f1:1.2 lenses..

jolee1990 · 09-12-2009, 06:17 PM

could anyone tell what other 1:1.2 lenses are there except the 55mm prime?
i really like these 1:1. whatevers but i just dont know where to find the ones pentax made.. :/ thank you

davef · 09-12-2009, 06:33 PM

Originally posted by jolee1990

could anyone tell what other 1:1.2 lenses are there except the 55mm prime?
i really like these 1:1. whatevers but i just dont know where to find the ones pentax made.. :/ thank you

You can find a catalog of Pentax K mount lenses at Boris Dmitrov's site:

Pentax K-Mount Lenses and Lens Accessories

as well as the lens review section of this Forum.

There are some 3rd party lenses as well, notably the Cosina. Dave

Marc Sabatella · 09-12-2009, 06:40 PM

Originally posted by jolee1990

could anyone tell what other 1:1.2 lenses are there except the 55mm prime?

Which 55mm prime? The Pentax f/1.2 lenses are all 50mm. At least, the K-mount ones are.

Quote:

i really like these 1:1. whatevers but i just dont know where to find the ones pentax made.. :/ thank you

Well, there's a huge different between 1.2 and 1.whatever! 1.2 lenses are relatively rare and expensive. 1.4 lenses are found at most used camera shops, and Ebay generally has a few dozen of them at any time. 1.7 lenses are practically given away for free at pawn shops.

A more-or-less complete list of Pentax K-mount lenses is here:

Welcome to Bojidar Dimitrov's Pentax K-Mount Page

Click "Lenses", then "normal primes".

Mike Cash · 09-12-2009, 09:36 PM

Originally posted by jolee1990

i really like these 1:1. whatevers

Are you familiar with what those numbers signify?

For example: Do you understand that the difference between 1:1.4 and 1:1.8 is exactly the same as the difference between 1:8 and 1:11? (Which is exactly the same as the difference between 1:1.2 and 1:1.4, by the way).

**Kerrowdown** · 09-13-2009, 02:21 AM

Hope you have a big bank balance to fund this kind of LBA.

jolee1990 · 09-13-2009, 03:09 PM

hmm i understand the smaller the number the bigger the aperature? just like the cornia of your eye, but i dont understand this difference things.. sry i meant to say 50 mm, and i havent seen 1:1 :/ where might i b able to see some of them? and does anyone live in cincinnati? cause i cant find any good camera stores around here, theres only cord camera, which wasnt that good and ritz which had like no pentax stuff..
sry for asking big newbie questions it sounds like u guys r getting aggitated X0

PNTXFTW12 · 09-13-2009, 03:22 PM

don't f-stop numbers follow an algorithm?

pasipasi · 09-13-2009, 03:37 PM

1, 2, 4, 8, 16
1.4, 2.8, 5.6, 11, 22

pbo · 09-13-2009, 04:03 PM

Quote:

don't f-stop numbers follow an algorithm?

They do. Multiplication by 1.4 gives a stop of difference (see post by pasipasi). There are also half- and third- stops, but I don't quite remember what multiplier was (1.4 is a rough approximation of square root of 2. To get half-stop, it seems to be square root of 1.5, i.e. 1.2-ish).

Which brings to another thing:

Quote:

Do you understand that the difference between 1:1.4 and 1:1.8 is exactly the same as the difference between 1:8 and 1:11? (Which is exactly the same as the difference between 1:1.2 and 1:1.4, by the way).

That's not true. Difference between 1.8 and 1.4 is a bit more than half-stop. Difference between f/8 and f/11 is a whole stop. And difference betw. 1.4 and 1.2 is a bit less than half a stop.

Marc Sabatella · 09-13-2009, 04:43 PM

Originally posted by jolee1990

hmm i understand the smaller the number the bigger the aperature?

Yes.

Quote:

and i havent seen 1:1

nor will you. They don't exist for Pentax, and for all practical purposes, they are not used for other brands either (even though they *have* been made). f/1.2 is the largest aperture that you can buy, but very few people even use that. f/1.4 is, as I said before, the largest aperture lens most people ever see in their lives.

