[Dewman]

One of my favorite lenses is the FA-50mm f:2.8 macro. Being one who is obsessed with sharpness (When wanted & needed), it is the pinnacle of the lenses I own . I own several that I consider very sharp, but this one rates a perfect "10" every time I do MY part!

One of the traits of this wonderful lens is it's ability and tendency to produce an abundance of starbursts on just about every reflection in the scene. In the attached photo, under quite a bit of enlargement, I counted 18 of them! On this particular shot, I thought they were very appropriate and the proud owner of this magnificent '57 Chevy was quite pleased, but he found it hard to believe it wasn't something I had added in PP. It was shot at ISO 800, 1/500th @ f:13.

It doesn't seem to make a lot of difference what aperture the photo is shot with, the starbursts will appear. I'm assuming it has to do with the lens having 8 aperture blades. I also have the FA-100mm f:2.8 macro, and it too has 8 blades, but it doesn't seem to produce any where near the number of these little sparkles that the 50mm does.

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Last edited by Dewman; 03-30-2016 at 02:54 PM.

[tgchan]

They indeed look marvellous~! Beautiful capture, Dewman.

[Dewman]

They indeed look marvellous~! Beautiful capture, Dewman.

Thanks. This was one of the most beautifully restored vintage autos I had ever seen! He did it right! And the sound! Oh, my, my, my! A 420HP 383 ID crate motor that sounded magnificent. He added all new, modern suspension with 4-wheel disc brakes and a 6-speed automatic transmission. Tan kid-skin leather interior. Flawless body work and paint. I would have given my left doodad to be able to drive it home and park it in MY garage!

[Bruce Clark]

Beautiful job. The stars are magical.

[a5m]

That's one sexy Chevy. I love vintage cars. I find it amazing to see the type of styling back then. So vastly different than what we see today, but still manages to look amazing. I know modern engines are technologically more advanced and everything, but there's something about the rumble from an American push-rod V8 that sends tingles down my spine.

Your amazing photos are doing it justice. Those starbursts look fantastic, and I can see why the owner of the vehicle thought you added them in digitally. Not helping my LBA haha but good work

[Dewman]

That's one sexy Chevy. I love vintage cars. I find it amazing to see the type of styling back then. So vastly different than what we see today, but still manages to look amazing. I know modern engines are technologically more advanced and everything, but there's something about the rumble from an American push-rod V8 that sends tingles down my spine.

Your amazing photos are doing it justice. Those starbursts look fantastic, and I can see why the owner of the vehicle thought you added them in digitally. Not helping my LBA haha but good work

Yeah, that's one sweet street rod, isn't it?


If you don't own a FA-50mm f:2.8 macro lens, you NEED to! I THOUGHT I knew what sharp was until I bought mine. What an absolute gem of a lens! The FA-100mm f:2.8 macro is good also, but I don't think it's quite as sharp as the 50.

[TropicalMonkey]

Can someone compare (or comment about) the sharpness aspect of FA-50mm Macro with D FA 100mm WR Macro? I have the amazing FA-50mm Macro but not the second one.

[fwcetus]

Gorgeous car. I wasn't sure at first if the starbursts were in the pix (from the lens), or if they were in my eyes.

Love '57 Chevies - . (Never had one, though - .)

[a5m]

Yeah, that's one sweet street rod, isn't it?


If you don't own a FA-50mm f:2.8 macro lens, you NEED to! I THOUGHT I knew what sharp was until I bought mine. What an absolute gem of a lens! The FA-100mm f:2.8 macro is good also, but I don't think it's quite as sharp as the 50.

Yes it is beautifully done and that red just pops and gives it a proper hot rod feel. Looking at the 3/4 shots the body panels are smooth and look like they are original with no dents or imperfections. Very nicely done.

I'm much like you and also obsessed with sharpness so now I have to keep an eye out for one of these. I have to be honest though my least favorite looking Pentax lenses are the FA's. They just look so cheap and plain. Besides white there is not a spot of any other color on them. Why?? I know it doesn't affect the pictures directly but if I don't feel too good about the lenses I may just not take good pictures with it or like anything that it captures, just for that reason.

I wonder how the FA 50 and 100 macro compare to the newer D-FA lenses. Those I like a whole lot better, plus the 100mm is WR and metal. I'm sure there are comparison threads out there that I can go through.

[Dewman]

Yes it is beautifully done and that red just pops and gives it a proper hot rod feel. Looking at the 3/4 shots the body panels are smooth and look like they are original with no dents or imperfections. Very nicely done.

