[repaap]

Of course there are compromises.
That is the difference between a {petite} "Limited" lens and a 'perfect' {and larger} "Star" lens.

I like this kind of compromises...have to do them my self too daily basis..

[bxf]

...blackened with different kind of material to handle international reflections better

Yup, we must not limit our efforts to national reflections only

[Reed]

Yup, we must not limit our efforts to national reflections only

I've ment internal of course

[angerdan]

Here is the product page for the Japan Ricoh store.
Edit: Link gone. The page was taken down

Seems like this has been the Link:
https://ricohimagingstore.com/pentax-hd-fa43ltd-bk-s0020140-set01.html

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Last edited by angerdan; 02-22-2021 at 02:48 PM.

[stevebrot]

Did the old ones have rounded aperture blades?

The database doesn't mention it, and having rounded blades wouldn't have been nearly as much of a "thing" back then as it is now.

My FA 77/1.8 has rounded blades and the same is true of the 31mm and 43mm IIRC.


Steve

[Paul the Sunman]

The big question for me is if the D-FA21 will be better than the D-FA 15-30 @ 21mm. I've had mixed results with the 15-30 , I can't really figure out. Some of my shots were blurry on the left hand side of the frame, although DoF should have been Ok. I took some test shots but could quite reproduce the problem.... maybe some field curvature, I don't know.

Hmm, no such problem on my copy of the 15-30. Performance is immaculate, apart from the (sometimes pretty) flaring with sun at a certain angle. However, the DFA21 is definitely on my radar, not least for its more manageable size. I'm hoping it will perform as well as I expect.

[Kerrowdown]

Member @Kerrowdown; is having lots of fun with Pentax-M and Pentax-A lenses!!

That'll be me then...

[Kerrowdown]

Tell Covid to scram so I can go hiking!

I'm with you on that one.

[angerdan]

https://twitter.com/nokishita_c/status/1363808122217787392

Here'e all nokishita twitter links:
https://twitter.com/nokishita_c/status/1363820044778569731 (Images of 31mm and 77mm are also posted on the official store)
https://twitter.com/nokishita_c/status/1363816383406952449 (Ricoh "HD PENTAX-FA 43mmF1.9 Limited" was posted on the official store)
https://twitter.com/nokishita_c/status/1363808122217787392 (Ricoh "HD PENTAX FA 31mm, 43mm, 77mm Limited" (black and silver), "K -1 Mark II J Limited 01 "(Black & Gold, Viridian, Scarlet Rouge, LX75 Metallic) will be on April 30th)
https://twitter.com/nokishita_c/status/1363675069084442628 (PENTAX "HD PENTAX-FA 77mm F1.8 Limited" has been added to overseas retailers. The currently registered price is $ 799)

[Kerrowdown]

I also have lots of fun with those old manual lenses

Good for you... long may that continue for you.

[MMVIII]

- Zeiss Milvus 21mm length: 95mm
- Sony G 20mm length: 85mm
- Nikon Z 20mm length: 109mm

etc.

So the Pentax DFA21 looks like it will be smaller which will, if cost is to be reasonable, necessitate compromises compared to those lenses. I like that the made it small in ltd fashion and I'm really looking forward to see what they have achieved. It's a shame Pentax never gets proper lens reviews anymore.

I think it's an easy task to solve this equation: The character of the 21 limited to the lenses you mentioned is as the 77 limited to the DFA* 85 1.4.

[Kerrowdown]

What of it?

The point raised put more simply... stick some glass on your camera body and take pictures.

Remember at the end of the day... it's all about the image, not the kit used to achieve it.

[Kerrowdown]

Agree whole heartedly !!

+1

[robbiec]

I've spent 10yrs near enough figuring out the original 43, you know when to stop down, keeping an eye out for busy backgrounds and now Pentax decide to mess with my intuitive use of one of my favourite lenses by giving it new glass and rounded aperture blades... I'll be 60 by the time I've got them both down. I suppose I could trick my brain by getting a HD silver and having it classify it as a completely different lens.

Curious to see if HD coatings put manners on the 77 and it's fascination with purple in high contrast scenes wide open ��

[PocketPixels]

It is odd seeing these sorts of product refreshes. They're not bad, per se, but they're hard to get excited about. And they're not going to be easy to sell potential newcomers to the system on. "Oh yeah, we've got this awesome lens, came out about 20 years ago, and they just put new coatings on it!".

My expectation for some time has been that Ricoh is mostly going to update the back-catalog of "legacy" Pentax glass with HD coatings. They may add weather-resistance, better lens hoods, silver color options, rounded aperture blades, and make other adjustments that do not require redoing an optical formula.

• Ricoh did exactly that with the HD DA 10–17mm Fish-Eye about 18 months ago: HD coatings, the hood is now detachable, but the overall specs of the lens aren't wildly different.
• Hoya (Ricoh?) did this with the HD Limiteds about 7 years ago.
• Hoya did this with the WR version of the DA 18–55 kit lens about 8 years go.
• Ricoh did a di minimis update with the D-FA★70-200 Silver and the D-FA★85mm Silver
• I honestly don't know anything about 645, but I hope you big sensor guys get some HD love, too.

I think HD updates are nice. Not thrilling, but nice. To me, they represent modestly encouraging signs of life and vitality in the brand. I completely understand those of you who are underwhelmed by the notion of HD coatings on 1996 optical formulae. My guess is that Ricoh doesn't have a huge department of lens engineers inventing new designs. So the DA★ 11–18mm, the HD D-FA★ 50mm 1.4, and the upcoming D-FA 21mm Limited and (possible) HD DA★ 16–50mm are all that Pentax has in the pipeline for "new" lenses. (Also, as an aside, I can't say enough about how good the new Pentax "opera glass" VD binoculars are; mine are truly innovative and clever.)

The experience with the SMC Limiteds —> HD Limiteds seems instructive. Pentax unveilled 6 "new" lenses, even though only one—the HD DA 20–40mm Limited—was a truly "new" design. They seem to have sold quite a few of these lenses. I deplored the introduction of rounded aperture blades on the HD 15 and 21, I welcomed the introduction of rounded aperture blades on the HD 70, and I have no particular opinion of the 20–40mm. I bought the HD version of the Fish-Eye once the price hit $450 on sale, and intend to keep both of them.

Everything I've written so far has some historical data to support it. Without a shred of evidence, I hope we'll see an HD DA WR 12–24mm and and HD DA★ 200mm, but I imagine those are coming…very…slowly…if they are coming at all.