| Author: | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 32 | | Lens Review Date: June 13, 2017 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $775.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | I.Q. at f/2.8, Mechanical marvel | | Cons: | I.Q. at f/1.8, No quick shift | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K70
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On the negative side, the price, the lack of quick shift, and an unacceptable Image Quality at full aperture: the entire field is veiled.
Also, it is a little bit heavy.
But the I.Q. is stunning, and I mean stunning, at f/2.8 and above! Better on the edges than a Leica R 28/2.8 or a Nikon 28/2.8 AIs, and similar at the center!
Compared to the rare Pentax 28/2.0 A, this 31/1.8 is inferior at full aperture, but better at f/2.8 and above.
| | | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: May, 2013 Posts: 35 | | Lens Review Date: May 1, 2017 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $680.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness, build | | Cons: | price | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K-S2
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Mine is a used Pentax FA 31 1.8: black edition, assembled in Vietnam. This copy may have been manufactured around 2012 or so, since Ricoh does not yet appear on the box although the paperwork already mentions the acquisition by Ricoh (which I understand happened in late 2011).
Autofocus is accurate with the K-S2, even when shooting at max aperture.
I’m pleased with the images taken with the Pentax K-S2. Properly focused (with the exception discussed below), images are acceptably sharp from corner to corner even at f/1.8. Compared to my A 28 2.0, K50 1.2, and DA 50 1.8, the FA 31 has noticeably better sharpness/contrast at large apertures. I would rate the FA 31 in the same league as the Zeiss 2/35 in sharpness.
Now the exception. With the focus at infinity, closer in-focus subjects are significantly sharper than subjects farther away below f/8. Focused at infinity, closer subjects, such as objects across the street, are acceptably sharp from corner to corner even at f/1.8, while subjects farther away — even those near the center of the frame — are blurry. More distant subjects sharpen up at f/8.
Example below shows what I mean.
The test scene shows objects across the street (electric posts), and farther away a construction site.
These are 100% crops, unsharpened, no adjustments.
So it’s f/8 for landscapes, any other aperture for closer subjects. My Zeiss 2/35 behaves like the FA 31 for distant subjects, so that does not seem like a peculiar behavior.
Below is a handheld shot using the FA 31 at f/8, no sharpening.
This is a 100% crop of the rocks.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: December, 2013 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,582 | | Lens Review Date: April 22, 2017 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $1,000.00
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | Absolutely Stellar on APS-C | | Cons: | Middling on FF, high price, built-in hood | | New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5 IIs and K-1
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I've avoided giving numerical scores in the above listings because the number depends entirely on whether you use this lens with an APS-C or the full frame K-1. It's a very different story with the two sensor sizes.
My usage heavily colors the direction my review takes. I shoot people almost exclusively with a little bit of travel sites when I do that. I prize rendering and use a lot of focus points off center because I don't position my models in the middle. I push my equipment to the edge of its capabilities and expect a lot of it. I figure if you're considering a $1000 lens, you probably have high expectations too!
APS-C Sharpness: 10
Full Frame Sharpness: 7
On APS-C, this is probably the best lens you could use. It's sharp and it has a very distinct means of rendering textures that give it a characteristic look. It has superlative 3D pop: it's sharp in the focal plane and smooth and smarmy outside with a quick drop. It's gorgeous, in a word. There was a reason why this lens rarely came off my K-5IIs. Contrast is strong.
On Full Frame, it's a different story. This lens doesn't pack a lot of resolution and it renders things kinda...dull. The contrast is much weaker and it just looks...kinda meh. It's not terrible and some post-processing sharpening helps but this lens is sadly not up to snuff for the K-1. I look forward to the modern replacement on the roadmap.
APS-C Aberrations: 8.5
Full Frame Aberrations: 6
In high contrast situations, this lens has a propensity to purple fringing, although it's not nearly as bad as the FA77, which I would describe as "fringing like crazy." It's usually easy correctable in post processing, however. Green-bokeh fringing is quite pronounced, more than any lens I've ever seen, and not fixable. If you're a purist, it's an issue, but I'd say it's part of the lens's character. I wouldn't call it unpleasing but it's very noticeable if you look for such things.
