[morepower]

I'd like to request advice from the group about the three (I'm aware of) 85mm f1.4 lens as per the attached. I prefer auto focus but okay with the earlier manual version. Is the currently available HD D FA at $1,800 worth it versus the other two options about half the price? Bottom line is creating insanely great portrait shots. Thx in advance!

Attached Images

 

[garywakeling]

You are very lucky, I believe that all 3 of those will give you fine results. I have the DFA and FA versions and both deliver crisp detailed images with lovely soft falloff behind. Just remember that focusing is critical wide open with a very narrow depth of field. Other options are the F or FA soft lenses which depending on your style can produce very flattering portraits. Older Takumars 83mm 1.9 etc are also fun to play with. Good luck with your search
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmPL5qQw DFA
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmDWcs5u FA
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmq92AT7 FA Soft

[pschlute]

Bottom line is creating insanely great portrait shots

Any of those can do that before breakfast. Get your lighting set up correctly and they will all deliver the goods. I cannot choose between them. If you are going to work in difficult lighting conditions, the D-FA will have more advanced coatings.

I am in the lucky position of owning all three.

[FozzFoster]

I might recommend considering the 77mm f/1.8 as an awesome portrait lens for the K-1!

[AfterPentax Mark II]

Another lovely portrait lens 85mm is the (A) 85mm f2.2 Soft. And from the F series there is the 85mm 2.8 soft.

[zapp]

Only the DFA*85 can be bought new. You need to decide for yourself whether 15+ year old lenses are worth half the price. The new 85 is worth its price. Whether it is the best lens for your portrait style is on you to decide. This lens has it all including silent AF, WR, …
I sometimes prefer the 77 for its size - tiny compared to the new 85. The 77 draws very nicely, AF is noisy, CAs are visible and it is not as sharp as the DFA85 - personal judgement how much sharpness you need. My 77 already attracted some dust inside, the DFA85 is weather sealed…
The FA 85 design is closely related to the 77 (or vice versa). If you want to try one of them, I would look for a used copy of the FA85. These lenses are available in good condition and pricing is reasonable these days. The FA is still compact compared to the DFA.

[robgski]

I have the DFA

I do not, but I did rent a DFA 85mm from lensrentals.com and really liked it, I encourage everyone to rent before they purchase.

Get your lighting set up correctly and they will all deliver the goods.

If you want great portraits, this is probably as important, if not more important than lens choice

I might recommend considering the 77mm f/1.8 as an awesome portrait lens for the K-1!

I own this lens, and a K-1, and it does make a fantastic combo which produces great results, so if your are budget conscious, this lens would be my recommendation in lieu of the DFA 85mm. You can find used copies here on PF marketplace for very reasonable prices.

[pschlute]

If you want great portraits, this is probably as important, if not more important than lens choice

Agree. Lighting first, lens secondary.

[AggieDad]

If you are okay with manual focus, may I suggest you consider the SamYang/Rokinon 85mm f/1.4. It is available from B&H Photo for $250. I have had fine results with mine.

[gatorguy]

The Samyang/Rokinon mentioned above is a fine lens, but no autofocus.

Of the three lenses you specifically asked about I've owned two of them. The FA85 absolutely delivered the goods, roughly matching the image results from the latest DFA85 in most scenarios. I loved my copy of it.

But here's the thing: The older FA is nearly impossible to repair if the focus gives up the ghost, and the chances of it failing are significant. It's an old lens. That possibility was always on my mind when I took it out on a shoot. For that reason alone I could not in good conscience recommend you invest your money in it since you've implied the new DFA is in your budget.

Just get the new one if you gotta have AF.

[Sandy Hancock]

I like my FA* a lot, but the DFA* is considerably sharper wide open and the bokeh quality is more predictably smooth. It also handles better and focusses more precisely and silently. And it's weather sealed.

Is it worth the extra money? This is a casual family snap taken at f/1.4. Click on the image to view it at full size in Flickr



Don't discount the FA 77 Limited though....

[Wheatfield]

Too many people worry about lenses in portraiture before they have their lighting in place.

Depending on the level you want to work at, a few battery powered strobes reflected off of some cheap Amazon umbrellas mounted to cooked spaghetti stands might seem to work because that is an improvement over shoe mounted flash units, but sooner or later, most people serious about portraiture want to up their game and start using tools that will give great light rather than just better light.
If you don't have your lighting in place, spend your money there rather than buying expensive glass, or really any glass.
Having said that, I have shot excellent portraits under some of the most abysmal conditions imaginable with whatever light happens to be available to me, so there's that.

Understanding light and how to shape it and control it is far more important than having the finest lenses available. Sometimes having the finest lens is a detriment anyway.

And, more important than both lighting and lenses is the ability to relate to your subject. An uncomfortable subject is not going to give you anything to be proud of.

Anyway, presuming you have personality and lighting in place, then of the three lenses you have listed, the DFA* 85/1.4 is pretty close to the perfect lens. It is scary sharp wide open and gets better stopped down until around f5.6. It also has some of the nicest rendering I have seen. There aren't many lenses made that can match it's optical quality.
I have never used the old FA* 85/1.4, but from reports I've read on the PDML, it is very good at closer distances, but a little less sharp as it focuses farther way. It was, from what I have read, optimized for portrait distances.
I did own the A*85/1.4 for quite a few year and found it to be excellent, but a bit hard to focus on DSLR screens, which are not optimized for manual focus. After purchasing the DFA*85/1.4 I sold it to another list member. It is one of the very few lenses that I could use that I have let go. After using the new 85/1.4 I decided that I would never use the A* lens again, and it was too good a lens to put on the shelf.

The picture below was shot on a K20 with the DA*55/1.4.
Lighting matters, and having a subject that is comfortable in front of the camera and is comfortable with the photographer combined with good lighting is what makes the portrait. The camera and lens, not so much.

[FozzFoster]

This is a casual family snap taken at f/1.4.

The picture below was shot on a K20 with the DA*55/1.4.

All ya'll killin' it - great shots!

[UncleVanya]

I’ve owned the A* 85. I loved it. Sharp. Buttery manual focus. But hard to nail focus at wide open aperture. I owned it for a couple of decades. I eventually sold it and that money funded buying my FA 77 (new) and my FA 31 (used). The FA 77 is essentially a similar optical design just shorter in focal length and not as fast. It’s a great portrait lens on a FF OR APSC camera. I don’t regret selling the A* too much because of the 77.

[bilybianca]

I’ve owned the A* 85. I loved it. Sharp. Buttery manual focus. But hard to nail focus at wide open aperture. I owned it for a couple of decades. I eventually sold it and that money funded buying my FA 77 (new) and my FA 31 (used). The FA 77 is essentially a similar optical design just shorter in focal length and not as fast. It’s a great portrait lens on a FF OR APSC camera. I don’t regret selling the A* too much because of the 77.

I have kept my A* 85mm, it's a marvellous lens which I have used a lot for three decades. Portraits, concerts in dim and difficult light and also landscape and close-ups of flowers. It's a bit hard to focus due to it's narrow depth of focus, but when you nail it it's soooo sharp.
Nevertheless, it sits pretty idle on the shelf after I got the FA 77mm Limited. A tad shorter FL, a lot smaller and lighter and the convenience of AF. And just as marvellous IQ.

Kjell