[stanleyk]

Is anyone using the 43mm on a K1? If so what is your opinion? I haven't shot Pentax in awhile but am seriously considering purchasing this combination. I am an X Pro 2 and X100F user. However, I have sort of missed Pentax and recently did a film assignment in October and November. I purchased an MX and some lenses (which I will be selling shortly). I only want the 43 and the 31. I use to own the 31 so I am familiar with that lens. I don't need to know about eyelash crops and the like, just a general impression of the lens with the camera. Also, does anyone find the really large files a pain to work with? I'm already wishing the X Pro 2 had stuck at 16MP. I recently shot a Df with the Voigtlander 40mm and really liked it. I just think the price is too much for the Df. It's a great camera though.

[Adam]

Is anyone using the 43mm on a K1? If so what is your opinion? I haven't shot Pentax in awhile but am seriously considering purchasing this combination. I am an X Pro 2 and X100F user. However, I have sort of missed Pentax and recently did a film assignment in October and November. I purchased an MX and some lenses (which I will be selling shortly). I only want the 43 and the 31. I use to own the 31 so I am familiar with that lens. I don't need to know about eyelash crops and the like, just a general impression of the lens with the camera. Also, does anyone find the really large files a pain to work with? I'm already wishing the X Pro 2 had stuck at 16MP. I recently shot a Df with the Voigtlander 40mm and really liked it. I just think the price is too much for the Df. It's a great camera though.

You'll get used to 36MP files, just make sure that you have enough storage space and a computer that's not too old (or slow). SSDs really help.

As for the 43mm, it's one of my favorite standard primes. Hard to go wrong given its compactness, IMO.

[MadMathMind]

Also, does anyone find the really large files a pain to work with?

Adobe's RAW converter is pretty slow. I have to wait what feels like an eternity when loading up a RAW; it takes sometimes 10 seconds for it to come into sharpness. A TIFF file, equal in file size in bytes, loads much quicker and doesn't have this issue.

[mattt]

I run an i7 CPU with 12G of Ram - K-1 files are quite manageable in LR CC “Classic”

[Billk]

The K1 and FA43mm are a great combo for landscape, astro, street, still life and portraits taken in landscape mode.


I think the IQ would be pretty similar to the Voigtlander but you also get autofocus.


I had to part with a lens recently and made the call that the 43 was staying in my bag and I was farewelling the Sigma 35 Art (which wasn't an easy thing to do).

[LeRolls]

I occasionally use the 43 on the K-1 for some of my paid work and overall I like the combo.

[Hattifnatt]

Before getting the DFA 24-70, I was using the FA 43 on the K-1 quite a lot. I love the rendering, although most of the time I use the zoom for more flexibility. Some examples below (you can click the images for full resolution version on Flickr).

As for the large files, I think you need a decent computer. At the moment I'm using an i7 processor @ 4Ghz, 16 GB RAM memory and a SSD for operating system and Lightroom, pictures being stored on a regular hard drive. I am quite happy with this setup regarding the processing speed.

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Last edited by Hattifnatt; 02-06-2018 at 01:32 AM.

[robjmitchell]

Lots of K1 photos get posted in the FA limited club thread The FA Limited Club - Page 651 - PentaxForums.com Be warned you may be tempted by the 77ltd as well
Also dont forget to have a look at the HD 28-105 kit lens, its a superb performer apart from the slow aperture and you can generally get a discount as part of a K1 kit.

[btnapa]

Is anyone using the 43mm on a K1? If so what is your opinion?

It is a great combo. The lens feels like a pancake lens next to the K1! The results are pro class. Although I have not shot the 43 with the K1 as much as I did with my K3. On the K3 I shot an entire client assignment with the 43 and the images were used on the website, brochures all the way up to poster size prints for trade shows.

On the K1 files sizes, I shot a wedding a few months ago and the processing in Lightroom was slow. I shot close to 1,000 images and it took a while to process all the images. I also shot my K5IIs as a backup for a 100 or so images (in RAW). The speed of processing was noticeably faster in favor of the K5IIs files. I think the files size of the K1 is an overkill for weddings. I wish Pentax had a medium or low RAW option for K1. You did not mention the type of photography you do so I am not sure about the suitability of the K1 for your work. Most of my work is landscape, still life and studio type photography and for that K1 is perfect as I do not shoot anywhere near a 1,000 images per assignment.

[DeadJohn]

Is anyone using the 43mm on a K1? If so what is your opinion?

I have that combo. The lens is sharp, contrasty, and compact. I don't use it very often because I frequently shoot below 35mm or above 100mm. It's a focal length issue not a lens problem. My 28-105 gets a lot more use than my FA 43.

The K1 and FA43mm are a great combo for landscape, astro, street, still life and portraits taken in landscape mode.

I disagree for astro; my FA 43 is bad for star fields. It shows a lot of coma distortion that gets worse as you move towards the corners. Here's one of the few reviews that check for coma and their results are similar to mine Pentax smc FA 43 mm f/1.9 Limited review - Coma and astigmatism - LensTip.com. They say "As you can notice looking at the crops below, the coma is monstrous even after stopping down."

[Class A]

Is anyone using the 43mm on a K1?

The 43/1.9 is one of my favourite lenses on the K-1.

It has a lot of character near wide open (technically not great, but interesting visually). Stopped down it becomes crazy sharp.

I only want the 43 and the 31.

Great choices!
The 31mm is a real gem as well. More consistent than the 43 and it is top notch in terms of background blur.

Also, does anyone find the really large files a pain to work with?

I use Capture One on a quick machine and hence don't have any issues with handling the 36MP files.

Lightroom can be slow but that's because Adobe is only just starting to try and address their software inefficiencies.

[MJKoski]

43mm has quite a lot field curvature which causes problems with some review sites shooting flat test targets. Its resolution is very high stopped down few stops on K-1 when you focus the lens properly taking into account lens' field curvature.

[Class A]

43mm has quite a lot field curvature which causes problems with some review sites shooting flat test targets.

Photozone accounts for high levels of field curvature but still measures weak corners wide open. Even the centre isn't that strong wide open.

The 43/1.4 simply isn't the best unless stopped down to f/2.8 or higher (at f/4 even borders are excellent), but AFAIC that doesn't detract from its overall performance. It is a very, very nice lens, IMHO.

[Eagle94VT]

Here is a "What's In My Bag". In my Tenba DNA15 which goes with me to and from work is my Pentax K1, Pentax MZ-S, 28-105 and the 43. It makes the K1 a much smaller and the MZ-S + 43 is a very small setup.

[ffking]

My current Flickr explore shot was taken with the K-1 and 43mm Ltd - proves it must be good