| Author: | | Inactive Account Registered: January, 2008 Location: Sørumsand, Norway Posts: 59 | | Review Date: June 2, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $800.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Bokeh, sharp wide open | | Cons: | CA | |
Very good lens with excellent image quality in most aspects. Especially wide open, which is where I like to use it for the most. Took som photos of my oldest son with rather grey/white sky, and was disappointed to see that much of his hair was BLUE because of CA.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Ohio, USA/ India Posts: 478 | | Review Date: May 16, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $690.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | great portrait lens, astounding bokeh | | Cons: | None | |
This was my first introduction to the great world of FA limiteds. It was a bittersweet introduction because the seller did not describe the lens accurately before the sale. Thankfully the lens performed well optically. The bokeh was like a light wash of watercolour! I absolutely fell in love with it's rendering. It is indeed too long for indoor portraits on the cropped sensor. I solved that by getting a MZ S - the MZ S with the FA 77 is one of the best combinations I have used. The portraits look like a true work of Art.
One thing that I have noticed in all my FA Limiteds - they all have terrible backfocus on my K20D and now have upwards of +8 dialed in AF adjustments. The other thing I noted was that they all have assymetrical apertures. These are things I worried about when I bought them, but I can live with them considering their outstanding performance optically.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: March, 2010 Posts: 114 | | Review Date: April 26, 2011 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Beautifully made, sharp wide open, small size | | Cons: | None | |
My copy of this beautiful lens is sharp wide open. I love the small size on the K5, which is what drove me to this lens. I was also considering the Sigma 85, but after the results i get now from this lens, there is no reason to be even further back from my subject, which you would be with the 85 focal length. Not only is it good for portraits, but also other creative DOF pictures such as the one below, which i love to find.
 | | | | | Forum Member Registered: May, 2010 Location: Brisbane Posts: 99 | | Review Date: April 7, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $770.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Beautiful rendering, sharp, small and light | | Cons: | purple fringing | |
This was my dream lens for a while before purchase.
When I finally got around to purchasing it lived up to its reputation. A great lens for shooting candid portraits at weddings or of the kids playing at the local park in the late afternoon.
I will never sell!
| | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: September, 2009 Location: Seattle Posts: 44 | | Review Date: April 7, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $740.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, bokeh, scale indicators! | | Cons: | Slip-on cap doesn't play nice with filters | |
Simply one of the best lenses I have ever used - superb optical quality, sharpness like you will not believe, even wide open, and built like a tank. Truly one of the finest lenses out there.
Slightly soft wide open at f/1.8, but far better than anything else I've seen at that aperture. Sharpness becomes difficult to improve by f/2.8. At f/8 the sharpness is incredible - even pixel peepers can't complain.
Bokeh rendering is creamy and smooth. Nothing to complain about here.
The fact that it will work with old film bodies is great also - the focal length goes from a deeper portrait to a mid telephoto that's surprisingly good for street work.
The only complaint is that the slip-on lens cap stays on the lens hood well, but less so when the lens has a filter attached. I've had the cap come off in the bag.
Beyond all of that, the build quality is what makes this lens stand apart from others so easily - this is simply the best non-Leica, non-Zeiss lens I've ever held in my hands. Full metal construction, incredibly sturdy, no looseness anywhere. Besides producing great images, this thing looks like it can handle a war.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2010 Posts: 753 | | Review Date: December 9, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | size and weight, build, bokeh, contrast, lens hood | | Cons: | expensive, autofocus, lens cap | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 10
Value: 7
New or Used: Used
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This one is difficult to judge. I haven't tried it on film yet so my opinion on the lens would not be definite. Bad things first:
Expensive - no matter how great this lens is it's price is quite high - especialy when i found out that my K105/2.8 which costs me half of FA77 gives me the same pretty much the same results (bear in mind that I'm not priniting huge sheets)
Autofocus - the lens on K20d in AF misses quite often, so the AF is not very reliable...but i suppose the body is to be blamed here, no the lens....anyway, i had to mention this
(K5 - same af performance)
Lens cap, Hood - just a minor downsides....easy to be solved
Manual Focusing - is not that good as the MF pentax lenses have, however i believe it is a good compromise since it is AF lens, still better than other FA and DA lenses i had tried
Good things:
Built in hood 
Resolution, Sharpness, Contrast - very good, i compared it with than other lenses of similar focal lenght i had (Zeiss Sonnar85mm and Pentax A 100m and and Pentax K 105/2.8). The differences are so subtle that if it weren't AF i would probably be happy enough with K105mm. (I didn't shoot any charts, just compared the photos taken with all 4 lenses)
Flare - I find it bit more prone to flare than Zeiss, A100....same as K105
Bokeh - very smooth and nice, better than Zeiss or A100...on par with K105
Wide Open Performance - although i use it rarely, it is here when Pentax 77 shines....really good performance
Body - really nicely made, feels solid but nowhere close to K105
so my rating:
optical quality 9/10
mechanical quality 8/10
price-performance ratio 7/10
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2009 Location: 14er Country Posts: 323
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 30, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Everything | | Cons: | Mine Developed a Focus Problem | |
What can I say that hasn't been said about this lens? Probably not much. It just does everything well. I don't think I've ever used a lens that equals it, and I've only used a couple that come close to matching it.It just flat out performs. Sharpness, color, bokeh, etc. You name it, and this lens is great at it. It's my very favorite to use, and I'm never disappointed by the pictures that I get from it.
