The Shootout is here! See:-
http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/pentax85/index.html
Tests were carried for close and long distances, wide opened and stopped down.
Do note that the lenses were tested on a Canon 400D (XTi) body, i.e., cropped, but not in Full Frame.
The Pentax is clearly a winner! :-D =Victory=
I like better the colours, sharpness and more importantly the image transparency of the Pentax, too.
In fact, I had tested myself previously for times causally with my FA*85/1.4 against my EF 85/1.8 on my Full Frame Canon 5D. The FA* 85 is clearly sharper from corner to corner near wide opened (from f/1.8 to f/4) and could win the EF 85 hands down. The colours are more favourable too. The bokeh personalities are different, though. The EF 85 has more smooth bokeh but it is just too smooth and too flat than my like. The FA* 85 sometimes does produce "bright ring bokehs" under particular situations, just like the three FA Limiteds, but I still like that contemporary Pentax-tasted bokeh better. I personally think that the bokeh of the EF 85 is just too "smooth" and the blurred background cannot be seen. That is, whilst I can still guess what the background objects are with the FA*85 (with the rendered "outlines" which are yet smooth), even though they are out-of-focused quite blurred, at larger apertures.
Well, if I have the time, I shall re-do my tests in a more systematic way for a formal shootout between my FA*85 and my EF 85 on my 5D, for close and distant scenes/objects, and to compare the image centre and corner sharpness, with full crops. And additionally, I shall let you know about the bokeh differences, with some illustrations. Watch Out! :-) (but provided that IF I have the time! I don't know when.. ;-D)
Update: A shootout is done. See this:-
Shootout Again! 86 Vs 85s