Web Analytics RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: Pentax FA31/1.8 Limited Vs Sigma 35/1.4 Art Shootout (Tested on K-5IIs)

Friday, April 11, 2014

Pentax FA31/1.8 Limited Vs Sigma 35/1.4 Art Shootout (Tested on K-5IIs)



http://info.xitek.com/product/201404/09-149487.html
(in Simplfied Chinese, but test pictures and crops with captions are all self-explanatory.)

As usual, I blog, you decide! :-D

Comments (10)

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The Dpreview review for K-3 is finished 83% with gold award...
Mike Kawasaki's avatar

Mike Kawasaki · 571 weeks ago

Self explanatory indeed. Sterile looking Zigma cannot hold a candle to FA31 Ltd.
FA31 has superior 3D rendering, more soul and more oomph. It's like a good rock song perfumed live by talented group versus a lolipop pop song polished up in a studio.
It changes from DPR where the sample aren't very exiting. I like those shots.
Verdict : Except for the chromatic aberations, i prefer the render of the FA31. It make not much difference in dyalight scenes, but night ones are less blueish with the 31.

But the Sigma is an awesome len too, i wont refuse it !
These lenses are pretty much on pair. I would vote for Sigma, just because of its wider aperture. Optically, they are pretty close. (Well, Sigma is a tad sharper). The above comment about "3D rendering" is nonsense, IMO.
3 replies · active 384 weeks ago
Anonimity is Great's avatar

Anonimity is Great · 571 weeks ago

Agreed. Objectively one would only chose the FA31 only for its beautiful shape, and compactness, and ability to reach F22. And perhaps the promise of longevity due to the built quality.
Nonsense? Really? The teddy bear in the plants is a great example of this nonsense - with the 31mm the bears face has depth and structure. It is much flatter looking with the Sigma.
I use an Olympus OMD 1 and can guarantee you there are lenses and methods of creating 3D in pics, focus stacking being quite a remarkable one.
I have to agree. The rendering is better in the 31 LTD too with better contrast IMO.
Wow, I didn´t spect that considerable amount of flare by the Sigma, on leaves-sun comparative.
They seem pretty close in sharpness. What's interesting is that the optical formula for the sigma is so complex where the pentax achieves the same results with far fewer elements. Its also more compact too. Really I think at 1.8 its hard to tell much difference between the two. The edge in sharpness the sigma gets at such a wide aperture is negligible IMO. The pentax has better flare resistance and color rendering too. Of course that might just be personal taste. The night shots from the sigma are indeed more blue. The pentax looked more neutral in terms of color. Is the pentax worth hundreds more? Hard to say. I like the compactness and look of the 31 though and would love to have one.
Gotta like 31mm more, which kind of surprises me. It seems brighter and richer (t-stops?).

Most of all, it is much smaller and more wieldy.

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