I want a new prime!

Anvh · 03-08-2012, 11:02 AM

Originally posted by Na Horuk

Also, tele lenses tend to be blurrier/softer than wide angle lenses (I think its called different spatial distortion?), so for smoother bokeh you would want a winder lens (that is why portrait lenses tend to be 85mm and on full-frame 135mm)

The DA*300 is quite busy though and the DA*60-250 even more...

kaiserz · 03-08-2012, 11:07 AM

Why not get a DA 35 2.4 and an F 50 1.7 for 360 - 380 USD you get two solid performing primes. And then save-up for the 31. I myself is saving up for that awesome lens.

Anvh · 03-08-2012, 12:31 PM

Originally posted by kaiserz

Why not get a DA 35 2.4 and an F 50 1.7

His first post.

Originally posted by Damon

I want something in the normal range the most (a 35mm equivilant to 50mm on a full frame) but since I have limited funds (Damn being a poor student, it's not fun when you just want to enjoy a wondrous LBA instead) a nice semi-wide lens around the ~20 area might be good but i'd rather a normal rage (I don't mind going up past 35 to around 45 at most since I have a good MF 50/55/58 prime) I really want something that's fast but again funds may cause me to choose otherwise.
I have around $360 USB but I can go up a bit more. If nothing can be found I will just wait it out and sell some goods then buy what I really wanted to buy which is a FA 31... It's so expensive though haha.
And it's just going to be a treat for my birthday, hence why I wanted to buy now.

Any tips/pointers would be excellent, I'm not set in stone in what I want so if anyone thinks they know a great zoom or something that I would enjoy, please don't hesitate.
Oh and I really want a lens with pretty decent AF, I want to get into street a bit and I feel this is important, i'm sure it will be fine though as long as it isn't seriously slow.

Thanks,
Damon.

kaiserz · 03-08-2012, 12:46 PM

I believe he said that he has MF primes. I myself have em (My main glass is the M 50 1.7) but I think that AF really helps a lot specially on certain situation. (I had some awfully OOFed shots before because I wasn't able to focus fast enough. ): I know it's user error, and I'm still a newbie but that shot made me wish that I had an AF 50mm)

Impartial · 03-08-2012, 01:03 PM

I tried the DA 40/2.8 and the FA 28/2.8, but settled on the FA 35/2 and the Sigma 24/2.8 ("Super Wide" AF version). The lenses I chose are somewhat larger than the 40 and the 28, but are considerably smaller than the Sigma 30/1.4 or 24/1.8.

Within your budget, you might be able to get a DA 35/2.4 AND a Sigma Super Wide AF, which would be my own personal version of "small enough", "fast enough", and "cheap enough" in this range. Of course YMMV. If "fast" triumphs everything else, go with Sigma 30/1.4 (or if you prefer "small", the new 40/2.8 XS sets the standard, and might let you pick up a Sigma Super Wide within budget -- I just found that I prefer 40mm over 35mm on APS-C).

The 35/2 does give an extra half-stop of "fast" over the 35/2.4, which puts it closer to the Sigma 30/1.4 but with an extra dose of "small". But for me, two primes at 24mm and 35mm is better than one at 28 or 30 . . . I value both the 24mm and 35mm POV on APS-C and wouldn't give them up for something in between . . .

Damon · 03-08-2012, 01:58 PM

Thanks for all the reply's everyone!

About the bokeh thing, I like most bokeh, especially if it's unique and sometimes I really like strange bokeh (like my Helios-44 2 58/2) so don't really worry about bokeh, just forget I said it and think more along the lines of it being fast and the FL.

It seems everyone is suggesting the DA/FA 35 and Sigma 30, does everyone think these are the best option?
Just out of curiosity how come no one suggests the DA40 and FA43, they seem like they get great reviews and I quite like the slightly longer than normal FL.

Thanks guys.

Anvh · 03-08-2012, 02:59 PM

You were looking for a normal lens and 28~30mm is true normal for APS-C so 40~43 is pushing it.
I have the DA40 and it's a nice lens but very different compared with the Sigma 30.

What kind of photography do you plan to do with it?

Damon · 03-08-2012, 06:14 PM

interested to start street and just do outdoor shooting, not landscapes but just general outdoor. I hope that kind of makes sense haha.

Thanks.

kaiserz · 03-08-2012, 06:19 PM

I don't have the DA40 but I think that it'll be an awesome street lens because of how small it is. (I believe that small lens = not intimidating lens. )

Damon · 03-08-2012, 10:51 PM

Yeah that's what I was thinking to, especially when compared to things like the Sigma 30mm which is quite a chunky thing but then my line of thought was that I could probably get a second hand FA43 ltd in my budget which would be a faster, not a huge amount bigger and a pretty alright lens also (They both seem to have great reviews).

