[awscreo]

As title states, I'm thinking to get a 1.4 50 to play around with, try video maybe, and just to add a nice lens to my vintage collection)
I've looked at SMC 50 1.4, and SMC-M 50 1.4, as well as the legendary Takumars 50 1.4
What would you guys say is the better one? Or is there one I've missed? Mainly looking at wide open sharpness for this one
Also probably won't buy anything much over 100$ as I just got a DFA 28-105 recently.

Thanks!

[boriscleto]

Wide open sharpness and 50mm F/1.4 are mutually exclusive...

[photodesignch]

As title states, I'm thinking to get a 1.4 50 to play around with, try video maybe, and just to add a nice lens to my vintage collection)
I've looked at SMC 50 1.4, and SMC-M 50 1.4, as well as the legendary Takumars 50 1.4
What would you guys say is the better one? Or is there one I've missed? Mainly looking at wide open sharpness for this one
Also probably won't buy anything much over 100$ as I just got a DFA 28-105 recently.

Thanks!

Takumar series are sharp but solid build (only metal and glass). However, coating is a bit old, so the lens design was to be sharp but lack of micro contrast. This type of lenses works if you want something more retro look or black and white.

I am using -A 50/1.4 good day if you surf from ebay you will find one around $100 ship from Japan sellers (Japanese does keep their stuffs in much better conditions). Although it has more plastic, but bokeh is better and color is more muted compare to new DFA.

FA 50/1.4 is a great choice too! only it's lack of better handling from manual focus (if that's the thing for you).

I'll skip SMC-M since -A is better and it's not much more $.

Here is a bokeh example from -A 50/1.4

[awscreo]

Wide open sharpness and 50mm F/1.4 are mutually exclusive...

I'm not saying I'm expecting extreme sharpness, just wondering which one of would offer more of it.

---------- Post added 02-28-17 at 12:03 PM ----------

Takumar series are sharp but solid build (only metal and glass). However, coating is a bit old, so the lens design was to be sharp but lack of micro contrast. This type of lenses works if you want something more retro look or black and white.

I am using -A 50/1.4 good day if you surf from ebay you will find one around $100 ship from Japan sellers (Japanese does keep their stuffs in much better conditions). Although it has more plastic, but bokeh is better and color is more muted compare to new DFA.

FA 50/1.4 is a great choice too! only it's lack of better handling from manual focus (if that's the thing for you).

I'll skip SMC-M since -A is better and it's not much more $.

I'll have a look at A series, thanks!

[boriscleto]

I'm not saying I'm expecting extreme sharpness, just wondering which one of would offer more of it.

The 8-element Super Takumar is probably the sharpest, but lacks modern coatings. You won't find it for less than $100 anyway.

I own all 3 of the manual focus K-mount 1.4s. The A gets more use than the others.

[awscreo]

What about SMC 50 1.4? I see few copies on ebay for around 50-70$, pretty affordable. Reviews on PF are pretty good, similar to the other 1.4 fifties

[photodesignch]

Do you mean the SMC-K 50/1.4? or the SMC-F 50/1.4? If it's not marked K it's normally the K series.

In my opinion, speaking very generally. Normally timeline goes from Takumar > K > A > M > F > FA.

K normally built like tank, much more solid than A as if A has more plastic. As for the lens goes, 50mm F1.4, both K and A are using the same lens design. In fact, if we aren't going to dig into too specific, almost all 50mm F1.4 are coming from the same design after Tamukar series.

Takmuar does shows a bit more sharper like I mentioned, but the coating is simply way too old. Coating affects the contrast, the color, and flare control. Keep in mind, Takumar was designed for Black n White film!

As for K vs A. Building quality K has more metal, and it's heavier. However, during the K SMC, that version of SMC when you shooting sun it would look like these


Basically the color around sun will change. This is very common, because I see that on my Pentax-K 28mm F3.5 too!

Till A series, the coating advanced a little more.. The sun doesn't change surrounding color on you. FA is another SMC upgrade as well. Although they all called SMC, but actually Pentax changing formula once a while. I am particularly liking the -A and beyond. Actually my favorite coating is Ghostless SMC (I have 4 lenses on it! They just look way more natural than anything else. Even better than DFA or new nano coating IMHO).

Besides.. Pentax likes to come out with some limited version when they achieve some achievements. -A 50/1.4 was so great, they even created -A 50/1.4 special goes along with LX2000. but good luck finding one though.....

