[87Duckfan]

Thinking about using this lens for street photography. Has anyone used it for this, any sample photos I could look at?

Thinking I want to use it on K1, manual focus.

I also want to use it for astro.

Thoughts? Other lens suggestions?

Was also thinking maybe SMC-A 35mm/f2? Or Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F2?

[jgnfld]

The older SMC version has a number of pics in the lens reviews section... SMC Pentax-FA 31mm F1.8 AL Limited Reviews - FA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

Biggest complaint is vignetting and purple fringing neither of which is all that huge an issue given your interests.

The newer HD version is definitely expensive but apparently controls PF better. PC Mag review here https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/pentax-hd-fa-31mm-f18-limited

One caveat: Street photography is not my thing but I'm not sure you'd be happy with f1.8 as any normal setting. Larger f-stops of course have much deeper DOF and most street photographers I know like to minimize any need for focusing and so prefer high depths of field. For portaiture, of course, shallow DOF can be stunning when done right.

[Digitalis]

I have been using the FA31mm f/1.8 for for a while ( though I prefer to use Leica M cameras for street work) and it is an excellent all round lens so it comes to no surprise that it does very well at street photography. I will point out that the manual focus ring on the FA31 isn't quite as well damped as Leica M lenses*. Optical quality is superb from f/2.8~f/11, resolution is impressively high even at f/1.8 but in high contrast scenes and around strong highlights chromatic aberrations are likely to appear.









The Zeiss T* 35mm f/2 Distagon is a rather uncommon lens but would also be a superb choice**, though this lens does has a similar propensity for producing chromatic aberrations like the FA31. If you are just looking for a less expensive and somewhat easier to find manual focus lens, the Pentax SMC 30mm f/2.8 would also be an excellent choice.

* Leica M lenses are the gold standard for manual focus feel so the fact that the FA31 falls behind them isn't such a slight. The AF version of the FA43mm doesn't manually focus anywhere near as well as the FA43mm Special which is a dedicated threadmount RF lens.

** Make sure you find a copy that has a hood.

[tuco]

I have a Zeiss Biogon 35/2. I don't do street photography per se but do use it for walking around sometimes. I think that focal length range is worthy of the street. My copy of the Biogon version of the 35mm is not that sharp on the wide end but is a decent performer when stopped down.

Examples:


Friday Harbor Atmosphere by tuco, on Flickr



Classic Car Show by tuco, on Flickr



Emergency Use Only by tuco, on Flickr

[UncleVanya]

The fa31 on ff should work well but I suspect the hd fa 35/2 will work also. It’s cheaper and more compact and won’t make you as nuts if you damage it.

[Digitalis]

he Biogon version of the 35mm is not that sharp on the wide end but is a decent performer when stopped down

This is a performance trait of the Biogon design. As the Biogon* was designed to work with shorter registration distances while maintaining a compact size relative to its speed. The Distagon design in general is better suited for SLR cameras and their longer registration distances.


* The hologon is a more extreme example of this design paradigm.

[tuco]

This is a performance trait of the Biogon design. As the Biogon* was designed to work with shorter registration distances while maintaining a compact size relative to its speed. The Distagon design in general is better suited for SLR cameras and their longer registration distances.

Thanks for the info. My Zeiss 25/2.8 Biogon, on the other hand, is a much sharper all-around lens than the 35mm.

[hjoseph7]

Thinking about using this lens for street photography. Has anyone used it for this, any sample photos I could look at?

Thinking I want to use it on K1, manual focus.

I also want to use it for astro.

Thoughts? Other lens suggestions?

Was also thinking maybe SMC-A 35mm/f2? Or Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F2?

This is a great lens for street photography especially on a cropped sensor camera, just keep it away from street lights at night because it can flare up. otherwide it is extremely sharp with plenty of contrast. On a cropped sensor camera it's the equivalent of a 45mm, or normal range. On a full frame, your are threading into wide-angle terriitory, but that's OK if that's your style of shooting. Usually when it comes to this type of photography, you are trying to isolate your subject on a narrow background. My sweet spot for street photography would be any lens between 45-65mm.

[ffking]

Here's a few of the K-1 + 31 Ltd on the streets - not very discreet, but I really like the look of the images (personally)

[hjoseph7]

Here is a link to some pictures I took today with the 31mm f1.8 and my K-5 IIs. The crop factor of 1.5X gives me the equivalent of a 46mm lens. Notice how close you have to get to your main subject(s). Notice the relatively wide background.

hjoseph7's Album: MY Album - PentaxForums.com

[UncleVanya]

Here is a link to some pictures I took today with the 31mm f1.8 and my K-5 IIs. The crop factor of 1.5X gives me the equivalent of a 46mm lens. Notice how close you have to get to your main subject(s). Notice the relatively wide background.

hjoseph7's Album: MY Album - PentaxForums.com

To me this isn't "street photography" where people are getting very close to their subjects. Personally this is more like what I sometimes do where I use a telephoto in photography on the street which is different than the classic street photography in your face style. I personally find true "classic" street photography potentially a bit confrontational. If you ask and get close that's different. The 31 as a 46 is still pretty wide for the distance you are showing but at a few feet - it's not.

[hjoseph7]

To me this isn't "street photography" where people are getting very close to their subjects. Personally this is more like what I sometimes do where I use a telephoto in photography on the street which is different than the classic street photography in your face style. I personally find true "classic" street photography potentially a bit confrontational. If you ask and get close that's different. The 31 as a 46 is still pretty wide for the distance you are showing but at a few feet - it's not.

Actually, I like my 43mm f1.9 even better for street-photography. That's my favorite lens for that style of shooting. Not only is it quieter and more discrete, it is also sharper(at least my version is) and has more reach. I try not to get too close when shooting street photography, otherwise it's not street photography anymore. No sence getting confrontational with an $800 lens ...
I'm saving my pennies for the Voigtlander 58mm f1.4. I think that lens would be the "Ultimate", not just for street-photography either.

[mikesbike]

Well, both the FA 31mm and the FA 43mmm Ltds are very useful and versatile lenses, the latter more so on FF. I think street photography pertains to street scenes, various in nature. Some as general street activities, or more close up whether single subjects or a small group, or the same from farther distance as candids. The FA 31mm is great for all of such, especially on FF. However, at f/1.8 it then has substantial light falloff issues, which is greatly reduced even by f/2.2, and practically gone by f/2.5 where it is sharp across the frame. On APS-C it will provide usefulness about like the FA 43mm does on FF- as a wide/normal lens. The FA 43mm, especially on FF just stopped down a little, is a very sharp performer.

[87Duckfan]

Thoughts on sharpness of the 31mm Pentax Vs. a Zeiss lens?

[Digitalis]

Thoughts on sharpness of the 31mm Pentax Vs. a Zeiss lens?

I will point out the difference between f/1.8 and f/2 is trivial. In terms of resolving power both lenses are on roughly equal footing, and in any case the best examples of street photography aren't centered upon the sharpness of the lenses: sometimes it is about capturing the subject and the ambience of the environment.


Image from Eduardo Asenjo

Street photography isn't a genre for those obsessed with pixel peeping, it is about capturing a narrative in a public environment where there is next to no control over the environment or subject that studio photographers enjoy.