I'm much like you and also obsessed with sharpness so now I have to keep an eye out for one of these. I have to be honest though my least favorite looking Pentax lenses are the FA's. They just look so cheap and plain. Besides white there is not a spot of any other color on them. Why?? I know it doesn't affect the pictures directly but if I don't feel too good about the lenses I may just not take good pictures with it or like anything that it captures, just for that reason.

I wonder how the FA 50 and 100 macro compare to the newer D-FA lenses. Those I like a whole lot better, plus the 100mm is WR and metal. I'm sure there are comparison threads out there that I can go through.

The FA-50mm f:2.8 macro is NOT like the other FA lenses. It is ALL METAL! Take a look at the reviews.... .SMC Pentax-FA 50mm F2.8 Macro Reviews - FA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database .... and the sharpness rating compared to the newer, D-FA Macro lenses. The FA-50mm has been called, "The sharpest lens Pentax ever made" by some. I won't get into a debate about it, but it IS pretty dang sharp!

[a5m]

The FA-50mm f:2.8 macro is NOT like the other FA lenses. It is ALL METAL! Take a look at the reviews.... .SMC Pentax-FA 50mm F2.8 Macro Reviews - FA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database .... and the sharpness rating compared to the newer, D-FA Macro lenses. The FA-50mm has been called, "The sharpest lens Pentax ever made" by some. I won't get into a debate about it, but it IS pretty dang sharp!

I was avoiding looking at reviews as to not induce LBA but I couldn't help it. You are right, it is all metal with excellent build quality. That is definitely a plus for me. I don't doubt it is a very sharp lens. All the reviews are saying this including you and the pictures prove it. I noticed there is a F 50mm 2.8 Macro as well, and apparently is the same optical formula, but it looks way better to me. I don't know if it's all metal but that doesn't bother me. I may just have to give in and pick one of these up because they are too good to go without.

[Dewman]

I was avoiding looking at reviews as to not induce LBA but I couldn't help it. You are right, it is all metal with excellent build quality. That is definitely a plus for me. I don't doubt it is a very sharp lens. All the reviews are saying this including you and the pictures prove it. I noticed there is a F 50mm 2.8 Macro as well, and apparently is the same optical formula, but it looks way better to me. I don't know if it's all metal but that doesn't bother me. I may just have to give in and pick one of these up because they are too good to go without.

There is also a FA-100mm f:2.8 macro of almost identical build, other than length. I have it, also. I like it because the minimum focusing length is a little longer and my old, worn out knees don't have to bend over as far to get those ultra close-ups! They're about equal in sharpness, with perhaps a slight.... VERY SLIGHT.... edge going to the 50mm. If I had to give up every lens I own but one, it would be the FA-50mm, f:2.8 macro I'd keep. If you would like some samples of the sharpness of the two lenses in question, most of the bee photos in my personal album were taken with one or the other of the two in question. Dewman's Album: Dewman's Personal Album - PentaxForums.com

[Just1MoreDave]

When the lens has an even number of aperture blades, the diffraction spikes that create starbursts overlap. If the aperture blades form a slightly irregular polygon, the overlap is sloppy and the spikes are wider. The irregularity doesn't matter much otherwise. My theory is that your lens has a better octagon.

[Dewman]

When the lens has an even number of aperture blades, the diffraction spikes that create starbursts overlap. If the aperture blades form a slightly irregular polygon, the overlap is sloppy and the spikes are wider. The irregularity doesn't matter much otherwise. My theory is that your lens has a better octagon.

Perhaps you're right, Dave. I own a heap of lenses and none of them even come close to the FA-50mm's starburst effect. Not even close! The FA-100 also has 8 blades, but it doesn't produce them like the 50. I'm wondering if anyone else who owns one of them has noticed the same effect or is it just mine alone that does this?


The day my 50mm macro lens arrived, I was out wandering around the house, taking some preliminary test shots and happened to shoot a photo of a small mud puddle.... about 12" X 8,".... and it had some pebbles in it that were wet. When I downloaded the image, I counted 33 starbursts in that shot! I've searched high and low for it for show and tell, but must have deleted it. It looked completely phony, there were so many of them!


If any of you have one of these magnificent, older lenses, please let me know if your particular copy has this ability also. I'd be interested to find out.

[Dewman]

I found the photo of the pebbles in the mud puddle! Check out all the starbursts in this image! It was shot with the FA-100mm f:2.8 macro lens. IIRC, upon some enlargement, I counted 38 of them.