On an APS-C camera, barrel distortion is well controlled and the lens is sharp from corner-to-corner. On a full-frame camera, this is not the case and the lens displays significant distortion toward the edge of the frame. In particular, faces tend to be warped badly and geometries distorted. The center is great, however, which is why this lens excels on an APS-C camera.
It should be noted that wide open, this lens is not so good. You really need to stop down to f/2.5 or so to see it shine. f/2.8 is spectacular, at least as APS-C goes.
APS-C Bokeh: 9
Full Frame Bokeh: 7
I've knocked the APS-C bokeh down to a 9 because of the ubiquity of green fringing. Otherwise, it's smooth, clear, and really really pleasing. I found myself in awe of what this lens could do on my APS-C. Maybe I was just inexperienced but it's just amazing.
On the K-1, well...it's more complicated. Because you need to be closer to get the same framing as you would on APS-C, you run into issues with perspective distortion with certain subjects, such as humans. As a result, you need to move farther back...but the short focal length means you lose a lot of your background blur in the process. I've rated this a 7 because while the quality is the same, it's much harder to obtain it: you don't want to be close to your subject so you are forced to back up and open up the lens. Then the focus accuracy decreases and...it's just not so fun. Maybe I'm just too used to using it as I did with APS-C and disappointed that I cannot.
Autofocus:
Never had a problem with my first copy on APS-C. I damaged the lens after getting my K-1 and had a host of issues. I had it repaired and found the focus erratic. I replaced the lens with a new copy and sent that one back because it's focus was erratic. The new one hasn't arrived yet. I'm worried this lens itself and the K-1 just don't get along well. I've found it really has issues with the K-1 in difficult contrast situations. In particular, if you're using the outer focus points with the K-1...it's a crapshoot. This makes sense: the focus points on the K-1 are much farther from the center of the frame than the outer focus points on an APS-C body. As I've described the distortion and contrast issues as the larger image circle is used, this explains the focus issues.
Remember that this lens was designed for a film body like the MZ-S, which had a state of the art 6 focus points, all of which are in the center. The lens really struggles with off-center focus points on a full-frame camera in a way it did not with an APS-C body.
Handling: 8
The lens is small and compact, although it's larger than other APS-C lenses you might acquire. It's modest for a full frame lens. I knocked this down some points because the built-in hood is irritating. It's completely insufficient on APS-C to the point of uselessness; it impedes the use of another hood simply because it gets in the way. Fortunately, a metal screw-in hood meant for a Panasonic camera can be had for a few dollars and it works perfectly (search the forums for it) but this hood vignettes on full frame badly. On FF, you're stuck with the built-in one because you can't add anything that protrudes from the sides, so a short rubber hood won't work. Another major downside is that only the Hoya variable ND filter will fit in side and that filter doesn't have threads on the outside, so you have to remove the add-on hood if you're using it on APS-C.
Aside from the hood issues, though, the lens is great in its ergonomics. It's small and well-balanced on every camera.
APS-C Value: 8
Full Frame Value: 5
This lens is pricey and that doesn't depend on the body. But what you get on an APS-C body is a premium normal-FoV lens and on full frame, you have a very overpriced middle-class wide-angle lens. I haven't used the FA35 but I suspect the FA31 isn't light years better than it on FF, at least not worth 3-4x the price. And that's what hurts this lens's value: it's an ok lens but it's not $1000 good on full frame. It is on on APS-C, where it is the alpha, the omega, and everything else between for crop bodies.
Conclusion:
While full-frame compatible, I can't really recommend the lens for the K-1 simply because of it's price. It's a modest performer and the truth is we're stuck with it: there's nothing else available in this focal length except the FA35. There are other options for APS-C (like the DA35 Macro) but the FA31 beats them hands down. It should be your go-to lens on APS-C and one you use occasionally on the K-1. I've personally come to prefer the FA*24, which is not as sharp, of course, but has more interesting rendering that makes up for it.
