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03-10-2009, 02:45 PM   #31
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Damn this thread, it's as if the lens gods are peeping into my head. I am shooting a wedding, sort of, at the end of this year and was wanting to be just super light weight. I was going to take the DA35LTD and buy the DA70LTD to compliment it. But I was thinking of maybe selling the DA35LTD and get the FA31/77LTD. Honestly I am such a lens whore I want all four, but I just don't see that in the works unless I have an outstanding year. But it would be cheaper to get the DA70LTD first... ugh, I just can't decide.

03-11-2009, 12:01 AM   #32
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You´re not alone I have 35mm ltd also, and im thinking the next lenses.
I think i go with 70mm ltd, and also buy 21mm ltd(or 10-20mm sigma)
In here Finland they both cost as much as one 77ltd?! Cheapiest 77mm is about 800-900€!
Damn i hate these prices
But i suggest u to keep your 35mm, its just so good and it also have macro abilities. Best lens i have had!
03-11-2009, 04:41 AM   #33
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Do it!

QuoteOriginally posted by pexi85 Quote
I think i go with 70mm ltd, and also buy 21mm lt...
Good choices. I'll be very surprised if you are disappointed.

Enjoy the season...
03-11-2009, 07:38 AM   #34
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QuoteOriginally posted by Michaelina2 Quote
Good choices. I'll be very surprised if you are disappointed.

Enjoy the season...
Well, that would suprise me too I think i wont buy zoom-lenses anymore. Primes are So much better.
Well, 50-135mm is good also

03-11-2009, 08:24 AM   #35
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i just pulled the trigger on the 77mm.

I thought my inner conflict and turmoil would end once i actually paid for it but it might have gotten worse actually.

one of the biggest reasons is that i'm the kind of person who has second thoughts about a purchase order. I thought if i got the 70mm then I know I would always regret not getting the 77mm for just a bit more. i mainly chose based on it being faster and longer (so much shallower DOF) for not too much more $. Another big reason was after i got the 43mm FA it was on my camera 100x more than the 40mm DA (using the 40mm DA cap on the 43mm body though. very nice and compact). I shoud probably sell my 40mm but i know i wont. im such a packmule.

I'm also the kind of person that gets swayed by other's people's opinions a lot, and ive seen so many posts going both ways of which to get.... (I cant tell if alfisti loves or hates his 77mm. ive seen so many posts from him about cyan fringing but they always end up with 'i love this lens'..... make up your mind!)

I hope i made the right choice. im already having second thoughts (I told you i would $400 at amazon for 70mm DA only 1 left!?!? i almost bought both!) i might have to end up getting the 70mm and really try to test them out and choose but i know id probably end up keeping them both.


BTW should have bought from aden's. i dunno what i was thinking its only $460 USD for the 77mm (+shipping).

I'll post a few pics when i get the lens later.

dark shadows from clouds of LBA begone!! please?

Last edited by eyou; 03-11-2009 at 08:40 AM.
03-11-2009, 09:56 AM   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by eyou Quote
i just pulled the trigger on the 77mm.
(I cant tell if alfisti loves or hates his 77mm. ive seen so many posts from him about cyan fringing but they always end up with 'i love this lens'..... make up your mind!)
I have been poretty consistent. Great colour, great rendering, super contrast and that special 'something' but cancerous cyan fringing and AF that can leave you sobbing in a corner at times.

I still think it is a better buy than the 70 though as the extra reach and the faster speed yields more control over DOF than you'd think.

Frankly i'd prefer it if Pentax dropped them both and released a DA77 with the same 'look' and build as the 77 but with the faster AF and something done about the cyan. I'd happily fork over $700USD for it.

My 77 gallery is here ...... Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited Photo Gallery by alfisti at pbase.com

Some of my favourites .......










