[bad2thegnome]

Hello all,

I am currently in the market for a new lens for street photography. I currently have a DFA 28-105, DA 50 f1.8, and a HD FA 77mm Limited. I like shooting primes but the 77mm is too tight for most of my use cases in street photo. The DFA 28-105 has been my walk around lens for the past 4 years on the system, and imo the DA 50 is my least favorite lens of the 3. I am looking into either the DFA 24-70 f2.8, DFA* 50mm f1.4, or the HD FA 43mm limited. I need some advice because I enjoy landscapes, and portraits as well and street photo is a new hobby of mine as I am now in a big city and not a rural town with nice landscapes. I want to find a new lens to best suit more than one use case. Everyone on the forum raves about the DFA* 50 f1.4 and it does look like a superb piece of kit. I am interested in the 24-70 mainly because it is a good set of focal lengths but I do already have the 77mm for portraits. If I were to get a new lens I would probably be parting with my trusty DFA 28-105m, just kinda want to move on from the kit lens.

Any advice or input would be much appreciated. I would be up for selling the kit lens and picking 2 lenses if I had to lol. Cheers!

[Argos]

Hello all,

I am currently in the market for a new lens for street photography. I currently have a DFA 28-105, DA 50 f1.8, and a HD FA 77mm Limited. I like shooting primes but the 77mm is too tight for most of my use cases in street photo. The DFA 28-105 has been my walk around lens for the past 4 years on the system, and imo the DA 50 is my least favorite lens of the 3. I am looking into either the DFA 24-70 f2.8, DFA* 50mm f1.4, or the HD FA 43mm limited. I need some advice because I enjoy landscapes, and portraits as well and street photo is a new hobby of mine as I am now in a big city and not a rural town with nice landscapes. I want to find a new lens to best suit more than one use case. Everyone on the forum raves about the DFA* 50 f1.4 and it does look like a superb piece of kit. I am interested in the 24-70 mainly because it is a good set of focal lengths but I do already have the 77mm for portraits. If I were to get a new lens I would probably be parting with my trusty DFA 28-105m, just kinda want to move on from the kit lens.

Any advice or input would be much appreciated. I would be up for selling the kit lens and picking 2 lenses if I had to lol. Cheers!

I really like the 2/35 AL, it is sharp and contrasty.

[gatorguy]

The classic Pentax FA35-70 seems like a match for your street stuff and it's so silly inexpensive.
SMC Pentax-F 35-70mm F3.5-4.5 Reviews - F Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

[Simen1]

Are you using the DA50 in APS-C or FF mode? In APS-C mode it would match the field of view of the FA77 (I assume you have an FF camera), in FF-mode the DA50 would vignette badly at the edges. I think I would start by selling off that one.

Now for the more difficult question of what to replace it with. I would consider both the FA43 and the quite new FA35. HD Pentax-FA 35mm F2 Reviews - FA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database Both are good and very compact. I often prefer that field of view for landscape and street photo.

The DFA 24-70/2,8 are quite heavy and expensive, not my cup of tea, so I have a hard time recommending that, but you may have a different view on weight and pricing. For the ease of zooming I would stick to the DFA 28-105. Its lighter, cheaper and has more ease of zooming. I consider the 24-70 a kind of akward compromize between zoom and prime, having all the negative sides in one, and being medicore on both ease of zooming and aperture. Yes, I expect a hailstorm of comments on that view.

[pepperberry farm]

FA 31 Limited... the lens that all 28mm lenses wish they were....

[johnha]

My FA20-35/4 is almost always my preferred lens on the K-1, partnered with an FA43 or FA50 if I need slightly longer (but rarely do).

[Kwong]

I would keep it as small a form factor as possible. that said FA43, FA31, or FA35. All excellent lenses.

[RICHARD L.]

My FA20-35/4 is almost always my preferred lens on the K-1

I guess not all FA 20-35 mm f/4 perform the same. My copy of this FA zoom is "O.K." at 35 mm FL on the K1 but gives unacceptably soft corners at 20 mm FL. I always use my lenses between f/8 and f/16, often on tripod, and using this lens has been a heartbreak for me. I have a lowly FA J 18-35 mm f/4-5.6 that performs better at its widest focal position. I found a like-new copy of the FA 20 mm f/2.8, now that marvel is SHARP on the K1.

