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09-27-2015, 12:28 PM   #1
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Looking for some decision assistance (MF 50mm lenses)

I have three fast 50s kicking about at home, and I need to sell one off because my lens collection is expanding beyond the capacity of the lens box I keep it in (and perhaps I'm saving for a future purchase...). I have a KS2 and an MG - one of the lenses will pretty much always be on the MG and the other comes with the KS2. I originally bought the M50 on eBay with fungus with the aim to re-sell at a profit once I'd cleaned it. Having done so I'm not so sure I can let it go anymore...but I really do need to sell one.

- Pentax-M 50mm 1.4 - stop-down metering via green button, sharp as a tack.
- SMC Takumar 50mm 1.4 - slightly yellowed but not hurtfully so! In the process of feeding it sunlight to clear it up a bit. Does seem to overexpose on the KS2 quite a bit - can't really figure out why. Also sharp as a taK, if you catch my drift.
- Takumar 55mm 1.8 - tiny tiny tiny - easily the most compact of the three and clear as a bell.

All of them are clear bar some insignificant dust comensurate with their age. I find it quite difficult to compare the sharpness of them wide open as it's so easy to be fractionally off with the focus, especially on my ordinary KS2 focusing screen. Obviously at f4-8 they are all perfectly sharp. I've put infinity focus adapters on both the taks without the retention clips so I can happily bayonet change the whole lot - so that isn't an issue.

Any thoughts?

09-27-2015, 12:32 PM   #2
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Sell the Takumar 50 1.4.

You like the M, and the 55 is tiny. The tak 50 is redundant.
09-27-2015, 12:54 PM   #3
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get a second box for storage.. stay focused, fill it....
09-27-2015, 01:31 PM   #4
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You don't need to sell a lens, you need buy a body!

09-27-2015, 01:46 PM   #5
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Firstly sell all and buy this or if you really feel brave (and got loads of spare cash) this
Alternatively you can go for this - having an AF fast lens sometime helps !

.. I know, I am not helping
09-27-2015, 01:54 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by K-Three Quote
You don't need to sell a lens, you need buy a body!
The Pentax K-S2 is a pretty good camera.
Anyway, I have a M 50mm f1.7, as well. I have some other lenses around 50mm, but of very different designs. And one that I cannot sell because it won't even be worth the shipping.
I think all of those are pretty good, so keep the one that you enjoy the most. If I were in your position, I would keep the Pentax M and the 55mm, but I never actually spent time with those Takumar lenses, so what do I know.

Edit: Also, now you know why some people end up with so many lenses. I think there are quite a few on these forum who have more than 3 primes around 50mm, and I know some have more than a dozen.
Edit 2: And I hope you have a nice AF lens, as well as a WR lens. Its good to have some of those on hand, even if you don't use them the most. There are just some situations when you will want AF. And WR (system is only WR when both camera and lens are WR)

Last edited by Na Horuk; 09-27-2015 at 02:19 PM.
09-27-2015, 01:58 PM   #7
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I only just got the MG, I think another body is probably overkill! I'm ultimately saving towards the 43mm Limited (currently not particularly flush) so I will eventually have the fast autofocus 'normal' lens (probably slightly more normal on APS-C than a true 50mm). My main issue with the M is the stop-down metering, which takes a button-press more than the TTL metering on Av mode with the Taks. However, I can't really understand my KS2's exposure decisions with the 50mm Tak 1.4 - it seems to overexpose on occasion by up to about three stops. Don't know if it's the thorium colouration affecting the metering system or something, but it doesn't seem to happen with the 55mm nor the M50.

