| Author: | | Moderator
Site Supporter Registered: February, 2012 Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia Posts: 11,275
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 31, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Magical rendering, super sharp, fast, beautifully built and a joy to handle | | Cons: | Absolutely nothing | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5 IIs, K-01, Q
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What can I add to the body of literature on this legendary lens?
Put simply, it is underrated. Even at its hefty price it is good value for money.
As an added bonus, it makes a stellar mid-telephoto macro lens when coupled to the Q.
I have no pretensions to being an elite photographer, but for those interested, a link to my "Single in January 2013" shots taken with the FA31 can be found here | | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: October, 2011 Location: Cambridge, Ontario Posts: 179 | | Review Date: December 15, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, amazing IQ | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K5
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I have wanted this lens for a long time. Two months ago I found a used one at the Henry's show (lucky for me it was hidden under some Nikon boxes) and saw the price and picked it up immediately.
It is a fixture on my K5 along with my DA Limiteds. The IQ is stunning and the lens lives up to its reputation. My only regret is I waited this long.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2009 Location: USA - Delaware Posts: 435 | | Review Date: October 21, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $1,100.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Soft at 1.8 (perfect portraits), Sharp past 2.8, Bokeh rendition, color, contrast | | Cons: | Soft at 1.8 (for handheld at night), price | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-7
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Amazing. Absolutely amazing. It renders like no other. Contrast and color are fantastic right out of the raw file.
Portraits: great wide open. Even thought it is a little soft, it creates glowing portraits with wonderful 3D bokeh. The pixie dust is there!
Landscape: Sharp past F2.8. Great for night photography also as it creates beautiful starbursts after F10.
I was skeptical about its value. It is EXPENSIVE! When I got it I expected it to be super sharp! It is not... Wide open it is soft(ish) but slightly stopped it is amazingly sharp. Like I said, the softness I find an advantage for portraits. I do think the price is entirely justified. Just buy it! You will not regret it!
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: September, 2009 Location: Kyoto Posts: 72
9 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 13, 2012 | Not Recommended | Price: $700.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Kills LBA dead. | | Cons: | Diminishing returns. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K10D
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Let's get it out of the way now: if you feel that this lens offers poor value for money, go ahead and buy one of the other Pentax primes instead. If you'll accept my recommendation, I suggest the DA 35mm F2.8 macro as the best performance for your dollar, and be sure to consider the FA35/2 and DA35/2.4 also.
The FA31 is not of that material world of measurements and money. She (for it is so) is the prima donna of the Pentax lens catalog. The best lens Pentax ever made, and arguably the best lens from any of the major SLR companies. Yes, better than the Distagon T* 35/2 ZF/ZK, if you insist on knowing how it stacks up against the clearest competitor.
But, please, that would be like trying to score Placido Domingo on points against Maria Callas. Really, a pointless waste of effort, and frankly a disservice to both singers and the art in general.
To see the attraction of the FA31, you have to be able to feel the rush, the wonder, in obtaining a lens that combines a 31mm (47mm eff APSC) field of view with the discipline, smoothness, and depth of a medium telephoto portrait lens. Essentially, it turns your APSC dSLR into a 6x7. If you don't see how fabulous that might be, great, take the blue pill, buy the DA35 on your way out. I'm just trying to convey my thoughts. No evangelism from me.
I do not think buying the FA31 is a good idea for most people. Those who do may be disappointed, and will be, thinking that for the price paid they deserve clinical perfection.
Still I remember the first day I went out with the lens on the front of my K10D (excellent pairing as far as handling goes, by the way). I took some photos of my daughter in a restaurant, just off-the-cuff kind of stuff, fooling around. I was floored by the results. Just plain gorgeous. Stunningly deep color, superb skin tones, and a confident, masterly rendering of the background blur.
Several years later, I'm still just as much in love with my FA31 as I was that first day, more so even.
Marriage? That pretty much describes it, yes.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2010 Location: Aarhus Posts: 15
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 8, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $1,340.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, great bokeh, good colours | | Cons: | purple fringing, price, large cap, feeling of the focus ring | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 5
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K7 and LX
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This review is for a AIV lens.
This is a good lens with a solid build quality that is capable of producing beautiful pictures.
