Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsStellar performer at an obscene price.
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2009
I currently own this lens, the Pentax DA40/2.8, and the FA50/1.4. This lens trumps both of them for the kinds of shooting I frequently do, and I think for most pictures in general.
The 50 is a beautiful lens as well, but has a finicky auto-focus and is frankly a little bit too close for an all around lens. It will always remain my go-to lens for really nice portraits, but this 35 beats it for all-around sharpness, it focuses faster, and it has a much more workable focal length on the DSLR crop.
The 40 is a delight to use and focus, and is a stunning piece of workmanship in it's own right, but I've always felt like it didn't quite do what I needed it to. The size is only marginally smaller than this lens, and the sharpness is comparable, but you lose an entire stop of speed. While I enjoyed having and using it, the 35 comes out on top for me, and I'll be selling the 40mm shortly.
Everything just comes together perfectly in this lens. The depth of field is comfortably large due to the wide-ish focal length at - I haven't had hardly any pictures with a shot-costing focus problem. The focal length also means that slow shutter speeds are easier while hand-holding. The sharpness is unbelievable, and really makes the textures in pictures look 3 dimensional. To beat it you would pretty much have to spend $900 on the 31/1.8.
I just recently shot a wedding, the first with this lens, and I got some pictures that I would only have dreamed of with other lenses. It was the first wedding I shot where I wasn't constantly looking for a different lens. This one is my new go-to, and I expect it will be for a long time. Combined with the 50/1.4, you have the ultimate duo.
Are there better lenses out there? Of course. At this price? Not even close.
