> 43/1.9 Limited versus any Pentax 50mm My take is:
1. That the 7mm difference in focal length is much more significant than one might think; 43mm is "dead normal" and seems much more relaxed and inclusive than a 50mm. The 50mm can be a slight challenge for some subjects because it's just a wee bit telephoto. 40mm is my personal favorite focal length, with 35mm a close second and 50mm third. 40 to 43 is a "same difference" kind of thing; 43 to 50 is not. 2. The mechanical M 50/1.4's from the S.-M.-C.-Takumar to the M lens are all wonderfully built, wonderfully balanced, and beautiful handling. (The A and FA lenses, while fine performers, don't give the same sense of quality or pleasure.) However, the 43mm is one of the nicest AF lenses ever made: great size, drop-dead looks, and a very pleasing metal hood and hood cap standard. The S.-M.-C.-Takumar is still the paragon of all manual-focusing lenses for me, but the 43mm is wonderful for an AF lens. 3. If cost is a factor, the 50/1.7's are great, generally underrated lenses, and quite cheap, especially used. The 43mm is pricey for a normal lens. (Of course, my personal motto for years has been "You can never spend too much on your lenses." In general I think it's more usual for cameramakers to suck value OUT of lenses than it is for them to put extra value IN, so any tendency towards the latter--of which the 43mm is certainly a good example--ought to be encouraged.) 4. I think the 43mm is plenty fast enough, although I do quite often use my 50/1.4-M wide open because I think it gives very pleasing results. (I'd love to put an example on the PUG in November but I can't get my scanner to work. Anybody able to scan a pic for me?_ 5. For me the "look" of the 43mm is better suited to color film, and better suited to slower, higher-resolution color films than coarser, faster ones. The SMC 50/1.4's in particular look spectacular with black-and-white, _especially_ with faster, coarser films. There is hardly a better lens for Tri-X. This is just my personal aesthetic judgment. Imagine a 43mm on an MZ-S, rounded out by the 77. What a fantastic combo. --Mike - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