When I bought this lens i did it on the basis of the legendary reputation it had. I simply had to see what all the fuss was about. I was certainly not disappointed, but at the same time I was not overly excited about the lens. The lens itself is not entirely to blame for this because part of the problem I had with the lens is the focal length itself. When I shoot a film SLR I simply find the 31mm not wide enough for many of the subjects I shoot. When I use the lens on a DSLR I find the focal length ok. Because I do not find the focal length so useful, I rarely use this lens. The pictures produced with this lens are good, but I do not think it lives up to the reputation that is build around this lens.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: May, 2011 Location: Melbourne Posts: 29
29 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 13, 2012 | Not Recommended | Price: $690.00
| Rating: 3 |
| Pros: | Build quality, colours | | Cons: | Aberrations, sharpness, price | | Sharpness: 5
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 6
Handling: 6
Value: 1
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: XR-3000, K-r, K-5,
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I've been using this lens in all kinds of conditions for all kinds of purposes; nightclubs, events, street, landscapes, and portraits. I can confidently say that I now know this lens well enough to give an informative review on all aspects of this lens in various demanding conditions. I will not 'go easy' on this lens because I like it, or give a 'feel good' review, because they are worthless. Instead, the ratings of 5-6 are underlined by 'Good', so I will use the pentax forums scale appropriately. Because of its high price and great reputation, I will judge it with an absolute comparison with all the standard primes that I've owned or used extensively, including the samyang 35/1.4, nikon 35/1.8G, nikon 50/1.8D and 50/1.8G (full frame), pentax 35/2.8 limited, sigma 30/1.4 (both nikon and pentax). Only afterwards will I factor cost and system into it.
I bought this lens, along with the sigma 30/1.4, off an acquaintance by paying 'rent' on it, with the rent paid being subtracted from the final purchasing price. This was great for me because I could use it while accumulating funds to pay it off, while being able to compare it to the sigma. A few months into my ownership I came upon a 35/2.8 macro and bought it, which has pushed me towards writing a review as I'd owned the three most expensive normal lenses for the pentax system.
Sharpness: I'm no pixel peeper, but high quality wide aperture primes should be able to be used wide open with a useful resolution, which is one of the reasons that people love them so much. Therefore I was disappointed when I checked the pictures at 50% and found that the 31/1.8 was comparable to the 50/1.8D and perhaps worse 35/1.8G. They're from different systems, but they show similar characteristics; moderately soft, low contrast, purple fringing and some chromatic aberration. I burrowed another 31/1.8 with great effort to make sure that it wasn't defective and got the same result. Then I viewed pictures from this lens online and I'd be clutching at straws to find an excuse for it.
Once stopped down to 4-5.6, this lens became very, very sharp, however nearly all prime lenses are expected to behave this way, and high end, modern zooms show excellent sharpness as well. My rating for sharpness is weighted for performance at wide apertures, as they do not require pixel peeping to check for sharpness, whereas the difference between very sharp and insanely sharp is much less important.
Aberrations: The performance in this area makes it obvious that this lens was not designed well for a digital sensor. Purple fringing and CAs are worse compared to the sigma 30/1.4, both wide open, which shows the advantage of modern technology even at a wider aperture.
Bokeh: Pretty good. This tends to be quite subjective but I found it similar to the sigma, slightly better than the nikon 35/1.8G, slightly worse than the samyang.
Autofocus: Loud but quite fast. The higher pitch is very 'catchy' and not suitable for quiet environments. If it were quieter and lower in pitch I would like it more, and even more so if it used a silent motor.
Handling: Being all metal, this lens feels durable and solid but becomes very nasty in cold weather, conducting heat away from my hands quickly. In weather where gloves are almost, but not quite necessary, this lens becomes a pain to touch.The compulsory hood is annoying and not fully useful, as it's made for a 31mm field of view. This is the same mistake as the 35/1.8G, but at least that one is removable.
Value/Practical recommendation: No sugar coating here. 1 is 'Poor'. If this lens did something unique, there would be a case for it. You could say that this is the only lens for pentax that goes up to f/1.8 while gaining great border sharpness when stopped down, but that looks more like a weakness of the pentax system than a strength of the 31/1.8. To put it into perspective, for $2000 you can get a K-5 + 31/1.8 or D700+50/1.8G. For $1400 you can get a D7000 and 35/1.8G. The sigma is sharper, and more importantly, has more contrast wide open while the 35/2.8 limited has comparable border sharpness from 4-5.6. For the price of this, you can get both of them. My advice is to stop pixel peeping at the borders and buy the sigma 30/1.4, but that may not be possible for some.
A fast standard prime with average performance should not cost this much. Despite this, it is the only option that exists, and some people will be forced into it if they NEED this specific combination.
