Wow! Those seem like some pretty nice lenses to have any doubts about!
Unless you're finding your copy doesn't perform, I think you've got no excuse to 'blame the lens', in your case. That's probably true with most 50ish mm lenses, and yours are far from the exception.
Apologies if I got the wrong versions, but here are the reviews for your two mentioned lenses:
Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f1.4 T* SMC Pentax 55mm f2
Several have already discussed and linked about how to get proper exposure. You will also have to get used to manual focusing on your DSLR designed for AF, which is challenging but doable.
-Liveview with focus peaking and magnification (press "OK" while in live view) is both the most accurate and the most precise way to achieve focus.
-Here's a recent thread where
we discussed manual focusing of fast primes on K1.
-Here
are two different threads outlining
options to add a split prism screen to your K1, which I have done with mine and I love it. It's not for everyone, though, and can take some delicate work to get right.
-Finally, I really recommend to anyone doing manual focus through the viewfinder to invest in
Eyepiece O-ME53. It's in production, available from many big retailers for under US$50.00, easier to install than the camera's battery, and has essentially no drawbacks. There are alternatives as well.
But don't feel like you need to buy anything! You have two (actually at least three) great lenses and an amazing camera!
Last edited by wadge22; 08-11-2021 at 02:42 PM.