| Author: | | Site Supporter Registered: July, 2008 Location: Copenhagen Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 1, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Compact, well buildt, extremely sharp | | Cons: | none | |
For forty years I have tested all my lenses (Hasselblad, Olympus, Pentax, Tamron, Sigma among others) using 100 ISO black and white films and testtargets. This lens is definitely the sharpest lens I have ever tested. | | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: May, 2009 Location: Edmonton, AB Posts: 247 | | Review Date: March 24, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Silver ... yummy. Gorgeously crafted, wonderful sharpness, contrast, color, bokeh | | Cons: | None | |
This was the first limited lens I bought used. I still remembered holding it for the first time. It was love at first sight  I've since acquired the other 2 FA limited lenses (black though) but this one I still think is the best for me. I expected it's soft wide open based on photozone review, but was surprise to see it is sharp wide open! Can anyone confirm this?
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2007 Location: Nove Zamky, Slovakia Posts: 7,183 | | Review Date: March 19, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $485.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharpness, bokeh, size, built quality... | | Cons: | none really except some CAs at certain conditions | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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I have been putting this review of for a while.
Reason was, I used to own DA40 and I loved it (most of the times anyway) but I always kept thinking of 43ltd.
When I finally got the chance of getting silver copy of this lens I didn't hesitate, despite being forced to sell DA40 & F50/1.7 to fund it....I really wanted to put this lens through it's paces before I put the review down.
Truth is, this lens gave me 3PPG shots from 1st outing!
The focal length may be slightly odd but once you get used to it, there really isn't much that you could dislike on this lens. Sharpness is just great. Even at f1.9!! and only gets better when stopping down. It's not as evenly distributed as with DA40 but that's not big worry IMO. AF speed (on K10D) is adequate, MF is just so much better than that of the DA40. PF pops out in some expectable situations, and CAs are visible more than with DA40. Overall rendering of this lens is just nothing short of magic. At it's focal length is good people lens on APSC.
Built quality is typical of the FA ltds. You just can't fault it. I do really like the hood/cap arrangement more that that of DA40 too. I don't mind it makes the lens a bit bigger. It's still very compact and portable package...
all in all it's a clear 10 fro me, frankly this and 31ltd are the only two reasons (at present times) for me wanting to try FF camera! I think I'd just love these two lenses even more....
| | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2010 Location: Middle of the forest Posts: 11 | | Review Date: March 13, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Built quality, sharpness, rendering | | Cons: | hood and cap, CA wide open, silver | |
I grabbed it at ebay some days ago for pretty nice price.
I give it 10 but I'd rate it (if I could) 9.75 because of CA wide open and previously commented hood/cap design.
Still... this is simply one of the best modern AF lenses I ever used. It's sharp wide open (though DOF is paper thin) and becomes extremely sharp when closed down. It's built like... well... you'll know what I mean as soon as you touch it
I made comparison today at f2.8 with my Pentax-F 50mm f1.7 and Sigma 28-70mm f.2.8. On my K-7 LCD they all looked pretty much the same but... when I viewed the images on my properly calibrated monitor I was able to see the difference. WOW!!! it really had some 3D magic It kinda looked like things were going to jump off my screen into the real world. I'm even afraid to print them out now
Get this one if you can! It didint leave my camera since the day I got it
| | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: October, 2009 Location: Shizuoka-ken Posts: 130 | | Review Date: February 26, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $560.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharp from wide open, OOF rendering, size & build | | Cons: | not significant | | New or Used: New
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sharp and very usable from f1.9, after micro focus adjustment in my K-x, and deliver beautiful out of focus rendering. this is the lens for me to shoot (short) portrait.
my first outing, at f1.9 :
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| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2008 Location: Israel Posts: 932 | | Review Date: October 13, 2009 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Size, build, sharpness | | Cons: | Need to stop down a little for optimal performance | |
This is my second copy of FA 43/1.9 Limited that I'd be writing about. First one got damaged due to my clumsiness.
I find that wide open this lens is slightly less desirable than I might like. Starting from f/2.4 things are very much there and by f/2.8 it is pretty amazing. Until I got SMC A 50/1.2 it was my favorite lens, being slightly wider than 50 mm and with lovely 3D rendering.
When traveling, it and DA 21/3.2 is my standard kit. Highly recommended.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: September, 2006 Location: UK Posts: 53
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 17, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $800.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Where do I start? rendering, contrast, shaprness, colours, I could go on... | | Cons: | For once... none. | |
I've reviewed my 3 DA primes (21, 35 and 70) and as much as I love them, I have never felt inclined to give them a 10.
