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03-05-2018, 07:22 PM   #16
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I like the 77 but i can’t get a full body shot unless i move back a ridiculous amount. So i usually switch to the 50mm for the full body shots. So i was just browsing around to see if i could find a wide angle lens that has sharp imagines that i could use for indoor shoots. I’ll check out the forum, see what i come across

03-05-2018, 08:45 PM - 1 Like   #17
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good luck finding the lens that suits your style
03-05-2018, 08:53 PM   #18
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QuoteOriginally posted by twilhelm Quote
For full body indoors I would recommend the FA31. Some of the older manual focus 28 and 35 are very good also. I have the K 28 3.5 which really surprised me on the K-1 and became one of my favorite wide lenses.
The volume distortion on the outer 1/3s of the frame of the FA31 is incredibly significant and really makes it questionable for a lot of compositions. Probably better with the FA35 even if it's not quite as sharp.

The FA43 I think is garbage. I'm trying out the DA40 right now; not sure how much I like it.
03-05-2018, 09:19 PM - 3 Likes   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by MadMathMind Quote
The volume distortion on the outer 1/3s of the frame of the FA31 is incredibly significant and really makes it questionable for a lot of compositions. Probably better with the FA35 even if it's not quite as sharp.

The FA43 I think is garbage. I'm trying out the DA40 right now; not sure how much I like it.
?

The FA31 has practically no lens distortion, as this official forum review concluded: "The amount of distortion is low for a wide angle lens, at 0.8% both with APS-C and full frame sensors. This low level of distortion will be hard to spot in most scenes, and is easy to correct. Modern cameras include an automatic distortion correction tool, and most post-processing programs will take care of it without trouble."

K-1, FA31 Ltd:



03-05-2018, 09:35 PM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by MadMathMind Quote
The volume distortion on the outer 1/3s of the frame of the FA31 is incredibly significant and really makes it questionable for a lot of compositions. Probably better with the FA35 even if it's not quite as sharp.

The FA43 I think is garbage. I'm trying out the DA40 right now; not sure how much I like it.
What? You must have a bad copy of both. The 43 was my go to lens for an entire studio assignment for a very picky client. Admittedly, it was the least favorite of the three Amigos up to that point. However, the 43 delivered with flying colors. We shot lots of f8 and f11s but for a bunch of the pix we had to use selective focusing and shoot wide open. I was pleasantly surprise at how well it performed. Needless to say my client was thrilled with the results. Some of the images were used for trade show applications with giant size reproductions. The only weakness in the trio is heavy CA when shooting wide-open. We all know that it is pretty easy to get rid of CA in post. Just my .02.
03-05-2018, 09:36 PM   #21
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I agree with clackers.

Outside, where there's plenty of room to back off, FA77 and FA*85 are superb. The longer distance gives a very flattering perspective and their colours and bokeh qualities are wonderful.

For full length shots indoors, and environmental portraits outdoors, FA31 and Sigma 35/1.4 are outstanding. The former has nicer bokeh quality, while the latter is sharper wide open and makes the subject pop a little more. Both have very low distortion if you know what you're doing.
03-05-2018, 11:43 PM   #22
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I'd like to throw this in.
What type of working distance do you like to shoot from, or if in a studio what type of space is available. If you go with a wider lens your going to need to move much closer to your subject for a portrait (sometimes this can be very uncomfortable for the model) but if you go to long you might need to be across the street 😉. Before you buy, figure out how you like to shoot and this will really help you narrow down the field.

03-06-2018, 01:45 AM   #23
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All depends by your style and your subjects. If I have to think at a creamy classic portrait, in my opinion, the best is the Tokina ATX 60-120 f/2,8 portrait lens.
I own the A* 85, the Limited(s), etc.. they have pixie dust and are fabulous but they are a bit too sharp (A* 85 and 77 have a sort of macro optical schema) and not so "3D" as the Tokina.

If you need AF: the three amigos.

If you need AF and the freedom given by a zoom: every 70-200 f/2,8
03-06-2018, 01:52 AM   #24
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There's an extraordinary range of FLs that can suit portraiture, from 18mm on FF to even 100mm on APS-C, depends on the style. The unfavourable distortion is minimal on all the FA Limiteds, and shooting at 31mm only has the issue of distortion when getting too close to the subject (you normally wouldn't fill the frame with the head and neck unless you really did want to distort the face/nose). Portraiture requiring a flatter perspective requires more distance from the subject. Plain and simple.

