[pcarfan]

Got this yesterday from the marketplace, A couple of quick shots, the first is wide open. PP to extreme (hyper-real?), may not be to everyone's taste.

[axl]

I've read about this lens lot of good and bad things. Seems to be very "polarising" lens. You either love it or hate it. Very few are stuck in the middle with it.
I still can't make my mind up on it, besides, here in the UK it's next to impossible to get one...
anyway, only one word for you:
ENJOY

BR
Peter

PS: could you please be so kind ant take the same shot with 24 and 21? and post it here maybe?

TIA

[elho_cid]

My FA*24 behaves very strange. It is OK wide open, nice sharp at 2,8 and the sharpness peaks at f4,5 with great sharpness. But then it declines rapidly ant it is soft at f7,1 and unusable beyond.
The bokeh is strange as well, different than other samples I have seen on the web. It is not forming evenly lighted circles, but rather ugly ones with bright dot in the middle.
Do you think I should try having the lens adjusted in service?

[netuser]

My FA*24 behaves very strange. It is OK wide open, nice sharp at 2,8 and the sharpness peaks at f4,5 with great sharpness. But then it declines rapidly ant it is soft at f7,1 and unusable beyond.
The bokeh is strange as well, different than other samples I have seen on the web. It is not forming evenly lighted circles, but rather ugly ones with bright dot in the middle.
Do you think I should try having the lens adjusted in service?

Why not post a couple of images so we can see exactly what you mean ?

[Jonson PL]

Congrats on the lens.
Good looking shots, second and third are most pleasing to me

[elho_cid]

Why not post a couple of images so we can see exactly what you mean ?

This is the example of the disturbing bokeh:


Shot at f4,5. Main subject in focus is very sharp, but I cant live with this.

[netuser]

This is the example of the disturbing bokeh:


Shot at f4,5. Main subject in focus is very sharp, but I cant live with this.

Indeed!

Better send the lens in to be checked. Seems some service is needed.

[aerodave]

pcarfan, I was at Cox this weekend too! Next time I'm there, I'll have to watch out for some guy wielding a K-7.

Actually, next time I'm there, I'll hopefully be using one, too.

[pcarfan]

Congrats on the lens.
Good looking shots, second and third are most pleasing to me

Thank you.

[pcarfan]

this is the example of the disturbing bokeh:


shot at f4,5. Main subject in focus is very sharp, but i cant live with this.

yikes!......................................

[pcarfan]

pcarfan, I was at Cox this weekend too! Next time I'm there, I'll have to watch out for some guy wielding a K-7.

Actually, next time I'm there, I'll hopefully be using one, too.

...I've lived here for some 8 years and heard of the Cox as where people go for wedding shots and such and never bothered to go there. in fact I was thinking to myself how some are so lucky to be able to take all those wonderful macros and birds. I went there a few weeks ago and am hooked. Last time I picked up a map and there is even a bird watching shed next to a pond...have you been there, is this a good time for birds?...anyhow, I am glad I at least found the place now. Here are some close-up's from there...Not taken with the FA24/2, but with the F135/2.8 and at time with an ext.tube. Posted before, but I am rather proud of this little area, with so much to photograph.

deleted

[Jonson PL]

My FA*24 behaves very strange. It is OK wide open, nice sharp at 2,8 and the sharpness peaks at f4,5 with great sharpness. But then it declines rapidly ant it is soft at f7,1 and unusable beyond.
The bokeh is strange as well, different than other samples I have seen on the web. It is not forming evenly lighted circles, but rather ugly ones with bright dot in the middle.
Do you think I should try having the lens adjusted in service?

We discussed some of the attributes of the FA* 24/2 in another thread :
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/713552-post13.html

[pcarfan]

I've read about this lens lot of good and bad things. Seems to be very "polarising" lens. You either love it or hate it. Very few are stuck in the middle with it.
I still can't make my mind up on it, besides, here in the UK it's next to impossible to get one...
anyway, only one word for you:
ENJOY

BR
Peter

PS: could you please be so kind ant take the same shot with 24 and 21? and post it here maybe?

TIA

Peter, sorry that I missed the top two posts, when I get a chance to go back to Cox, I will take a couple of shots with the DA21 and FA24 and post. Will be without a tripod, so will not be exact.

[axl]

Peter, sorry that I missed the top two posts, when I get a chance to go back to Cox, I will take a couple of shots with the DA21 and FA24 and post. Will be without a tripod, so will not be exact.

No problem and thank you.
It doesn't have to be from Cox. Anywhere will do. Your street, your house, whatever. Just so I can visualise the difference between the two.
TIA

Peter

[pcarfan]

No problem and thank you.
It doesn't have to be from Cox. Anywhere will do. Your street, your house, whatever. Just so I can visualise the difference between the two.
TIA

Peter

Peter, I had dome some testing and will post the shots at F8 and F11 (sweet spots for both lenses, I think), but IMO the differences between these lenses will not show up in these, and has to be made after some real life shots. My early impressions that I posted in the 'post your photos' section is as follows (it will definitely change as I get used to the lens) which is based on my brief real life experinece and the test shots viewed at 100%.

"Alas, it is true that the extreme edges are mushy. I mean extreme edges, but even the DA 21 is mushy at the extreme edges, but the FA24 is more mushy. These are my findings.

The center sharpness at f2.2 is very good, par with center sharpness at f11, which IMO is the sweet spot for the FA24. So, a very usable low light lens, when the very extreme edges are not a priority. Sharpness at the center is higher at F8 and even at f5.6, but the edges are somewhat soft even at F8. At F11 the sharpness is optimal from middle to edges.

The DA 21 also shows very soft edges, which gets to be very good at F8, so the sweet spot for the DA 21 is F8 or F11.

Comparing the images at there sweet spots, my early subjective opinion is as follows. The DA21 may have richer colors throughout, but the FA24 may have more micro contrast. The FA24's foreground is much better than the foreground of DA21 in terms of sharpness and micro contrast, where the DA 21 definitely lags behind. The distant images are more well defined in the DA 21 and less defined in the FA24, but only by a bit. (could be related to today's weather)

So, it is a tough call. I seem to see 24mm as the more natural focal length, so I like that. These impressions are from just very early quick testing. With early testing I wasn't that impressed with the FA 77 either , now I am thrilled with it (needless to say), so things might change (but, the FA 77 is a speciual lens which needs time, these landscape lenses are not). however, I will have to shoot with it for a few months in varying conditions to form a final opinion. I know the DA 21 is no FA43 or FA77, I am hoping the FA24 will close the gap."

Images with exif intact: (weather may have changed a bit between the lenses). These are small versions, can post the full res., but will be huge.

F11/DA21

F11FA24


F8/DA21

F8/FA24