Imagine a comma before “although” and one after “class”.

The old 35mm is a great lens to shoot with and a good choice if one couldn't afford the 31m ltd.
The new glass coatings on the HD 35mm should bring some improvements,so yes it would be nice to have an update. And the price has come down, making it a better purchase.

@Spectro

It is the same. Just with another mount and cosmetics.
Also, it can be purchased in EF mount

Different coatings in each one. Not the same iq.

TurvyT, you do realize the Pentax coatings were developed by Hoya, patent applied for by Hoya and transferred to Ricoh in the transaction. Do you think Tokina with identical sounding coatings and close relationships with both Hoya and Ricoh uses different coatings. I doubt it.

Patents:
https://patents.justia.com/patent/8586144

https://patents.justia.com/patent/20090244709

Being the same coatings or not, it appears that the Tokina Opera is receiving some pretty awesome reviews out there. I believe they are, at least, very similar.

Regarding lens coatings, the DFA* has Pentax's HD and aerobright coatings (among others) which are above and beyond "classic" SMC coatings. You can read more on the star lens website.

Other than that, Pentax has licensed the patent to Tokina, so optically, the Tokina should be the same. The price of being a small player: they've got to sell their own designs for some lenses, and buy designs for others...

thats awesome. that will make all 4 people who buy this happy.

I saw the images in full rez. its not sharper then the ART wide open.

would love to see links to "all tests" ?

Stay classy.

Pentax sharpness :
https://www.magezinepublishing.com/equipment/images/equipment/HD-PentaxD-FA-50mm-f14-SDM-AW-6608/large/pentax-d_fa_50mm_f14_MTF50_graph_1537781505.jpg
Source : https://www.ephotozine.com/article/hd-pentax-d-fa-50mm-f-1-4-sdm-aw-lens-review--32731/performance

Sigma sharpness :
https://www.ephotozine.com/articles/sigma-50mm-f-1-4-dg-hsm-art-lens-review-24892/images/highres-Sigma50mmA_MTF_1399027786.jpg

Source : https://www.ephotozine.com/article/sigma-50mm-f-1-4-dg-hsm-art-lens-review-24892

"thats awesome. that will make all 4 people who buy this happy."

Wow that was a pretty snide uncalled for remark

I was about to post the ephotozine review but in addition to that there is this -

https://youtu.be/6aqlA5UWzAM?t=1m52s

And https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/reviews/tokina-opera-50mm-f14-ff-lens-review

Snippet from the above review - "The obvious main rival to the Opera is Sigma's 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art. Both lenses are of a similar size and weight, and the Sigma is such good all-rounder that it's won awards from us. But if anything the new Tokina is even more optically impressive, though its lens barrel doesn't quite exude the same exquisite feel as Sigma's Art-level build. "

Pentax/Tokina is better than Sigma art one. Theres no doubt about that.
That said. I would never buy any of those lenses. Wouldnt use them even if i got them free. They are just too big and heavy for my needs.
I really dont like the road lens designers are taking - designing lenses to top charts.

Save on shipping :) order one big box and have a party

How is f/2 larger than f/1.4?

Except Pentax doesn't use "Full Frame" anywhere in their lens' names - instead, they're designating this lens as a D FA *. If you add stuff just to complain about the combination, it's not the manufacturer's fault.

And on what images did you see that terrible fringing?

My cat's whiskers deserve nothing short of an Otus Apo Distagon.

Pro Tip: Do not take photographs with arm(s) extended (this includes phones and PNS cameras as well).

Sir 7, that is the test for Dwayne Johnson and Rambo. Mere mortals and feeble men like us can't hold it with both hands 10 inches from the chest. That is even funnier!

Dwayne Johnson and Rambo are little girls compared to me, but I still brace my cameras anyway... :D

@Zvonmir, you need to get to the gym a little more often. No FF DSLR is light nor are most of the lenses, the big zooms in particular. Perhaps you need to stick with the Q . . . :-)

I'd ditch it for a date with Captain Marvel... ;)

No spoilers.

