Greetings!
This thread is dedicated to a recent prime from Pentax, the DA 50mm f/1.8, the second 'Plastic Fantastic', after the DA 35mm f/2.4AL.
I recently acquired a copy of this little gem, at the instant rebate price of $181.00, quite a deal for a new lens. My initial impression is that it's light, small and well-made. The 7 curved and rounded aperture blades are nicely machined and the manual focusing action is smooth without being stiff or 'notchy'. It seems tiny in the hand but looks right mounted on a body. No lens hood is supplied but 52mm hoods are easily available and inexpensive.
The past few days have been cloudy with on-and-off rain, not ideal weather for lens testing. I managed to snap a few frames, some closeups, one shot at maximum aperture and a couple at mid-distance and mid-aperture. I found the AF fast and accurate, a slight bit of hunting with low contrast subjects but overall very good. Even at 100% crop is shows fine detail and I.Q. Colors are bright and vivid, especially considering the weather! The one f/1.8 photo demonstrates fringing around the flowers, a thin white 'glow' above the brighter blossoms, but other details are very sharp-edged.
Hopefully we'll see many good examples of this lens in use, for now here's my initial offerings;
1) Red Flowers. K-7, f/7.1, 1/100s, +3/10EV, on-camera fill flash, ISO 100.
2) Yellow Flower. K-7, f/7.1, 1/160s, +3/10 EV, on-camera fill flash, ISO 100.
3) Painter on ladder. K-7, f/5.6, 1/50s, ISO 100.
4) Flowering vines on fence. K-7, f/1.8, 1/80s, ISO 100. This is the wide-open shot and is reproduced here at about 95% full frame.
5) Cobwebs with rain. K-7, f/5.6, 1/100s, on-board fill flash. This photo is full frame from the original.
All photos taken in RAW+ and PP'd with LR4.
Ron