| Author: | | Senior Member Registered: June, 2011 Location: Gotland Posts: 169 | | Review Date: May 7, 2012 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Small, sharp, takes fine pictures | | Cons: | Nothing really. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K20D and now K1
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I bought this lens when new, it came in silver finish. I am quite pleased with it and use it often. The small size means that it is easy to add to a small camera bag.
One niggly point, the lens shade is somewhat short. All in all, this was an expensive lens when i bought it, felt like buying a luxury item. And it is. Small, perfectly crafted, a joy to use.
2023 addition: It works very well on the K1 camera. This picture (use link) won the Swedish Wikipedia challenge "Wiki Loves Nature" in 2021 with a Natural Reserve and a formation of geese coming in to land:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Vivesholm%2C_stran...lns_insida.jpg
One repair was needed after 12 years of perfect service. The front filter ring came loose, I sent the lens to a dependable serviceman and now it is fine again.
| | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2012 Posts: 216 | | Review Date: May 5, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $800.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | all | | Cons: | no - only cap | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K5
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Razor sharp details-the lens is sharp even at f/1.8
Unbelievable colours and contrast
Fantastic bokeh!!
100% portrait lens
It gives portraits a beautiful 3D effect
Small, light & sturdy design
AF very clear
Extremely Highly Recommended. Given a 10 rating because . . . well, there isn't anything better.
(Non working links removed)
| | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2011 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: April 25, 2012 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Lovely images | | Cons: | Slower but acceptable AF | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 6
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K10D
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If I had to choose only one, this would be it. Excellent for portraits & fine art subjects within 3-20 meters. Let's face it, most of us aren't travelling through Africa shooting wildlife & don't need a 400mm.
AF is slower compared to Nikon & Canon AF lenses but then this is not for sports.
I believe I paid around $800 USD for it new; I don't recall exactly. And sold it for $680. It holds its value fairly well.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2009 Location: Rochester, MN Posts: 765
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 5, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $780.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | 3D rendering, dreamy bokeh, build quality, sharpness, handling | | Cons: | Price, mildly soft wide open | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K5
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A brilliant lens. Has that 3D "pop" characteristic of the FA limiteds, with rendering that is a bit less cool and clinical than the DA limiteds. OOF rendering is superb, with very smooth transition from in-focus to OOF areas. With regard to sharpness, I find it a little soft at f1.8, but not bad (can be an advantage for portraits). By f2.8 or so it's as sharp as one could ask for, and stopped down further (e.g. f/11) it's scary sharp, at both long-range and close-up focal lengths. The build quality and handling are wonderful; I personally like the hood design. Only complaint is it's hard to use a CPL given that the push-on cap won't stay on with a CPL in place, but I almost never want to use one with this lens anyway. Finally, some have mentioned the CA with the lens, and indeed it does produce some, but I've found this to be overblown. I notice just as much with my DA 15, actually. With the 77, it is sometimes visible at 100% in high-contrast areas, but I haven't yet found it intrusive.
I pair mine with a Marumi +5 diopter close-up lens for macro shots, making this a very versatile lens that is brilliant for portraits, macro shots, landscapes, low-light, and as a general short telephoto. If you can stomach the cost (worth it, IMO), go out and get it. You won't regret it!
EDIT (3/19/12):
Re: my initial comment about wide open softness. On further review, the sharpness wide open is not severely reduced. The contrast, however, drops off fairly rapidly below f2.8 or so, and this results in a reduction in perceived sharpness at open apertures. Bottom line, though, none of this changes the fact that the 77 produces wonderful images. A great lens to have in your kit.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2012 Posts: 20
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 12, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $800.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Produces photos which make you look like an expert. | | Cons: | Indecisive focussing, unrefined sounding screwdrive. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K-X, K-5
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I find this lens not to be ideal, but overall worth keeping. It's not the most user friendly lens, but the results make it a keeper.
Pros:
- lightweight, attractive, well made.
- photos seem wonderous.
Cons:
- focussing is slow and indecisive, especially in lower light levels.
- screwdrive completely spoils any impression of refinement with it's loud sound.
- lack of modern lens features, like quick shift, WR or SDM.