Cincinatti might not have many camera stores, but it has pawn shops. And practically every pawn shop has a 50/1.7 at least. Many people prefer the 50/1.7's over the 50/1.4's. Unless you're already an expert on such matters and have a very specific reason to be interested in f/1.2, I'd put that out of your mind and concentrate on finding a 50/1.4 or 50/1.7 to try. Note the 50/1.2's are all manual focus, as are most of the 50/1.4's and 50/1.7's you'd find in a pawn shop.

jolee1990 · 09-13-2009, 05:51 PM

yeah i have a 50 f1.4
but i would like to try the 1.2
i really like low light pictures and using a 2.8 or 3 is a hassle, cincinnati does have pawn shops but i cant seem to locate them very well, but ill keep on trying thank you

indytax · 09-13-2009, 06:53 PM

Originally posted by jolee1990

yeah i have a 50 f1.4
but i would like to try the 1.2
i really like low light pictures and using a 2.8 or 3 is a hassle, cincinnati does have pawn shops but i cant seem to locate them very well, but ill keep on trying thank you

Your best bet trying to find a 50 f/1.2 is here on the Marketplace forum. We've seen several them offered for anywhere from $350-$500 recently. Here's one currently for sale. It will be nearly impossible to focus accurately with standard focusing screens because the depth of field is incredibly thin. This is especially true in low light because you won't be able to see the in-focus area of your subject well enough to accurately focus and your in-camera focus indicator will be useless with these lenses.

Robert S Donovan · 09-13-2009, 07:10 PM

Originally posted by jolee1990

hmm i understand the smaller the number the bigger the aperature? just like the cornia of your eye, but i dont understand this difference things.. sry i meant to say 50 mm, and i havent seen 1:1 :/ where might i b able to see some of them? and does anyone live in cincinnati? cause i cant find any good camera stores around here, theres only cord camera, which wasnt that good and ritz which had like no pentax stuff..
sry for asking big newbie questions it sounds like u guys r getting aggitated X0

jolee1990,

Are you talking about the aperture size (1.2, 1.4, 1.8, etc) or the magnification ratio for a macro lens (1:1, 1:2, etc)? If you're talking apertures I don't think you're going to find much in an f/1.0 for a K mount. I think Canon and Leica have made f/1.0 and f/0.95 lenses but the fastest Pentax I've seen is f/1.2.

Pentaxor · 09-13-2009, 08:38 PM

if you're going to buy a 1.2 lens, make sure that you stick it at 1.2 aperture most of the time as to justify your purchase of it. otherwise, you would be fine with a 1.4 or 1.7.

btw, I took a quick review of your earlier posts, so I think you might be new to photography and have tons of cash to spend with camera gear (lol). anyway, just in case you don't have enough cash, the cheap and affordable but great manual focus 50 1.4 (bokeh) or 1.7 (sharpness, I prefer this one) lenses would do great, just practice on your focusing hand speed. otherwise, buy the autofocus versions for convenience if you have the cash to spend.

furthermore, trying to shoot at 1.2 could be a little bit tricky especially with a manual focus lens. as mentioned by others, these lenses got a thin DOF, so precision focusing is very necessary.

iht · 09-13-2009, 08:49 PM

I'm with the others - a 1.4/1.7 is definitely a much better investment.

I was fortunate enough to "accidentally" pick up a K 1:1.2 in a package that was way below the going rates. It's in immaculate condition, except it's missing the rear cap, since it served as a K1000's lens cap for the last two decades or so in a dry cabinet!

I've only used it a few times on my DS. It's a great lens with beautiful bokeh, but as a beginner, I would struggle to tell the difference between it and a 1.4 or even a 1.7. The 1.2 is much heavier lens with a huge amount of glass! It's built like a tank. Some people say the viewfinder is brighter when it's on, but I haven't really noticed that much difference.

I still don't think I could ever justify paying the normal going rates for it. Maybe at this stage of my photography I just don't appreciate its beauty, yet.

