[gaweidert]

Cat's out of the bag - now you have hit upon the real reason why there was a WiFi tweak as part of the K1 mark II upgrade!

Well, the K1-II has AI built into it. It's main function is to alter our brain to think that the delayed delivery dates of new lenses is actually a good thing.

[Kaisas]

1200 USD isn't bad but I wish it was a little bit cheaper. Can't wait for a proper review.
The quickest way for me to get this would be to sell my 24-70 but it's such a versatile lens that it might be a bad idea to let it go for this new 50.

I m thinking the same way but I like 24-70mm too ,I may keep it and buy dfa 50mm if i can handle booth lol

[clickclick]

It's main function is to alter our brain to think that the delayed delivery dates of new lenses is actually a good thing.

That's actually a new Pentax feature. It's called the wallet delay money regenerator. It ensures you have enough cash on hand to buy it when they release it.

[maw]

1200 USD isn't bad but I wish it was a little bit cheaper. Can't wait for a proper review.
The quickest way for me to get this would be to sell my 24-70 but it's such a versatile lens that it might be a bad idea to let it go for this new 50.

I m thinking the same way but I like 24-70mm too ,I may keep it and buy dfa 50mm if i can handle booth lol

I don't like zooms much, but only those over 3X, it depends basically on the type of photos you take, it is not the lens that you have to bend but it is you who know what you want to do with it,
it is like the translation of the arc and the arrow (zen)

[mlaird]

Is this new 50 1.4 really going to be so much better than, say, the 77 Limited that it truly should retail for 50% more? It seems like it will have to be truly amazing to justify its price tag when you could instead buy both an FA 50 f/1.4 and the 77 Limited and have a little money left over.

[clickclick]

Is this new 50 1.4 really going to be so much better than, say, the 77 Limited that it truly should retail for 50% more? It seems like it will have to be truly amazing to justify its price tag when you could instead buy both an FA 50 f/1.4 and the 77 Limited and have a little money left over.

I think it's a completely different design concept and approach. I love my 77 Limited, but it is sharper center than edges/corners wide open. I think this new lens will have a sharpness across all regions of the frame wide open that is aimed to mark a new standard for Pentax primes. It also boasts new motor technology that should improve AF speed over the screwdrive lenses. I don't think it will make obsolete the lenses like the 77 Limited because of their truly special rendering, but it's a different creature from all we have seen.

[MikeyBugs95]

Is this new 50 1.4 really going to be so much better than, say, the 77 Limited that it truly should retail for 50% more? It seems like it will have to be truly amazing to justify its price tag when you could instead buy both an FA 50 f/1.4 and the 77 Limited and have a little money left over.

I'm thinking it will be pretty worth it. They didn't take as long as they did or spend as much as they did on development only to put out a lens that ISN'T of the highest quality attainable.

[monochrome]

Is this new 50 1.4 really going to be so much better than, say, the 77 Limited that it truly should retail for 50% more? It seems like it will have to be truly amazing to justify its price tag when you could instead buy both an FA 50 f/1.4 and the 77 Limited and have a little money left over.

I’ve preordered, and another member has posted a Manufacturers Rep (Sigma) says the D FA*50/1.4 is a category killer. So yes, it is that good.

The 77 Ltd. is a different ethos altogether. The FA50/1.4 isn’t in the same class as the DA50/1.8. It is just too old, based on the A50/1.4

[neokind]

I’ve preordered, and another member has posted a Manufacturers Rep (Sigma) says the D FA*50/1.4 is a category killer. So yes, it is that good.

The 77 Ltd. is a different ethos altogether. The FA50/1.4 isn’t in the same class as the DA50/1.8. It is just too old, based on the A50/1.4

Sounds like the price is right on target, if that’s the case. And it’s really exciting for Pentax. Modern lenses are really something else. While I appreciate my older lenses for the ‘character,’ the sharpness and clarity of the modern lenses that I’ve used are simply stunning.

[Rondec]

Is this new 50 1.4 really going to be so much better than, say, the 77 Limited that it truly should retail for 50% more? It seems like it will have to be truly amazing to justify its price tag when you could instead buy both an FA 50 f/1.4 and the 77 Limited and have a little money left over.

Remember that the FA 77 is a much older lens and so the R and D is all paid for, hence it is cheaper.

The DFA 50 is going to be bigger and will have quite a bit more edge sharpness at wider apertures. The FA 77 is really sharp in the center wide open, but the edges aren't that great. Obviously the in lens motor is a difference as well and should lead to better tracking auto focus. Finally, the biggest thing with the FA 77 is purple fringing and that should improve with the DFA 50.

