Which fast normal prime?

Hi all,

I´m deciding between the Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 and Sigma 30mm f/1.4, what should I choose?

The lens I bought together with the K-x was the DA17-70, which I still use. I would like to go into primes mainly because of image quality (which shoud be better than my zoom) and low light performance which I miss a bit in my DA zoom. I can't or wouldn't take my flash everytime/everywhere I go, beside that I like available light photography.

I'm searching for a nice prime, preferably a normal FOV, so not (ultra)wide/tele which I can use in general. The use of my new prime mainly will be indoor low light, but also general photography (indoor/outdoor) being more creative with one focal length instead of continuously zooming / framing. It would be nice if the new prime is lighter in weight than my zoom, however this is not a must have.

Are there maybe any (third party) alternatives I should consider? BTW, I do not shoot a lot of macro is not a must have feature for me.

Budget: +- EUR 400,= max.

I appreciate all help and tips, preferably from people who own more than one normal prime and advise based on own practice.

Many thanks in advance!

It depends on what you shoot with it - I have a Sigma 30/1.4 and it is excellent for available light shots of people and has really smooth bokeh, but it's less good for landscapes as the edges aren't as good as the Pentax.

If your main criterion is a €400 budget, small size, low light performance and a normal FOV - I would have thought the Sigma 30 1.4 is a good choice - and what about the Pentax 50mm 1.4? or if you don't need it to be quite as fast - what about the Pentax DA 40mm 2.8.

Of course from a price perspective the Pentax DA 35 2.4 will be very hard to beat - great lens - great price -you would have enough left of your €400 to buy another lens

Carl

Or if you don't mind stretching to F2.8 and take close-ups you could think about the highly rated and very well built DA 35mm macro Limited!

Can currently be picked up at the reduced price of £299, leaving you a hundred quid for more glass link

Thanks for your support so far - very useful - but I still have some questions left:

Which prime will give the best overall performance for shooting indoor playing kids / landscapes / available light / portraits (I will buy only one prime)?

Are there any quality problems to be expected with the Sigma 30/1.4 when I
order a brand new one with the new black matt finish? Are the known quality
issues (front/back focus isssues as well as soft copies) with this lens meanwhile solved? The lens has been introduced in 2005, should meanwhile be solved.
What is the risk getting a bad copy and how should I test on this?

Does the CA/distortion correction on my K-x work when I put a DA35/2.4 on it?

(in this case the lens has been released a couple of years later than the camera, is it backwards compatible?).
What result can we expect from the corners of 30/1.4 in real life landscape shots
(necessarily it can be stopped down for landscape shooting to at least f?

Again, thanks for your appreciated help!

The Sigma.

In my time I have had the 35mm f2 and the 35mm f2.4. Both great lenses. I will never part with the Sigma 30mm 1.4. NEVER.

so when do i pick up my new lens from you Bob Sigma 30mm 1.4. lol

Hmmmmm there's a word that springs to mind, I'm sure I used it in my last post

I have and use the Sigma 30/1.4 a lot. There is a huge difference in actual low light use between 1.4 and 2.4/2.8. The Sigma is fast focusing, sharp as a needle and the perfect FL. No contest in my book - even for landscapes you are not going to notice much difference at all unless you pixel peep or make huge prints from it. It's a superb lens.

Amen to that.

Best of all there's one available in the classifieds (in the new matt black finish) and I know the seller will be open to reasonable offers!