| Author: | | | | | Review Date: August 25, 2008 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharp, compact, beautiful manual focus | | Cons: | none | |
Best medium tele I've ever owned - I rate it higher than the Nikkor 85mm f2 and the Zuiko 100mm 2.8, both of which were my standards in the film days.
I personally like the built in hood, and I've found the best way to use lens caps is to hold firmly in the right hand, suspend over a garbage bag, and then release your grip. Any lens cap is a total abortion, so the few complaints about these things others have made are to me irrelevant.
I find "The 77" is becoming my go to lens for a great deal of landscape work, as well as faces. It is very selective and perhaps the best manual focussing autofocus lens I have used.
A winner in every respect.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2008 Location: socal Posts: 1,575 | | Review Date: March 16, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $700.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | beautiful construction, lovely bokeh, sublime images | | Cons: | price (but you get what you pay for) | |
What can I say that hasn't already be said? The construction is so beautiful I almost shed a tear when I took it out of the pouch. Balances perfectly on a K20d. Buttery smooth manual focus. I find the AF to be find, but it will hunt in low light. Most lenses do anyway so that doesn't shock me. I wish it had quick shift, but that's the way it goes.
The shots. Stunning. Creamy bokeh, edges pop, contrast is sharp but not garish. Makes me never want to use a zoom again. Ever.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2007 Location: Phoenix Posts: 1,056 | | Review Date: March 2, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $570.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | image quality, build quality, focus ring, lens hood | | Cons: | slow autofocus | |
I don't give a 10 very often. The only other time was for the FA 31mm, the standard against which all lenses should be judged, in my opinion. The images this lens produces are incredible. Very sharp wide open, and obscenely sharp at f/4. The bokeh is similar to the other FA Limiteds, smooth and "dream-like".
This lens manually focuses better than any other AF lens I've ever used, and better even than some manual lenses. There is a long throw and it is well-damped, which makes it awesome paired with my MX. On the other hand, that means that autofocus is VERY slow. But on such a gorgeously built lens, I'll take a minor shortcoming.
Buy this lens. Buy it, buy it, buy it.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: August, 2007 Location: Near Utrecht, Netherlands Posts: 1,221 | | Review Date: January 29, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $650.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharp in-focus, nice bokeh | | Cons: | slow AF on Ist | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: New
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I bought this lens after having read here it is an absolute must-have. Till now, I am happy I did that. It may turn out to become the lens for making portraits of my colleagues for our corporate website!
I have other lenses that are quicker with their AF. And my jumping baby daughter (18 months old now) won't wait. These are experiences on the *Ist ds. On K10d focus may be faster. But I put it on the *Ist ds because both lens and camera are nicely small. They become my allways in my bag-set. (Together with a 28mm prime, maybe next year replaced by a 31mm ltd?)
Some examples are (Non working link removed)
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2007 Location: Singapore Posts: 348 | | Review Date: January 19, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Great everything! - optics, build, bokeh, handling, contrast etc, etc | | Cons: | absolutely none | |
Call me biased in the review, but there's a reason why this lens is my favourite (even among all the 3 FA ltds, but that's a matter of preference. the other 2 ltds are excellent lens as well). The bokeh is excellent, and its fantastic for portraits. Unlike the FA50/1.4, this lens is sharper wide open (then again the min aperture is bigger), and there is no flaw whatsoever I can find with it. Go get this one.
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2006 Location: Maui Posts: 11 | | Review Date: May 28, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $590.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharp, small, beautiful, awesome quality | | Cons: | built-in hood | |
This is without a doubt the best lens I've ever owned or used... it stays on my camera most of the time, too. If this is a focal length you need/like, get this lens!
The reason I don't like the built-in hood has more to do with the slide on cap... I need to use a front filter (as protection from the kids, etc) and this makes that cap hard to keep on the lens. I ended up just buying a cheap snap-on cap... no big deal, IOW.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2006 Location: London, England Posts: 1,187 | | Review Date: May 2, 2007 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, colourful, contrasty, nice bokeh | | Cons: | Lens cap, some CA | |
Only the very slight CA and the daft lens cap that drops off stop this being a perfect lens but neither are worth losing a whole point for.
Its a great focal length on the K10D, providing a VERY compact F1.8 115mm lens which is superb for street work and portraits. Build quality is second to none. Sometimes I am just afraid to use it - its a precious object!
