When I get my K20D, it'll probably only have my old SMC-C 50mm f2 manual-focus lens for a couple months. Not the most flexible lens setup ever, but short teles are my favorite, and my old film prints do seem to show a bit more "magic" with that lens than most of my others.
I still hope the "three kings" will bring a DA 14 over by christmas time.
Thank you very much for your answer.
If money is not a problem, I´d recommend the old FA limiteds over the new ones, if "film magic" is the thing you´re looking after. Obviously the FA 31mm [which I still have to try] has all the fame. Let´s get to the less famous siblings, and that includes the FA 43 1.9.
Be carefull, though, because mine decided to disassembly itself recently [and I still have to contact the repairshop for it].
The FA 43 is a different brethen of a lens, as it is not a wider 50 [has not the same lens design], and thus, it is very different in rendering AND flare resistance. Very, very, very, very sharp [actually, the sharpest of all Pentax lenses to date], and a very distinctive rendering [sometimes, harsh].
The 43 is just a tad wider than the 50 [75mm for the 20d, versus the 64.5 of the 43 mm]. I found it usefull that way.
edit goes on, social calls required a rapid "add post" ; )
The FA43 Limited is a kind of a weirdo lens. Photozone does not love it, although it says it is for its premium price. Thing is, the 43 has a special characteristic -get the new black series, the older ones with lead glass has worse results- as for 3d rendering and microcontrast that makes one of the most desireable lenses around, and the very focal length is more suitable than it seems: just a little bit wider than the 50, and just a little bit narrower than the fast 35 and 40´s. I hope to see it reviewed AS SCIENTIFIC REVIEW at dpreview in primes -although it is not going to happen, it is not a canonikon lens-. Other advantages include the petite size of it -smaller than the fast FA 50 by quite some, and it is not a pancake lens- and built in sun hood [which also serves any 49mm thread lens, by the way]. I do always recommend to try it, and it is a very good lens for snowy environments.
The other two limited lenses I tried are the 70´s: both FA77 and DA70 [the DA is still a full frame lens, don´t be mistaken by the designation]. The first one is better overall, but the latter is a better allrounder [price included].
Sorry to say that this side of the 645 and 67 lenses, there is very little to be able to get any close to the fast pentax primes.
By the way, another k mount lens recommendation: the 75-320 zoom. It is cheaply made, plasticky AND wobbles like a second world war Hawker-Siddeley people carrier. But once stopped a little bit down [half a stop], you can get spectacular results. It is quite resistant to flare, and resolution is far beyond expected.. Very, very good microcontrast ideal for streetscapes.