[nulla]

I drive the blue car though mine is silver

The Ford Focus?

[legacyb4]

Nope, not a Ford... Mazda RX-8.

[builttospill]

I drive the red one in the center, though only in my dreams.

Good comparison.

[Voe]

The Ford Focus?

It's RX8.

Shot with the 43mm Limited.



One big difference between the 40mm and the 43mm is that the latter is very very sharp at f/2.8.
The bokeh of the 40mm though looks more pleasant to me than the rest of the lenses.

[nulla]

I was actually just playing with words

The Ford Focus

[Marc Sabatella]

One big difference between the 40mm and the 43mm is that the latter is very very sharp at f/2.8.

So is the 40. Maybe not *quite* as sharp as the 43 in the center according to Photozone, but at least as sharp in the corners. Certainly at the size of the model car images posted, there no difference I can see (except that the 40 is focused a few mm further forward).

[legacyb4]

Yeah, I was trying to use the "Grant" logo as the focal point in the pic but since it was handheld, slight variations in stance, angle, etc. threw the plane of focus out.

Less of a test of pure "sharp" and more a comparison of what you can expect as far as overall look and feel wide open with different highlight bokeh, etc. particularly since this is a controlled lighting scene (top of my storage bookcase at work).

So is the 40. Maybe not *quite* as sharp as the 43 in the center according to Photozone, but at least as sharp in the corners. Certainly at the size of the model car images posted, there no difference I can see (except that the 40 is focused a few mm further forward).

[Voe]

Regarding the 40mm vs. 43mm Limiteds discussion I used to have both lenses at the same time for about 2-3 months. So I did some personal tests and from what I have found at any given aperture setting the 43mm was superior to the 40mm. Not that the 40mm is bad, actually quite the opposite, it's just that the 43mm Limited is superb. The resolution and contrast of the 43mm are just on a different level.

The only reason I would prefer the 40mm Limited over the 43mm is if fast autofocus, quick-shift and size/weight is more important than maximum resolution and contrast.

[axl]

on the mini cars test shots I actually like the bokeh of DA40 better. It seems tad smoother and bit les nervous. Or is it casued by different point of focus?

[Ash]

Just as a quick comparison:

DA 40mm, F2.8, ISO 400
FA 43mm, F1.9, ISO 400
A 50mm F1.4, ISO 400

This is a fine real world comparison.
Thanks for sharing it.
One can see the difference in bokeh, particularly between the DA 40 and the others. The A 50 seems to produce similar results to the 43 ltd. I have thought to replace my FA 50 with the 43 ltd but couldn't justify it for myself. Almost a stop advantage and decent sharpness at f/2, the fast fifty is hard to beat. But between the 40 and 43, it's already discussed - speed for one, size and a different bokeh characteristic for another...

[Marc Sabatella]

Yeah, I was trying to use the "Grant" logo as the focal point in the pic but since it was handheld, slight variations in stance, angle, etc. threw the plane of focus out.

That's what I was assuming. My initial thought was that the DA40 shot looked disappointingly soft, but once I became aware of the difference in actual focus point, that concern went away - the most in focus areas of the DA40 shot are just as sharp at the post size as the those of the FA43.

BTW, what made me become aware of the discrepancy was wondering how on earth the DA40 managed to have what at first appeared to be shallower DOF than the FA43 wide open. That's because I was focusing (sorry) on details that happened to be closer to the focus point on the 43 shot: front of the central car, the red car on the far right, etc. As I scanned about, I realized the focus zone had simply shifted.

Still, I'm kind of surprised that the difference in DOF appears as small as it does in these two shots. Moving in slightly closer to get the same framing presumably accounts for a little of this, but probably, it's mostly a trick caused by my inability to see the exact extent of the focus zone.

Anyhow, nothing about these images makes me regret my purchase of the DA40! In fact, I suspect I'll be buying another for my wife soon (shh) as she just borrowed mine to use at a relative's wedding yesterday. I haven't heard how it went yet (I'm in Denver, wedding was in KC :-) but I'm thinking she's gonna want one now...

[axl]

snip....
Anyhow, nothing about these images makes me regret my purchase of the DA40! ... snip

I feel exactly the same! There is 1stop difference in speed but I don't use f stops wider than 2.8 often. And judging by IQ the 40 is practicaly as good as anything you put it up against, just tad cheaper...

BR

[krypticide]

All three lenses are 49mm filter size. The FA 50mm is not a pancake, but it's tiny compared to the Canon 50mm f1.4. Still, a set of Limited pancakes is a pretty cool lens plan.
FA 50

FA 43 Ltd

FA 40mm

Thanks for the comparison shots. Can anyone post shots of the DA40 and FA43 mounted on a camera, from the side? I'm looking to find a lens that will make my K-7 more portable than the 35mm or 50mm, and I'd like to see how different in size the 43mm and 40mm are, particularly when on the camera. Thanks!

[benjikan]

Tough call. I have both and I feel more comfortable using the 40mm Ltd over the 43 Ltd due to it's corner to corner resolving power at wide open to f16.0. The 43 is very slightly sharper in the center at f5.6 but it is negligible. As I work at around f8.0 to f13.0 in studio and need very sharp corners as well, I would opt for the 40 pancake.

Here is a sample with the 40 and many more at the link below:

Benjamin Kanarek Blog “In the wind” Making of Video