Legends are made of this. I dont think there is any othe Japanese lens that compares, though Pentax own 70 pancake runs it surprisingly close on centre sharpness and contrast.
Overall ratings:
Usefulness: 10
Sharpness: 10
Colour: 10
Contrast: 10
Build: 10
CA: 9
Flare: 9 (hood could be better)
Bokeh: 9
Design: 8 (stupid lens cap and useless hood)
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: November, 2006 Location: Vancouver Canada Posts: 53 | | Review Date: March 15, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $700.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Brilliant, tack sharp images | | Cons: | | |
This is a great lens for sports, especially indoors with TV lights like at NHL Games. It's a lens that amazes me time after time.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2007 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 614 | | Review Date: March 13, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Build quality and materials; tight feel; 3D effect, DOF, and contrast. | | Cons: | Er... I have only one of this lens? | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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Lather, rinse, repeat...
What's to say that hasn't already been said?
I do like the weight of it. It stabilizes the camera in my hands.
Colour rendition and contrast are fabulous. Bokeh is nice and smooth. Nine aperture blades means a candle gives an 18-point star, which is a great effect.
I don't care much for the cap or the bag, but not using these will help keep the resale value up. I'm using a standard 49mm push-on lens cap: much easier and won't slide off.
I also really like the classic finish.
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2007 Location: Norway Posts: 1 | | Review Date: March 13, 2007 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Another perfect lens | | Cons: | Lens hood? | |
As said above sharp, beautiful OOF rendering, solid build. I love this lens.
Lens hood is OK but does not protect the lens much as it is the slide out type. I will probably get a metal hood for this one.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: October, 2006 Location: Masachusetts Posts: 243 | | Review Date: March 10, 2007 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, great bokeh, solidly built. Perhaps one of the best AF lenses ever. | | Cons: | Lens hood is a bit silly | |
This is another of the Luminous Landscape "best autofocus lenses ever made" and I have to say my experience agrees with that.
Fantastic for portraits on the film cameras, and perfect for head shots on the digitals.
(By the way, the 52mm lens cap fits right on the hood. Less chance to slip off than the green felt.)
It's the best you can get. Get it.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2007 Location: Warsaw Posts: 338 | | Review Date: February 1, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | bokeh, sharpnes | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K20D, K5
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great bokeh and sharpnes from wide open. Not big.
I've changed my rate to 10 after half year of usage. Great performer.
Difficult to imagine better portrait lens.
just few samples:
others are here http://piotrsobolewski.zenfolio.com/pentax_fa_77 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783 | | Review Date: January 10, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $580.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Full of metal, sharp image, great colour rendition | | Cons: | Bokeh CA | | New or Used: New
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This is a great lens. As everyone has suggested...
Did a little review a while back.
Simple review
My sample shots here
My FA 77mm f1.8 shots | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2006 Location: Ontario Posts: 744 | | Review Date: January 9, 2007 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Size, build, sharpness, oof renderings | | Cons: | lens cap | |
A beautiful lens in both appearance and functionality. It works as both portrait and tight landscape lens delivering sharp, images with great oof renderings.
The only thing that I can say about this lens in a negative light is the lens-cap is a pain. Mine has fallen off a couple of times and in spite of the silver paint, they're not too easy to spot in high grass.
On thing that makes this lens particularly useful to me is what you see is what you get in-so-far as if a tree appears a certain size to the naked eye (mine, at least), it appears that size through this lens as well (although with limits on the angle of view). This makes the 77mm a very natural lens to use when I'm unsure of how to approach a subject.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2006 Location: North Idaho Posts: 696 | | Review Date: January 8, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $690.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | everything | | Cons: | nothing | |
If lenses were an alter at which we worship . . . I would bow down to the mighty SMC-P FA 77 f/1:1.8 Limited deity. It is 'that' perfect. The only comparison I can make is to Italian Campagnolo cycling components. Sometimes, one just doesn't want to use them because they are such works of art. Such is the FA77/1.8 lens. It has evolved that I only use this lens when I want to "show off" and impress people, especially photographers who use other competing brands of cameras and optics. For 'normal' work, I'll use the DA70 Limited instead.
Extremely Highly Recommended. Given a 10 rating because . . . well, there isn't anything better.
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