What else? Oh, color. It's quite nice and if this is all you know, you'd be quite pleased with it. However, it's definitely not as accurate or punchy as either the FA77 or DA*55, both of which boast superlative color saturation. This lens seems to do best in bright sunlight with landscapes; I find it a bit ruddy inside or without 50-60% flash to ambient ratio.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: October, 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 5,190
2 users found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: March 5, 2017 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $1,250.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, fast and great handling. | | Cons: | A bit overrated, cheaper lenses are just as good optically. | | New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax film bodies (K1000, KM, KX, K2, K2DMD, ME, MX, LX, Super A/Program, P50)
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The FA31/1.8 was released in 2001 and is still in production today. Pentax produced a similar focal length K30/2.8 from 1975 to 1984, so you could consider the FA31/1.8 a refresh of that older manual focus lens. The FA31/1.8 is also the third and last of the FA Limited’s lenses to be released.
Optics:
Excellent, which should be no surprise considering the cost of the FA31/1.8 and the optical “extras” added to the lens. (Aspherical element, high-reflection low dispersion element, anomalous dispersion element & a floating lens system)
Focal Length:
I find the 30-31mm focal length on FF is not quite wide enough when I’m choosing a single wide-angle for a three prime lens travelling kit and usually go for something wider, like a 20-28mm lens. I find the 30-31mm focal lengths work better as a second wide in a larger kit along with a 20mm lens or as a one lens option on a day trip.
On an APS-C camera you have the perfect “normal/standard” focal length, so I can see why the FA31/1.8 has been so popular on digital over the last decade.
Build:
The build of the FA31/1.8 is good for a FA Series lens, but is not as solidly built as any Takumar/K/M Series lens I own.
Usage/Handling:
The FA31/1.8 is a nicely sized well balanced lens that is easy to handle and the best out of the three FA Limited’s. I have no issues manually focusing the FA31/1.8 or using the aperture ring. The distance scale is the “compressed” style, but you get used to it. Overall not bad for an Auto Focus lens.
The FA31/1.8 has a built-in “tulip style” lens hood and accepts 58mm filters, which screw-on inside the ridged hood. The lens cap is a push/slip-on like the rest of the FA Limited’s and is also prone to falling off. I’ll substitute it with an older Takumar 58mm lens cap when I’m travelling, so the OEM cap doesn’t get lost. The FA31/1.8 originally came with a red soft lens case marked “PENTAX 31/1:1.8”, which was later replaced with a black one.
Speed:
F1.8 is very fast for a wide-angle lens and it makes the FA31/1.8 the fastest wide angle lens ever made by Pentax. (Excluding the prototype M35/1.4)
The FA31/1.8 vs my favourite 28-30mm wide primes:
I also own the K30/2.8 and several 28mm lenses, my favourite being the K28/2. All three lenses have excellent middle aperture sharpness and I don’t really see any difference between the three. The K28/2 is the best wide open and the FA31/1.8 the worst, though I’m unlikely to ever use any of these three lenses wide open. (Note it’s hard to evaluate/compare these three lenses wide open as each lens has a different maximum aperture & focal length.)
Build/handling wise the two “K” Series lenses are better and the K28/2 has the best minimum focusing distance. The FA31 wins the speed race, but is the least wide of the three.
The K28/2 however has a “3D” effect that I just don’t get with the other two lenses, so that’s by far my favourite wide angle lens overall. There is something about the legendary Pentax/Carl Zeiss designed K28/2 that is magical, the FA31/1.8 & K30/2.8 are excellent but not in the same league.
I rated the K28/2 a perfect 10 and the K30/2.8 a 9.5, the FA31/1.8 also gets a 9.5.
Summary:
The FA31/1.8 is an excellent wide angle lens, however there are much cheaper manual focus options that are just as good or better overall.
Price:
I bought my FA31/1.8 from an online camera store and paid $1199.00 Euros. It was in LN condition, boxed with all the original paper work. It’s a silver low serial number MIJ, with a red soft pouch.
