[mee]

It is going to change lives.

It is going to change (contents of) wallets.

[robjmitchell]

I think US$1200 would be the sweet spot for this lens. Same price as canon 1.2 and Zeiss Milvus, cheaper than Sony and Nikon, and not much more than the Sigma. However if Ricoh wants to hurt its already bleeding opposition and gain FF market share then aggressively pricing the 50mm at $1000 is not out of the question.

[JPT]

The pictures that Ooku posted a couple of pages ago seem to have come from this blog post from Yaotomi Camera.

????????HD PENTAX-D FA ? 50mm F1.4 SDM AW - ??????????by????????

Besides the images, what they say is also interesting. they have evidently had some limited time to test the prototype.
- It is built to a new standard for Ricoh, to accommodate future cameras and sensors. Even if current lenses like the DA55 and FA50 do fine on the K-1, it seems that this lens is designed to exceed that.
- This will be only the second lens to be built to this standard after the DFA* 70-200. This is incidentally why the 70-200 was delayed so much, and the writer seems to hint that he knows the story behind that.
- It is confirmed to be KAF4, with electromagnetic aperture.
- Minimum focus distance of 40 cm.
- 9 aperture blades.
- The new ring-type SDM feels exactly like Canon USM lenses.
- Very smooth bokeh transition from in focus to out of focus.
- No purple fringing observed.
- Manual focusing is excellent.
- Price is not confirmed.
- Availability next spring - the writer speculated March.

Yaotomi has added to this via Twitter to say that the DFA50 is a bit heavier than the Sigma.

Actually, they have been to Tokyo for a meeting at Ricoh’s head office this week. They say that Ricoh is working on a lot of stuff, but are frustratingly vague about what. They say “For now, let’s look forward to (the) lenses”. I put “the” in parentheses, because there is no “the” in Japanese, so it is not possible to tell whether they are talking about the lenses that were just exhibited, or some unspecified other lens that might be introduced sooner.

[surfar]

frustratingly vague about what.

And that just adds to the "surprise" factor...ha ha

Some camera companies announce what they are working on and then when it doesnt happen,theres lots of disappointment.

So RI keep quiet and spring a few suprises which covers any hiccups when a project runs into trouble.

[JamesDCrockett]

This will be my next lens. That will give me a 50mm and a 100mm 2.8 Macro. Next summer I will decide to go wide or long with my 3rd lens.

[ffking]

Yaotomi has added to this via Twitter to say that the DFA50 is a bit heavier than the Sigma.

combined with the the 70-200 comparison, this would probably be down to the amount of metal used in it's construction?[COLOR="Silver"]

[Digitalis]

I will refrain from buying any FA glass - most of it was designed 15+ years ago.

Hate to break the news to you, but many current 50mm designs can be traced back to designs that are over 100 years old, the only thing that has really changed is the use of aspherics and the exotic glass types used in them.

Classic 50mm lens design origins can be traced back to 6 distinct families: Petzval portrait [ The inverted Tessar] C.1840, Clark Gaussian C.1888,Zeiss Protar [better known as the Anastigmat] C.1890, Zeiss Planar [ The original 50mm] C.1896, Cooke triplet [ and its many derivatives] C.1893, Zeiss Tessar [The inverted Petzval] C.1902.

---

Last edited by Digitalis; 11-03-2017 at 04:19 AM.

[thibs]

And staying just on Pentax glass, the FA50 basically an M42 Takumar in disguise.

[Zav]

And staying just on Pentax glass, the FA50 basically an M42 Takumar in disguise.

Which is a planar design!
Ok, lens coatings changed too.

[Digitalis]

Which is a planar design! Ok, lens coatings changed too.

Correct, SMC lens coatings are just for flare reduction from internal reflections.

[bxf]

So how do these latest super sharp lenses (Sigma Art, latest Zeiss) achieve their superiority? Are they radically new designs that nobody was able to formulate previously, or???

[Digitalis]

So how do these latest super sharp lenses (Sigma Art, latest Zeiss) achieve their superiority?

Good question, the lens designs for a lens like the Sigma art 50mm f/1.4* are not a particularly great diversion from the lens designs in the past, it is fundamentally a planar lens**.

I chalk it up to: Tighter tolerances in optical alignment, refined optical design, advanced glass production techniques and enhanced glass shaping and manufacturing processes, heightened quality control and skilled lens assembly.

*I will point out the Carl Zeiss 55mm f/1.4 OTUS belongs in the Distagon family of lenses. Distagon, which is the Zeiss term for a retrofocus lens: A design technique employed typically in wide angle lenses with a reversed telephoto group at the back to move the rear element far enough from the focal plane to clear the moving mirror of an SLR, however clearance is not an issue with a longer focal length like 55mm. The practical upshot of the retrofocus design [despite its increased complexity] is that it allowed for better control of coma, distortion and optical aberrations. FYI Retrofocus lenses started to appear in the 1930's the concept was first employed by Angénieux.

** Albeit an expanded Ultron type planar not unlike the Schneider Xenon 50mm f/1.5 C.1932

[ogl]

The length of DFA*50 is approx. 105 mm...

[D1N0]

It's wide open for the K5 II and older:


Also the mystery switch on the 11-18 is quite a long one:


https://pentaxrumors.com/2017/11/02/additional-pictures-of-the-new-hd-pentax...ses/#more-2972

[x4rd]

DFA 70-200 has one of the best bokeh transitions i have seen in my life. If DFA 50 will have similiar, for me it will surely be must-have lens. Although I'm willing to trade it for DFA 85/1.4 if it appears for more sexy DOF.