RICOH ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF HD PENTAX-D FA★50mm F1.4 SDM AW STAR-SERIES LENS

Roadrunnerdeluxe · 09-01-2018, 09:17 AM

Originally posted by clickclick

I found this:

Pentax HD FA 50mm f/1.4 SDM AW Review | Digital Trends

Thank you, that was one of the first ones but not nothing in-depth as of yet that I know of.

Kunzite · 09-05-2018, 12:56 AM

So, you were complaining that the new Pentax D FA* 50mm f/1.4 is large and expensive?

I was browsing some other site, when I suddenly burst into laughter - and I still can't stop.

swanlefitte · 09-11-2018, 05:34 AM - **2 Likes**

When are they going to update this lens? It's been out for well over a month now.

Mistral75 · 09-11-2018, 05:41 AM

Grosbill01 (member of the Chassimages, PentaxKparK and PentaxOne forums) had his copy sent back to Japan: slightly decentred.

PentaxOne - HD Pentax-D FA★ 50 mm f/1,4 SDM AW

Mistral75 · 09-24-2018, 11:52 AM - **2 Likes**

Very laudative review of the HD Pentax-D FA★ 50mm f/1.4 SDM AW by John Riley for ePHOTOzine:

HD Pentax-D FA 50mm f/1.4 SDM AW Lens Review | ePHOTOzine

Originally posted by John Riley for ePHOTOzine:

There are plenty of 50mm f/1.4 lenses, although many of them have designs that date back possibly decades. There is nothing intrinsically wrong in this as the 50mm has always been a high quality optic, generally considered the perfect standard focal length for 35mm format. However, things move on, and even higher standards are now possible, albeit using complex designs and being very expensive to produce.

This new Pentax 50mm f/1.4 SDM AW lens aspires to being amongst the best of the best, and indeed it achieves that and at a price which is still high, but which is highly competitive within its own bracket. Add effective AF and all weather construction where some much more expensive lenses are manual focus only, and Pentax Users have a very enviable package. Obviously users of other marques will need to use the alternatives (notwithstanding any adapters that may be available), but Pentax enthusiasts can be confident that they can share too in the very latest quality optical designs.

Superb performance and sublime handling make the HD Pentax-D FA 50mm f/1.4 SDM an outstanding lens.

D1N0 · 09-24-2018, 11:57 AM

No surprise there. Ephotozine is notoriously positive about anything Pentax.

Mistral75 · 09-24-2018, 12:16 PM - **4 Likes**

No surprise may be but I like to read such sentences as:

The centre is excellent from f/1.4 to f/5.6.
The edges are excellent from f/1.4 to f/4
The evenness from edge to edge is commendable, at levels of sharpness very close to those of the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4.
CA (Chromatic Aberration) is very well controlled, the centre especially so.
Distortion is virtually zero. For the pedantic in us, it can be measured at +0.01% pincushion.
Bokeh is nice, very nice. The out of focus areas are smooth as silk and add to an overall “look” that characterises the best lenses – that is, giving the lenses a character, a visual feel to them that can't be measured but gives that extra something that lifts the images.
Flare resistance is also very impressive and in fact no evidence of flare could be found.

house · 09-24-2018, 12:53 PM

Those MTF bars just marching along between f 1.4 to f 5.6 is quite a sight!
Nice to see a Pentax lens following the theoretical 'best at large apertures' rule that's supposedly at play with high performance optics. It certainly makes the T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA look bad.

RonHendriks1966 · 09-24-2018, 01:29 PM

Originally posted by Mistral75

No surprise may be but I like to read such sentences as:

The centre is excellent from f/1.4 to f/5.6.
The edges are excellent from f/1.4 to f/4
The evenness from edge to edge is commendable, at levels of sharpness very close to those of the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4.
CA (Chromatic Aberration) is very well controlled, the centre especially so.
Distortion is virtually zero. For the pedantic in us, it can be measured at +0.01% pincushion.
Bokeh is nice, very nice. The out of focus areas are smooth as silk and add to an overall “look” that characterises the best lenses – that is, giving the lenses a character, a visual feel to them that can't be measured but gives that extra something that lifts the images.
Flare resistance is also very impressive and in fact no evidence of flare could be found.

All Zeiss Otus are very expensive! Good to be in that class.