03-11-2009, 10:46 AM   #37
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QuoteOriginally posted by eyou Quote
I thought my inner conflict and turmoil would end once i actually paid for it but it might have gotten worse actually.

one of the biggest reasons is that i'm the kind of person who has second thoughts about a purchase order. I thought if i got the 70mm then I know I would always regret not getting the 77mm for just a bit more. i mainly chose based on it being faster and longer (so much shallower DOF)
Then you made the right choice. I agree with your general sentiment - when you choose based on price rather than specs/IQ, you are setting yourself up for second-guessing. Because soon enough you'll have forgotten the money, but you're going to be stuck with the lens you chose. Sounds to me like you picked the lens that suits your needs better

Me, I'm lucky in that I actually *wanted* the shorter focal length (fits between my 40 and 100 better), plus I am extremely reluctant to buy a lens without quick shift. I say "lucky" because it just so happened this was also the cheaper lens. Sure, I'd take faster if it were offered, but I also know DOF is awfully shallow below f/2.8, which might be great for creative portrait photography but isn't necessarily as useful for concert photography. So the cheaper lens happens to be the better lens for me, I think. Similarly, I kind of lucked out in that the DA40 suits my own needs better than the more expensive FA43. Again, not I'd turn down more speed, but going beyond f/2.8 is just not as high up on the priority list for me. Besides, I've got an A50/1.7 for when I do want wider apertures.

BTW, my DA70 did ship and is in transit - should be here in plenty of time for the jazz festival next weekend!

03-11-2009, 11:14 AM   #38
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QuoteOriginally posted by Alfisti Quote
AF that can leave you sobbing in a corner at times.
the one thing im really worried about is AF speed. the 40mm da is much much quicker than my 43mm in AF. one of the uses i wanted a longer lens was for the dog park but i dont know if it will work out if the AF is too slow. I can use MF to get around the slow autofocus speed because I noticed that with the autofocus, it will focus on the dog correctly, but it will be the wrong part of the dog (like body in focus and head OOF, what good is fast AF if the focus point isnt right? i use center point on the k-m, but the "point" is still too big). I'm starting to get much better at MF since using these FA lenses. if its just ridiculous i might have to trade for 70mm.

QuoteOriginally posted by Marc Sabatella Quote
Because soon enough you'll have forgotten the money, but you're going to be stuck with the lens you chose.

BTW, my DA70 did ship and is in transit - should be here in plenty of time for the jazz festival next weekend!
im already that way with my k-m. its a great camera and small, but i wish it had weather sealing, 2 control wheels, af selection points etc etc. thinking back i would have spent a little more for the k20d (by little i mean 2x), but it looks a little too big for me.

The rumored smaller better specced DSLR for this summer sounds like it might be the ticket.

Im sitting checking my email for my tracking # but still nothing yet =(

QuoteOriginally posted by Marc Sabatella Quote
So the cheaper lens happens to be the better lens for me, I think. Similarly, I kind of lucked out in that the DA40 suits my own needs better than the more expensive FA43. Besides, I've got an A50/1.7 for when I do want wider apertures.
I almost had that reasoning with the wide aperture. I have a 31mm 1.8, and said i could use that if i wanted a wider aperture. but then i thought what if I wanted that aperture with the 77mm point of view? That you cant replace.

BTW marc, your just trying to rationalize your mistake of buying the DA instead of the FA.

just kidding. im just rationalizing before i show you my more expensive 77mm pictures that look worse than your cheaper 70mm pictures.

Last edited by eyou; 03-11-2009 at 11:36 AM.
03-11-2009, 11:34 AM   #39
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eyou, I think this may be the toughest decision for a Pentaxian, the DA 70 vs. the FA 77. They're close enough in price, that one could certainly justify the extra amount for the FA 77 (unlike say the price spread between the FA 31 and FA 35, which is tougher to justify imo). And you've got the FA 77 that draws otherworldly raves, and the DA 70 that draws substantial raves.

You buy the FA 77 and you worry about the increased price and size, slower AF, maybe that fringing that Alfisti writes about, but you know you've got a flat-out legendary lens. You buy the DA 70 and you worry about missing that extra "something" that the FA 77 has, but you get the cheaper, smaller, lighter package, quicker AF, and truly outstanding photos. And the focal length can certainly play into the decision as well. I would think that either way, buying one does not relieve the anxiety about not buying the other.