FA 20 mm f/2.8 @ f/16 on tripod

[AstroDave]

I currently have a DFA 28-105

If I were to get a new lens I would probably be parting with my trusty DFA 28-105m, just kinda want to move on from the kit lens.

What's "wrong" with this one? Unless you need wider, or a bigger aperture, you are not going to do much better in terms of flexibility. It's a pretty good "kit" lens, which you already seem to be comfortable with.

[AlwaysAl]

Hi, Don't have the lenses mentioned as your prospectives except the DFA*50 (and the DFA 28-105). With respect to the DFA*50 lens (and the "cousins" 85 & 15-30) these are not what I now consider to be carry-around or street shooting lenses.. These lenses have a lot to offer but being a carry around, street shooing lens isn't one of them. Reflecting, these lenses are probably more at home in a fixed environment (like a studio) and ideally supported on a tripod.
My exploratory trek with the K-1 initially led to the 28-105 and then based on the performance improvement witnessed, transitioned through the other aforementioned lenses. For street shooitng or just "wander shooting" when using the K-1, I keep coming back to the 28-105. Perhaps I shared your concern with this being a lowly "kit" lens but it did reveal to me how a design-built lens could bring the K-1 to life compared to some of the older K mount lenses initially used. There's no doubt these recently developed lenses bring exceptional quality to the process but, unless you're tripod mounted, the performance difference with the 28-105 is (imho) negligible.
Now, perhaps the "kicker", for my street and wander shooitng, I have developed an affection for the K-3 III with the DFA*50-135. Specifically, can't say what it is but it just "works". Although I've had the 50-135 for some time (2 motors, converted to screw drive) I think it took the exploration of the K-1 and my lenses to bring me back to this jem.

[PePe]

I have been shooting with the DFA 24-70 for a couple of years now. Size and weight are what you would expect from a FF f 2,8 zoom. In terms of image quality it is definitely a good lens, but not a stellar one. Sharp in the center already wide open. Stopping down a little improves corner sharpness. Wide open there is a fair amount of vigneting. This is easy to correct in PP, but it still is an annoyance. I quess this is why Pentax did not give it a star rating.

[AfterPentax Mark II]

I am interested in the 24-70 mainly because it is a good set of focal lengths

Well you already have the 28-105 so why buy the 24-70. I do not think the 24-70 is so much better that it is reasonable to buy it if you have most of the focal lengths in the lens you already own. Don't you think that it is better to go for a lens that expands it on the wide side? You could consider the DFA 15-30 as well. Or the fish-eye 10-17. What is more: I see more second hands 24-70 than the 28-105 version, maybe that says something too.

[vector]

I have the HDFA35, the DFA50 and the FA77. For street I would suggest looking at the HDFA35 or the FA43. I don't do street but something normal to wide is the usual choice. The FA31 is just a little on the wide side and the DFA50 is amazing but big and heavy. Both the 35 and 43 are excellent, light, compact, and discrete. The 77 I love for candid portraits so don't rule it out but it is not wide and street usually entails including the surroundings. Just my 2 cents.

[Kozlok]

None of us can give you the right lens choice, because it sounds like you aren't sure what you want. What I advise is to just pick any of the choices, doesn't matter. Either buy from a retailer with a generous return policy, or buy a used one for a fair price. Go use it. If it doesn't work, send it back/resell it, try the next one on the list.

I did this with my APS-C wide angle zoom. Tried the DA12-24, didn't love it, sent it back, bought a Sigma 10-20/3.5, and I quite liked it, so I kept it. Been thinking of trying a different copy of the 12-24, but haven't gotten around to it because the Sigma works for me.

For me, the choice would be the FA43, but not everyone loves it. I do. The 31 is another great recommendation, and they aren't that expensive used.

[jatrax]

If you already have the 28-105 I would not exchange that for the 24-70 unless you really need f/2.8. Image quality is similar but the 24-70 is much heavier. You can a bit on the wide side but lose some on the long side. Not a trade I would think would benefit street photography.


With your current kit I would be considering the HD 43mm Limited