**robbiec** · 09-25-2018, 03:51 AM - **1 Like**

Curious that there is a noticeable drop between f/5.6 & f/8, almost analogous to a higher ISO at which a certain accelerator comes into play?

just speculation of course but I'm getting my pop corn out just in case.

**pres589** · 09-25-2018, 06:24 AM

I also thought that was odd, that f8 wasn't quite what f5.6 offers in terms of resolution. That said, I'm not an optics designer, and it seems like this lens was designed with max aperture resolution & sharpness as a top requirement. They also didn't even bother with f22 which indicates that extreme stop-down just wasn't of interest to the design team.

**Rondec** · 09-25-2018, 06:43 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by robbiec

Curious that there is a noticeable drop between f/5.6 & f/8, almost analogous to a higher ISO at which a certain accelerator comes into play?

just speculation of course but I'm getting my pop corn out just in case.

I don't think so. I think we just see diffraction kicking in. If you look at testing of a lens like the Nikkor 50 f1.4G, you see that its peak sharpness in the center is around f4, for the borders it is f5.6. But it is nowhere near as sharp in either place below f4. With this lens, the sharpness wide open is amazing and just stays steady till it start to drop a bit. We just aren't used to seeing such excellent border performance at f1.4.

Originally posted by pres589

I also thought that was odd, that f8 wasn't quite what f5.6 offers in terms of resolution. That said, I'm not an optics designer, and it seems like this lens was designed with max aperture resolution & sharpness as a top requirement. They also didn't even bother with f22 which indicates that extreme stop-down just wasn't of interest to the design team.

For sure. This lens is going to be shot at wide apertures, otherwise, what is the point?

sculptor666 · 09-25-2018, 06:49 AM

it's called diffraction... some lenses you don't notice until f14, some you notice at f8.

**pres589** · 09-25-2018, 06:51 AM - **1 Like**

I could see this lens and a KP making for a very nice portraits combination.

house · 09-25-2018, 11:24 AM

Come on pres589 doesn't the thought of wasting those incredible edge pixels make you cry a bit?!

09-24-2018, 12:16 PM - 4 Likes	#907
Mistral75 Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Paris, France Posts: 7,527	No surprise may be but I like to read such sentences as: The centre is excellent from f/1.4 to f/5.6. The edges are excellent from f/1.4 to f/4 The evenness from edge to edge is commendable, at levels of sharpness very close to those of the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4. CA (Chromatic Aberration) is very well controlled, the centre especially so. Distortion is virtually zero. For the pedantic in us, it can be measured at +0.01% pincushion. Bokeh is nice, very nice. The out of focus areas are smooth as silk and add to an overall “look” that characterises the best lenses – that is, giving the lenses a character, a visual feel to them that can't be measured but gives that extra something that lifts the images. Flare resistance is also very impressive and in fact no evidence of flare could be found.

09-24-2018, 01:29 PM	#909
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	Originally posted by Mistral75 No surprise may be but I like to read such sentences as: The centre is excellent from f/1.4 to f/5.6. The edges are excellent from f/1.4 to f/4 The evenness from edge to edge is commendable, at levels of sharpness very close to those of the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4. CA (Chromatic Aberration) is very well controlled, the centre especially so. Distortion is virtually zero. For the pedantic in us, it can be measured at +0.01% pincushion. Bokeh is nice, very nice. The out of focus areas are smooth as silk and add to an overall “look” that characterises the best lenses – that is, giving the lenses a character, a visual feel to them that can't be measured but gives that extra something that lifts the images. Flare resistance is also very impressive and in fact no evidence of flare could be found. All Zeiss Otus are very expensive! Good to be in that class.

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09-01-2018, 09:17 AM	#901
Roadrunnerdeluxe Forum Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 97	Originally posted by clickclick I found this: Pentax HD FA 50mm f/1.4 SDM AW Review \| Digital Trends Thank you, that was one of the first ones but not nothing in-depth as of yet that I know of.

09-05-2018, 12:56 AM	#902
Kunzite Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Romania Posts: 15,132	So, you were complaining that the new Pentax D FA* 50mm f/1.4 is large and expensive? I was browsing some other site, when I suddenly burst into laughter - and I still can't stop.

09-11-2018, 05:34 AM - 2 Likes	#903
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	When are they going to update this lens? It's been out for well over a month now.

