[timw4mail]

Your Sears is probably a Rikenon, not a Cosina. The older ones were Chinon.

I haven't had a lot of 50s but the Rikenon P 50 1.4 is my baby. The M 50 1.7 is pretty close. Frankly, I haven't seen a bad 50 yet.

No, not a Rikenon, it has half-stops on the apertures, and doesn't resemble the ones I know were made by Ricoh.

What is a Sears (Cosina)? The Auto Sears MC 50mm F/1.7 was made by Chinon. The other Sears 50/1.7 was a Ricoh.

I meant Chinon.

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Last edited by timw4mail; 07-11-2017 at 03:17 PM. Reason: More quoting

[ronniemac]

For different reasons I have different lenses. Factors that come into play are purpose of lens, FF or APS-C, for close up, portrait, action, landscape etc, light levels, cost, manual, or auto aperture, or auto focus and aperture, size, weather and dust resistance, build qualtiy and so on. From the FA 43 to the DA*55 I have many different standard K mount Pentax lenses and if someone asked me which was the best I'd get myself all tied up in knots. I mean, I have taken more photos with my original M 50 / 1.7, like the auto-aperture A50 / 1.7, have a soft spot for the old K 50 / 1.8, like the bokeh of the M 50 / 1.4, marvel at the WR and fast focus of the DA*55 / 1.4, get great macros with my M and A 50 / 2.8s, enjoy the smallness,sharpness and colour rendering of the FA 43 / 1.9, love the economy of the DA 50 / 1.8, am very excited to have just bought the FA 50 / 1.7, and am looking forward to the forthcoming D-FA 50 1.4 although I might not be able to afford it, and find that the A 50 / 2 makes for the perfect paperweight. For no good reason other than to mark Ricoh's acquisition of Pentax I bought a Rikenon 50 /1.4 but do admit that's just silly. Some I keep simply because we go back a long way, others I don't buy because it I am happy with what I have.

You pays your money and take your choice - you won't go wrong with a standard Pentax prime lens provided you avoid the F2.0 lenses, but think about what you want to do with it first.

[SunnyG.]

This is such an impossible question to answer. It makes an assumption that all 50mm k-mount (and maybe m42?) lenses have the same purpose in mind when they were created. It ignores something like excellent macro vs. excellent portraiture and what design aspects are desirable with one and not the other, for instance. Or weight and cost implications.

What are you asking the question for, what are you hoping to find here, what is the lens purpose that you're trying to find a good answer for? Here's some examples with some answers that might work for you; "I am looking for a good all-arounder 50-ish mm prime that is excellent in low light" and one answer might be "F or FA50 1.7". Or "I want a nice macro 50 with some good 3D effect to the images I take" and the answer could be "M 50 Macro". Or "a 50mm that delivers quality to cost ratios that are off the chart" and the DA50 f1.8 is your guy.

So, then, what are you trying to find out here?

I'm trying to find out the best overall 50mm. You know? The Jack of all trades.

---------- Post added 07-11-17 at 03:59 PM ----------

Industar 50-2 f3.5
I'm not saying its sharp or fast or even well-built, though.

Lol but it's a m42 lens. I have seen it takes excellent pictures, I don't think it can compete at the highest level. But it's a fun lens.

[pakinjapan]

...The Jack of all trades...
.

Of course it must be the 50mm F/1.2 Limited GOLD ! Every Jack likes gold.


why not they make both cap gold too?

[SunnyG.]

For different reasons I have different lenses. Factors that come into play are purpose of lens, FF or APS-C, for close up, portrait, action, landscape etc, light levels, cost, manual, or auto aperture, or auto focus and aperture, size, weather and dust resistance, build qualtiy and so on. From the FA 43 to the DA*55 I have many different standard K mount Pentax lenses and if someone asked me which was the best I'd get myself all tied up in knots. I mean, I have taken more photos with my original M 50 / 1.7, like the auto-aperture A50 / 1.7, have a soft spot for the old K 50 / 1.8, like the bokeh of the M 50 / 1.4, marvel at the WR and fast focus of the DA*55 / 1.4, get great macros with my M and A 50 / 2.8s, enjoy the smallness,sharpness and colour rendering of the FA 43 / 1.9, love the economy of the DA 50 / 1.8, am very excited to have just bought the FA 50 / 1.7, and am looking forward to the forthcoming D-FA 50 1.4 although I might not be able to afford it, and find that the A 50 / 2 makes for the perfect paperweight. For no good reason other than to mark Ricoh's acquisition of Pentax I bought a Rikenon 50 /1.4 but do admit that's just silly. Some I keep simply because we go back a long way, others I don't buy because it I am happy with what I have.