My apologies for anyone who is following this thread also since I have kind of changed my mind alot during the course of the thread, might confuse/annoy some people...

Thanks for continuing to help me in my search though guys, it's great.

kaiserz · 03-09-2012, 07:42 AM

The FA 43 is not just "a pretty alright lens" (: I bet if you get it you won't regret it. Also I asked about this before already, DA 40 vs FA 43 and majority said that if you have the extra cash go for the FA 43. Let us know what you decided to do, and happy birthday!

Damon · 03-09-2012, 12:32 PM

Originally posted by kaiserz

The FA 43 is not just "a pretty alright lens" (: I bet if you get it you won't regret it. Also I asked about this before already, DA 40 vs FA 43 and majority said that if you have the extra cash go for the FA 43. Let us know what you decided to do, and happy birthday!

I think at this point I will try get a decent priced second hand FA43 but it's just going to be so hard being that picky so I will also keep an eye out for the other lenses I have been considering, they all have ups and downs but I'm sure I will be happy with almost anything suggested in this thread. Not quite my birthday yet but thanks kaiserz!

You've been incredibly helpful, thanks guys.

EdwardConde · 03-09-2012, 05:04 PM

If you want small.. go DA40... the best lens I have bought to use with my K-x... plus its a pancake... tiny!!! takes great shots... I had the da35 f2.4 but sold it to get the 40... i think mostly cause of the size...

Other than that... the other options you are looking seem pretty decent... Good luck...

Here is a pic of my K-x with the DA40 and a 72mm ND Variable on it.. Looks funny.. but sure is an awesome combo!

Bokehlicious · 03-12-2012, 05:54 PM

Im the proud owner of DA 40mm and the Sigma 30mm f1.4 and if you can get a good copy of sigma 30mm f1.4 ..it's gonna be your poor man rich man's FA31mm

The border sharpness will sharpen from F2.5 onwards but the range and the smooth bokeh would give the pictures a 3d life to your photos...here 's some photos from the DA40mm and the sigma 30mm.

Bokehlicious · 03-12-2012, 06:02 PM

More shots frm sigma 30mm f1.4 . it's a bigger lense but a couple of stops more than the DAL 35mm .

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03-08-2012, 11:02 AM	#31
Anvh Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 4,616	Originally posted by Na Horuk Also, tele lenses tend to be blurrier/softer than wide angle lenses (I think its called different spatial distortion?), so for smoother bokeh you would want a winder lens (that is why portrait lenses tend to be 85mm and on full-frame 135mm) The DA300 is quite busy though and the DA60-250 even more...

03-08-2012, 11:07 AM	#32
kaiserz Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: NoVa The "burg" Photos: Gallery Posts: 899	Why not get a DA 35 2.4 and an F 50 1.7 for 360 - 380 USD you get two solid performing primes. And then save-up for the 31. I myself is saving up for that awesome lens.

03-08-2012, 12:31 PM	#33
Anvh Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 4,616	Originally posted by kaiserz Why not get a DA 35 2.4 and an F 50 1.7 His first post. Originally posted by Damon I want something in the normal range the most (a 35mm equivilant to 50mm on a full frame) but since I have limited funds (Damn being a poor student, it's not fun when you just want to enjoy a wondrous LBA instead) a nice semi-wide lens around the ~20 area might be good but i'd rather a normal rage (I don't mind going up past 35 to around 45 at most since I have a good MF 50/55/58 prime) I really want something that's fast but again funds may cause me to choose otherwise. I have around $360 USB but I can go up a bit more. If nothing can be found I will just wait it out and sell some goods then buy what I really wanted to buy which is a FA 31... It's so expensive though haha. And it's just going to be a treat for my birthday, hence why I wanted to buy now. Any tips/pointers would be excellent, I'm not set in stone in what I want so if anyone thinks they know a great zoom or something that I would enjoy, please don't hesitate. Oh and I really want a lens with pretty decent AF, I want to get into street a bit and I feel this is important, i'm sure it will be fine though as long as it isn't seriously slow. Thanks, Damon.