There's no doubt that I'll attract haters for this review, but since when has a 10/10 'excellent' review helped anyone make a decision? Its reputation has painted it out to be something with no flaws, but the reality is that it is just another standard prime with a very high price tag.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2010 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 327 | | Review Date: March 16, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $890.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharp, great bokeh, good colours | | Cons: | little bit of purple fringing especially backlit situations | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
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i dreamt of this lens for a long time given it's legendary reputation
this has made both the da21 and da40 redundant for me
excellent IQ, great bokeh especially, very useful lens for holidaying/walk around as it can do full body shots and portraits too. still has great ability to do subject isolation.
i usually use this at f 2.0 permanently, f1.8 still great but i find f2.0 to be the best to use for sharpness + subject separation
downsides - only in 1% of my photos i notice some purple fringing, easily corrected in PP however just something to note
also the hood isnt designed for APS-C so you can add a janko (panasonic) 58mm hood to extend it
can be used with a 58 -> 49 and 49-> 58 and 58mm janko hood without vignetting to use together with 49mm filters (like what most other pentax primes use)
highly recommended, albeit being quite expensive brand new (FYI i have a used AIV one and i have not been disappointed with it at all)
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: March, 2010 Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire Posts: 177
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 15, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $1,000.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Image quality, bokeh, construction | | Cons: | Price | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-5
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I have had this lens for a little over a year. When I first bought it, I thought it was a good lens but didn't use it as frequently as I should have. Over the time, however, I have used it more and more and the more I use it the more I am loving it. I used it recently at a wedding and even my non photographic friend commented on the quality of the shots. Although I have mentioned its price as a con but really for the quality the price is not excessive.
i would recommend it to anyone.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: January, 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Posts: 6,622
7 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 20, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $950.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | build quality, bokeh, fast lens, sharp wide open | | Cons: | short hood, price | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
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I purchased a nearly new AIV copy and remain amazed at what a wonderful lens this is. I wanted to give a 9.5 but rounded up to a 10 (i have never given a 10 in these reviews, but this is perhaps the one lens i've owned which may actually deserve it!).
Like the other FA limiteds, the build quality is exceptional, solid metal construction and lovely to behold. Manual focus is a pleasure and IQ is excellent. It is hard not to want to shoot everything wide open with this lens however because the f/1.8 sharpness is far better than i would've expected. And then there is that lovely bokeh. I have a few favorite bokeh lenses that are amazing (FA77, Cosina 55, etc) and have to say i'd put this among the others. This is my widest "bokeh lens" and quite easy to grab first for a full length portrait or flower close up shot.want to use this instead of any 30-ish focal length on a zoom lens. Sure, i wish the price were less but for the quality, it is actually quite reasonable. It is not even in the top 5 most expensive lenses i own anymore, so the pain of that purchase has been attenuated since I first posted this review.
negatives (which are far outweighed by the positives):
- some detectable CA on the high contrast areas. same or less than with the FA77, not a biggie and completely correctable in ACR.
- hood is not optimal for crop sensors so i keep a larger hood attached. Adding a filter ring(square filters) is a little fiddly, but I found a good solution and never think twice about it.
that's it, as soon as you can get this lens, do it!! It lives up to the legend.
this is a pano:
 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2011 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 309 | | Review Date: September 30, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $1,000.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, bokeh, speed, build quality | | Cons: | Size, weight, price, assembly quality | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 8
New or Used: New
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The FA 31 Limited is without peer in its size class. This is truly the best normal lens you can put on a APS-C camera. It is quite sharp wide open, and that only improves as you close the apeture. The bokeh is very smooth. This lens is all metal, and the build quality is excellent. However, at least on my copy, it suffers from "hood waggle". Optically, it is still excellent. In handling, I got a FA style pinch cap to use instead of the metal cap that came with it. The metal cap has a tight fit and made me very nervous about damage with the hood waggle. I'd still recommend this lens.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: August, 2009 Posts: 1,235 | | Review Date: September 29, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $959.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp warm images with high contrast and great bokeh. | | Cons: | Color fringing, missing features like WR, quick-shift, and internal focusing. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: New
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What I like about the lens:
- The aluminum construction is high quality and has a great feel in the hands to it. I wish that more lenses were offered in aluminum like this. All I can say is find one to try and you will understand.
- Sharp high contrast results with a warm feel to them.
- Nice smooth background blur with the possibility of a 3D look.
- Overall size of the lens fits well with current DSLRs (around the same size as an 18-55mm kit lens). It has enough room for your left hand to grip the lens while shooting.