If I had to list them in order of preference I'd go with the DA70 first, then the DA21, then the DA35.
Well, now I have the FA43, and as excellent as those 3 DA primes are, this is something else. Truly beautiful, the delivery from this lens is just fantastic. And the great thing is that it's not just a one trick pony. You want delicious wide open soft portraiture, you got it. You want incredible sharpness when stopping down? You got it. Actually, that the one thing that has amazed me about this lens - ok, it's sharp when used wide open, and I thought that 's what 90% of my usage with it would be, for lovely bokeh. But wow, you stop it down and the sharpness and performance is just something else.
One final note - I've seen in the past question marks against the focal length. Well, for me, it is spot on. Great for street shooting, great for portraiture, great for photographing my daughter on the move. It's just so good! 10/10
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2007 Location: Dayton, Ohio Posts: 2,978
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 9, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, rendering, speed, size | | Cons: | None | |
It is an amazing lens. Already at f 1.9 it is acceptably sharp and renders perfectly, drop it to f 2.2 it is astonishingly sharp and the most perfect OOF, I don't have words to describe how sharp it is at f4-5.6. It is guaranteed to give a smile each time you look at the the LCD after taking a picture.
Awesome color and good OOF rendering/bokeh.
Every pentax owner who doesn't have an FA31 has to get this to experience the true beauty of Pentax ownership.
My favorite lens.
P.S: Forgot to mention that I needed +160 focus correction with the russian debug on my K10D. Otherwise, with the focus off it was very soft. so can't recommend it unless you can do this or are willing to get it at a place where you can return it till you get a copy that matches your body.
100% crop, YES 100% crop and PP
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2007 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 2,599
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 8, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | build quality, bokeh, useful focal length, great color | | Cons: | none, really | |
I love this lens so much that after I made the mistake of selling my first one, I turned around and bought a new one less than a year later. 
While some people may think that the focal length is too long to be considered a "normal" length lens, the focal length is just right for me--not too wide, not too long.
As for the build quality, as with the other FA Limited lenses, this lens is built to last--I like the feel of the cool metal in my hands. The lens itself is compact, making it good for a walkaround.
As for IQ, this lens produces beautiful color and bokeh. Especially when it's stopped down, it's as sharp as a tack.
If you're trying to decide between the FA43 and the FA50/1.4, save up the extra money and get the FA43. You won't be sorry! | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2007 Location: Singapore Posts: 3,953
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 5, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $360.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, colour rendition, build quality | | Cons: | Colour fringing wide oopen | |
Got my second copy, a silver version.
Great colour rendering, pictures are sharp and convey depth. Excellent build quality. A keeper of a lens. Only negative is colour fringing at wider apertures when shooting specular reflections. More or less controlled by f/2.8. Even though it is the cheapest of the FA Limiteds, it is a far superior lens over the DA 40mm Limited and FA 50mm.
My only advice is to test before you buy. My first copy fared poorly in purple fringing. Way better on current copy. Buy it before the price escalates further.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2008 Location: socal Posts: 1,575 | | Review Date: December 31, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | fast, nice bokeh, wonderful look | | Cons: | none significant | |
I'd likely give this a 9.5 if I could. Excellent lens, though I've had an up and down relationship with it in my brief ownership. I actually was interested in it because I wanted something just a tad longer than my 35ltd. For whatever reason I wanted a fast lens where the viewfinder would reflect the same size as naked eye (which the 43 does for m).
Right out of the box it took one of the best portrait shots I've seen. Then I started to pixel peep a bit (bad kitty!) and noticed that it could be a bit soft open. I often shoot in low light, so f1.9 is a common occurance. Then I picked up a 31ltd and started swapping back and forth between the 43, 31 and 35ltd. Once I quit worrying about details and instead focus on the images I was getting, I seriously warmed up to the 43. And in fact I ended up sending the 31 back, preferring the 35/43 combo (43 when I need the extra speed). It might not be the best testing lens but I don't care about machine tests or brick wall photos. This lens has a tendency to just get great shots, especially of people. It isn't quite as magic as my 77, but it is a close second.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: July, 2008 Location: France Posts: 128 | | Review Date: October 27, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $380.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Color rendering, shapness, bokeh | | Cons: | None, up to now ... | |
I have bought this lens a few weeks ago, and, since then, it has replaced my 50/1.4 and my 85/1.8 on my K10D.
