I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): N/A
| Rating: 8
Pros:
Fantastic image quality, sharp wide open
Cons:
Slow AF in low light. Under exposes on a DSLR.
It's a great light little lens with great picture quality and nice bokeh.
The only gripe I have with this Lens is that I have to set EV up a stop or two.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $60.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Great Bokeh, fast, light, cheaper than the 1.4
Cons:
haven't found any yet
This lens is awesome! I found a great deal on a slightly damaged (filter ring) lens for only $60 - found the spare part for free and voila! very nice fast 50. The Bokeh is very nice, color rendition is great. Its light, its fast - whats not to like. It doesn't get the attention the f/1.4 versions get, but I have this and the M version and love them both!
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $105.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
I like this lens, it does great in all kinds of conditions.
Cons:
Possibly, build quality .
This lens, I purchased just to use on some of my K film bodies. I ended up liking it very much. One thing, and this is the reason for my post, this lens is the one I use to copy negatives and slides with my Pentax DL. It has a surprising flat focus plain with extension tubes. I tried my M42 50mm f1.4 and it wouldn't work so now I am back to my K mount F-50mm.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $115.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
optics, IQ, focusing, size
Cons:
noisy autofocus
This is an amazing lens. I sold my M 50/1.7 and my A 28/2.8 to buy this lens, and the purchase was totally worth it. The optics and IQ are simply amazing. Pictures come out very nice and sharp, even wide open. The bokeh is also buttery smooth. The lens is a pleasure to work with. It has one of the smoothest and precise focusing mechanisms I've ever seen. The only negative aspect of this lens is the noisy autofocus. I used it in class a couple of days ago to take photos of somebody doing a presentation. The entire class turned out when they heard the lens motor going zoom, zoom, zoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom! It's not a problem for me though, since I rarely use autofocus. I recommend this lens 100%.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $35.00
| Rating: 8
Pros:
Fast, nice bokeh, nice color rendition, high IQ
Cons:
none so far
Found this lens last weekend at our local St. Vincent de Paul thrift store. It came attached on a very old K1000. I wasted no time to buy it after some quick check on the glass.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $50.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
fast 50, contrast, sharpness, colours, fast AF
Cons:
not much, maybe looks and bit soft corners wide open
I don't know what's topping me from giving this lens 10. It easily could bear mark 10.
I have waited with this review for a while, so I had chances to put this lens through it's paces.
I obtained my copy in exachange for unused medicor Vivitar zoom which was valued on £30. This lens is simply great. Sharp from wide open, but best around f2.8 - f5.6. Focus is fast and accurate with both K10 and K100. Colours, contrast are top notch. Really nice bokeh too. With 1.5x crop factor it makes great portrait lens. Build quality... well if you don't mind DA zooms, you'll be happy with this one too. Only shame it doesn't come with hood (but it's easy enough to get screw on one). All in all one of my favourite lenses so far. Well worth the money...
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): N/A
| Rating: 10
Pros:
Image quality.
Cons:
None
There is nothing much to complain about when talking about this lens. IMHO it has better built construction than FA version lenses (heavier and feels more solid) and definitely better than the SMC P-A 1.7/50mm. The image quality is simply great. AF speed is acceptable in most circumstances (I often shoot pictures of my sister's children who are fast as the wind. Only some missed, blurred shots out of many.)
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): N/A
| Rating: 10
Pros:
Excellent image quality, accurate focus, superb colors
Cons:
Filter Ring
I am not sure if this copy was not maintained well by its previous owner(s) but when I got it, its filter ring had a tiny bend/crack which required a careful effort to screw on a UV filter. The UV filter, once on, does stay on solid. The barrel on my copy also wobbles a bit.
From reading other reviews on here and elsewhere, I think this lens seems to have a very susceptible filter ring, a contrast to the quality of the rest of the lens.