I'm still in two minds as to whether I want to sell it. I'm hesitant to take it anywhere with me, because it's heavy and because of its value, and because my 1.7 really does a great job for a manual focus 50mm. On the other hand, I know I'll never find a 1.2 again anywhere near that price, so...I think I'll keep it for the moment! It seems it holds it value quite well.

09-12-2009, 06:17 PM	#1
jolee1990 Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: cincinnati Posts: 88	f1:1.2 lenses.. could anyone tell what other 1:1.2 lenses are there except the 55mm prime? i really like these 1:1. whatevers but i just dont know where to find the ones pentax made.. :/ thank you

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Pentax Km and old manual lenses: SMC Takumars & Tamron Adaptall 2 lenses	Kendrick	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	10	04-14-2010 03:23 AM
For Sale - Sold: Yard sale: M lenses, K 300mm, DA 14mm, ME film body, Nikkor lenses and more	Nachodog	Sold Items	24	12-26-2009 12:03 AM
For Sale - Sold: Lenses, lenses, lenses... and a flash!	pbo	Sold Items	18	05-28-2009 04:35 PM
For Sale - Sold: M42 / K / KA / FA Lenses Grab bag of Vintage to Current lenses. 50mm FA f/1.4	MikeDubU	Sold Items	10	02-09-2009 12:45 PM

09-12-2009, 06:33 PM	#2
davef Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Ontario Posts: 433	Originally posted by jolee1990 could anyone tell what other 1:1.2 lenses are there except the 55mm prime? i really like these 1:1. whatevers but i just dont know where to find the ones pentax made.. :/ thank you You can find a catalog of Pentax K mount lenses at Boris Dmitrov's site: Pentax K-Mount Lenses and Lens Accessories as well as the lens review section of this Forum. There are some 3rd party lenses as well, notably the Cosina. Dave

09-12-2009, 06:40 PM	#3
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	Originally posted by jolee1990 could anyone tell what other 1:1.2 lenses are there except the 55mm prime? Which 55mm prime? The Pentax f/1.2 lenses are all 50mm. At least, the K-mount ones are. Quote: i really like these 1:1. whatevers but i just dont know where to find the ones pentax made.. :/ thank you Well, there's a huge different between 1.2 and 1.whatever! 1.2 lenses are relatively rare and expensive. 1.4 lenses are found at most used camera shops, and Ebay generally has a few dozen of them at any time. 1.7 lenses are practically given away for free at pawn shops. A more-or-less complete list of Pentax K-mount lenses is here: Welcome to Bojidar Dimitrov's Pentax K-Mount Page Click "Lenses", then "normal primes".

09-12-2009, 09:36 PM	#4
Mike Cash Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Japan Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,950	Originally posted by jolee1990 i really like these 1:1. whatevers Are you familiar with what those numbers signify? For example: Do you understand that the difference between 1:1.4 and 1:1.8 is exactly the same as the difference between 1:8 and 1:11? (Which is exactly the same as the difference between 1:1.2 and 1:1.4, by the way).

09-13-2009, 02:21 AM	#5
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,860	Hope you have a big bank balance to fund this kind of LBA.

09-13-2009, 03:09 PM	#6
jolee1990 Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: cincinnati Posts: 88 Original Poster	hmm i understand the smaller the number the bigger the aperature? just like the cornia of your eye, but i dont understand this difference things.. sry i meant to say 50 mm, and i havent seen 1:1 :/ where might i b able to see some of them? and does anyone live in cincinnati? cause i cant find any good camera stores around here, theres only cord camera, which wasnt that good and ritz which had like no pentax stuff.. sry for asking big newbie questions it sounds like u guys r getting aggitated X0

09-13-2009, 03:22 PM	#7
PNTXFTW12 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vaughan, Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 269	don't f-stop numbers follow an algorithm?