I did have one problem about a year ago, though. For some reason, one day when I pulled it out of my camera bag, it would no longer focus to infinity. I never dropped it, and I don't even remember jostling it in the camera bag or anything. It just quit focusing to infinity that day with no rhyme or reason. I sent it to CRIS camera, and two weeks and $70 later, all was well again. I still don't know what caused it, but thought I should post the experience.
With that aside, all I can do is gush about the lens. Would that all lenses could be this good!
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: November, 2007 Location: Scarborough, ON, Canada Posts: 30 | | Review Date: November 5, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $900.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Bokeh, Colour Rendition | | Cons: | None | | New or Used: New
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I have only had this lens a few weeks and I love it already. Decided to travel light and carry only primes (15, 31, 50, 77) for awhile. Now taking my K20D with me every day. Love the colours, the bokeh and the size of the lens compared to my zooms. It took awhile to understand how to use it properly - early shots were out of focus and dark, but I am gradually getting better with it.
My photoset of shots from this lens is at
(Non working link removed)
Here is one shot at f/2.8. ISO 100. 1/160:
(Non working link removed)
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2007 Location: Nove Zamky, Slovakia Posts: 7,183
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 12, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | size, IQ, build quality | | Cons: | none really | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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OK, I have bought this lens back in August but decided to wait with the review. I don't shoot longer lenses all that much so it took me a while until I put this one through it's paces.
It's an excellent lens IMHO. The size is perfect for long days out, streets, portraits anything. At f1.8 it's plenty fast, and delivers thin DOF. If anything it's too sharp at this f stop for portraits. But that's just personal and very specific observation. Other than that, the lens is great. Superbly sharp, with very pleasant OOF rendering. It delivers very pleasant "pop" or so called 3D effect.
Build quality is 2nd to none as you'd expect from FA ltd. I wouldn't mind faster lens but then I'd have to drag around much bigger lump of glass and for that reason 77ltd is great compromise between speed/size and quality (build and IQ). All in all 10/10 from me...
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2009 Location: Brisbane Posts: 3,561
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 5, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Strong Built, Bokeh, colour rendering, fast, sharp wide open. | | Cons: | Nothing | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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Ive had this lens for a month now and wow! This truely is one special lens. Every time a take a picture with it it leaves me with a smile on my face.
The bokeh is unbelieveble, its very sharp wide open and only gets even sharper when stopped down. The keeper rate of my photos has gone up dramaticly using this lens the colours and tone it produce's is just beautiful. I cant find any faults with this lens.
Taken wide open- f/1.8
f/1.8-
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 509 | | Review Date: September 4, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Explosive color, Very well built, superb for portrait | | Cons: | too expensive, no manual override, focusing slow, little PF in certain condition | |
Finally, I borrowed a copy from a friend. It is like borrowing a "baby." I must pamper it.
Positive: The color rendition and local contrast are simply stunning. The background blur is beautiful. It controls PF and CA better than my F50 f1.7 or my K85 f1.8 at the largest aperture. The contrast is simply great, even in low light. It is extremely well built. (but focusing not as well damped as K series lenses). Rear element does not move when focusing. IMQ is ever so slightly higher than my K85 at longer distance. K85 has more CA which gives a soft touch. It is also smaller than K85. PF is not as bad as shown in some reviews and can be removed by photo editing programs. I wish that Pentax cameras can automatically adjust for the problem like they treated DA lenses.
Negative: A bit slow and noisy focusing. No manual override when focusing. Way too expensive. Shortest focusing distance a bit long for a modern lens like this. The lens hood is a bit small. The cap is easy to get lost in the field or in the dark. A bit PF in certain light conditions.
