I've sold all my other 50mm lenses (other than the A50/2.8 macro) and
kept the FA50/1.4. It's a super super lens.
Godfrey
On Apr 16, 2006, at 4:35 PM, Paul Stenquist wrote:
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.
Paul
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: <[email protected]>
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?