[kb244]

My Pentax-M 50/1.4 is quite soft wide open. But sharpens up at f/2, course it also had a sort of 'glow' wide open that goes away once you stop it down one.

[photodesignch]

What about SMC 50 1.4? I see few copies on ebay for around 50-70$, pretty affordable. Reviews on PF are pretty good, similar to the other 1.4 fifties

It will be boiling down to the personal taste eventually.

---------- Post added 02-28-17 at 10:52 AM ----------

My Pentax-M 50/1.4 is quite soft wide open. But sharpens up at f/2, course it also had a sort of 'glow' wide open that goes away once you stop it down one.

Sadly! there is no such thing as ultra sharp on F1.4... even Leica..... They appears to be A LITTLE sharper, but obviously lenses were never designed to be always use on widest aperture if you are looking for sharpness. For wider opening aperture to have optimal sharpness, you might as well go smaller aperture lens like 50mm F1.7, 1.8, 2.0, 2.8...etc...

[GUB]

It is a bit depressing really how similarly they render!! The subject is a metre or so away - the leaf tendril sort of double that and the vertical stripes in the back is a picket fence at infinity. The 7 element sup tak is heavily yellowed and appears softened by that. So my call would be the best one is the one you have on your camera. Don't worry about the older coatings - a lens hood pretty well evens them all out.

[awscreo]

Well, even ok-sharp is fun, especially if it's a gorgeous manual vintage lens to play with

---------- Post added 02-28-17 at 01:06 PM ----------

It is a bit depressing really how similarly they render!! The subject is a metre or so away - the leaf tendril sort of double that and the vertical stripes in the back is a picket fence at infinity. The 7 element sup tak is heavily yellowed and appears softened by that. So my call would be the best one is the one you have on your camera. Don't worry about the older coatings - a lens hood pretty well evens them all out.

Is it possible to share a higher res link? That'd be just perfect for making my choice

[monochrome]

It will be boiling down to the personal taste eventually.

---------- Post added 02-28-17 at 10:52 AM ----------



Sadly! there is no such thing as ultra sharp on F1.4... even Leica..... They appears to be A LITTLE sharper, but obviously lenses were never designed to be always use on widest aperture if you are looking for sharpness. For wider opening aperture to have optimal sharpness, you might as well go smaller aperture lens like 50mm F1.7, 1.8, 2.0, 2.8...etc...

It is generally thought the A50/1.4 is the sharpest of the manual focus Pentax 50mm K-mounts.

In the late 90's some PDML posters (some of whom are members here) tested the various normals and found the 1.7's and 1.8's are sharper edge-to-edge than the 1.4's and 1.4's were sharper in the center to isolate the subject. That was a design decision to match taste at the time, and since the use of 1.7's was for flat copy work.

Over the years the SMC coating formula was tweaked and the rendering cooled noticeably (M and later are cooler than K and Taks). It is also believed the lens formula was tweaked for the A50/1.4 and it (and the following F and FA) are considered sharper than the M and K.

Buy the A50/1.4 and ignore the ergonomic shortcomings - but understand you are buying a lens for subject isolation, bokeh and smooth focus transitions.

[D. Obermann]

kb244
My Pentax-M 50/1.4 is quite soft wide open. But sharpens up at f/2, course it also had a sort of 'glow' wide open that goes away once you stop it down one.

I agree.
But SMC (K) 1.4 50 is imo able to be a little more contrasty and more sharp wide open - depending on light situation - and is able to handle front light situations stopped down.

Some cross posted K-1 + K 1.4 50 ooc jpgs for example; linked to ooc jpgs:
@ f/1.4, ISO 100, K-1





K-1 + SMC Pentax 1.4 50, @ f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/80s

[Driline]

I'll skip SMC-M since -A is better and it's not much more $.

I've read the opposite is true. Oh well different opinions I guess. I picked up the SMC M 50 1.4 for $39 on eBay and have had quite a bit of fun with it.

[GUB]

Well, even ok-sharp is fun, especially if it's a gorgeous manual vintage lens to play with

---------- Post added 02-28-17 at 01:06 PM ----------



Is it possible to share a higher res link? That'd be just perfect for making my choice

Try this:
Dropbox - Pentax forums
The second one is at f4

The individual images are 3200 x 1200 crops of the 4900 x 3200 sensor of my K01