RE 50mm Primes

[SFT007]

I put several 50mm primes in my watch list - 2 FA1.4's, a couple M
1.4's and 1 A1.4 and 1 FA1.7

Add an A1.7 in there too - and those are pretty much all the 1.4 and 1.7 lenses available on ebay right now - certianly all the FA and A 50mm primes - there are several M1.4's - but Ive added a couple in my list - these seem easier to get.

I cant believe how hard it is to find the FA1.4 - online as new or
even from ebay. Hard to believe they still make it in fact - it
seems to be no-where! If I dont win this M-F1.4 then I just may
skip these ones and wait for the upcoming DA 55mm. I wonder if it
will also be an f1.4 - I would assume it will be as it may replace
the FA50 1.4.

I could also go for the FA1.7 or A1.7. Is the A1.7 a worthy lens?
I cant believe the number of 50mm primes Pentax has.

Have you considered the A50/1.4, it's as capable as the FA50/1.4
sans AF. The M lenses I've generally found have lower contrast wide
open, due to advances in coating tech I expect. I haven't checked
used prices for a while but they used to come up at bargain prices
regularly and sometimes as body caps

--
Rob

--
Sinan

--
Sinan

 

[distudio]

I will also most definetely consider the A 1.4 too. Basically I
will consider all 1.4 and 1.7 50mm primes. I thought the A series
were Auto Focus too - but thats fine - I dont mind focusing manuall
with the prime - I wont shoot action with it - for that I can use
my 18-50 f2.8.

I just want the DOF and the low-light capabilities of a lens with a
fstop of 1.4~1.7.

The A lenses will allow automatic aperture control and manual aperture control from the body, K and M (and screw lenses on a K adapter) will work in manual mode only using a clunky pre-view stop down metering method. Chalk and cheese WRT operation for me, I no longer have any pre-A lenses, too much bother.

--
Rob

 

[SFT007]

Yes, as far as I understand, I will set the aperture on focusing on the lens with the M lenses- and I will have to use M mode only on the camera- but in M mode can I use the green button for auto adjustment of the shutter and then just take the picture or will I always have to find the right shutter speed I want by trial and error. Im pretty sure the green button will still be able to work (at least I hope so).

Indeed the A series do seem easier to operate since I can just use my K10's two control wheels - but if if the green button works for adjusting shutter automatically - then i dont mind an old fashioned M prime

Do you happen to know if indeed I can use the green button or not?

Thanks,

I will also most definetely consider the A 1.4 too. Basically I
will consider all 1.4 and 1.7 50mm primes. I thought the A series
were Auto Focus too - but thats fine - I dont mind focusing manuall
with the prime - I wont shoot action with it - for that I can use
my 18-50 f2.8.

I just want the DOF and the low-light capabilities of a lens with a
fstop of 1.4~1.7.

The A lenses will allow automatic aperture control and manual
aperture control from the body, K and M (and screw lenses on a K
adapter) will work in manual mode only using a clunky pre-view stop
down metering method. Chalk and cheese WRT operation for me, I no
longer have any pre-A lenses, too much bother.

--
Rob

--
Sinan

 

[SFT007]

Thanks for the tips Luzart - Im thinking I dont need a 70~77 prime for now, If I do in the future I may go for the DA70 although I read that the 77ltd is better and that the DA70 is more like f2.8 instead of 2.4 so then the difference to 1.8 becomes more significant.

--
Sinan

 

[jgoring]

m 1.4 is a really nice lens. I picked one up for about us$80 a few months ago, and probably paid a bit too much. But great portrait lens. Sharp.

 

[SFT007]

Seriosuly - enough 50mm primes already

I just realized on the FA 1.4 50's Im watching is in fact an F 1.4 50mm (not FA) hmm, ive never seen any use or mention this lens - but there are pictures and it clearly states its F not FA and Photodo actually has it too - and in fact the MTF charts look better for it than the FA's MTF charts. Wow - did Pentax ever make a 50mm prime huh

--
Sinan

 

[SFT007]

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/lenses/primes/normal/F50f1.4.html

--
Sinan

 

[K1000Photographer]

I have an M50/2, an A50/2 and an F50/1.7. They are all great at F5.6. The 50/1.7 is quite sharp at F2, while the 50/2 does not begin to get good until at least f4.

