[Scorpio71GR]

I read in the other thread about your breathing stuff, there could still be a place in the bag at times for the 55 with its 67mm filter thread, the new DFA is gunna be big.

So true, I really have no reason or desire to replace my DA*55. The only reason I would want the new DFA*50 is pure and blatant LBA. Between the DA*55 and the FA50 macro I am quite content. But LBA is always there waiting to empty my bank account.

[monochrome]

So true, I really have no reason or desire to replace my DA*55. The only reason I would want the new DFA*50 is pure and blatant LBA. Between the DA*55 and the FA50 macro I am quite content. But LBA is always there waiting to empty my bank account.

LBA eventually abates. In my case I have too many lenses to actually use and no desire to add any more. It will actually be work to sell them.

My son shoots a 7D (indirectly) professionally. To him a camera and a couple L zooms are just tools.

[Mikesul]

LBA eventually abates. In my case I have too many lenses to actually use and no desire to add any more. It will actually be work to sell them. .

Sigh! So true!

[reh321]

So true, I really have no reason or desire to replace my DA*55. The only reason I would want the new DFA*50 is pure and blatant LBA. Between the DA*55 and the FA50 macro I am quite content. But LBA is always there waiting to empty my bank account.

So your style tends towards slightly telephoto instead of the slightly wide-angle which is more typical these days?

[clackers]

Another member just told me by PM he's spoken with his local Pentax rep, who thinks this thing won't be on the shelves before August.

[nzondlo]

Another member just told me by PM he's spoken with his local Pentax rep, who thinks this thing won't be on the shelves before August.

Just in time to miss all of the client work and weddings I could have used this for.

[repaap]

LBA eventually abates. In my case I have too many lenses to actually use and no desire to add any more. It will actually be work to sell them.

My son shoots a 7D (indirectly) professionally. To him a camera and a couple L zooms are just tools.

I just bought 15-30 and will be buying 70-200. those will be my practical (big ones too) zooms that I can shoot almost everything what I like to shoot. but nice thing is to have other lenses too for fun. I have DA*55 so can resist this lens for now, but it’s focus speed should be improved, so......but might have to sell it, FA 43 and perhaps 77 to justify DFA*50 + afford it. but the thing is that zooms are practical things.

[Mistral75]

(...) the level of detail shared in this review must mean that the official announcement is just about to drop...

"Everything of this lens is developed and patented by Pentax and Pentax produced " - worth keeping this on your PC's clipboard - I'm sure it will have to be quoted time and time again. And again.

The sentence quoted by ffking and those that surround it:

其他國外網站得到資訊如下：

• Very special focus group 非常特別的對焦群組 -> 老實說沒有太特別的感覺
• Very heavy because of the new ultrasonic drive 因為超音波對焦使得鏡頭非常重 -> DFA50真的不是一顆輕的鏡頭，比舊版的FA50重很多
• The goal of this new line is to be comparable to the current Zeiss line and it looks very good 新生產線可以跟蔡司媲美 -> 嗯…這我真的不清楚
• This 50 is sharper from corner to corner than Sigma Art 邊角比SIGMA 50 ART更銳利 -> 沒用過SIGMA 50 ART不予置評，但新版的DFA50成像相當不錯
• Everything of this lens is developed and patented by Pentax and Pentax produced 鏡頭的開發與專利都是由PENTAX擁有
• The Tokina is made by Tokina but uses the Pentax patent and different coatings Tokina的鏡頭是Tokina所生產，PENTAX版本使用的是PENTAX的專利與鍍膜 -> PENTAX全片幅鏡頭許多都是交由Tokina代工，這似乎已經無法避免。

are quotes of posts asahi man wrote in Digital Photography review's forum in early March:

Very special focus group.

Very heavy and for this of course the new ultrasonic drive.

The goal of this new line is to be comparable to the current Zeiss line and it looks very good.

This 50 is sharper from corner to corner than Sigma Art.

That's what we saw.

Everything of this lens is developed and patented by Pentax and Pentax produced.