03-08-2012, 12:46 PM	#34
kaiserz Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: NoVa The "burg" Photos: Gallery Posts: 899	I believe he said that he has MF primes. I myself have em (My main glass is the M 50 1.7) but I think that AF really helps a lot specially on certain situation. (I had some awfully OOFed shots before because I wasn't able to focus fast enough. ): I know it's user error, and I'm still a newbie but that shot made me wish that I had an AF 50mm)

03-08-2012, 01:03 PM	#35
Impartial Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 208	I tried the DA 40/2.8 and the FA 28/2.8, but settled on the FA 35/2 and the Sigma 24/2.8 ("Super Wide" AF version). The lenses I chose are somewhat larger than the 40 and the 28, but are considerably smaller than the Sigma 30/1.4 or 24/1.8. Within your budget, you might be able to get a DA 35/2.4 AND a Sigma Super Wide AF, which would be my own personal version of "small enough", "fast enough", and "cheap enough" in this range. Of course YMMV. If "fast" triumphs everything else, go with Sigma 30/1.4 (or if you prefer "small", the new 40/2.8 XS sets the standard, and might let you pick up a Sigma Super Wide within budget -- I just found that I prefer 40mm over 35mm on APS-C). The 35/2 does give an extra half-stop of "fast" over the 35/2.4, which puts it closer to the Sigma 30/1.4 but with an extra dose of "small". But for me, two primes at 24mm and 35mm is better than one at 28 or 30 . . . I value both the 24mm and 35mm POV on APS-C and wouldn't give them up for something in between . . .

03-08-2012, 01:58 PM	#36
Damon Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 85 Original Poster	Thanks for all the reply's everyone! About the bokeh thing, I like most bokeh, especially if it's unique and sometimes I really like strange bokeh (like my Helios-44 2 58/2) so don't really worry about bokeh, just forget I said it and think more along the lines of it being fast and the FL. It seems everyone is suggesting the DA/FA 35 and Sigma 30, does everyone think these are the best option? Just out of curiosity how come no one suggests the DA40 and FA43, they seem like they get great reviews and I quite like the slightly longer than normal FL. Thanks guys.

03-08-2012, 02:59 PM	#37
Anvh Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 4,616	You were looking for a normal lens and 28~30mm is true normal for APS-C so 40~43 is pushing it. I have the DA40 and it's a nice lens but very different compared with the Sigma 30. What kind of photography do you plan to do with it?

03-08-2012, 06:14 PM	#38
Damon Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 85 Original Poster	interested to start street and just do outdoor shooting, not landscapes but just general outdoor. I hope that kind of makes sense haha. Thanks.

03-08-2012, 06:19 PM	#39
kaiserz Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: NoVa The "burg" Photos: Gallery Posts: 899	I don't have the DA40 but I think that it'll be an awesome street lens because of how small it is. (I believe that small lens = not intimidating lens. )

03-08-2012, 10:51 PM	#40
Damon Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 85 Original Poster	Yeah that's what I was thinking to, especially when compared to things like the Sigma 30mm which is quite a chunky thing but then my line of thought was that I could probably get a second hand FA43 ltd in my budget which would be a faster, not a huge amount bigger and a pretty alright lens also (They both seem to have great reviews). My apologies for anyone who is following this thread also since I have kind of changed my mind alot during the course of the thread, might confuse/annoy some people... Thanks for continuing to help me in my search though guys, it's great.

03-09-2012, 07:42 AM	#41
kaiserz Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: NoVa The "burg" Photos: Gallery Posts: 899	The FA 43 is not just "a pretty alright lens" (: I bet if you get it you won't regret it. Also I asked about this before already, DA 40 vs FA 43 and majority said that if you have the extra cash go for the FA 43. Let us know what you decided to do, and happy birthday!

03-09-2012, 12:32 PM	#42
Damon Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 85 Original Poster	Originally posted by kaiserz The FA 43 is not just "a pretty alright lens" (: I bet if you get it you won't regret it. Also I asked about this before already, DA 40 vs FA 43 and majority said that if you have the extra cash go for the FA 43. Let us know what you decided to do, and happy birthday! I think at this point I will try get a decent priced second hand FA43 but it's just going to be so hard being that picky so I will also keep an eye out for the other lenses I have been considering, they all have ups and downs but I'm sure I will be happy with almost anything suggested in this thread. Not quite my birthday yet but thanks kaiserz! You've been incredibly helpful, thanks guys.

03-09-2012, 05:04 PM	#43
EdwardConde Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Los Angeles Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,520	If you want small.. go DA40... the best lens I have bought to use with my K-x... plus its a pancake... tiny!!! takes great shots... I had the da35 f2.4 but sold it to get the 40... i think mostly cause of the size... Other than that... the other options you are looking seem pretty decent... Good luck... Here is a pic of my K-x with the DA40 and a 72mm ND Variable on it.. Looks funny.. but sure is an awesome combo!