Am I going to buy one of these eventually? Maybe. This is not a lens for daily use. It is way too beautiful and delicate for my camera bag. It is for collectors. I am no collector. | | | | | Senior Member Registered: August, 2007 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 233 | | Review Date: August 24, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Takes sublime pictures | | Cons: | Slightly slower autofocus, a bit of chromatic aberration. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 6
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K30
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I usually don't bother to review lenses so many others have reviewed already. Afterall, what more is there to add? But this lens really surprised me and I feel I have to give it its due.
First off, I'm normally a wide-angle kind of guy, I have few telephoto lenses. I only got this lens because I got an unusually good deal. Boy did I miss out on a good thing all these years! This lens has become my favorite lens (even compared to the FA31). The rendering is so breathtaking, it really has to be tried to be believed. Casual headshots become masterpiece portraits. It's hard to believe, but really, I'm super impressed. OK, on to the technicals:
This lens is very sharp wide open. In fact, this is one of the most useful lens wide open I have ever experienced (and I have tried a lot of lenses). I actually prefer to shoot with this lens wide open because of the rendering characteristics. Wide open it has a pinch of softness that does wonders for portraits. Minimal loss of contrast. Stop it down a little bit and it becomes razor sharp. The focusing is slower than in DA lenses because of the long focus throw. This lens takes a full 1/2 turn from closest to infinity. The great part about that is it makes manual focusing so much better, the downside is the autofocusing is slower (but I feel more accurate). (For reference, the FA31 only does a quarter turn for the focus throw). The only optical issue is a tiny bit of chromatic fringing on high contrast areas.
Lastly, the MIV (Made in Vietnam) Issue. Lots of people prefer Made in Japan versions of the FA Limited. I did too, so it was somewhat disappointing when I got this lens with "Made in Vietnam" printed in small letters on the bottom of this lens. But you know, my lens was so well built, so sharp, so perfect that I don't believe any Made in Japan lens could be any better. In fact, I think they should proudly make the Made in Vietnam label bigger because they did such a good job. (The old Made in Japan label was bigger than the Lens name, the current Made in Vietnam label you need a magnifying glass to find). My two cents.
Update 1/12/17:
I stored this lens in a safe dry location for two years because my two babies made it too crazy to do much photography. Took it out, mounted it on my K3. It promptly went "GRRRR" and turned really rough. I couldn't focus it by hand at all, it had completely seized up. Pentax wanted $300+ dollars to repair. Bad AF Block (some gears and chip in a package). So much for Made in Vietnam. I have 40 year old lenses that still work great. I have 25 year old autofocus lenses that still work great. Very disappointing since the lens was still mint and it didn't die from overuse. Have to take points off for build quality. I take back my two cents.  | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2009 Location: Cork Posts: 1,882 | | Review Date: August 7, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Colour, Contrast, Bokeh, Exceptional for Portraits | | Cons: | Perhaps a bit of purple fringing | |
I have this about a year now so feel qualified to pass judgement. Build is exceptional, I know this cause I managed to drop it out of my bag on a night out onto a concrete pavement and bounced, rolled 5 meters away. Picked it up and other than a nick on its front cap was perfect. I will admit that its not a test I want to try again though. Tactile wise its a delight like its siblings the other FA limiteds. It also just looks right, hard to explain but on a K20D and set at f1.8 you just know that there is a serious piece of glass there, designed to suck in light.
Colour rendition, contrast, bokeh, 3D, it has it all in spades, images just seem to jump out at you. If it has a darkside then it is purple fringing in high contrast i.e. black metal on white or tree branches against a sky, saying that I have only noticed this at wide apertures and it is correctable with PP.
K20D, F2.0, ISO 400
 | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: March, 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Posts: 23,920
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 24, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $680.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Top build, Unrivalled IQ, colours and 3D rendition | | Cons: | Only f/1.8 | |
I've come late on board to review this gem, but I've had it for some time and used it on my best photographic occasions. Needless to say, it's invariably given me my best results.
Unbelievable colours and contrast, razor sharp details, blow-your-mind-away 3D effects and small, light & sturdy design. Can't be beat.
I don't give 10/10 often, but this one, along with the FA 31 has it.
My negative aspect noted above to me is insignificant...
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Posts: 9,830 | | Review Date: July 14, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Great IQ, aperture ring, full frame, fast | | Cons: | Pricey now | |
This is one of my favorite lenses on both a DSLR and film. The image quality is superb, and the aperture ring allows me to use it on every one of my film and digital bodies.
As a portrait lens, it has the large aperture magic. However, I use it for action as well on digital. The 77mm focal length gets you closer than you would think on a cropped sensor.
I'm sorry to see the price go up so high on this one, not that it isn't worth it, but I think everyone should have a shot at putting this jewel in the bag.
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