31mm Limited lens

Hi

am looking for a good prime lens for my DL, is the 31mm Limited lens suitable for digital, and has anyone here used one?



Regards
Rick

I doubt that you'll find a better prime lens anywhere than the 31mm Limited.

Yes it is suitable for digital and has the 'ghostless' coating to prevent the issues of reflections from digital sensors. It's an FA series lens which means it produces an image circle suitable for 35mm film cameras. The 1.5x crop factor means it'll have an angle of view equivalent to approx. 46mm on a Pentax DSLR.

Yes, I've used one. Astonishingly sharp, even wide open, with truly magnificent bokeh.

The downside: I think I'm right in saying (I don't have mine to hand at the moment) that the built-in hood is not removable which makes the fitting of filters difficult, if not impossible. Others will correct me soon enough if I'm wrong .

It looks a great lens but it's also very, very expensive.

I'd like to own a 31mm limited however with £800 burning a hole in my pocket I'd be quite tempted to spend it on a SMC-FA 50mm F1.4 (£170) and then pick up a DA 16-50mm F2.8 zoom (£600) with the change...

I have a simple policy when it comes to buying camera equipment.

Unless I specifically want an out-of-production camera, I always buy camera bodies new. You don't know where a second-hand one has been, or what it has done.

With lenses, I always buy second-hand, unless they are so new or so sought-after that there is no alternative to a new one.

You can get a good idea of the condition of lenses just by looking at them. And most lenses never go wrong, unlike camera bodies.

So to me, a 31mm Ltd is not an £800 lens, it's half that.

And by the way, although the 31mm is superb, I would personally rank the 77mm slightly above it.

G

Mannesty

The hood is not removable, but circular screw thread filters will fit very easily. I use three three glassless filter rings to enable me to fit a rubber hood, as the built in one is not very efficient. And yes it is worth the effort !

Thanks for the info.

Thanks for the advice.

You can pick up a new 31mm for around £650, but I agree with George, second hand is a good way to go. Unfortunately these lenses are like hens teeth on the used market.

As for the fixed lens hood, I rarely use filters so thats not a problem.


Rick

I just wanted to share my excitement at having become the proud owner of a 31mm ltd lens. It really does appear to do magic.

A 31mm just sold in the states For £370
and a 77mm for £290 thats considerably cheaper than £650

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=48558&item=180...

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=48558&item=180...

I paid £410 for mine.