p). The second one (FA77/1.8) was released in 1999, and the top Pentax SLR was still one of those two models. Finally, the FA31/1.8 was released in 2001, when the top camera was now the MZ-S. I wonder if the Limited lenses were featured along with the cameras in any of the Pentax advertisements or brochures of that time. Does anyone know? I did a quick web search yesterday, but didn't turn anything up.
Here's one:


The 43 on the mz-3 is an amazing combination that every photographer should try at least once.

04-08-2022, 06:11 PM   #110
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QuoteOriginally posted by ChatMechant Quote
Here's one:


The 43 on the mz-3 is an amazing combination that every photographer should try at least once.
So, was that camera model sold in a limited edition with that limited lens?
04-09-2022, 08:52 PM   #111
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Hey, no one told me that the FA 31 Limited is almost a macro lens. This is one of my houseplants (a sedeveria, a type of succulent) at about the close focus distance.
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04-10-2022, 06:58 PM   #112
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QuoteOriginally posted by OldChE Quote
So, was that camera model sold in a limited edition with that limited lens?
I think the silver version was, but not in the us. I can't find where I read that now though so not 100% sure.


Regarding the 31 as macro, try it on a short extension tube! Lots of fun.

04-10-2022, 08:52 PM   #113
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QuoteOriginally posted by ChatMechant Quote
I think the silver version was, but not in the us. I can't find where I read that now though so not 100% sure.


Regarding the 31 as macro, try it on a short extension tube! Lots of fun.
Thanks. My question earlier was prompted by a desire to see if I could find any advertisements from the late '90s to early 2000s that featured the limited lenses. I was curious to see what cameras were suggested for use with the Limited lenses. But, thanks for pointing out the limited camera edition with the lens.

On extension tubes - yes, I think that would definitely be something to try. Unfortunately, right now I don't have any k-mount extension tubes. I've used extension tubes with my M42 lenses (I have a cheap set of tubes I bought in the 1970s for that), but I've never had any for k-mount. I guess I'll just have to get a set!
04-10-2022, 10:46 PM - 1 Like   #114
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QuoteOriginally posted by OldChE Quote
Thanks. My question earlier was prompted by a desire to see if I could find any advertisements from the late '90s to early 2000s that featured the limited lenses. I was curious to see what cameras were suggested for use with the Limited lenses. But, thanks for pointing out the limited camera edition with the lens.

On extension tubes - yes, I think that would definitely be something to try. Unfortunately, right now I don't have any k-mount extension tubes. I've used extension tubes with my M42 lenses (I have a cheap set of tubes I bought in the 1970s for that), but I've never had any for k-mount. I guess I'll just have to get a set!
To my fuzzy knowledge from past (as well as just my feeling from the design language and synergy between them) the MZ-S was both concurrent (released around the same time as the FA31, the last of the trio originally) with all the Limiteds at launch and really just works and feels right at home with them, practically and aesthetically. It's certainly my favorite film body to shoot them with. The PZ-1p existed beforehand but it's design language was more akin to the F and FA series.

Incidentally... this my most common (Pentax) travel kit for a number of years now:
M 20/4, FA 43, and FA77.




If I'm taking just one lens along only, it's usually the 43, or just as often the FA31. I don't much care about AF on the wide end, and the M20/4's size and weight win for me.
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