The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Pentax 40mm F2.8 XS Lens and the Pentax FA 43mm F1.9 L for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Pentax FA 43mm F1.9 L is the longer of the two lenses at 27mm. The Pentax 40mm F2.8 XS Lens with a length of 9mm, is 18mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Pentax FA 43mm F1.9 L also has a larger diameter of 64mm compared to the Pentax 40mm F2.8 XS Lens's 63mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Pentax 40mm F2.8 XS Lens weighs 45g, which means it is 110g (70%) lighter than the Pentax FA 43mm F1.9 L which has a weight of 155g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Standard Prime Lenses in Pentax KAF Mount for size comparison purposes.
Standard Lenses in Pentax KAF Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both the Pentax 40mm F2.8 XS Lens and the Pentax FA 43mm F1.9 L has the same Pentax KAF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Pentax KAF lenses are Pentax K-3 III Monochrome, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III.
Focal Range
Pentax 40mm F2.8 XS Lens is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 40mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
60mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the Pentax FA 43mm F1.9 L is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 43mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 64.5mm.