K200D prime len 50mm

chanhangfai · 05-28-2010, 01:57 PM

Hi,
I'm a newbie in DSLR, sorry, if this is a dump question,

I have the K200 camera, its so hard to take a clear pictures for my 1 year old daughter, most of the time, indoor,

so I'm looking for the prime len..

I know its an old style len:
PENTAX SMC FA 50mm F/1.4,
Can it fit to my K200?

or I have to buy this higher class:
PENTAX DA* 55mm F1.4 SDM

Whats other good suggestions?
Thanks for the help in advance...

JeffJS · 05-28-2010, 02:09 PM

Originally posted by chanhangfai

Hi,
I'm a newbie in DSLR, sorry, if this is a dump question,

I have the K200 camera, its so hard to take a clear pictures for my 1 year old daughter, most of the time, indoor,

so I'm looking for the prime len..

I know its an old style len:
PENTAX SMC FA 50mm F/1.4,
Can it fit to my K200?

or I have to buy this higher class:
PENTAX DA* 55mm F1.4 SDM

Whats other good suggestions?
Thanks for the help in advance...

If money were no object, I would be going for the DA*55 (and did). Both are good lenses and both will work with your K200d (I assume K200d supports SDM).

rawr · 05-28-2010, 02:10 PM

The Pentax FA 50mm 1.4 is a great lens and will fit fine. Ditto for the (newer and more expensive) DA* 55mm f1.4.

If you don't mind using manual focus, older Pentax 50mm lenses like the A 50mm f1.4 or f1.7 are excellent too, as are the even older M 50mm lenses like the M 50mm f1.7. All will work perfectly on your K200D.

I wouldn't restrict myself to a 50mm f1.4 options though.

A lens that is sharp wide open at f2.8 will still be very useful for low-light photography with the K200D. Lenses like the excellent Tamron 17-50 f2.8 zoom or even the Pentax DA 40mm f2.8 spring to mind.

mz-3 · 05-28-2010, 09:06 PM

FA 50/1.4 is a good solution.

rkt · 05-29-2010, 02:36 AM

I would also keep in mind that the 50mm may be fast, but will it let you frame all the types of shots indoors? A fast zoom may be a more flexible option... you can go wider, or zoom in, depending on what/how much you want to include in a pic ... (you could "zoom with legs" with the 50 as well, but indoors, you may have limited options for that) ...

Marc Sabatella · 05-29-2010, 08:40 AM

If it says it fits Pentax, it fits your camera (if it it *much* older than that FA - like at least 30 years old - and says M42 or screwmount, then it requires an adapter). If it says it's autofocus, it's autofocus.

I'm moving this to the beginner's forum because this is an incredibly common type of question among newcomers.

tibbitts · 05-29-2010, 04:26 PM

I had a 50/1.4 for 35mm, but I rarely used it at wider than 2.8, because particularly for portraits, you get so little depth of field that it's hard to get all the parts of a face in focus. That's ok for some effects, but usually isn't what you want. For less then the price of a new 1.4, you could get a fast (2.8) zoom that would give pretty good performance wide open, and give you more framing flexibility. I'm sure sensors will improve with time to where you'll be able to do even more with 2.8 than you can today with 1.4.

Paul

chanhangfai · 05-30-2010, 03:57 PM

thank you for the advice, you guys are professional and helpful

its fun to learn all this, and search around to find the good lens with good price.

I just found that taking indoor, inside house "prime 50mm" is too narrow,
so better to shot a bit wider..

becoz of the limited budget, i guess there is not much choice...
possibly will buy

Tamron 17-50mm f2.8

I hope this f2.8 is good enough to handle the indoor lighting..

thanks a lot..

cezarL · 05-30-2010, 04:04 PM

The Tammy is a very good lens, you won't be disappointed!
As for coping with indoor lighting... it depends on how low the light levels will actually be (but you can always bump the ISO if needed). Anyway, F2.8 is as good as any zoom will get you, only primes can give you wider apertures (which then come with the DOF downsides that tibbitts mentioned).

