Originally posted by Wolfeye I would expect no less from a $1200 50mm lens. In fact, I'd expect it to make me breakfast. In bed. And nothing instant. Fresh hot waffles and thick-cut bacon and fresh-squeezed orange juice. And real maple syrup and butter.
Honestly. This lens is for rich people. There isn't any level of work that this lens would be a requirement for. Pick up an older 50mm 1.4 and get 90% of the result for 1/10 the cost. As the article states, this is a lens for people with money to burn. Or looking to impress their friends.
That said, the results are stunning. But not stunning enough to justify the cost.
This lens is for anyone who appreciates quality, both optical and mechanical. Yes, it's a little expensive, but real quality is like that. Compared to, for example, the FA 50/1.4 (the only other fast AF 50 available to Pentax users), you are getting probably 75% of the D FA*s result at the FAs best aperture, and significantly less the farther off f/8 you get. The D FA* lens is, quite simply, pro league compared to the FAs little league performance. In side by side comparisons, the D FA outperforms the FA in every single metric by quite a wide margin.
If you care about quality and can afford it, this is an excellent lens, if you care about quality but can't afford it, it is a lens to save for, if you don't care overly about quality, then obviously, the cost cannot be justified.