Jirka-
Forum Enthusiast
I have ordered the FA 77 limited and have some doubts whether I should not go for the DA 70 instead.
One of the reasons for buying one of these lenses is to begin to build up a lightweight array of lenses for Pentax K-7. The 2.8 50/135 zoom makes better pictures than I would have expexted from a zoom, however my total equipment is heavy and sometimes I take just the K-7 and FA 35/2.
The reasons for and against FA 77:
It is faster than the DA 70. This advantage may become less significant if I decide to upgrade to K5.
According to reviews the FA seems to be better at low apertures, but the FA is maybe slightly better stopped down.
FA 77 is expensive for my budget, but there is the irratonal appeal of a beautifully made classic lens.
FA has an aperture ring which would enable me a very cheap macro solution.
Some examples of the sort of pictures I would like to take with the lens (all with 50-135 pentax DA zoom) - with pentax K-10, I did not have much time and mood for photography since I bought the K-7 with both my parents seriously ill :
A portrait in low available light (it is a last picture of my mother who died three weeks ago at age 85, taken on the day of her 84th birthday).
A tripod shot taken with the sun just bellow the horizon (that is why I made is so dark)
A hanheld shot of a static object with the lens stopped only slightly - the only place from which I could shoot the beatifull sundial without perspective distortion is inside a chateux where using tripod is not allowed. ( To show noon it had to be shot at 1PM summertime; the time data in the exif are not correct which is true for all the images)
One of the reasons for buying one of these lenses is to begin to build up a lightweight array of lenses for Pentax K-7. The 2.8 50/135 zoom makes better pictures than I would have expexted from a zoom, however my total equipment is heavy and sometimes I take just the K-7 and FA 35/2.
The reasons for and against FA 77:
It is faster than the DA 70. This advantage may become less significant if I decide to upgrade to K5.
According to reviews the FA seems to be better at low apertures, but the FA is maybe slightly better stopped down.
FA 77 is expensive for my budget, but there is the irratonal appeal of a beautifully made classic lens.
FA has an aperture ring which would enable me a very cheap macro solution.
Some examples of the sort of pictures I would like to take with the lens (all with 50-135 pentax DA zoom) - with pentax K-10, I did not have much time and mood for photography since I bought the K-7 with both my parents seriously ill :
A portrait in low available light (it is a last picture of my mother who died three weeks ago at age 85, taken on the day of her 84th birthday).
A tripod shot taken with the sun just bellow the horizon (that is why I made is so dark)
A hanheld shot of a static object with the lens stopped only slightly - the only place from which I could shoot the beatifull sundial without perspective distortion is inside a chateux where using tripod is not allowed. ( To show noon it had to be shot at 1PM summertime; the time data in the exif are not correct which is true for all the images)
) Good for portraiture and as a general purpose shot tele but also as you say, due to the aperture ring you can use it as a close focus/macro lens with tubes.
But I got mine nearer to the old prices not today's price points. Still after shooting Canon for so long I never felt the images had any "character" which is something like I feel when looking at my images with the DA I have. But too that could be because I have the one DA Limited Macro and all macros render in the same rectilinear fashion, especially in comparison to the FA Limiteds.
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