Sample shots taken with the FA31/1.8. Photos are medium resolution scans from original negatives. Both shots were taken in Vancouver.
Camera: P50 Film: Kodak Portra 400 ISO: 400
Camera: Super A Film: Kono Kolorit 125T ISO: 100
***Note this is old expired Kodak Tungsten movie stock film, so yes it's grainy***
 | | | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2015 Location: Boston,MA Posts: 211
2 users found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: November 30, 2016 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $720.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | IQ，rendering, bokeh | | Cons: | size, a bit soft at 1.8, price | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K1
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First of all, I like the focal length a lot, 28mm is a bit wide and 35mm sometimes is not wide enough for me. 31mm is perfect on the FF for me.
Not razor sharp below f2, but still pretty good, perfect for portrait. Once you step down to 2.8 the sharpness jumps to a different level.
Rendering of this lens is just special,not as contrasty as the ZK 35 but the overall feeling is slightly better than the ZK .Another great thing about this lens is that it's sharp at all distant,so you can use it for landscape, street shooting and portrait, not like my M28mm f2 , which is great at close distant but not so good at infinity.
Last but not least, the bokeh. IMHO the 31mm produces the best bokeh I've seen from a wide angle lens, the transition from in focus area to OOF area is so smooth.
Cons:it's not cheap and I wish it can be a little smaller just like the 43&77, it would be great to add WR in the future.
Overall, this is probably my favorite Pentax lens.
 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2015 Posts: 1,107
2 users found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: April 13, 2016 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $475.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Great color and bokeh, built like a tank | | Cons: | Not super sharp wide open | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K3ii
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I recently purchased a used 31mm lens. Boy was it beat up, it was really "ugly". I've shot it extensively for about one month now and found that it works like a new lens, and it still makes wonderful images. Auto-focus is dead on although of course not the fastest. This lens is built like a tank, and will just keep on working - period! Now that's quality!
The colors it produces are exceptional as is the bokeh.
Could be better at f/1.8 and f/2, but hey, no lens is perfect - though this one is very close.
I spent a day comparing this lens to my Zeiss ZK 35mm f/2 lens. Overall, I just liked the IQ of this Pentax 31mm lens a bit better, so I've put my Zeiss 35mm lens up for sale.
I also compared this lens to my Sigma Art 18 - 35mm f/1.8 lens. At 31mm, the Sigma is a bit sharper at all apertures than is the Pentax 31mm lens. Also, at f/1.8 and f/2, the Sigma Art images are overall better than the Pentax 31mm. However, the Pentax 31mm lens has this terrific rendering that's just hard to describe. So, I'm keeping both lenses. Will use the Sigma where precision is needed, and will use the Pentax where I am going for an "artistic" rendering.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: May, 2011 Location: Hanoi Posts: 194
2 users found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: August 27, 2015 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $900.00
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | metal build, silver edition | | Cons: | nil | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K3
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The legend!
 TIMES yoga, on Flickr
 TIMES yoga, on Flickr
 TIMES yoga, on Flickr
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2015 Location: Setúbal (near Lisbon) Posts: 5
2 users found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: August 23, 2015 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $796.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | all | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K20D
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My best lens and maybe one of the best lenses ever made. Pentax should make a full frame camera for this lens.
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2012 Location: Boise Idaho Posts: 466
7 users found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: January 6, 2015 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $850.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Contrast, Color, Resolution, Metal Construction, Perfect FOV, Manual Aperture Ring, | | Cons: | Permanent Hood (no filters), Price (understandable) | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: k5
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Bar none, this lens is the best lens in my bag. PentaxForums took a poll to see what the greatest lens was of all time and this lens was second I believe.
At f8
Tack sharp! This thing is amazing with color, contrast, sharpness, I mean you go down the line and it scores 10's on everything. I found the construction to this lens to be on above the top Canikon lenses and have had Canon shooters admire this glass. If you're looking for a do-it-all-focal-length for digital & film, this is your best prime option. I've found the 31 to be my favorite lens in my bag and I can't wait until FF comes out. I would like to take advantage of the native FOV it was intended for.
