which portrait lens is good

[vichio]

 Hi everybody,
 I plan to buy Pentax K100D. But i'm regreted of having D50 + 50mm f/1.8d for portrait that is very cheap ( 380RM ). I can't afford too much for the lens. Anyone here can inform me about some good portrait lens of Pentax and how it compare to Nikkor 50mm f/1.8d ? I heard that Nikkor 50mm produces very sharp and good DOF.
 How about
Pentax SMC-FA 50mm F1.4
PENTAX DA 40mm F2.8 Limited
PENTAX DA 70mm / 2.4 Limited
or
TAMRON AF SP 90mm f2.8 macro 1:1

for portrait shot, does 70 or 90mm better than 40, 50mm ? Or i should go for 40mm f2.8 limited ?

[sooming]

If you ask me, the DA 50-200 is just excellent. You don't have to limit yourself to primes.

[Alien_Zero]

Who says primes are limitations !!!!

[sooming]

Errr...I didn't say primes are the limitation...but just reminding vichio that he doesn't need to limit his choices to primes. Got it?

[Pete C]

Interesting question.  I would like to see some pictures taken with the 40mm limited lens. My favorite film portrait was the 85mm f1.9 (M lens).  I took some pictures last weekend with the 50mm F1.4 FA that were nice.

[vichio]

but how about 75-300 ? it's really cheap price ? and take a prime lens also ?

[benjikan]

As I have both the 40 and 70 Limited lenses, I can give you my perceptions.  They are both "Brutally" sharp lenses.  However the perspective is very different in both.  One is rounder and more intimate while the other flattens out the image more and gives you more apparent DOF.  The 40 is more of an all rounder allowing you to shoot in smaller quarters as well as being able to hand hold the camera at slower shutter speeds due to it's shorter focal length.   It is a tough call, but I would probably go more for the 40L just out of convenience.  My whole "Diva" story was shot with the 40L lens.  The 70 is a marvelous lens but for me a more user specific lens.  I would tend to use it pulled further back for fashion or when I wish to reduce the field of view to isolate the subject more.  It has "That" compressed look, especially wide open.

Here is a sample from "Diva"

Ben

[Alien_Zero]

Errr...I didn't say primes are the limitation...but just reminding vichio that he doesn't need to limit his choices to primes. Got it?

Lost in translation...lol

[Gus]

but how about 75-300 ? it's really cheap price ? and take a prime lens also ?

If you want something to compare to your Nikkor 50mm, you should stay away from zooms (although the DA 50-200mm is very good for the price, if you want the highest picture quality, I would stick to primes).

FA 50mm 1.4 is an affordable lens, a little soft at 1.4 but useful in low light no flash situations and should deliver excellent quality when stopped down between 5.6 and 11 (things start to improve dramatically between 3.5 / 4.0). US price is around $200

Another alternative would be the $300 FA 35mm 2.0. You may find the angle on digital to be more practical than the 50mm, depending on your situation. Although not as fast as the 50mm 1.4 and does produce a tiny little bit more distortion in comparison, many people seem to prefer it over the 50mm.

I have not tried the DA 40mm 2.8 (which sells for less than $300). Some reviews report that its optical qualities (in terms of resolution) are adequate but not stunning. Ben, who unlike me, is a pro seems to be happy enough with it to recommend it.

You can check his comments in the following thread:
http://pentaxworld.com/fo...966.msg6553;topicseen#new

Here are links to reviews for the DA 40mm L and the 50-200:
http://www.photodo.com/topic_45.html
http://www.photodo.com/topic_58.html

I don't know how accurate these tests are but the 40mm MTF measurements are somewhat disappointing even when stopped down (the graph also shows that the center area is unusually performing worse than the corners, something to consider if your main use is portraiture)

[vichio]

thanks Gus for your information.
But i meant about 75-300 is how it compare to DA 50-200 and 70-300 of Tamron&Sigma cause it too cheap when compare the price only.
And if sometimes i wanna capture pic from the birds, do you think DA 50-200 is enough or need focal length to 300mmm ?

[guillermovilas]

Hi everybody,
 I plan to buy Pentax K100D. But i'm regreted of having D50 + 50mm f/1.8d for portrait that is very cheap ( 380RM ). I can't afford too much for the lens. Anyone here can inform me about some good portrait lens of Pentax and how it compare to Nikkor 50mm f/1.8d ? I heard that Nikkor 50mm produces very sharp and good DOF.
 How about
Pentax SMC-FA 50mm F1.4
PENTAX DA 40mm F2.8 Limited
PENTAX DA 70mm / 2.4 Limited
or
TAMRON AF SP 90mm f2.8 macro 1:1

for portrait shot, does 70 or 90mm better than 40, 50mm ? Or i should go for 40mm f2.8 limited ?

Hi there ,

Well we have something in common , i sold all my Nikon stuff to buy a Pentax K10D.
The only regret is that it`s much more difficult to find or sell Pentax stuff compared to Canon & Nikon , for the rest and especially the quality i don`t regret the change at all.

I too had a Nikon D50 & a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens not more then 1 month ago and now i shoot with a Pentax K10D with a DA 40mm f/2.8 Limited and believe me ,it`s a big difference.
Ok you plan to buy a K100D instead but let my reasure you that the DA 40mm f/2.8 is a fantastic lens of excellent sharpness and of a very highly build quality.
It`s tiny....if you can , go and have a look at it...impressive stuff.

I know you are insisting on zoom lenses but i believe they won`t be has sharp.
I use to have the Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR which is a lens every Nikon fan raves about , well it was good and very practical but never as sharp as my 50mm f/1,8D

[guillermovilas]

By the way , have you really had a close look at Ben`s pics, they are fabulous and of unbelievable sharpness.

Nice go Ben , easy to see you are a true pro

[benjikan]

By the way , have you really had a close look at Ben`s pics, they are fabulous and of unbelievable sharpness.

Nice go Ben , easy to see you are a true pro

Thanks for the kind words...Appreciate the acknowledgment!

[slipchuck]

Hi everybody,
 I plan to buy Pentax K100D. But i'm regreted of having D50 + 50mm f/1.8d for portrait that is very cheap ( 380RM ). I can't afford too much for the lens. Anyone here can inform me about some good portrait lens of Pentax and how it compare to Nikkor 50mm f/1.8d ? I heard that Nikkor 50mm produces very sharp and good DOF.
 How about
Pentax SMC-FA 50mm F1.4
PENTAX DA 40mm F2.8 Limited
PENTAX DA 70mm / 2.4 Limited
or
TAMRON AF SP 90mm f2.8 macro 1:1

for portrait shot, does 70 or 90mm better than 40, 50mm ? Or i should go for 40mm f2.8 limited ?

If you are looking to save money and have a good portrait lens, then find a used SMC M 50mm 1.4. here is an example of what kind of shot it can do:


although this was shot with the K10, the K100 is every bit as capable as the K10 for great shots.that lens sells used from about 80-130 used.

good luck with your choice,

randy

[arbutusq]

I too came from Nikon (D70)  I was never really happy with the color and contrast of the Nikkor 50 1.8.  Its results for portraiture were mediocre at best.

I got tired of looking for a 50 1.4 or 40 2.8 (the search still goes on though) and bought a used FA 28-70 f4 for a stopgap.  Although it is difficult to get the razor thin DOF that a lot of portrait shooters like, I like the context created by the subject's environment so it is OK for me.  The color and contrast is ahead of my Nikon 50 although it is 2 stops slower and quite a bit softer at max aperture.  The softness is gone at f5 though.