- Price...sort of.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7155/6818575983_02c228c354.jpg | | | | | Forum Member Registered: April, 2010 Posts: 91
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 11, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $820.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | "magic" output, excellent build quality, size, embedded hood | | Cons: | none I could think of | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-7
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This little beauty turned around my somewhat naive imagination of what quality lenses are. My judgments were spoiled by Canon's L monsters and their hugeness of zoom lenses were somewhat of a merit. Very first shots with this one made me say "wow", then next few hundreds, and another thousand ones. I keep saying "wow" for over 1.5 years I take photos with 77ltd. If I'm doing PP in Aperture I could immediately tell which shot was taken with the 77ltd.. and most times I like a shot exif data tell me that I made no mistake. I think this lens is the ultimate reason to keep using Pentax cameras. I was tempted to switch to Nikon D700 for I do need full-frame and high ISO performance but I found no substitute for 77ltd in Nikon world.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 2,846
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 14, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $725.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Really sharp, wonderful bokeh, extremely well built | | Cons: | some chromatic aberration at wide open aperture | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
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I got this lens used a few days ago and I can already tell how special it is. It just has a quality about it that is hard to describe. Does it have "pixie dust"? Quite possibly!
The lens is extremely sharp wide open and just gets better as you stop down. No doubt the best lens I have wide open. There is no distortion at all in photos. The colors it produces are nice and warm, and it's quite contrasty. The bokeh is very creamy.
This is supposed to be a portrait lens, but I don't do many portraits yet. I have used it for other purposes, and it's quite good at just about anything you can throw at it, whether it be landscapes, close detail shots, pets, etc.
The only real negative is it does exhibit a fair amount of chromatic aberration at larger apertures. This seems to get less and less as you stop down and finally disappears completely around f3.2 or so.
The build quality is truly exquisite. I feel the lens will last for years and years. And it should for the price! Lens prices just seem to be going up and up, so if you can afford this lens and you want it, I would suggest you buy it now. I won't be selling my copy, though!
Incidentally, if it matters (and I don't think it does), my copy was Made in Japan.
Here are a few photos I've taken in just these first couple days of owning the lens. I hope to get better, but maybe these will be helpful in some way to those trying to make a decision.
backlit grass by loco's photos, on Flickr
fence in the evening light by loco's photos, on Flickr
impaled leaf by loco's photos, on Flickr
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2011 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 309
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 30, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $800.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, bokeh, speed, build quality, handling | | Cons: | Cost | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
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The FA 77 Limited is a truly great lens. It's best use is probably for portraiture. It gives portraits a beautiful 3D effect. The build quality is excellent with its all metal construction. The lens is actually fairly compact - not much larger than a FA 50. The bokeh is smooth and attractive. The color rendition is amazing. Even though this is an expensive lens, I think it is a bargain for a short telephoto for portrait work when compared to the various 85mm Pentax lenses.
| | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2010 Location: Huskerland Posts: 17 | | Review Date: September 28, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $785.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | image quality, build quality | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
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Not much I can say that hasn't already been said. I do need to state that even after reading all the reviews I was still in awe of the build quality of this lens when I took it out of the box. I've owned a number of the Leica M Lenses over the years and the FA Ltd is on par with them in its construction.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: July, 2011 Posts: 2,389 | | Review Date: August 9, 2011 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Only portrait lens in Pentax FF land | | Cons: | not up to date | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 3
Handling: 3
Value: 7
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K5, K3, K1
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OK, I bought my first copy of this lens with K5 in 2011. Nice lens, but too long for portraits on APS-C in my opinion. Lens was released in 1999 developed for film, but with nice bokeh and decent specs. Sold it for DA* 55 which was not great wide open, but did the job quite well.
7 years later Pentax made me buy this lens again, since Pentax is not able to present a FF portrait lens with updated specs in almost 20 years time. The lens still has very nice bokeh on K1, very nice for portraits and I spend a lot of money for a new copy - twice as much as for any competitors lens with similar specs. I also like the small footprint, so it fits nicely in my travel bag together with a D-FA 24-70 for regular photography - just have the little portrait lens on the side. The large aperture D-FA will be a monster of a lens compared to this lens. I just grasped that Pentax will not release a replacement anytime soon.
The lens is a keeper for FF, but the rest of my review will be quite harsh.
1999 AF sucks, it is not up to date. Images are in focus, but AF is slow and loud.
No weather sealing - after two years of use the lens attracted dust inside - more than any other lens I have owned in 30 years before.