You pays your money and take your choice - you won't go wrong with a standard Pentax prime lens provided you avoid the F2.0 lenses, but think about what you want to do with it first.

Seems like I gotta buy them all. Lol

---------- Post added 07-11-17 at 04:05 PM ----------

Of course it must be the 50mm F/1.2 Limited GOLD !


why not they make both cap gold too?

LOL I'm pretty sure some sheikh from Dubai already bought it.

---------- Post added 07-11-17 at 04:08 PM ----------

What characteristics of a lens do you consider Good?

Well I think color rendition, and good CA resistance are among my top priorities. Obviously the lens can't be mushy. Sharp enough to be useable.

[pakinjapan]

This page might be helpful. not "every" 50mm are tested there but all of them are still in production and easy to find.
https://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/pentax-50mm-fa-da-dfa-lens-comparison/introduction.html

if you are looking at "color rendition, and good CA resistance", it might be safe to say go with those newer design for digital sensor.
from my small lens collection, Digital era lens seem to have better CA control + better (more saturation) color and contrast when compare to film era lenses. however, on the color and contrast part, I prefer to have less of them when shoot and selectively boost it in post, so in fact I like color from Film ear lenses.

[Na Horuk]

You guys got me - Industar 50-2 needs K adapter.. I would change the answer to an even more obscure silly lens - but when I got it, it had no name plate!
I have three 50mm lenses. They are under $100, all of them together. Industar 50-2, Pentax M 50mm f1.7 and an alleged Miranda 50mm f1.9 (fun lens, totally plastic, no name plate, so I can't confirm if its actually Miranda. Really dreamy rendering, like a 'soft' lens). The M 50mm is a good lens, I like it, its very sharp. But I dropped it and its metal focusing ring got bent. But I almost never use 50mm lens on APSC anymore. 35mm and wider for me

Well I think color rendition, and good CA resistance are among my top priorities. Obviously the lens can't be mushy. Sharp enough to be useable.

Yea, so Industar! Nice natural colours, no CA at all! Now, mushy.. yeah, its mushy as overcooked mashed potatoes

Btw, there is a 50mm lens club thread with photos taken by all kinds of 50mm primes.
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/144599-50mm-lens-club-77.html

[timw4mail]

Well I think color rendition, and good CA resistance are among my top priorities. Obviously the lens can't be mushy. Sharp enough to be useable.

Yea, so Industar! Nice natural colours, no CA at all! Now, mushy.. yeah, its mushy as overcooked mashed potatoes

What do you mean by mushy?

[edmundrt]

You really opened the can of worms with this thread, SunnyG. But I'm gonna take a couple out myself anyway.

I heard the Chinon 50mm f1.7 being mentioned, and that lens is an underrated little banger. The Pentax-A 50mm f1.7 is the best manual all rounder by far though, so sharp, little CA, and the convenience of the A setting.
In terms of jack of all trades, master of most, and best bang for buck, you can't beat the DA50/1.8, particularly for digital use. Light, inexpensive, sharp and unobtrusive. The only thing you have to put up with is Pentax's whiny screw drive, but most of us are used to that by now and the DA isn't as loud as the older screw drive 50s (YMMV).

[pres589]

I thought the Sigma 50 f1.4 EX was pretty awesome, right? Samyang also has something in this space that seems excellent if you can handle the size, weight, and manual focus.

[jumbleview]

The best lens is always the one, you do not own yet.

[boriscleto]

A side benefit of buying all the 50mm lenses is that once you own 5 you officially have LBA.

[climit]

The best is definitely the FA 50/1.7 . The 43 ltd is also a very nice lens but it is terrible wide open.

[pinholecam]

For all round reliable, fast, not too big, shallow DOF, sharp all round stopped down on FF, good contrast and colors, and convenience, it will be the FA50/1.4.
No need to seek high and low when in fact Pentax presented a well rounded option right in front of us.

If its the one I like (and that changes every few weeks), I like the Takumar 53/2.4 (Sonnar) the most.
Rare, very small, the only SLR Sonnar 50mm, sonnar rendering (and characteristics), and older 'pre-SMC' look to its picts.

[climit]

For all round reliable, fast, not too big, shallow DOF, sharp all round stopped down on FF, good contrast and colors, and convenience, it will be the FA50/1.4.
No need to seek high and low when in fact Pentax presented a well rounded option right in front of us.

The FA 50/1.4 is a bad lens at large apertures, very soft between 1.4-2.4