Re: K 50mm f1.4: My first post in 5 years!

[Paul Stenquist]

An excess of  Scotch can lead to an excess of superbs:-). I think my FA 
50 resolves more than my Summicron. By my Summicron, while it is like 
new,  is an oldy: 1953.
On Apr 16, 2006, at 7:50 PM, Shel Belinkoff wrote:

That's two uses of the word "superb" in one sentence.  One may conclude
that you like the lens <LOL>
I think the FA and the A have the same optical formula.  However, I 
don't
think there's a bad Pentax 50mm lens.

A few years ago Keppler did a comparison between a Pentax 50 (don't 
recall
which one) and a Leica Summicron, long considered the standard for 50mm
lenses.  I also did a comparo of my 50's with my Summicron.  It's hard 
to
tell them apart until prints get past 16X enlargement.

Shel



[Original Message]
From: Paul Stenquist <

My favorite was the K 50/1.4. Until I tried the FA 50/1.4. The FA, 
with
superb resolution and a crisp, contrasty rendering,  is superb.


On Apr 16, 2006, at 3:40 PM, Shel Belinkoff wrote:

Hi Marcus,

I've a few Pentax 50mm lenses here - K55/1.8, K50/1.4, M50/1.4,
M50/1.7,
A50/1.4 - and I like them all.  The M50/1.4 can be pretty sharp and
quite
good wide open, but the A is better, and so is the K, by a small
margin, at
least wrt light fall-off, contrast, and sharpness.  However, these
differences don't manifest themselves clearly until a large sized
print is
made - say about 16X magnification.  In some cases processing choices
can
obscure the differences in sharpness and contrast, IOW's, they are
quite
close and can almost be used interchangeably.

There are some slight differences in fingerprints, but really, not
enough
to make a big deal about with normal sized prints.  The K55/1.8 is, 
in
many
ways, the worst of these lenses, but sometimes I prefer it over all 
the
others because of it's somewhat lower contrast and finer resolving of
small
details.

If I were to recommend only one of these lenses, I'd have to go with
either
the A or the K, and would suggest the A as it can be used to its
fullest
potential with a greater number of cameras.  If, however, use with
newer
cameras is not a consideration, the K would probably be my choice for
general photography.

Shel



[Original Message]
From: Marcus Murray <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <pentax-discuss@pdml.net>
Date: 4/16/2006 10:10:24 AM
Subject: K 50mm f1.4: My first post in 5 years!

I have just picked up a nice MX and need to put a 50 on it. My old 
kit
was a Spotmatic and an SMC 50/1.4, now stolen. I use this mostly to
supplement my Leica M outfit, filling in the gaps between it's
shortcomings, and as a backup. I'm interested in the early "K" 50/1.4
because it appears to be the nearest replacement to the lens I've 
been
used
to.

The lens spends most of it's time wide open, close up, occasionally
with
a short extension tube. Ultimate sharpness is not my main concern.

I'm interested to know what people think of the differances between
the K
lens and the M version, especially regarding overall wide open
rendition. I
remember some discussion in the past about this, but the archives 
don't
seem to offer much help. I recall many people regarding these lenses 
as
virtually identical, but a look at the cross sections would seem to
tell a
different story.

Any thoughts?