It's REAL!

I'm sure everybody has read and listened lots of praise to the SMC Pentax-FA 1:1.8 31mm AL Limited lens. For those of you who still don't have one and never had the chance to use one:

It's all real. Everything. Every little bit of praise. Yes!

Ok, so there were lots of threads about this lens in the recent past, but this is deserved. I can't stress how great the lens is! It could be a little smaller and lighter (345g), but I like it's looks! Aesthetically pleasing (looks a treat on my DS), a joy to use in auto and manual focus, unbelievabely sharp to the corners even wide open, undescribable rendition and beautifull bokeh (yes, even wide open!), no distortion, no chromatic aberrations, no purple fringing, I really can't find a single flaw!

(Disclaimer: obviously, the lens has CA, purple fringing, distortions and the like, it's just that they are so low that, for me, they are completely negligible).

Sorry about this, but I really had to let this out! Now I'll just go and use it. It will be hard to take it off my DS, no matter what lens wants to take it's place!

I don't have any Pentax Star lens; are they better than the Limiteds?

Have fun!

Nothing is better than the Limiteds. Though people say the FA* 85mm 1:1.4 is a reasonable lens.

G

Shhhhh. Everybody will want one.

tiny bit late for that

I hope you mean the "proper" Limiteds of course George - comparing the 70mm DA Ltd with the 77mm FA Ltd, as an example, isn't quite the same thing...

Flink - I understand your joy - it's a cracker of a lens! I'm ashamed to say that I don't use mine anywhere near often enough...

Indeed! I don't have any of the new Limiteds. Though I'm tempted by the 21mm, which doesn't have any competitors.

G

I'm actually thinking hard about buying an autofocus portrait lens, and the only ones that I seem to desire are the 77mm and the 70mm. Although the 70mm is a stop slower, it is also half the money, size and weight.

Anyone has a DA 70mm Limited? How good is it? Photozone.de has a nice test of both lenses, but I'm still undecided...

Choices, choices... who said Pentax has a poor lens catalogue?

Not moi.

The 77mm will make a better match for your 31mm than the 70mm. And it's faster. No contest, in my view.

G