05-28-2010, 01:57 PM	#1
chanhangfai Inactive Account Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 2	K200D prime len 50mm Hi, I'm a newbie in DSLR, sorry, if this is a dump question, I have the K200 camera, its so hard to take a clear pictures for my 1 year old daughter, most of the time, indoor, so I'm looking for the prime len.. I know its an old style len: PENTAX SMC FA 50mm F/1.4, Can it fit to my K200? or I have to buy this higher class: PENTAX DA* 55mm F1.4 SDM Whats other good suggestions? Thanks for the help in advance...

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05-28-2010, 02:09 PM	#2
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	Originally posted by chanhangfai Hi, I'm a newbie in DSLR, sorry, if this is a dump question, I have the K200 camera, its so hard to take a clear pictures for my 1 year old daughter, most of the time, indoor, so I'm looking for the prime len.. I know its an old style len: PENTAX SMC FA 50mm F/1.4, Can it fit to my K200? or I have to buy this higher class: PENTAX DA* 55mm F1.4 SDM Whats other good suggestions? Thanks for the help in advance... If money were no object, I would be going for the DA*55 (and did). Both are good lenses and both will work with your K200d (I assume K200d supports SDM).

05-28-2010, 02:10 PM	#3
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	The Pentax FA 50mm 1.4 is a great lens and will fit fine. Ditto for the (newer and more expensive) DA* 55mm f1.4. If you don't mind using manual focus, older Pentax 50mm lenses like the A 50mm f1.4 or f1.7 are excellent too, as are the even older M 50mm lenses like the M 50mm f1.7. All will work perfectly on your K200D. I wouldn't restrict myself to a 50mm f1.4 options though. A lens that is sharp wide open at f2.8 will still be very useful for low-light photography with the K200D. Lenses like the excellent Tamron 17-50 f2.8 zoom or even the Pentax DA 40mm f2.8 spring to mind.

05-28-2010, 09:06 PM	#4
mz-3 Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 152	FA 50/1.4 is a good solution.

05-29-2010, 02:36 AM	#5
rkt Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 154	I would also keep in mind that the 50mm may be fast, but will it let you frame all the types of shots indoors? A fast zoom may be a more flexible option... you can go wider, or zoom in, depending on what/how much you want to include in a pic ... (you could "zoom with legs" with the 50 as well, but indoors, you may have limited options for that) ...

05-29-2010, 08:40 AM	#6
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	If it says it fits Pentax, it fits your camera (if it it much older than that FA - like at least 30 years old - and says M42 or screwmount, then it requires an adapter). If it says it's autofocus, it's autofocus. I'm moving this to the beginner's forum because this is an incredibly common type of question among newcomers.

05-29-2010, 04:26 PM	#7
tibbitts Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Oklahoma USA Posts: 2,196	I had a 50/1.4 for 35mm, but I rarely used it at wider than 2.8, because particularly for portraits, you get so little depth of field that it's hard to get all the parts of a face in focus. That's ok for some effects, but usually isn't what you want. For less then the price of a new 1.4, you could get a fast (2.8) zoom that would give pretty good performance wide open, and give you more framing flexibility. I'm sure sensors will improve with time to where you'll be able to do even more with 2.8 than you can today with 1.4. Paul

05-30-2010, 03:57 PM	#8
chanhangfai Inactive Account Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 2 Original Poster	thank you for the advice, you guys are professional and helpful its fun to learn all this, and search around to find the good lens with good price. I just found that taking indoor, inside house "prime 50mm" is too narrow, so better to shot a bit wider.. becoz of the limited budget, i guess there is not much choice... possibly will buy Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 I hope this f2.8 is good enough to handle the indoor lighting.. thanks a lot..

05-30-2010, 04:04 PM	#9
cezarL Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Romania Posts: 97	The Tammy is a very good lens, you won't be disappointed! As for coping with indoor lighting... it depends on how low the light levels will actually be (but you can always bump the ISO if needed). Anyway, F2.8 is as good as any zoom will get you, only primes can give you wider apertures (which then come with the DOF downsides that tibbitts mentioned).