However, the deficiencies in my copy of the F 50mm f1.7 lens have zero effect on the image quality and after some testing (between this and the FA 50mm f1.4), I found out the lens focused accurately (on K20D) and the images are simply superb. I just cannot point out any single negative aspect about the images this lens produces.
These lenses are very hard to find and therefore demand slightly higher prices than the FA versions.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $100.00
| Rating: 10
Pros:
Excellent sharpness, colour, metering, focus speed and accuracy
Cons:
None
My experience with Pentax 50 mm primes goes from the SMC-M f2 to the SMC-A f1,4 and now the SMC-F f1,7. I purchased the F because AF is a very nice thing to have, and comments about the f1,7 were generally very good.
This lens is not very good, it's amazing! The image quality, regarding colours, contrast, etc, is on par with the best lenses I've used. I ran some benchmark tests to compare the A f1,4 and the F f1,7. The F is just as sharp at f1,7 as the A at f1,8 (its closest similar setting). From f2 onward, both lenses behave exactly the same to my eyes, but metering seems slghtly better on the F.
The focus is noisy but extremely fast, and very accurate. Mounted on a tripod, I was unable to get better results by manually focusing my K20D than what the AF delivered. Even when using Live View and the magnifier, the AF system was on the mark each time, and much faster than me...
The lens lacks the "tank" feeling of M lenses (and, to some extend, A lenses) but it's very nicely built nonetheles. My particular copy looks brand new, without a scratch or mark even after many years of use. The dark gray colour looks pretty nice on my K20D. The aperture ring is not very nice to use (though the lens will remain on the A position at all times). The focus ring is thin, but extremely well damped, much better than regular AF lenses. Its throw is shorter than the A f1,4, but that makes sense since the AF is so reliable.
Since I was never confortable using my A f1,4 at its widest aperture, I have lost nothing by switching to the f1,7. This lens is a welcome addition to my kit, and one that will serve me many years.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $100.00
| Rating: 10
Pros:
Great image quality, small and light, fast
Cons:
None yet
I have used this for 2 weeks straight now since I got it, and have found nothing I do not like. Small and light, so easy to carry around, quick to AF for me, and great images. Very sharp even wide open, although watch that narrow depth of field! Contrast is great, and I like the colors although they run a little cooler than other Pentax lenses. My A 50 1.4 will be on the market soon!
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $156.00
| Rating: 7
Pros:
Very sharp, very fast interesting color, solid build
Cons:
Noisy, hunts a little too much
Purchased this lens from Ador*****last Summer for portrait work on my GX-10 but it has done reasonably well with some indoor event shooting (MMA Close Work) also.
The DOF on this lens seems to lend itself more to portrait work than anything else but, I have gotten some good results when shooting interiors on manual.
These lenses seem to be getting a bit scarcer as time goes by and I'm anticipating alot of fun with this on on the K-7 I'll be picking up next month.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): N/A
| Rating: 9
Pros:
High resolution, contrasty, decent built quality, light weight
Cons:
Noisy focusing, plasticky filter ring, PF, getting pricy for a film era lens.
I use this lens a lot. Just a fantastic little lens. Lightweight. High IMQ. Unique optical formula (different from 50mm f2, f1.4 or f1.2)
Built quality may not be on par with older K or M manual lenses. Filter ring seems to be made of hard plastic. Have seen many broken filter rings. Getting more expensive recently.
I do however have the same problem with three copies of the lens I have used. The focusing on my K10D is quite noisy. It sounds like lacking lubrication. It is very hard to use AF to focus correctly when I use large apertures (EDIT: on my K-x, focusing is doing great). I have to rely on manual focusing from time to time, especially when I shoot portraits in low light. The filter ring feels plasticty, although I have never had any problem with it. Be careful and do not drop it on the floor.