Some say the 50/1.4 is better than the 50/1.7. I have also heard the opposite. I, myself am leaning a bit toward the look of the 50/1.7. photos have a little more real look to them.

 

[SFT007]

Not too bad I would say but I am sure cheaper is possible, Im not bothered though it looks like its a very sharp lens indeed and the bokeh looks very smooth indeed. I was able to find this one shot at f1.4 of this M lens and it looks very good to me: http://www.pbase.com/phenri/image/45365412

The lens is supposed to be in mint condition and comes with the lens cap - though not the rear cap I believe.

the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150065269084&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26satitle%3D150065269084%26fvi%3D1

Question regarding the rear caps - does the 1.4 M come with one - or did this seller just probably loose his. Also are they standard size as in will I be able to go in a camera store and buy a rear cap or will I need one made specifically for this lens?

Thanks for everyones comments - hopefully I should have the lens by next week and will post pics with it once I get it.

Also anyone know whether I can use the green button in M mode for the camera to decide on the shutter speed? I believe this shouldnt be a problem.

And lastly if anyone knows anything about the Pentax 2x tele converter I posted about at the bottom of this thread please reply to it if youve had experience with it.

Thanks again,

--
Sinan

 

[SFT007]

Question regarding the rear caps - does the 1.4 M come with one -
or did this seller just probably loose his. Also are they standard
size as in will I be able to go in a camera store and buy a rear
cap or will I need one made specifically for this lens?

Im assuming since it is a K mount lens that my DA50-200 rear cap should fit the M 50mm too in which case I wont really need another rear cap since one of the lenses will pretty much always be on the camera and the other one can then use the rear cap. Or is this logic flawed?

Thanks and again, sorry for all the question but Im quite excited about getting an old-school 50mm f1.4 prime. My first prime lens and Im sure I will have lots of fun with this lens and with manual focusing since this lens will be a portrait, shallow DOF and low-light lens. I will use the 18-50 f2.8 for action as Im sure manual focsuing and action shots would be quite difficult unless prefocused of-course.

--
Sinan

 

[geoffcole]

The M1.2 is more difficult to do -- so it costs more for the extra
.2 stop. 12-18 months ago, a seller in sydney was offering one with
a starting price of $500 AUD ($400USD) I passed it 'cause I thought
the asking price was a bit steep, and because the seller somehow
grated on my nerves, but I suppose if that is market rates for a
50mm 1.2 MF then thats the market.

The Pentax 50mm lenses were K and A, no M to date. Grated hey? Too
many conditions, too many satisfied purchasers ;-)

MF as in manual focus.

Grated as in the tone of the emails implied he was doing the world a favour by selling the lens at the price he was asking. It was a take it or leave it scenario and I decided to leave it

 

[dimasato]

bought my M 50 f1.4 for $35 dollars at a local camera shop...

 

[SFT007]

Well I paid more than twice as much - was youre mint condition too? Its all good though - I feel happy about my purschase and $85 for a high quality lens does not seem much for me - in fact thinking about it Im glad I got a MF old-school one instead of the newer one as I really dont have much use for AF in my 50mm prime so I can save that money and spend it on another lens - you can see some other lenses I am/may be interested in - in my profile

Of course I wouldnt have minded getting it for $35 either

bought my M 50 f1.4 for $35 dollars at a local camera shop...

--
Sinan

 

[Kelly Jones]

I'm really enjoying my 50mm f1.7 M on my K100D. There's a local camera dealer here in Seattle with a f1.4 M for $69. $120 seems a little pricey.

 

[SFT007]

Nice to know Kelly, $120 was my max bid (which was too much as at first I didnt pay attention and thought I was bidding on the FA lens, LOL), I ended up winning it for $86 - so its not that bad. Im sure the lens will give me at least $86 worth of enjoyment and most probably much more - I will use it as my portrait, shallow DOF and extreme low-light lens. I hope it will be sharper than my Sigma 18-50 f2.8 EX that will be arriving at 50mm though for portrait work. Of course for low-light the M-50 gives me 2 stop advantage over the already pretty fast for-a-zoom 18-50. but I am hoping that stopped down at say f8 that the M-50 will be sharper than the 18-50 for portrait work, but then there is also the possibiility of doing portraits at f1.4 and f2 so that is a bonus too.

