Originally posted by Laurentiu Cristofor I did shoot for several weeks with the FA50 in low light, most of the time at f/1.4. It's not at all soft but you have to get the focus right...
There is no denying that the FA 50/1.4 is soft below f/2.8. It just loses a lot of contrast towards wide open. Some claim a hood helps but I believe the main problem is the simple spherical design. The F 50/1.4 has the same design so one shouldn't expect big differences.
Having said that, the lens is extremely sharp at f/5.6 and while the bokeh can be busy below f/2.8, starting from f/2.8 one can really achieve great results with this lens out of the camera.
I haven't tried an FA 43 yet but judging from images I've seen it has more pixie dust than the FA 50/1.4 which of course doesn't make the latter an uninspiring lens.
Originally posted by switters I recall that the AF speed with the K10D + FA43 wasn't so great. Does anyone have the FA43 with a K-x? Is the AF speed improved?
I cannot speak from experience but there have been improvements in AF speed with the K20D, then K-m and then K-x. You'll find that locking focus will be quicker and also the AF motor turns more quickly. I'm pretty sure that's the case for the K-x, it definitely is true for the K-7.