09-27-2015, 02:16 PM - 1 Like   #8
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What is this selling?
09-27-2015, 02:23 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by cantthink193 Quote
My main issue with the M is the stop-down metering
You can sell the M and buy an A series. Optically its virtually the same, I think, but it has A on aperture so it allows P and Av and other modes.
Some older lenses might meter wrong due to different contrasts from modern lenses, light leaks in the lens base/adapter, shiny aperture blades which reflect too much light inside, and probably other reasons as well. Sometimes there is nothing you can do about it, other than using a tight lens hood (for APSC equivalent FoV) and making sure there are no open holes on the adapter (depends on adapter and how narrow the lens base is)
09-27-2015, 02:35 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by cantthink193 Quote
My main issue with the M is the stop-down metering, which takes a button-press more than the TTL metering on Av mode with the Taks.
I got news for you, both are stop-down metering and if you have more steps with the M, it is because you are not using an efficient flow*. I have many fast 50s, only two of which have "A" contacts and given a choice for regular shooting, I will take the K-mount lenses hands-down over the M42 glass. Why? Because I like the convenience of wide-open focus without having to flip the M/A slider back and forth for every single frame.

So...to answer your question. If you feel compelled to sell, the ST 50/1.4 is the obvious candidate. Keep the ST 55/1.8 because it is such a sweet lens (I have two) and because it was (or should have been) so inexpensive to start with.


Steve

(...have been accused of hoarding fast 50s...20+ in number at last count...)

* Hint: You don't have to re-meter between frames unless either the subject or the light changes. If the light is complicated, use a gray card or an incident hand-held meter.

Last edited by stevebrot; 09-27-2015 at 02:41 PM.
09-27-2015, 03:40 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by pepperberry farm Quote
get a second box for storage.. stay focused, fill it....
My first thought when I first read the OP's post.
I just bought another one, the DA 50/1.8 when the recent under $100 deal popped up at B&H.

A lens box? Crap, I have a hutch!
09-27-2015, 09:26 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
* Hint: You don't have to re-meter between frames unless either the subject or the light changes. If the light is complicated, use a gray card or an incident hand-held meter.
Just cut the big lever off the lens.
09-28-2015, 10:30 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by cantthink193 Quote
I have three fast 50s kicking about at home, and I need to sell one off
if a fast prime lens is clean and not decentered, keep it, never sell.

worst case dump the 55/1.8
09-28-2015, 02:29 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
got news for you, both are stop-down metering and if you have more steps with the M, it is because you are not using an efficient flow.
Not sure I'm completely convinced by that:
- Taks: Adjust aperture as needed, focus, shoot. If the light doesn't change, excellent! If it does, unless I want a new aperture, I change nothing bar the focus, Tv changes automatically. If I do find I need a brighter finder I can use the auto/manual switch to switch it, but this is more time consuming than the M.
- SMC M: Adjust aperture as needed, focus, green button, shoot. If light doesn't change, excellent! If it does, I re-meter with the green button to get appropriate Tv. With the M in Av mode the stop-down doesn't meter.
Doesn't necessarily change my preferences, as with some more experimentations I have come to the conclusion that:
- Tak 50mm is strong for it's warm glow, lovely focus feel, and is sharp. It's the only lens I've taken out properly thus far and it's given me some great shots.
- Tak 55mm is strong for it's brightness, lightness, and sharpness with typical Takumar feel.
- M50mm is sharp as a Tak, works perfectly on the MG (like it was made for it...!)

QuoteOriginally posted by Na Horuk Quote
You can sell the M and buy an A series.
I had an A-series 50mm 1.7 which was unbelievably good. During my move I have misplaced it somewhere, and so far it has not reappeared. I am loath to buy another as I know the second I do the old one will appear! I did crumble at some point and get one off eBay but the focus mechanism and aperture was broken. Sellfer gave a full refund and told me to keep the lens, so I disassembled it and fixed the aperture mechanism but struggled to understand the focusing one. All the youtube videos I could get hold of didn't help me figure it out...
09-28-2015, 06:53 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by cantthink193 Quote
Taks: Adjust aperture as needed, focus, shoot.
If you want to focus stopped down, be my guest. That is the difference.

FWIW, I have a long history with M42 lenses dating back to 1970 and back then auto aperture actuation was a selling point (facilitated by that chrome pin on the back of the lens). When you shoot an adapted M42 lens, you lose that feature.


Steve

(...still shoots with four M42 bodies, three of which feature stop-down metering...no way is that M/A switch moving to the M position on those bodies unless using bellows or extension tubes...)
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