Anyway, enjoy the FA 77.
03-11-2009, 12:44 PM   #40
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QuoteOriginally posted by eyou Quote
the one thing im really worried about is AF speed.
To give you an idea ....

Ex. 1) Well lit church for a wedding, I pre-focused knowing the 77 is slow and waitied for the bried to walk in in that sloooooowwwwwwwwww walk brides do. I try to focus and zzz, siiiiim, zeeeee ... i get nothing.

Ex 2) Last weekend, friends over with baby on the floor, i get down to her level, the light is a medium room with 6 bulbs in a chandeleir so decent light (ISO800 1/50, f/1.8 if natural) and I had the flash to help as well. The lens actually gets pretty close but then clicks, clicks ... tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk about 15 times just trying to finally LOCK. It eventually does and jnr has moved from the focal pane!!

Caveat, I have a K100D with eneloops, Km likely faster and with lIon would be more reliable.
03-11-2009, 02:30 PM   #41
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QuoteOriginally posted by Alfisti Quote
To give you an idea ....

Ex. 1) Well lit church for a wedding, I pre-focused knowing the 77 is slow and waitied for the bried to walk in in that sloooooowwwwwwwwww walk brides do. I try to focus and zzz, siiiiim, zeeeee ... i get nothing.

Ex 2) Last weekend, friends over with baby on the floor, i get down to her level, the light is a medium room with 6 bulbs in a chandeleir so decent light (ISO800 1/50, f/1.8 if natural) and I had the flash to help as well. The lens actually gets pretty close but then clicks, clicks ... tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk about 15 times just trying to finally LOCK. It eventually does and jnr has moved from the focal pane!!

Caveat, I have a K100D with eneloops, Km likely faster and with lIon would be more reliable.
when i thought people complained about AF it was the speed of the rotation of the ring, not the hunting for lock. my DAs hunt as well, doesn it more have to do with the AF detection algorithm then the lens? Or are you saying for the 77mm it just hunts in even bright light (just reread and saw well lit church)?

Last edited by eyou; 03-11-2009 at 02:36 PM.
03-11-2009, 02:43 PM   #42
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It HATES anything moving, so much as a slight little nudge and the lens gets confused, very confused.

In low light it take a long time to lock both from the perspective of trying to find something to lock on to and the slow rotation.

I intend for my next camera to have a much better viewfinder and I will likely install a manual focus aid as this lens really is designed for manual focus first and foremost.
03-11-2009, 06:00 PM   #43
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Yes, anything moving in low-light can be really frustrating with Pentax. On my K20D I don't find the FA77 that slow. The AF motor on the K20D seems strong enough to drive it fast. It's the focusing algorithms or sensors that makes it slow. In low-light the K20D (and K10D, K200D) has a tendency of doing small micro-adjustments that takes a looot of time. And if moreover the subject is moving, forget it. I've seen a video comparing the K-m. The new camera doesn't do these silly hesitating steps and hence lock much faster in low-light. I would buy a K20D super with just this improvement.

Now as Alifisti said the FA77 is a joy to manual focus. The DA40 is not bad either and it has the handy quick shift. I don't use QS that often but on the 77 and FA50 I would love to have it.

FA77 vs DA70. I choosed the FA77 just on the basis of speed. 1 stop is 1 stop and wide open it's impressively sharp and contrasty, at least at the center which is the most important important anyway because the short DOF at this aperture will often leave a small part of the picture in focus.
03-11-2009, 06:06 PM   #44
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QuoteOriginally posted by ManuH Quote
has a tendency of doing small micro-adjustments that takes a looot of time.
tsk, tsk, clickty, clickety ... cliiiiick, clunk, click, tas tsk, tsk, BEEEEEEEEEEEEP (I got focus!!! What am i too late??)
03-11-2009, 06:13 PM   #45
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I am going through this exact dilema...if the 77 had more reliable an dfaster AF than I wouldnt see any reason going for the 70mm...
of course to make matters more confusing I am also contemplating the Sigma 70mm macro.....
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