I am looking at the PENTAX smc P-D FA 50mm F2.8 macro and wondering if any of you have used it and what you thought of it. I work in a small area and the 90mm macro pushes me back to the wall. The 35mm works well but sometimes I would like a bit more room and thought this might work. It is the old version.
Thank you for any information.
maria

[shooz]

It's an excellent lens and should give you the compromise you are looking for.

[mariakruse]

It's an excellent lens and should give you the compromise you are looking for.

Thank you,
I do love this forum.
maria

[JohnX]

The 50 macro is a very good lens, as are the 35 and 100. (I have all three). The 35 and the 50 are very good for still life, but because of the small subject to camera working distance you need to be careful/think about lighting. These focal lengths are great for still life, product shots, etc.

I'm surprised at your comment that the 90mm (presumably Tamron?) pushes you back to the wall. The 100 Pentax has a 13cm subject to camera distance at 1:1 and I would have thought the Tamron would have been similar. The increased working distance (although not huge) does help with insects.

If you use these lenses predominantly for macro, they're fine, but all three have long focus throw which is also fine for landscapes but makes them a bit/too slow for action.

[Na Horuk]

I read on these forums often that the DFA 50mm macro is one of the best 50mm lenses out there, super sharp. And it allows true 1:1 macro.
But some people prefer to have a non-macro 50mm with a faster aperture (f1.8, f1.4) for low light and shallow DoF photos and faster AF.

The only problem with DFA 50mm macro is that the macro range is really really close, so it might be difficult to take photos of shy subjects (bugs and such). This is why for beginners in macro, usually people recommend a 90mm, 100mm, or 105mm. I have the DFA 100mm and love it, really great lens, with a more comfortable working distance (distance between end of lens and subject, at highest magnification)
Pretty much all modern macro primes give you great optical quality, even the Tamron 90mm. The differences between them are in features and build quality.

User reviews here (click on lens name for user revies, or the blue button for the in-depth PF review):
Pentax D FA Prime Lenses - Reviews and Specifications - SLR and Interchangeable Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

[mariakruse]

The 50 macro is a very good lens, as are the 35 and 100. (I have all three). The 35 and the 50 are very good for still life, but because of the small subject to camera working distance you need to be careful/think about lighting. These focal lengths are great for still life, product shots, etc.

I'm surprised at your comment that the 90mm (presumably Tamron?) pushes you back to the wall. The 100 Pentax has a 13cm subject to camera distance at 1:1 and I would have thought the Tamron would have been similar. The increased working distance (although not huge) does help with insects.

If you use these lenses predominantly for macro, they're fine, but all three have long focus throw which is also fine for landscapes but makes them a bit/too slow for action.

I have a large desk behind me and I sometimes back up against it with the 90. It's probably just me and not the lens. Most of what I shoot are still life and abstract compositions using glass and acrylic cubes, marbles, and colored cellophane sheets and LED lights so active subjects are not an issue. If my props began to move around I will be looking for an IR filter to catch the ghosts.
Thank you so much for your advice and information.
maria

[6BQ5]

I have this lens and use it for camera-scanning film. It is very, very sharp! I have no problems resolving film grain with it on my K-3. It also works very well as a general purpose 50mm lens. Portraits, walk-around, etc. It has a very flat field - flatter than usual, I would say, so there is nearly zero distortion. I find that the bokeh is not as pleasant for general photography but that's OK. It wasn't designed for that. Besides, I have other lenses for general purpose work.

I recommend this lens!

[mariakruse]

I read on these forums often that the DFA 50mm macro is one of the best 50mm lenses out there, super sharp. And it allows true 1:1 macro.
But some people prefer to have a non-macro 50mm with a faster aperture (f1.8, f1.4) for low light and shallow DoF photos and faster AF.

The only problem with DFA 50mm macro is that the macro range is really really close, so it might be difficult to take photos of shy subjects (bugs and such). This is why for beginners in macro, usually people recommend a 90mm, 100mm, or 105mm. I have the DFA 100mm and love it, really great lens, with a more comfortable working distance (distance between end of lens and subject, at highest magnification)
Pretty much all modern macro primes give you great optical quality, even the Tamron 90mm. The differences between them are in features and build quality.

User reviews here (click on lens name for user revies, or the blue button for the in-depth PF review):
Pentax D FA Prime Lenses - Reviews and Specifications - SLR and Interchangeable Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

I have the other 50mm non macro and use it for general walk about, trying to build a nice macro collection.
Thank you for the information.
maria

---------- Post added 03-09-15 at 01:55 PM ----------

I have this lens and use it for camera-scanning film. It is very, very sharp! I have no problems resolving film grain with it on my K-3. It also works very well as a general purpose 50mm lens. Portraits, walk-around, etc. It has a very flat field - flatter than usual, I would say, so there is nearly zero distortion. I find that the bokeh is not as pleasant for general photography but that's OK. It wasn't designed for that. Besides, I have other lenses for general purpose work.

I recommend this lens!

Just ordered it. Am looking forward to experimenting with it.
Thank you,
maria

[GUB]

I have the other 50mm non macro and use it for general walk about, trying to build a nice macro collection.
Thank you for the information.
maria

---------- Post added 03-09-15 at 01:55 PM ----------


Just ordered it. Am looking forward to experimenting with it.
Thank you,
maria

As you probably have already worked out that versus the 90mm the extension tubes will work more dramatically (need less of them).
Being aware of your beautiful glass work I just wonder whether your standard 50 mm may give you smoother out of focus areas. (That is the bokeh thing)
Give us some feed back when you have had a play with it.

[mariakruse]

As you probably have already worked out that versus the 90mm the extension tubes will work more dramatically (need less of them).
Being aware of your beautiful glass work I just wonder whether your standard 50 mm may give you smoother out of focus areas. (That is the bokeh thing)
Give us some feed back when you have had a play with it.

Just got it yesterday and am looking forward to playing with both it and the standard 50mm. I was at a small local gallery here today and the owner, who has bought a few of my pieces offered me a one person show of my glass and marble works so I will have lots of reasons to work hard with these lenses. What fun!
maria

[simon_199]

I have this lens and i love it, it is very good also for non macro work, if you don't mind the long focus throw. I don't, and i love the versatility.
It's sharp wide open (of course in macro you won't shoot wide open) unless you incur in some CA in high contrast situations, that disappear as soon as you stop down a little.
In this respect probably the DA 35mm Limited is superior, it has hardly any form of aberrations wide open, and its focal length is more suited for walkaround use.

But as far as pure resolution goes, this lens won't disappoint, especially in macro use, where the DA35 often has really too small a working distance to effectively achieve 1:1 reproduction ratio.

Here are some sample shots at full 1:1 magnification that i just took, you can download fullsize.

f/11 ISO1600



Lots of details you can see the tiny pollen grains



Octagonal bokeh :P Still pleasing IMO