The FA 50 is an OK lens -- a plastic fantastic. I never really warmed to it and ended up getting the DA *55. It just really needs to be stopped down to f2.8 to get decent edge sharpness and is pretty prone to flare (getting an after market hood can help, but it still flares pretty easily). The DFA 50 should be head and shoulders better than the FA 50.

I'm not sure if I am going to get this lens -- it just isn't a focal length that I'm excited about. On the other hand, I talked to my wife about the DFA 85 and she was ready to preorder it on the spot, sight unseen. So hopefully Pentax gets that project in gear and takes our money...

[clackers]

Is this new 50 1.4 really going to be so much better than, say, the 77 Limited that it truly should retail for 50% more? It seems like it will have to be truly amazing to justify its price tag when you could instead buy both an FA 50 f/1.4 and the 77 Limited and have a little money left over.

Isn't it fantastic that unlike other mounts, Pentax is so backward compatible you've got all these choices of size, price, performance and vintage going back to 1975?

I have the K55 f1.8, DFA 50mm f2.8 Macro, DA*55 f1.4 and DA50mm f1.8,have used them all on the K-1, and would also happily put the DFA* on it if given to me.

[beholder3]

The sheer fact that a lens is a brand-new product with 5+ years distance to a (otherwise featurewise directly comparable, no major improvements) product these days means price +30%.
Add Ring-USM, WR, weatherproffing, image quality.
It is quite surprising the lens is as cheap as it is.

People always have wild dreams about price in consumer markets.

Used versus new = 20-25% price differential even if mint quality and used for a couple of days only.

OEM versus 3rd party is 25-40% price differential even if absoliutely same performance and specs.

The DFA* 50 compares to the latest Sony FE 50/1.4 and the Nikon 58/1.4 only.

[neokind]

Isn't it fantastic that unlike other mounts, Pentax is so backward compatible you've got all these choices of size, price, performance and vintage going back to 1975?

I have the K55 f1.8, DFA 50mm f2.8 Macro, DA*55 f1.4 and DA50mm f1.8,have used them all on the K-1, and would also happily put the DFA* on it if given to me.

It’s just one of the features of Pentax that keeps people coming back. If it weren’t possible to use Pentax legacy lenses, so many of which are so good and inexpensive, I may not be a photographer today,

---------- Post added 07-03-2018 at 06:23 AM ----------

The sheer fact that a lens is a brand-new product with 5+ years distance to a (otherwise featurewise directly comparable, no major improvements) product these days means price +30%.
Add Ring-USM, WR, weatherproffing, image quality.
It is quite surprising the lens is as cheap as it is.

People always have wild dreams about price in consumer markets.

Used versus new = 20-25% price differential even if mint quality and used for a couple of days only.

OEM versus 3rd party is 25-40% price differential even if absoliutely same performance and specs.

The DFA* 50 compares to the latest Sony FE 50/1.4 and the Nikon 58/1.4 only.

I do hope that Pentax does well enough in th FF market that they will be able to justify designing more consumer grade FF lenses to compliment their range of * lenses. Having modern FF glass is so important to getting the most out of the K1.

[mlaird]

The DFA 50 is going to be bigger and will have quite a bit more edge sharpness at wider apertures. The FA 77 is really sharp in the center wide open, but the edges aren't that great. Obviously the in lens motor is a difference as well and should lead to better tracking auto focus. Finally, the biggest thing with the FA 77 is purple fringing and that should improve with the DFA 50.

I typically use my FA50 and FA77 for portraits, so center sharpness is all that has mattered. You're right that edge-to-edge sharpness isn't up to modern standards, so that should be a place where the new lens can stand out. Purple fringing is also a problem for the 77, but again, something that can be avoided in portraits. Again for portraits, the screw-drive focus doesn't matter at all, so I didn't really consider that angle. The bokeh on the new 50 does look smoother and better than my old FA50 too, so I do expect the new lens to be better. I really was just surprised to see the price tag, but if you add up all these different areas of improvement, it might be worth it if those areas matter in your shooting.

I did a little research and am also surprised by the drastic difference in optical design. Check out this comparison!
FA 50mm f/1.4:


HD D FA 50mm f/1.4:


It looks like the sheer amount of lens elements helps to justify its price tag!

[Mikesul]

One of the insidious sides of a new lens like this is that, if it is as good as they say and we all hope, many of us will want it just to be sure we can are getting the best out of our equipment even if we are getting good results from the DA*55 et al. In other words, good ceases to be enough and we need the best. I am often subject to that pull but I do not think it is always wise.