Last edited by Ash; 03-06-2018 at 03:08 AM.
03-06-2018, 05:06 AM - 2 Likes   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by MadMathMind Quote
The volume distortion on the outer 1/3s of the frame of the FA31 is incredibly significant and really makes it questionable for a lot of compositions. Probably better with the FA35 even if it's not quite as sharp.

The FA43 I think is garbage. I'm trying out the DA40 right now; not sure how much I like it.
Rough words. For me, the 43 is better than the 40 80% of the time, and better by a lot. The other 20% of the time I could see calling it garbage, but when the 43 hits the right scene, it’s magical.
03-06-2018, 06:19 AM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by btnapa Quote
Welcome to the forum. I have the 77, 43 and 31 trio. I use all of them depending on the situation. However, for pure portrait work, I would say the 77 is the most used. A friend of mine owns the Pentax-A 85 f1.4 lens and we had a chance to shoot the same subject both with the 77 and the 85. The color rendition and the overall image quality was almost identical. I was surprised to see such a close match as the two lenses were made years apart. That is a testament to the consistency and excellence of Pentax glass. You cannot go wrong with the either. Remember the the FA 77 is autofocus whereas the A85 is manual.
Mr. Jun Hirokawa designed the A* 85 and the FA 77 is his as well and was designed as a smaller and lighter version. I owned the A* 85 and when I decided to sell it due to my poor ability to critically focus it reliably due to the challenge of poor eyesight and modern focusing screens I bought the FA 77 to replace it. I haven't ever been disappointed.

---------- Post added 03-06-18 at 08:22 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Mrgoodintention Quote
I like the 77 but i can’t get a full body shot unless i move back a ridiculous amount. So i usually switch to the 50mm for the full body shots. So i was just browsing around to see if i could find a wide angle lens that has sharp imagines that i could use for indoor shoots. I’ll check out the forum, see what i come across
This sounds like a job for the 24-70, zoom will help you with getting just the right size framing when distances are more limited. The fixed focal options like the FA 31 may also work.
03-06-2018, 08:09 AM   #27
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QuoteOriginally posted by Mrgoodintention Quote
Hey everyone I’m new to the forums. Iv been doing some research and I’d just like some other Pentax users input. I have a K-1 and mostly do indoor/outdoor portrait/model photography and sports photography. I was wondering what you guys would say is the “best” or at least most impressive lens for portraits (full body / half) ?
I use a lot longer lens for portrait. Longer lenses always gives you a great bokeh. Also longer lens does not intimidate your model at all as it is relatively far away. This was from FA135mm
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This was from DA200mm
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03-06-2018, 08:15 AM   #28
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QuoteOriginally posted by MadMathMind Quote
The FA31 costing as much as it does without that correction on 60% of the frame makes it not worth its price.
Distortion does not bother me as much as the CA... both easily fixable in post. You are right but let's face it the FA Limiteds are classics. I get chills every time I use them on my K1, and they are poor man's Leica lenses!! LOL.
03-06-2018, 08:19 AM   #29
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That should be the ideal case for the new DFA*50mm 1.4. I don't think that anything else will come close to this lens in this focal range.

For half body portraits maybe the DFA*70-200 or the older FA*85. Maybe you have already seen the excellent portaits of LeRols in the K-1 forum, he uses the 85 most of the time.
03-06-2018, 09:25 AM   #30
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When the weather is decent I’ll shoot outside but most of my work is indoor. I use the 77 for a majority of my work but when i need a head to toe picture i switch to the 50. I personally think my space is decent sized room since my back drops are 12 ft across. Ideally i was looking for a prime lens that i could use to replace both the 77 & 50.. basically a lens that i could get the sharpness of the 77 and the range of the 50 to get some full body shots in. Iv been looking through the forum all morning, I’ll more than likely have a list of lenses to try out at b&h next time i go to New York. I created this thread to see if i could find a general consensus on a lens but everyone has their own styles so lots of variety here. Iv been shooting a little over a year now,I’m in Philadelphia so just trying to find a lens that can give my pictures a certain edge that will stand out from the other photographers here . I would attach some of the work Iv done with the 77 but I’m not sure how to attach photos in threads
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