@Barney, they all die.

Miles, you'll use it a lot more often than your 150-450. Sure, the 43 is what you want for walking around. But when you need to harness the power of the cosmos...or whatever was wittily said earlier on this thread - this is the tool to have in your hands. Both of them!

"...ignore this lens."??? Man! You totally missed the point of this lens! I do blame DPR for mentioning that it's sharp. Because it's NOT sharp. I also blame DPR for not stating what this lens' true strength is: bokeh. DPR should have said it's an awesome short portrait lens. Because that is EXACTLY what it is. It is quite an awesome portrait lens that deserves very high praise as such. Not this "sharpness" baloney. Besides, all this sharpness craze is for Sony posers. Not serious photographers.

This lens is exceptional. And certainly not to be ignored, all due respect...

@drummercam

All that you wrote about other manufacturers' lenses is, of course, true. You could, in fact, add few more examples. But all that doesn't make this Pentax lens not "very large".

Because there used to be things like Canon 50/1.4 weighing just 290g. and taking 58mm filters. I wrote "used to be" because, even though that lens is still being sold, it's an old design, with micro-USM motor, not weather sealed etc. etc.

Still, less than 300g to more than 900g is quite a jump, don't you think? I for one do not appreciate this modern trend of completely disregarding size/weight in favor of optical perfection, I believe there should be some compromise. So I appreciate DPR reminding its readers that this and many other lenses *are* behemoths. Yes, excellent performers, but behemoths nonetheless.

Usual Pentax micro or macro bashing by dpr, nothing new. There is no comment, review or news on Pentax they don't take advantage to say something negative carefully placed about that product, ---something they don't do with other major brands. Large lens nowadays? A Pentax exception, right, to be included in a small advancement..

I see no Pentax bashing in this particular case. A very large lens is described as "very large", no reason for indignation because of that.

turvy - The relative lack of attention given to Pentax is not just confined to dpr, it is the same with all photographic websites, so you're being very unfair singling out dpr in this regard.

The reason for the smaller number of Pentax reviews is very simple - Pentax are simply not as popular as Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic or Olympus.

And that's not dpr's fault, it's largely down to Ricoh, whose marketing is atrocious. Pentax deserves better. Unfortunately it's a vicious circle - poor marketing leads to poor sales, leads to less money for development. Ad infinitum.

@Wade Marks This is a Pentax-developed lens, not Tokina. If Tokina licensed it, it's because of existing corporate relationships, and because they can see that this lens is stellar and worth marketing.

http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/star_lens/special/sp_dfa50-14/

@entoman: what you state is right, but is not my exact criticism. I don't complain so much because Pentax gets less attention than other brands, I can understand that even if I don't praise it. What I complain about is that when dpr talks about Pentax meny times they include some bashing/making fun/derogatory comment (many times includes in the headings) that I don't find either fair nor relevant. Or the tests they do about innovative aspects (like pixel shift) don't do them with other brands. I talk about dpr because I follow and enjoy dpr as a generalist webpage. And I think they sometimes should be sharper in that respect. It's my take, no more no less.

@Revenant: It's like reviewing a Rolls Royce and writing in the headings: "A luxurious and heavy car". Yeah, RR are really heavy when compared to other high priced sedans, but heavyness has a negative connotation in such a situation. The adjectives you use and where you place them have an impact in the appreciative meaning of a sentence. Most of late 50mm high iq are very heavy. To include that in the brief summary/introduction implies to emphasize something negative. Why there? Well, it's a Pentax and it seems is "a free buffet for saying what I want". Dpr is more careful when talking about other brands. I just wrote two comments about the Nikon W150 that I use since three years ago, and the level of praise in dpr text is astonishing, with no criticism whatsoever. If that camera would be a Pentax, I can imagine the jokes. And so with many others. It's just that type of bias what I sometimes complain about. I wouldn't complain if I didn't like dpr though.

@Sir 7
If your copy isn't sharp then you should return it.