Will not comment the build quality, which is simply fantastic today, where 99% are made of plastic. When manually focused, it doesn't feel like a tank, as my old Takumars, nevertheless you understand you are focusing a precision mechanism.
In a few weeks it has become my most favorite lens, wonderful for group portraits or for big subjects (horses, cars, bands) pictures.
Personally, i found it a bit soft wide open (which could be good for portraits), but at f/2.8 the sharpness increases and, starting at f/4, it is simply fantastic. Despite other owners comments, i have found its bokeh quite pleasant (at least, after a few weeks of usage).
This is my first Limited lens, after two years spent with some Takumars and Pentax-K lenses, but now i can't wait to get my next Limited, the FA-77 ...
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: September, 2007 Location: Pressburg, Eur Posts: 19 | | Review Date: September 28, 2008 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Build, light, compact, "soul"; fast (by today's standards and for any practical purposes on digital) | | Cons: | Slightly pleasing the subject wide open - not exactly a con, more of an in-built option | | New or Used: Used
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All what has been said: a diva. Image characteristics change by stopping down which is why it won't please chart peepers; for the rest of us, at apertures from wide open up to ~f4.0-f.5.0 capable of producing the otherwordly dreamy look that has become instantly recognisable to me from just looking at the pics taken with it; no other lens I have used can do this (and this kind of magic). Stopped down a little (already at f2.2) frighteningly sharp, dof rendering and its zones of transition to out-of-focus areas give the images that very particular "pop-out" feel reminiscent of old German lenses. Warm colours; great contrast. On digital crop a rather odd length at first but once you find out ideal for interior parties and small group portraiture in ambient lighting and generally for night snapshots; my "fast 50". A lightly snobby delight and a differentiator gem (in more than one sense) of its own.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2006 Location: Kaunas Posts: 1,458
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 24, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $380.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, contrast, colour, buid quality | | Cons: | Bokeh sometimes not too good | |
This lens is a phenomenal short portait lens for DSLR with APS-C sensor.
Very sharp even wide open, bokeh is very good when odject is in close focussing distance.
My only gripe about this lens is not so pleasant bokeh when focussing distance is 2-3 meters.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2008 Location: Facebook - See ya there. Posts: 248
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 6, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Build quality, size, 'rendering', bokeh due to speed, speed | | Cons: | Corners @ f1.9-2.8, focus speed | |
Obviously, this is quality glass in a quality package - the build quality is compact yet 'tank-like'. Hard to describe, but as you place it on your camera body (I use a K100D Super) you'll feel like you've equipped yourself with a classic that can serve to fill the middle of your lens lineup. The focal length is useable indoors and out - and the lens is useable wide open with minor reservations. The lens produces shots with great depth and contrast... subjectively it is again... a 'classic' feeling lens, like I'm shooting with something that has some of the film spirit still in it. Should last for years and hold value if resale is a factor.
The lens lacks critical sharpness at f1.9-2.8... what I mean by that is for critical work I wouldn't shoot wider than 2.8 - then again I am not a pro and often enjoy shooting people indoors in low-light/no-flash. The general feel and rendering of this lens far overshadow this perceived weakeness, but it may matter for some. The autofocus with this lens is slower than both the DA21 and DA70 on my K100D Super... for whatever that may mean to some. It is by no means slow. Sometimes I do find myself wishing the lens focused slightly closer as well, hence my overall rating... 9/10.
[EDIT: After using the FA43 Ltd. for nearly a year with the K20D, I've discovered it is actually a much better lens than I originally thought. I'd call it a 9.49 at this point, with my main gripe being the relatively slow autofocus, especially if it starts hunting in low-light situations. I've got no qualms about using this lens at f2 - it is all character and performance even wide-open. It may even be an improved lens as the K-7 comes out and introduces presumably faster AF. Compared to the FA31 it is absolutely tiny in size; a true pancake with a great lenshood.
EDIT: After using the FA43 Ltd. for nearly two years - with the K100D Super, the K20D, and most recently the K-7, it is certainly a classy optic and is 'optimized' by the K-7's snappy AF system. Even better than with the K20, the FA43's AF shortcomings are nearly overcome with the updated K-7.]
A slowly updating gallery of shots taken by me with this lens can be found at the following link: http://photobucket.com/PentaxFA43
43mm @ f2.5
43mm @f2.5
43mm @f2.5
43mm @ f2.8
43mm @ f4
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