Originally posted by Zealex Found a great deal on a Pentax A 50/1.7, but another one on a Pentax M 50/1.4...decisions. The 1.4 is obviously faster... but I've heard good things about the 1.7 as well :/.
I've had both - I still have the A50/1.7 - does that help at all?
I thought the image rendering on the M50/1.4 (near wide-open) was kinda beautiful and kinda odd at the same time. Since I got the K50/1.2 at the same time in a kit, it was easy to choose which one to keep. As far as sharpness goes I think the A50/1.7 wins, and the colors are nice too. Sharpness isn't everything, but I think you'll like it as long as it's a good copy (
hint: if it takes nice photos at f/2.2 it probably is). I don't think you'll understand the appeal of a fast lens - and how amazing one is as the sun goes down - until you get one. I still remember a local 1 1/2 day desert shooting photo class a few years ago - as the sun went down most people (with zooms, of course) were giving up but I kept getting nice shots with my cheap A50/1.7 lens and "inferior" Pentax camera with its built-in SR. That was one of the first times I really understood how much difference such a lens can make.
While the FA lens series is my favorite because it has almost every lens I could need (and many are still quite amazing), the A series is my favorite based purely on the appearance that generation of glass produces (with the F being almost identical, and close behind it).
Remember that an A lens' Automatic aperture is not only convenient, it also allows you to stop down only 1/3 stop at a time (assuming you set up your camera for 1/3 stop increments, which I believe most of us do). At this stage I think it will help your understanding to be able to do this, and you may also use the lens a little more. But you should get a K or M lens at some point as well, and get used to using "the green button."