Look at these measurements: https://www.ephotozine.com/article/hd-pentax-d-fa-50mm-f-1-4-sdm-aw-lens-review--32731/performance

If that isn't outstanding performance starting with f/1.4 than I don't know what is. Ephotozine wrote it compares to the Otus 55/1.4 (I haven't verified the claim because the latter is out of range pricewise).

Of course the lens shines with its excellent bokeh, i.e., doesn't sacrifice bokeh due to a sole focus on sharpness but to say the lens "isn't sharp" is just wrong.

Regarding DPReview, they admitted themselves that they dropped the ball a number of times when reviewing Pentax gear and I personally cannot help but think that they would have been more careful with other brands that are much more commercially sensitive to them.

And not to mention that the pentax is a dslr lens and the Panasonic is a lens for mirrorless!!!

I'm referring to mirrorless options currently on the market or are going to be released soon and their tendency to be bigger than their DSLR counterparts. Since everyone is giving Panasonic a bad rep for what EVERY FF mirrorless camera maker is doing. Have you seen the pictures of the Z mount Nikon 50mm f1.2? It's more than twice the length of the dslr f1.2 lens and it's going to be in the 1.5-2 lb range.
https://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/these-are-the-new-images-of-the-nikon-z-50mm-f-1-2-20mm-f-1-8-85mm-f-1-8-14-24mm-f-2-8-70-200mm-f-2-8-z-lenses/

Yeah, the whole "big-throat-shallow-flange-focal-is-revolutionary" hype is BS. What it ACTUALLY makes possible is EXTREMELY wide lenses (i.e. 10mm rectilinear, maybe even shorter) and extremely fast lenses, hence the f0.95 announcements. But no megawide announcements... And the cost is that non-megawide and/or non-megafast mirrorless lenses will have bigger dimensions than their SLR counterparts to compensate for the excessively short flange-focal and excessively-wide throat.

For me, i don't care about f0.95 unless it's on a wideangle or ultrawide, so as to be able to have a blurry background in shots with that AOV. A 20mm or 24mm f0.95 gets me WAY more excited than a 50/55/58mm f0.95. Though i admit I'm contradictorily curious about the Mitakon 50mm f0.95...

We are seeing a lot of metal in mirrorless lenses and that adds to their weight. Personal preference if you choose the costs and benefits of plastic, or of metal. I go back and forth on that...

One of the sheeple has spoken!

@David610
Me as one of those 2 Pentax users probably has a better 50mm 1.4 than you'll ever have.

It is also sold as the Tokina Opera with Canon and Nikon mounts albeit with probably different coatings.

Yawn, such an original joke. Comedy ain't your thing, stick to your day job.

@Mepaca on Pentax it's stabilised via the camera.

Asinine troll.

Ouch at the OP! :D That's pretty funny though... :D And FWIW, this lens is so good I'm considering becoming the 3rd Pentax user! ;)

Long live Pentax*.
Down with Trolls

*I only have ever used Pentax film cameras. I want Pentax to live long and prosper.

Now, folks, let's be civil - perhaps he's not a troll, perhaps he just have a serious condition in which he can't read numbers larger than one digit - so the "I own it" tag, from 29, became 2.
That must be accompanied to another serious condition which made him to confuse the DPR users who bothered to put the lens in their gear list, with the global market.
Let's be understanding with the poor guy.

"This lens actually ISN'T sharp."

Have you used this lens, or looked at some of the MFT test results?

If you have used this lens and you think it's not sharp, then you should get your copy checked out or try carrying AF fine adjust.

(This lens is definitely very sharp.)

I own this lens and it's very sharp. It also has excellent in-focus and OOF rendering.

yes it is a superb lens. it's also incredibly sharp.
That's something any user of this lens will tell you. Or an MFT chart.
E.g.
https://www.ephotozine.com/article/hd-pentax-d-fa-50mm-f-1-4-sdm-aw-lens-review--32731/performance

p.s.
You can also compare this MFT chart with the one produced for the Tokina Opera by the same website, you see a slightly different emphasis on sharpness, with the Pentax lens maximised for high aperture, e.g. f1.4, shooting.