[Dangermouse]

I'm really pleased to see the M 50 f/1.7 get so much love. It's truly a gateway drug into manual primes and the lens I compare all others against. I really like my FA 30 / 2, but I bought into the Pentax digital line because when I wanted to get a DSLR I dug around in my mom's attic for the case I brought home from college containing my M50. As I've mentioned here before, I actually took the 50/1.7 to the store with me because I knew you were supposed to be able to use it, and told the saleslady, here, show me how to meter on the DSLR with this thing and I'll buy that camera right now.

I bought a Katzeye for my K20D just to fine tune the razor sharp focus of the M50, and now, today, I'm holding a rented DA 70mm in my hand and thinking that the feel is so similar to the 50mm that I want to buy it before I've even used it for a shoot.

Also, you can find it on Ebay for $10 if you're patient and lucky. Say that about ANY other lens that's half as addictive.

I'm also pleased to see it doing so well. A lot of photographers out there are mad keen on the latest most expensive lens, but one that can be picked up for £30 or so in good condition is getting plenty of attention here. Good to see someone else who likes the K 55mm f1.8 too, I think that lens is probably my best buy in the last month or so. Superb performance even wide open, and a bit of ebay hunting saw it snagged for £13 including postage (£8 without!).

I also like the way the old K, M or A primes look on a DSLR. My Km looks a lot less bulky with them than it does with an AF zoom.

[8540tomg]

Whats the best all around fast Pentax DSLR K mount prime lens ?

The only lens you can take with you in 2012...

All criterias apply but please detail them (price, fast, IQ, aperture, value, etc...)

I’ve got a bag full of glass I like a lot. I’ll limit myself to the two I use most often with apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien and Jay but he started this:

AF

I only have one AF lens but it is a good one - the SMC Pentax DA 70/2.4 Limited. Perhaps not the one ring like Jay’s 77Ltd. but Illuvitar shed a little light on this one as well. Very light, sharp, great colour, fast focusing, great portrait lens ~ who could ask for more.

MF

SMC Pentax K 200/2.5. This is a focal length I use a lot and this lens delivers. It is sharp at f2.5 and it gets very sharp from them on. Sharper than Narsil after it was reforged in Rivendell. A tad heavy but has that great K series build. The K 200/2.5 could have been made by Feanor himself.

Tom G

[Pentaxor]

I would love to have my hands on an FA 77, but a DA70 would suffice and is an ideal match for an APS-C dslr considering it would be equivalent to a 100mm telephoto for portraiture use.

my personal fave would be the FA100/2.8

[artemapei]

which one is the best 180-200mm lens? (portraits, bokeh)

[Pentaxor]

which one is the best 180-200mm lens? (portraits, bokeh)

180mm is too long for portraiture. maybe you meant for medium telephoto use.

[artemapei]

180mm is too long for portraiture. maybe you meant for medium telephoto use.

180 and even 200 just fit portrait perfect, especially on FF

[davidvcd]

FA 77mm so far is the best out of all the ones I have. Like everyone says, there is pixie dust in it.


(don't have the 31mm ltd, hoping to get it soon - I need it for low light situations and since I have a 40mm ltd the FA35mm doesnt seem to be as useful POV wise, besides I'm willing to put the money into the 31mm ltd).

I am disappointed with the FA50mm 1.4 even stopped down. It's not a bad lens, really saved me when shooting handheld at night in egypt with high iso wide open (great synergy) but thought it would do better. Still keeping it since it does wonderfully at night.

[EsBee]

I'd be tempted to say FA77Ltd but I've been getting more utility out of the FA43Ltd compared to its big brother. But, since the DA40Ltd isn't far behind the FA43, and is better in size and quickness to focus, I'd probably go with the DA40f2.8 as my one lens in 2012.

[mba1971]

I thought the SMC-FA 31mm f1,8 Limited would have come out more, but it seems the 77mm is getting a majority

[Digitalis]

i'm going to differ from the rest of the pack:

1) Pentax K 50mm f/1.2 - there's nothing else like it. Sure it's "soft" wide open, but it's control of optical abberations even at f/1.2 beats the crap out of canon 50mm f/1.2L . I prefer the rendering of the 8 bladed aperture of the K series lens. Sometimes lenses with 9 bladed apetures can cause some seriously ugly bokeh effects.
2) Pentax FA31mm f/1.8 - weird focal length, superlative image quality. Impressive flare tolerance and it's eminently usable at f/1.8
3) Pentax FA77 f/1.8 - I wouldn't say there is pixie dust in mine, but the images it produces are superb, not quite as flare tolerant as the FA31.

[thomascdk]

I would have a hard time saying goodbye to any of my K-primes. If I should choose one it would be a toss-up between the 501.2 and the 135 2.5.

But I'm still looking for a lens in the 80'sh range, preferably the K 85 1.8 (though all the praise for the FA 77 tingles the LBA). I think this might be the lens I'll end up preferring.

[ivoire]

I'll add the Da 40mm f2.8 pancake. incredibly compact, excellent construction relatively inexpensive, fast focusing and razor sharp

[VAV]

My "the one favourite" lens used to be the FA 35/f2 but having recently received the DA40 f/2.8 Limited, I am finding it difficult to choose between the two! Both lens provide a close to normal perspective and excellent image quality.

Other favourites - DA 70 , VL 125 and the two DA * zooms (16-50, 50-135)

[Blue]

This will seem odd to many. But it's a Takumar 28mm f3.5. Super Tak

Partly personal. My wife posted here last year and the forum members helped her find one.
Partly IQ. I've owned all the limited's and a bunch of other great glass. This old gal looses nothing to any of those lenses.
Partly because it's not auto anything. I take my time with it, slow to meter, slow to focus, slow aperture and renders a sweet image. Like taking time with a beautiful woman.... I digress.

Finally with the exception of the 31,43 and 77mm's, nothing is built like a Takumar.

Which one did she get Peter? There is 3 different Super Tak 28mm f3.5 lenses. The latest one has the same optical formula as the S-M-C version and the earlier 2 have different aperture diaphragms.

[Pentaxor]

180 and even 200 just fit portrait perfect, especially on FF

not really. how would you do a close-up shot (no crops/no resize) ? even in a 100mm (150mm equiv.) on an APS-C sensor camera, you needed a bit of a working distance for your shoots. so much more for the added 30mm for it. a 100mm lens would work perfectly well on a FF camera, the max-out would be at 135mm using a 135mm lens on a FF camera. but the 100mm lens would have a 150mm equivalent and 135mm lens on an APS-C camera would have atleast 200mm FL equivalent. that's a lot of FOV lost. unless you are just shooting a full-head, a 180-200mm would be useable quite near but needed some real distance when shooting 1/4s and 1/2s (outdoors and studio shoot). need to work the macro flash distance as well. again, space is considered here so you dont want your back against the wall or run-out of space to shoot. a versatile and flexible fl is more recommended.

btw, this is also the reason why I got myself an 85mm, because I lost quite some working space to shoot using the 100mm alone.