[tux]

I was given an M 50mm f1.7 for free but the cheapest lens I have paid for is a Helios M44-4 which was $15

[DaniRo]

I'd say:

Tamron 90mm F2.8 Di SP (but that's a macro so...)
SMC Takumar 50mm 1.4
FA 31mm 1.8 Limited
and very close Pentax-M 135mm 3.5 (this Jewellery is a must)

[stillshunter]

In my short experience
1. Tamron SP 90/2.8 macro
2. K28/3.5
3. Vivitar 28/2.8 CF

Not sure why people think the M50/1.7 is so sharp....my copy needs some serious stopping down to even approximate any of these three.

I'm a man of science, so am happy to test the above against the dynamic trio 31/43/77, please just mail them to.....

[Recercare]

1. K 35mm F3.5
2. K 28mm F3.5, DA 40mm F2.8 and DA 70mm F2.4.
3. K 135mm F2.5

Kind regards
.lars

[EsBee]

...K 35mm F3.5

Now I haven't seen a reference to that lens in a while. I still regret selling it, one of the sharpest lenses I ever owned, great colors on the K20D!

If going by sharpest lens wide-open, I'd say the sharpest I ever owned was A 35-105mm f3.5, which was as sharp as the Ltds around f4. Among the ones I currently have, D-FA 100mm f2.8 is sharpest but its a macro lens, and among non-macro lenses, I'd say its my DA40 Ltd f2.8.

[panoguy]

Zeiss "Planar" 50mm F1.7 (w/ Leitax adapter) would be the sharpest from wide-open to whatever aperture I choose. Awesome bokeh and OOF highlights, too (which I prize as much as sharpness)!

My DA70 limited would be a close second... once I AF adjusted it to my K20D.

[stevebrot]

86 (and now 87) posts regarding how sharp our lenses are and not one picture to support these claims!! Shame shame. Lets see some 'objective' data

I posted links to several photos, though to tell you the truth...

...Ya' can't tell much from any photo sized appropriately for the Web...


Steve

[aleonx3]

All my FA limited lenses plus the following two manual focus lenses (sharp from the start without any adjustments).
-Ricoh XR Rikenon 28mm f2.8
-Chinon multicoated 24mm f2.5

[hcc]

My Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f1.4 SLII is, by far, the sharpest lens I have ever owned.

At its optimum aperture of F5.6, no further sharpening during PP can be done, as it begins to form sharpening halos! I did a studio shoot about a couple of months ago and I stuck with the Voigt for shoulder shots and the DA40/2.8 for complete body shots. The DA40/2.8 could accept further sharpening during PP, but not the Voigt! What came out from the camera was what was used.

Oh, and the Voigt is likewise the sharpest lens I have ever owned when shot wide open

Idem, the Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f1.4 SLI.

[gofour3]

The K50/4 Macro, it's the sharpest of all the "K" series lenses.

Phil.

[Votesh]

I'm just waiting for someone that owns an A*85 to post... What I have seen from it, very few things come close...

At f1.4 I don't think any lens, from any manufacturer, could beat the A* 85. Match it maybe, but not beat it. It is a microcontrast monster. That said, I sold mine and kept my FA* 85 because the FA* is nearly as sharp at all apertures, with much less PF on digital.

As for sharpest all around, I would say the A* 200mm Macro is my sharpest lens.

[akerue]

Of the lenses I own, it has to be these 2:

Pentax-K 100/4 Macro
Pentax-F 50/1.7

but my Pentax DA 40/2.8 comes close too.

[iFoto]

my winner is the FA 77
second FA 43 + FA 31
i didn't used the DFA 100 Macro that often yet, so i can't say

but on the long side it is certainly the F* 300

[jct us101]

Well, at the moment I don't own any lenses other than the Canon 50mm f/1.8 which is pretty sharp, so I'll go with that one. But if you want to know the sharpest lens that I've ever owned then I would go with the Sigma 17-70mm which was crazy sharp. Seriously I loved that lens so much and I want to get another one too!

[robbiec]

FA 43 Ltd

One example
f8.0 @ iso800