At f/1.8
At 1.8 this lens is good, but not amazing. sharpness lowers dramatically, but all-in-all, the lens is pro glass.
All-in-all
You're paying for what you get in this case: an amazingly built quality piece of top Pentax engineered glass. PM me with any questions and I'll try to answer asap.       | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: May, 2014 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,276
1 user found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: January 4, 2015 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $800.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, Well built, Colors, Magical Bokeh | | Cons: | Some CA wide open | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-5 IIs
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This is my favorite lens out of my collection of Pentax Limited and non-limited lenses. One of the reasons has to do with the focal length which is perfect for my style of shooting. The thing I noticed about this lens, unlike other lenses I own, is that it does not matter where you focus, or place the focusing-point, everything else in the image sort of falls into place in perfect harmony with the main subject that was singled out for focusing.
It's hard to explain, but this lens acts like a more expensive Cinema lens than a DSLR lens . The colors are extremely accurate. I rarely have to tweak an image in PP with this lens. The images are great right out of the camera.
Another great thing about this lens, is the magical way some of the pictures are rendered. Talk about thrills, you are left excitedly wondering how an image is going to come out, or you can't wait to get home to download an image because you know you nailed it. Even the most ordinary "snap shot" takes on this magical quality.
I'm not sure if it has to do with the DOF, but the little added depth gives an image this realistic 3D quality instead of the 'Blahze' 2 dimensional images most of us are accustomed to. This 3D quality is also mentioned in regards to the much more expensive Leica and Carl Zeiss lenses, so the 31mm is in good company.
I'm glad that Pentax could achieve this type of quality at a lower price, which by the way is still not cheap by any means. At first I balked about purchasing this lens since I already own the 16-45mm f4 , the 35mm f2.8 Macro and the 20-40mm f2.8-4 which all cover that range, but this lens is so unique, that it stands unchallenged on it's own.
Now instead of choosing which lens I will use on a certain day, I choose which additional lens am I going to take with me to complement the 31mm which has been stuck on my camera ever since I got it.
FYI- I gave this lens a Value of 9 because I purchased it Used, at a little under $800 in Mint condition. However, I think this lens is definitely worth more than that.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: July, 2014 Location: Paris Posts: 1,818
1 user found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: January 4, 2015 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $550.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | color, bokeh, build | | Cons: | focus | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
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Mine is a "Assembled in Vietnam", I don't want to add anything, others already reviewed this magic lens thoroughly. I'll let the pictures speak ^^
 | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2013 Posts: 2 | | Lens Review Date: December 8, 2014 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $773.42
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Wow - amazing | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-7
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I am a novice, so I cannot add much more value than the other experts in this forum. Yay, for Black Friday sales!
| | | | | New Member Registered: September, 2014 Posts: 1 | | Lens Review Date: October 1, 2014 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $900.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharpness, bokeh, colour rendition, bouild quality | | Cons: | some CA | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 6
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K10D
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Stunning lens, fantastic 3d rendition, great bokeh, razor sharp. Build quality is fantastic.
| | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2012 Location: Moscow Posts: 13
2 users found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: September 2, 2014 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $900.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Build quality, IQ, size, bokeh | | Cons: | PF, price, wish it would be /f1.4 | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-30
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Unique prime with fantastic bokeh and wonderful colours. If only it could be /f1.4 - should be splendid!
My other shots by this lens | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: January, 2011 Location: Skåne, Sweden Posts: 418
5 users found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: August 10, 2014 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $950.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Build quality, unique offering, character | | Cons: | Value, focal length on APS-C | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 7
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-5, K-3, K-01
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This review is for a mint condition silver 'Made in Japan' FA31 bought second-hand in Sweden, serial nr in the 0027xxx-range.