- The focus ring is easy to use in manual mode.
- It’s a lens that should serve you for many many years, especially considering it is a full-frame capable lens.
- The normal focal length on APS-C is pretty good and I probably use this lens more than any others that I own.
What I’m not fond of:
- It’s expensive, especially considering on APS-C it has the properties of a “fast and cheap” 50mm lens. Just keep in mind 35mm lenses are usually more expensive, except for the DA 35mm f2.4 that was released this year.
- My copy of the lens isn’t a stranger to purple/green fringing.
- I don’t like how the front section of the lens connects to the back. It makes the lens seem lower quality than it is. Mine has a very slight wobble to it, but I think it’s within tolerances from what I’ve read online. This lens would be much more impressive if it had internal focus.
- 9 aperture blades don’t seem like enough or the blades should be more rounded. My aperture blades don’t produce perfect circles unless the lens is close to maximum aperture.
- Doesn’t have newer features like WR (Weather Resistance) and quick-shift that would improve usability of the lens.
- The focus ring makes a geared sound when being rotated, which makes the lens sound a bit lesser than it could from a perceived quality standpoint.
Revision wish list:
This is a quality lens overall, but I do see some room for improvement. Here is what I’d like to see in a revised 31mm Limited lens.
- Change the designation to something like D-FA 31mm f1.8 Limited WR.
- Make the lens completely internal-focus and give it quick-shift ability.
- Add weather resistant sealing.
- The optical design is already strong, but improve it if possible. The same goes for lens coatings. Make sure lenses of this caliber have a narrow sample variation. From other 31mm reviews I’ve seen, it looks like the purple fringing issue could be due to sample variation and not an issue of the older design.
- Remove the built-in lens hood.
- Keep the aperture ring.
- Keep the all metal build quality.
- Keep the screw driven auto-focus.
Photos and more info on my blog.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: April, 2010 Location: Wellington Posts: 969 | | Review Date: September 29, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $999.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Already stated by others but good value compared to other brands. | | Cons: | Yup the lens hood, I thought it came off or retracted like the others!! | | New or Used: New
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Everything has already been said about this lens- All I want to add is that I don't actually feel its that expensive when you compare it with something similar from other brands.
Didn't give it a 10 as I havent used it enough yet and I don't think I'm good enough to have made photos good enough for the lens!!! 
Also I want to give it a run on film before I can give ANYTHING a 10 (9.5 due to the hood )
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2007 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 614
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 25, 2011 | Not Recommended | Price: $1,351.91
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Does what it was designed to do perfectly. | | Cons: | Questionable QC. Most aspects of the lens hood. | | Sharpness: 6
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 3
New or Used: New
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Bought first copy new.
It was AIV. Shockingly soft wide open until about f4. Sent it back and had to fight for a MIJ version. This was much much much much better. Pretty darned sharp from wide open up. Still had some slight issues for my style.
On the whole, this was a lens bought based on reputation and not need, so I fully expected its performance to wow, but it didn't.
The value for money is downright bad. Focal length is extremely common and there are much saner options available. For this much $$$, the first copy you receive should be bang on, not the second and that after pleading.
All in all it was like speed-dating gone bad, and I decided to sell it to recover some funds.
EDIT 13-05-2012:
I must add, however, that in the right hands with someone who knows how to use it, this lens will produce fantastic images. Unfortunately, I am not in that camp.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: March, 2011 Location: United States Posts: 183 | | Review Date: September 25, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $800.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | good wide lens on film, bokeh | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
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This review is for the AIV version. Haven't tried the MIJ version.
Great lens and very sharp when AF is adjusted right in camera.
It's metal construction, but could be made a bit more robust.
My original review had problems with a defective expensive filter and AF. When I removed the filter, the lens was 100% better. If you are having AF or softness problems, make sure it's not the filter.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: August, 2011 Location: Niagara Posts: 793 | | Review Date: August 31, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $999.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | very sharp, smallish size, lovely colours | | Cons: | Lens returned due to broken focus ring(after just 21 days), grinding inside when trying to focus from 4 ft and closer | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5, K-01
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Took approx 100 shots with the 31mm Ltd and the focus mechanism failed. When manually focusing 4ft and closer there is grinding and a sort of ticking noise. Sending it back to B&H this afternoon. Disappointing for a $1000 lens just 21 days old. The shots I did take look great, nicely sharp, colour is great, chromatic aberrations are higher than I had expected.
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