[Ducky13]

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Hi All,

I'm interested in adding a 50mm prime to my lens kit. I know that there are a few options to choose from, so was hoping to get some advice and insight.

I'll be using it primarily for landscape photography with my Pentax KP. Autofocus is a must and I don't want to spend more than £400 (£500 if it's really worth it). More keen to buy something brand new and I am not opposed to buying non-Pentax brands.

Thanks,
Ducky

[pschlute]

Hi All,

I'm interested in adding a 50mm prime to my lens kit. I know that there are a few options to choose from, so was hoping to get some advice and insight.

I'll be using it primarily for landscape photography with my Pentax KP. Autofocus is a must and I don't want to spend more than £400 (£500 if it's really worth it). More keen to buy something brand new and I am not opposed to buying non-Pentax brands.

Thanks,
Ducky

A few ideas......

If you want to join the LTD club you could get the FA 43mm 1.9 LTD new for just under £500 (this is the older non HD version)

The FA 50mm 1.4 is still available at a few places new and around £400, although I would be inclined to look for a s/h one for £100-150

The DA 40mm 2.8 is a cute little lens that can double up as a camera body cap

[ismaelg]

Hello,

My favorite is the F 50mm f1.7 Honestly you can't go wrong with any fast 50: F/FA f1.4 / f1.7 / f2.8 macro / DA f1.8
Brand new choices would be DA 1.8 and the FA f1.4 as far as I know.

Thanks,
Ismael

[aslyfox]

A large number of good choices from 40mm on up to 55mm

As far as minimum size - DA 40mm XS ( the best lens in its class )


Check out the owners reviews under " lenses " and the in depth review of the " nifty fifty " in the " Articles "

[i_trax]

on the crop sensor I would go for something wider like:
HD Pentax-FA 43mm Limited F1.9 Reviews - FA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database
http:/https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/hd-pentax-fa-31mm-limited-f18.html
HD Pentax-D FA 21mm F2.4 ED Limited DC WR Reviews - D FA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database
HD Pentax-DA 40mm F2.8 Limited Reviews - DA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database
SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL Reviews - DA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

etc

[Ducky13]

Thanks everyone. I'm torn between these 3 lenses. I'll do some research on them, but any feedback over here would be much appreciated. All of them are within budget, so was wondering if there was an "obvious" choice?
Thanks

Pentax-DA smc 50mm f1.8 Lens
Pentax-FA smc 50mm f1.4 Lens
Samyang 50mm f1.4 AS UMC Lens - Pentax Fit

[zapp]

Consider the FA 50 macro. Sharp all over the frame, perfect also for landscape. Still available new.

[angerdan]

I'm interested in adding a 50mm prime to my lens kit. Autofocus is a must and I don't want to spend more than £400 (£500 if it's really worth it). More keen to buy something brand new and I am not opposed to buying non-Pentax brands.

Three lenses meet all your requirements:

• FA 43mm 1.9 Limited
• FA 50mm 1.4
• D FA 50mm 2.8 Macro

pentax (43mm,50mm,55mm) (af,fa,hsm,sdm,dc,wr,plm,hd) -(16,17,18,645) | eBay

[AfterPentax Mark II]

If AF is a must then a Samyang will never fit the bill as they are all manual focusing. Your best choice is the 50mm f1.8 It is very affordable and it outperforms for the price you pay for it. You can even buy the 35mm f2.4 for the price of one FA 50mm f1.4 and still have enough money to buy anything else you like. I own both of them and the 35mm (the plastic fantastic) is something special. I noticed that of these two lenses the second hand ones are relatively very expensive as the price they ask for it is almost as high as a new one. On the English Ricoh website they ask £ 149.99 for each. You will enjoy the 50mm f1.8 without a doubt! Hope this helps.

[aslyfox]

Thanks everyone. I'm torn between these 3 lenses. I'll do some research on them, but any feedback over here would be much appreciated. All of them are within budget, so was wondering if there was an "obvious" choice?
Thanks

Pentax-DA smc 50mm f1.8 Lens
Pentax-FA smc 50mm f1.4 Lens
. . .

Three lenses meet all your requirements:

• FA 43mm 1.9 Limited
• FA 50mm 1.4
• D FA 50mm 2.8 Macro

. . .

I recommend looking at this:

Currently Pentax makes three different 50mm lenses: the SMC Pentax FA 50mm F1.4, D FA 50mm F2.8 Macro, and DA 50mm F1.8. All three can be used on digital cameras and the first two are considered full-frame lenses. Although the DA 50mm is marketed as an APS-C-only lens, some speculate that it may also work on full-frame (i.e. film) cameras. There is thread concerning this issue on our forum, but until the issue is finally put to rest we will have to take the position that the lens is to be used only on APS-C digital cameras and is not full-frame compatible.

In this comparative review we will be taking a look at all lenses mentioned above. They are all fifty’s but which one is the nifty fifty? Read on to find out!

Pentax 50mm Prime Lens Shootout Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

be aware that once one buys a Pentax Limited lens, it is hard to stop at just one

[mikesbike]

The DA 50 f/1.8 new would indeed be a fine choice as would the DA 35mm f/2.4 with it, or the FA HD 35mm f/2. I bought the "F" 50mm f/1.7 new many years ago, and it remains one of my favorite lenses on my KP as it has with previous APS-C models. I also have the FA HD 35mm f/2, a wonderful lens, and both will work just fine on my FF K-1 II as well, but with a wider perspective. The DA 40mm f/2.8 or the DFA 50mm f/2.8 macro are excellent lenses for landscape. You don't get the wider aperture availability, which can be great for portraits or other needs to blur the background to make a particular subject stand out more from it, but in the case of landscape use this is not relevant. In fact, these f/2.8 lenses deliver exceptional performance edge-to-edge of the frame. These different uses plus getting a bit more in the frame are why many people have both a 40mm f/2.8 and a faster 50mm. The 35mm FL lets yet more into the frame, being a normal perspective with APS-C instead of a short tele effect.

[aaacb]

All 50s that I tried were sharp stopped down, so I'd say the choice is about price, features, build quality.... I'd pick the DFA 50 macro because it has quick shift and focuses close (to 1:1, but I almost always use it for lower magnification); the 50 macro is also consistently sharp at wider apertures, not something I could say about my FA 50/1.4

[Ducky13]

Thanks everyone. I'm starting to think that the 1.8 is probably my best option. Looks like a cracking lens and it's hard to not be tempted by the price

[angerdan]

Yea, the 50mm Macro would be the best solution for landscape.
The Pros for the 50mm Macro are:

• QuickShift
• high versatility since it's a macro
• very high sharpness af open aperture
• very low vignetting at open aperture
• aperture Ring
• distance Scale
• 8 blades

Cons of the DA 50mm 1.8 are:

• no QuickShift
• visible vignetting at open aperture
• just 7 instead of 8 blades

[Buntzbooze]

Cant go wrong with the DA50 1.8. On the KP it feels well balanced and lightweight. The manual focus is very pleasant to use on it too. Only con is the screwdrive focussing is a little noisy.