09-11-2018, 05:41 AM	#904
Mistral75 Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Paris, France Posts: 7,527	*Grosbill01* (member of the Chassimages, PentaxKparK and PentaxOne forums) had his copy sent back to Japan: slightly decentred. PentaxOne - HD Pentax-D FA★ 50 mm f/1,4 SDM AW

09-24-2018, 11:52 AM - 2 Likes	#905
Mistral75 Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Paris, France Posts: 7,527	Very laudative review of the HD Pentax-D FA★ 50mm f/1.4 SDM AW by John Riley for ePHOTOzine: HD Pentax-D FA 50mm f/1.4 SDM AW Lens Review \| ePHOTOzine Originally posted by John Riley for ePHOTOzine: There are plenty of 50mm f/1.4 lenses, although many of them have designs that date back possibly decades. There is nothing intrinsically wrong in this as the 50mm has always been a high quality optic, generally considered the perfect standard focal length for 35mm format. However, things move on, and even higher standards are now possible, albeit using complex designs and being very expensive to produce. This new Pentax 50mm f/1.4 SDM AW lens aspires to being amongst the best of the best, and indeed it achieves that and at a price which is still high, but which is highly competitive within its own bracket. Add effective AF and all weather construction where some much more expensive lenses are manual focus only, and Pentax Users have a very enviable package. Obviously users of other marques will need to use the alternatives (notwithstanding any adapters that may be available), but Pentax enthusiasts can be confident that they can share too in the very latest quality optical designs. Superb performance and sublime handling make the HD Pentax-D FA 50mm f/1.4 SDM an outstanding lens.

09-24-2018, 11:57 AM	#906
D1N0 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Location: --- Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,802	No surprise there. Ephotozine is notoriously positive about anything Pentax.

09-24-2018, 12:53 PM	#908
house Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 3,306	Those MTF bars just marching along between f 1.4 to f 5.6 is quite a sight! Nice to see a Pentax lens following the theoretical 'best at large apertures' rule that's supposedly at play with high performance optics. It certainly makes the T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA look bad.

09-25-2018, 03:51 AM - 1 Like	#910
robbiec Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Cork Photos: Albums Posts: 1,882	Curious that there is a noticeable drop between f/5.6 & f/8, almost analogous to a higher ISO at which a certain accelerator comes into play? just speculation of course but I'm getting my pop corn out just in case.

09-25-2018, 06:24 AM	#911
pres589 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wichita, KS Photos: Albums Posts: 4,529	I also thought that was odd, that f8 wasn't quite what f5.6 offers in terms of resolution. That said, I'm not an optics designer, and it seems like this lens was designed with max aperture resolution & sharpness as a top requirement. They also didn't even bother with f22 which indicates that extreme stop-down just wasn't of interest to the design team.

09-25-2018, 06:43 AM - 1 Like	#912
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,653	Originally posted by robbiec Curious that there is a noticeable drop between f/5.6 & f/8, almost analogous to a higher ISO at which a certain accelerator comes into play? just speculation of course but I'm getting my pop corn out just in case. I don't think so. I think we just see diffraction kicking in. If you look at testing of a lens like the Nikkor 50 f1.4G, you see that its peak sharpness in the center is around f4, for the borders it is f5.6. But it is nowhere near as sharp in either place below f4. With this lens, the sharpness wide open is amazing and just stays steady till it start to drop a bit. We just aren't used to seeing such excellent border performance at f1.4. Originally posted by pres589 I also thought that was odd, that f8 wasn't quite what f5.6 offers in terms of resolution. That said, I'm not an optics designer, and it seems like this lens was designed with max aperture resolution & sharpness as a top requirement. They also didn't even bother with f22 which indicates that extreme stop-down just wasn't of interest to the design team. For sure. This lens is going to be shot at wide apertures, otherwise, what is the point?

09-25-2018, 06:49 AM	#913
sculptor666 Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: PA Photos: Gallery Posts: 675	it's called diffraction... some lenses you don't notice until f14, some you notice at f8.

09-25-2018, 06:51 AM - 1 Like	#914
pres589 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wichita, KS Photos: Albums Posts: 4,529	I could see this lens and a KP making for a very nice portraits combination.

09-25-2018, 11:24 AM	#915
house Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 3,306	Come on pres589 doesn't the thought of wasting those incredible edge pixels make you cry a bit?!