EDIT: PF is evident especially at f1.7 under certain lighting situations. This is not surprising for a film era lens. Pentax needs to upgrade this prime lenses. DA 55mm is just out of reach of common people.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $140.00
| Rating: 9
Pros:
Sharpness, speed for price, fairly compact, aperture ring, lovely bokeh
Cons:
Filter ring, noisy AF!
I recently landed one of these on the market place, and think I will probably offload it soon. That's not because I don't like it, it just doesn't quite meet my needs.
It's really very sharp, and I quite like the focal length... the bokeh is lovely. My version is unfortunately filter-ring-less, the filter ring was broken when I bought it and broke off fully with some use. With some glue and creativity I fixed it, but it's rather ugly now - a real risk with this lens it seems.
The noisy AF is a bit irritating... otherwise, I like this lens, produces some really special images.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): N/A
| Rating: 8
Pros:
sharp, beautiful colors
Cons:
ugly hexagonal bokeh if not used at full aperture
Well, it's the same optical scheme used in the K, M, A and FA series. It simply has the same optical features as its "cousins". It doesn't seem to be so rock solid, sometimes I'd like to hang it tight into my hand to stay as still as I can, but I prefer not to.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $300.00
| Rating: 8
Pros:
Sharpness, colour, weight, size
Cons:
Build quality, backlight handling, AF action (k200d), a bit pricey on used market
Having used DA70/2.4, M50/1.7, M50/1.4, SMC55/1.8, Helios 44m 58/2 and two samples of F50/1.7, i can say that even some of them are so close it's hard to tell, this might be the sharpest lens of them all.
What is nice about this lens, that it brings excellent image quality and speed in small and light package.
With F50/1.7 contrast drops rapidly under bright light, when with DA70/2.4 i could shoot subject against bright background with excellent results.
DA70/2.4 lacks aperture speed, but in the same time AF doesn't get confused by strong backlight and is much more responsive under dim light.
Because of this it is hart to utilize the full capability of F1.7.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $285.00
| Rating: 10
Pros:
Very sharp, IQ, color rendition
Cons:
hard to find a copy with excellent condition
I had FA 50mm/1.4 and then got this copy. I would say this lens is pretty good even at wide open. The image is very sharp and color rendition is very good. After using the two lens, I kept this guy and let the FA 50/1.4 go. Would recommend you have one especially you can find one in excellent condition!c
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $80.00
| Rating: 8
Pros:
Excellent quality compared to the modern DA lenses
Cons:
None
The sharpness of the images taken with this lens are just so much better than the Pentax DA 18-55 and Tamron 70-300 Macro. It's small and compact, which is convenient. I picked one up second hand ina photo shop in Southampton for the equivalent of about $80, next to nothing.
I can recommend the SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.7: Yes |
Price (U.S. Dollars): $50.00
| Rating: 10
Pros:
Sharp, good color, great bokeh
Cons:
slightly noisy auto-focus
Okay, I got a super price for this lens, but I would have spent three or four times as much. In almost all regards this is the equivalent of the FA 1.4 50mm. Okay, it's a third of a stop slower, but that lens is pretty soft wide open. This is every bit as good at 1.7 as that is at 1.8. The only other negative, if you can call it that, is that this lens has a bit more focus noise. Not that the FA 1.4 is quiet. That's it, all the negatives. Build quality is equivalent, it's plastic but well constructed. This has full auto exposure and focus, and works on modern cameras. I would not trade my copy for a new FA 1.4.
With the 2010 price of the FA 1.4 fluctuating between $360 and $400 US, those are incredibly tiny negatives if you can score a copy of this lens in good condition. This is sharp, fast, and focuses better than my copy of the 1.4 did. without in camera adjustment. Cast is slightly cooler than the FA 1.4 but that's what white balance is for. Colors are nicely saturated. Bokeh is buttery. I can detect no distortion and it has excellent edge sharpness from F4 up. What's not to like?
1/2 second, f-5.6 ISO 200, tripod mounted. Standard ACR conversion sharpening. 50% crop.