The tokina version is made by Pentax and tokina is using the Pentax patent.

Sorry, little mistake....the tokina is made by tokina but uses the Pentax patent.

Different coatings.

Source: Pentax DFA* 50mm F1.4 looks similar to Tokina 50mm F1.4: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review and Pentax DFA* 50mm F1.4 looks similar to Tokina 50mm F1.4: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

The header of the paragraph from Kennychi's article quoted above can be translated as follows: "Foreign websites got information as follows:"

After each sentence in English (a statement by asahi man) there is:

- a sentence in Chinese: that's the translation of the sentence in English
- an arrow
- a sentence in Chinese: that's Kennychi's comment.

Hereafter a quick and dirty translation. In blue Kennychi's comments

• Very special focus group -> Honestly my feeling wasn't too special
• Very heavy because of the new ultrasonic drive -> DFA50 is really not a light lens, much heavier than the old FA50
• The goal of this new line is to comparable to the current Zeiss line and it looks very good. -> Um... I really don’t know
• This 50 is sharper from corner to corner than Sigma Art -> I never used the SIGMA 50 ART so I'll decline to comment but the pictures taken with the new DFA50 are quite good
• Everything of this lens is developed and patented by Pentax and Pentax produced
• The Tokina is made by Tokina but uses the Pentax patent and different coatings. -> Many PENTAX full-frame lenses are handed over by Tokina, which seems to be unavoidable.

[x4rd]

After each sentence in English (a statement by asahi man) there is:

So the blogger just verified what we tend to know about the DFA and put the lens in practice?

[BigMackCam]

Looks like it needs to be stopped down a little.. f/2.4 or so before it really picks up in sharpness. But still usable at f/1.4 I'd say. Get it to f/2.8 through around f/6.3 and, from the looks of those images, it is really really nice... at least in the sharpness department.

I was kind of hoping this one would be mind bendingly sharp out of the gate though.. esp for the size and (assumed) price this one will ask.

Is there such a thing as an f/1.4 lens that's mind-bendingly sharp wide open? It's a genuine question... I've never shot one, and I don't know of any. I've always just assumed that most lenses - especially fast ones - are never pin sharp until they're stopped down a little...

[ZombieArmy]

That person's hand is tiny!

[clackers]

Is there such a thing as an f/1.4 lens that's mind-bendingly sharp wide open? It's a genuine question... I've never shot one, and I don't know of any. I've always just assumed that most lenses - especially fast ones - are never pin sharp until they're stopped down a little...

I don't think I've seen an MTF graph for any lens - high end or consumer - that's not sharper two steps down than wide open.

You could argue macros do a bit better than others, but they're never fast lenses.

At f1.4 or 1.2 there's so much extra light coming in from the far edges, how much glass will you put in to correct its aberrations?

[Mistral75]

I don't think I've seen an MTF graph for any lens - high end or consumer - that's not sharper two steps down than wide open.

(...)

Look at the MTF graphs of (i) high-end µ4/3 lenses and (ii) extreme telephoto prime lenses. You'll see that they are at their sharpest wide open.

[Kunzite]

Really?
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO - Review / Test Report - Analysis
Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-40mm f/2.8 - Review / Test Report - Analysis
Olympus M.ZUIKO 75mm f/1.8 ED - Review / Test Report - Analysis

[Mistral75]

So the blogger just verified what we tend to know about the DFA and put the lens in practice?

Exactly. Until yesterday there was a Flickr album with 60 pictures taken by him with a K-1 and a prototype of the HD Pentax-D FA★ 50mm f/1.4 SDM AW. These pictures were available in full resolution (7,360 x 4,912).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kennychi/sets/72157693668813602/

Today it seems he took the album down. The pictures themselves are of restricted access: when you click on one of them in his review, you get a 403 error: "You are not allowed to see this picture or video."

I take it Ricoh Imaging were not amused with the full-resolution pictures being available and took the appropriate action.

At least we know from this that they closely monitor Pentax Forums.