From: "Steve Pearson" > One question-it appears > that most, if not all, of the "F" models come with the > 55/1.8. I thought that the prize jewell in the screw > mounts was the 50/1.4? Can anyone tell me their > experiences with these two lenses? > The original standard lens for the Fs are the SMC Takumars with the ruberised focusing ring. Optically they are a good as the S-M-C takumars but are a cheaper build quality.
Optically, at f5.6 to 11, the f1.8 is the sharper lens. During the late 60's and early 70's, I followed lens test reports in both Modern and Popular Photography, there were no lenses in that period that could surpass these 2 lenses, and that included rangefinder cameras. Only other thing I can add is that the non-multicoated lenses were as sharp. However, the contrast was higher in the f1.8 than the 1.4. That was noticable when doing B&W. I always had to use higher contrast paper with the f1.4. Bob - 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 .