I'm really enjoying my 50mm f1.7 M on my K100D. There's a local
camera dealer here in Seattle with a f1.4 M for $69. $120 seems a
little pricey.

--
Sinan

 

[Kelly Jones]

Unless the K10D is different than the K100D, my AE-L button sets the shutter speed on in manual mode. It works quite well.

 

[Kelly Jones]

That's cool stuff. I wanted the 50mm prime in order to shoot indoor shots such as restaurant and bar scenes at ISO 800. I might consider getting the 1.4 to get just a little more light. ISO 800 is really good on the K100D and ISO 1600 is a little bit too noisy for my purposes. Plus, the 50mm is small which is great for being less intrusive. I hope you enjoy your new setup. I know I've been having a great time lately. I wandered away from photography 15 years ago when I sold my OM-2s, but a recent trip to Hawaii with an old borrowed Canon AE-1 got me interested again.

 

[SFT007]

That's cool stuff. I wanted the 50mm prime in order to shoot indoor
shots such as restaurant and bar scenes at ISO 800. I might
consider getting the 1.4 to get just a little more light. ISO 800
is really good on the K100D and ISO 1600 is a little bit too noisy
for my purposes. Plus, the 50mm is small which is great for being
less intrusive. I hope you enjoy your new setup. I know I've been
having a great time lately. I wandered away from photography 15
years ago when I sold my OM-2s, but a recent trip to Hawaii with an
old borrowed Canon AE-1 got me interested again.

Wow - thats cool - Im pretty new to the dSLR stuff but Im enjoying it very much and the K10 is a superb camera indeed as is the K100.

Hawaii is indeed a great place to get back into photography

My dad actually has an old either Canon F1 or EF (pretty sure its the Ef) lying around somewhere back home in the depot back in Turkey (where Im originally from). Love to try and shoot film with that as I pretty much have no experience with film.

Indeed a 1.4 aperture lens will get a lot of light in, I also expect the M-50mm to be sharper at say f2.8 where it will be stopped down by 2 stops than the 18-50 (which will be wide open). I am certain the lens will serve its purpose very well - there seem to be quite a few manual focus M and A 1.4 lenses floating around in Ebay. The FA1.4 and 1.7 are harder to come by but they are there though compared to the M's (which I read are very sharp too) they sell for several times more in cost.

--
Sinan

 

[paul1307]

Hi,
I have the K 1.2/50.
(there is no M-version: Without A this is the K-version)
I also had the M 1.4 and 1.7, A 1.4 and 1.7, F 1.7, FA 1.4 and 1.7.
With any of my tests the 1.2 performed better (at equal f-stops) up to f 2.8.
Stopped further there is hardly any difference.
If you want/need best quality at 1.7/2.0 the 1.2-lenses are best.

--
Paul

 

[egordon99]

Ah, I miss the good old days of Pentax lens hunting on eBay (earlier this year!)
Here are my eBay "trophies" :
Pentax SMC-A 50mm f/1.7 - $35
Pentax SMC-F 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 - $49
Pentax SMC-A 28mm f/2.8 - $49
Sigma DL 70-300mm f/4-5.6 - $24

Vivitar Series 1 Auto-focus 28-210mm f/4.5-6.7 - $15 (great sharp lens, but SLOW!)
Sears Auto-aperture 135mm f/2.8 - $12!
Tamron 2x teleconverter - $15

Regarding the aperture changing with teleconverters - Think about what aperture is a measure of - Focal length/diameter of front element

A teleconverter increases the focal length (by 1.4 or 2), but does the front element get bigger?

So take my 300mm lenses, which are f/5.6 = 300/5.6 = 53mm front element diameter

Stick a 2x teleconverter on it, the focal length becomes 600mm, but the front element is still 53mm. So your aperture is actually 600/a = 53mm. Solving for a gives us 11. This is a TWO-stop difference from 5.6 and fairly slow. I'll leave the exercise to you to figure out
1)the new aperture when using a 1.4 converter
2)How many stops do you lose when using the 1.4.

Math is fun!

Enjoy your new lens!

--
http://photos.evangordon.com