i am using it on a KP so APSC. I have a FA 50mm F1.7 and would like a faster / nice bokeh portrait lens, not that the 50mm is bad, but i find 55mm to be more portrait like somehow.

thanks, yes i tend towards that, i have to say the bokeh is pretty impressive, sometimes the colours are also very good (i've been shooting with light coming from different directions inside the flat, very different results), but i also have a 55mm 1.8 K which is also very good. The plan was indeed to get an AF lens (i also have a FA 50 1.7 which is OK) for portraits, as you said the life of those lenses is sadly limited, shame Pentax isn't producing the same but without this issue. I find the size and weight to be perfect.

hello,
i've just acquired a DA* 55mm, it arrived yesterday. The seller said he bought it new and used it twice, but hasn't used it for the past 2 years. Now it arrived and the autofocus doesn't work. Known problem.
The price was very good, but still it was supposed to work.
The seller is offering for me to return it or give me a discount (i don't know for how much). I've tried it in manual and the results are great but manual focus is a pain (it's mainly to shoot my kids indoor so a lot of movement).
Question is: is the AF (when it works) good enough or do people end up using it on MF anyway?

I need to reply today on whether i keep it or not..

thanks!

the HD 15mm was indeed not sharp enough for me, i have now bought the 21mm ltd (non HD) and happy so far.

What did you end up getting? I’m interested in this or the Pentax smc F 28mm 2.8, I would assume the sigma is also sharp from 2.8 but would offer a softer / bokeh type at 1.4 so maybe more versatile? Anyone tried both?

yes i guess it's part of this hobby, but it can be distracting to have too many options, in my case i dont know how to plan my next trip. On top of that i've bought two lenses + a camera in one month so my wife is wondering what is going on (though happy to see the results). Space is fake issue, but cluttering kind of is (i have a lot of music gear which isn't being used)

It also happened to me that i look for a lens and realized i've sold it many years ago. Kind of funny how one forgets, i've been digging old emails to realize i have owned many lenses.

but yes the default will be to stick to them, it's more a fear of things becoming obsolete (like my old MZ30), i guess it's different with older lenses like the K, SMC A, M etc.. where i don't mind sticking to them, but my view is more that i would prefer they get used than taking dusks and be found in my cellar 40 years from now when i pass away, i don't assume they can be recycled/reused to repair something else..

Yes sounds good in theory, I don’t shoot much though unfortunately and I have never been a fan of “forcing” myself to shoot (as in shooting for the sake of it). Maybe I need to start carrying my camera with me around

I see no use for Photoshop (which i used extensively 25 years ago for other purposes), but Lightroom is not an option to skip IMO. The jpg vs RAW is probably well documented, the reason to move to RAW (can't remember when) was the white balance options in post-processing. I have to say i think cameras have gone such a long way that i have no doubt some jpg can look amazing with no processing (well other than the camera doing it). The big advantage of jpg now is that we are competing with phone pictures that can be shared within seconds, and raw format isn't great for that (at least not for me).

Maybe it's worth you taking a class or watching one basic tutorial on youtube to learn how to use basic functions of LR? (i have Lightroom 3 which is 15 years old, maybe simpler to use i don't know, i probably don't even use it fully).

Hello, after not being very active for over a decade, i'm back in the "game". I realize there are new lenses, but also that due to the lower demand for DA lenses, some of them have gone down in price substantially (the 16-50mm f2.8?!). With that it means my lenses have taken a massive hit, to the point that they have virtually no value, i remember looking for a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 awhile ago going to a shop in London asking if they had a second hand one, and the salesman laughed at me and said "why would anyone want to sell this lens? it's too good, move on kid" - it took me half a year to afford one, which i did and still have, now they are for sale for 60 quid (!!).

So my question is: what should we do with those older lenses? keep them (for no reason) or sell them for almost nothing? or who wants them (photo schools?)??

The ones that would probably go:
- Tammy 17-50 (which has a bit of movement so no longer in pristine condition)
- Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6
- the older 50mm SMC A f1.7, great lens but i have a FA 1.7 and a K 55mm so hard to justify having 3.
- Sigma 24mm 2.8m macro (manual focus).. love it but not suitable for my shooting (kids moving, now overlapping with my new 21mm)

Any tips/advice welcome

Did you buy it from a UK seller? Can’t find any decent price at the moment (the one one mpb is decent but doesn’t sound too good condition).
If you don’t like it feel free to contact me I will buy it for a bit more than what you paid