Originally posted by mikesbike That is interesting- I've yet to try my HD DA 20-40mm Ltd on FF.
---------- Post added 12-09-22 at 04:53 PM ----------
Glad to see you've got yourself such a great assemblage of fine gear. ....... Both are fabulous lenses in their own realm of use.
Dear mikesbike,
I don't think I will ever find another pentaxian with not one, not two, not three but FOUR 77ers!!!
Just WOW ! That's something to talk about.
My old Lady is the smc 70/2.4 in black. In a universe far far away ( 2007) I was buying my first K10D in order to do some professional product photos and model shootings for my business. I had spent alot of time trying to decide between the 70 or the 77. Even these past few weeks I was considering buying a 77er but I didn't for a couple reasons.
a) Yes they are different and yes the 77er is faster. Regarding image quality though in portraits the opinions are inconclusive ie if the 77 is truly better than the 70.
b) I'm in APS-C and frankly the 70 is like a 77er modified for us with a way "larger" zoom ( ie ~100mm in FF terms).
c) The aperture ring is a remnant of old times, the 77er is twice as heavy*** and almost twice are big.
***I do laugh at myself though since I "judge down" the 77er for it's 240grams/8oz while at the same time I decided to go "nifty-nifty pro" with a 2lbs glass ie the HD FA* 50/1.4. (Thank God my wife is a certified psychotherapist
)
So instead of buying the 77er, I bought the best 50 AND the best 100 ie the new HD 100 Macro ( in the silver limited edition of 300 copies only to be produced). So on average I have a 75mm among those two. [See?! I now have ...virtually... a 77er
]
And both the 50 and the 100 I got are amongst the sharpest glasses Pentax ever made...
.....save for the
HD 35/2.8 Macro that I truly believe that is the best pentax glass ever made for it's size, money, abilities etc etc etc. It's a SURREAL lens way way ahead of anything available. And in APS-C it is the TRUE "nifty-fifty" due to the 1.5 crop factor. If you haven't tried it, do so! B&H does have a $100 coupon and it's worth every last penny of the 400$ that you can buy it today and in the future it will not just keep but increase its value like the Pentax-A 50/1.2. Remember that!
Last but not least I've spent so much time with the "old Lady" ie my smc 70/2.4 Ltd that I just can't "betray" her.
Yes "they are both fabulous lenses in their own realm of use" plus in their own fields ( FF vs Crop).
With a lot of TLC I've kept the old lady in "as new" condition save for an almost invisible loss of paint on the hood's outer ring due to the 1000s of times I've put the cover on. I am talking about fractions of mm.
PS: The decision to buy "alot at once" is risky but also rewarding. I did know my needs on a bigger scale, plus I was wisely counseled by many members and verterans like you or "uncleVanya". At the end, save for my obsession at the end to have the full Limited DA collection, the lenses don't overlap save for two exceptions. The 40XS to be frank will be used like a cap on my black KP. And the Pentax-A along with the HD FA* may be both 50mm and fast but OMG their characters are as different as angels and demons. The Pentax-A is the angel of darnkess and I will be using it in "dracula mode" ie in the absence of sunlight. "Da King" with its 2pounds weight is for special missions. From Astro to studio but only in controlled environments.
PS2: I started with the decision to get rid of the 1 pound heavy DA* 16-50 for being... too heavy. Now the DA* is back in the collection and I feel stupid. The 20-40 is IMPOSSIBLE to replace it in indoor shootings even though the 20-40 is way better and perfect for walkarounds; something the DA* 16-50 is not built for.
Take Care! and sorry if I lost track in writing.