Price - worth it for me, but for the specs completely overpriced. Double the price of Canon/Nikon/Tamron and close to Sigma ART 85... OK, Pentax needs to earn money somewhere.
Did I say that the lens in general is well made, feels great, a lot of attention has been paid to detail... It actually feels a little bit too small for K1. When I get to Japan, I probably watch out for a FA*85. It feels rediculous to hunt for last millennium lenses, but what are the options here?
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: January, 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Posts: 6,622
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 22, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $760.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | elegant metal build, large focus ring, wide open sharpness | | Cons: | pricey, more CA | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
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So I bought the DA70 and was super impressed and the story really could've ended there, but I had to try the FA77 just to see why it cost a couple hundred more $$s.
For portraits, the shallow DOF from this lens is just perfect for giving that 3D pop to your subject. Colors are amazing right out of the camera and wide open sharpness is superb. I like to manually focus and the large focus ring on this lens is divine. I do miss the quick shift vs the DA70 to which i had gotten accustomed as well as the better CA handling of the DA70. I will say now that i am aware of CA and can manage to find some in most every photo I take, this puppy makes more than most, but it is a price i am prepared to pay for the gorgeous rendering.
Oh, and I really thought the age of stylishly designed metal lenses had ended with the S-M-C Takumars but this lens is at the top of my list for beautiful design.
highly recommended & my favorite of the FA limiteds!
9.5 rating, but i'll round up.
[img]http://www.mikeoria.com/img/s11/v32/p2412294016-3.jpgp/img]
 Home Alone this shot was published in Afar travel magazine (Jan/Feb 2014)
 Seattle Blue Hour
pano
 Night Train
 Up A Tree | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: December, 2008 Location: NJ, USA Posts: 428 | | Review Date: June 26, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $550.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | great Bokeh, size, build, performance | | Cons: | some PF at 1.8. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: k5, k7
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Sharpness 10
Contrast 10
Build 10
Bokeh 10
CA/PF 9
Usefullness 9 <a bit long for APS>
Great lens( I bought used). I don't use this lens that much except for low light events and portraits. The Excellent DA* 50-135 overlaps with this lens except for the aperture and I tend to use 50-135 more. However, this is also a collectors item.
UPDATE: I have used this lens extensively as a "staff" photographer for my daughters marching band. I have received consistent feedback that the images are "stunning" . The other photographers in the group do not get the same bokeh when shooting portraits as I do. The sharpness wide open is really great and the ability to make the background melt is special. I have no fear using the 77 wide open.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: July, 2009 Location: eastern Pennsylvania, USA Posts: 151 | | Review Date: June 25, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | IQ, size, bokeh | | Cons: | none | |
I don't know if I really have anything to add to what has been said already. This is an outstanding lens in every respect.
Beautiful bokeh, very sharp wide open--extremely sharp stopped down. Colour is a bit on the warm side, but gorgeous.
What is truly amazing, though, is that this level of performance (and speed) has been put in such a small package. (I love to shoot this lens on my MX.)
I see this lens as a 'must own' for Pentax users. If Pentax discontinues it, I predict that it will go for astronomical prices on the used market.
| | | | | New Member Registered: September, 2009 Location: Melbourne Posts: 2 | | Review Date: June 20, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $800.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness,Bokeh,Field of View | | Cons: | Cost | |
Excellent construction, fantastic IQ and a perfect partner on my K-5. The Bokeh is unbelievable and so creamy. Highly recommended and you get the feeling this lens will last a life time. It is the default lens on my camera now, replacing the zooms previously used as my general purpose lenses.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2010 Location: North Germany Posts: 21
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 7, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $780.00
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | Bokeh, Sharpness, Bokeh | | Cons: | PF | |
If you ever read anything about sharpness wide open being a problem - forget about it. This lens is very very sharp wide open.
The bokeh is the best in Pentax. Definitely better than the FA31 and all DA Limiteds.
The only (small) problem this lens has is purple fringing. It does not occur a lot. It only occurs on blown highlights or dark/bright edges. This can be easily removed in Photoshop using a saturation correction layer mask - so it does not keep you from taking award winning great selling professional photos.
What can I say about this lens. If you have the money, buy it. It is definitely a stunner and a half. This one is a great lens. You will take pictures that can measure up with Canons top portrait lenses bokeh and sharpness wise.
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