PROS- Build quality
- Look and feel
- Unique offering (like all other Limiteds)
CONS- Inconsistent autofocus
- Wide open sharpness
- Value for money
I USE IT FOR- General purpose (normal lens on APS-C)
- Low light
- Travel
The first Limited I got was the DA40, and soon I started to buy them one by one as mint second-hand samples came on the market. After a couple of years I got all the DA Limiteds and I was pretty well covered (I don't shoot much longer telephoto). There was something mythical about the FA Limiteds though, so after a while I started to look for them as well. The FA31 was the last one I got of the "three amigos" (FA31/43/77).
Most of my serious work is portraits and I was well covered with the FA43/77 AND DA40/70 (the plan was to sell the DA's, still haven't a couple of years later...). I get that at fast wide-angle is expensive, and considering the parameters of the FA31 for what it offers on full frame it is simply outstanding.. but on APS-C it becomes a pretty expensive normal lens.
To go trough the basics first. The lens is sharp. Like all lenses it is softer wide open, but it builds up gradually. It is sharp enough to use wide open for most applications, but I still feel a little bit disappointed. If I don't need the speed I will stop down to f/2.2 for a boost in sharpness. With nine apertures blades it the bokeh stays nice at most apertures, so you don't need worry about stopping down with respect to that. The bokeh is very pleasing, with a bit of character as well, just as I like it! One of the drawbacks of the lens is various aberrations, where lateral is an easy fix in PP, but where longitudinal is not. It might be disappointing if you are looking for perfection, but it hasn't bothered me. It adds to the character, just beware of it before spending the cash. I've read a few comments about "medium format feel" on APS-C, and I get that a fast wide angle is rare and shallow DoF with that wide (not so wide on APS-C) angle is not so common, but I don't feel that the FA31 offers something that other similar combinations would in that respect.
Autofocus is fast, but not as fast as the DA Limiteds. I don't mind the screw-drive noise, but in these SDM-days it is worth mentioning. I have used the DA*50-135 for a while and even though it has SDM it was slower than the Limited-lenses (although more silent). Also I wouldn't think that I should miss quick-shift from my DA Limiteds, but I guess that I use it more than I thought. It can be small situations like when you are about to put the camera in the bag, you want to retract the lens (focus to infinity), and then you have to fiddle with the AF/MF-switch on the camera. Small things, but I think it is worth mentioning. Build quality is otherwise on par with the DA Limiteds, which is to say very good - tight tolerances, nice materials. The aperture ring has a very slight play though, but as does my FA43 and FA77, so I think it is supposed to be like that. The leather case of the FA Limiteds are a bit sturdier than the DA Limiteds, also the cap has a nice green felt, great premium feel The size of the lens is pretty small, but I just keep thinking that it would be really amazing on a FF sensor, now it is more what the FA43 would have been on FF. A letdown if the FA31 is autofocus consistency. On the K-5 it both front- and back focused so I rarely used it even near wide open, but on the K-3 it has gotten better (not perfect though). Actually, it fits very well on the K-01 and with its contrast detect it doesn't show the front/back focusing problems. It is also a good match for both size and looks It is not optimized for manual focus though, focus throw is very short (as with most AF-glass), but has a slightly longer throw than the DA-series.
I have mixed feelings for this lens. It is not perfect, with a few aberrations and focusing problems (phase detection). It also goes from being a rare fast wide angle to becoming "just" a fast normal lens on APS-C. I keep thinking how wonderful it would be on FF (and that has been shown on film and the Sony A7-series). But, I don't feel that there is any real replacement. It has a nice character, it serves several purposes, and it has a very nice build and feel. If you are willing to compromise there are options like the Sigma 18-35, FA35/2, DA35/2.4 or Sigma 35/1.4. Each is a compromise of build quality and/or size, although they are cheaper
Pentax K-01, SMC Pentax-FA 31mm F1.8 Limited. 1/80 sec at f/2.0, ISO 1600.
Pentax K-5, SMC Pentax-FA 31mm F1.8 Limited. 1/60 sec at f/3.2, ISO 100.
Pentax K-3, SMC Pentax-FA 31mm F1.8 Limited. 1/180 sec at f/4.0, ISO 100.
My pictures on flickr with this lens | | |
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