09-13-2009, 03:37 PM	#8
pasipasi Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Oulu Photos: Gallery Posts: 532	1, 2, 4, 8, 16 1.4, 2.8, 5.6, 11, 22

09-13-2009, 04:03 PM	#9
pbo Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 891	Quote: don't f-stop numbers follow an algorithm? They do. Multiplication by 1.4 gives a stop of difference (see post by pasipasi). There are also half- and third- stops, but I don't quite remember what multiplier was (1.4 is a rough approximation of square root of 2. To get half-stop, it seems to be square root of 1.5, i.e. 1.2-ish). Which brings to another thing: Quote: Do you understand that the difference between 1:1.4 and 1:1.8 is exactly the same as the difference between 1:8 and 1:11? (Which is exactly the same as the difference between 1:1.2 and 1:1.4, by the way). That's not true. Difference between 1.8 and 1.4 is a bit more than half-stop. Difference between f/8 and f/11 is a whole stop. And difference betw. 1.4 and 1.2 is a bit less than half a stop.

09-13-2009, 04:43 PM	#10
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	Originally posted by jolee1990 hmm i understand the smaller the number the bigger the aperature? Yes. Quote: and i havent seen 1:1 nor will you. They don't exist for Pentax, and for all practical purposes, they are not used for other brands either (even though they have been made). f/1.2 is the largest aperture that you can buy, but very few people even use that. f/1.4 is, as I said before, the largest aperture lens most people ever see in their lives. Cincinatti might not have many camera stores, but it has pawn shops. And practically every pawn shop has a 50/1.7 at least. Many people prefer the 50/1.7's over the 50/1.4's. Unless you're already an expert on such matters and have a very specific reason to be interested in f/1.2, I'd put that out of your mind and concentrate on finding a 50/1.4 or 50/1.7 to try. Note the 50/1.2's are all manual focus, as are most of the 50/1.4's and 50/1.7's you'd find in a pawn shop.

09-13-2009, 05:51 PM	#11
jolee1990 Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: cincinnati Posts: 88 Original Poster	yeah i have a 50 f1.4 but i would like to try the 1.2 i really like low light pictures and using a 2.8 or 3 is a hassle, cincinnati does have pawn shops but i cant seem to locate them very well, but ill keep on trying thank you

09-13-2009, 06:53 PM	#12
indytax Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 312	Originally posted by jolee1990 yeah i have a 50 f1.4 but i would like to try the 1.2 i really like low light pictures and using a 2.8 or 3 is a hassle, cincinnati does have pawn shops but i cant seem to locate them very well, but ill keep on trying thank you Your best bet trying to find a 50 f/1.2 is here on the Marketplace forum. We've seen several them offered for anywhere from $350-$500 recently. Here's one currently for sale. It will be nearly impossible to focus accurately with standard focusing screens because the depth of field is incredibly thin. This is especially true in low light because you won't be able to see the in-focus area of your subject well enough to accurately focus and your in-camera focus indicator will be useless with these lenses.

09-13-2009, 07:10 PM	#13
Robert S Donovan Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Anderson, SC Photos: Gallery Posts: 361	Originally posted by jolee1990 hmm i understand the smaller the number the bigger the aperature? just like the cornia of your eye, but i dont understand this difference things.. sry i meant to say 50 mm, and i havent seen 1:1 :/ where might i b able to see some of them? and does anyone live in cincinnati? cause i cant find any good camera stores around here, theres only cord camera, which wasnt that good and ritz which had like no pentax stuff.. sry for asking big newbie questions it sounds like u guys r getting aggitated X0 jolee1990, Are you talking about the aperture size (1.2, 1.4, 1.8, etc) or the magnification ratio for a macro lens (1:1, 1:2, etc)? If you're talking apertures I don't think you're going to find much in an f/1.0 for a K mount. I think Canon and Leica have made f/1.0 and f/0.95 lenses but the fastest Pentax I've seen is f/1.2.

09-13-2009, 08:38 PM	#14
Pentaxor Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,513	if you're going to buy a 1.2 lens, make sure that you stick it at 1.2 aperture most of the time as to justify your purchase of it. otherwise, you would be fine with a 1.4 or 1.7. btw, I took a quick review of your earlier posts, so I think you might be new to photography and have tons of cash to spend with camera gear (lol). anyway, just in case you don't have enough cash, the cheap and affordable but great manual focus 50 1.4 (bokeh) or 1.7 (sharpness, I prefer this one) lenses would do great, just practice on your focusing hand speed. otherwise, buy the autofocus versions for convenience if you have the cash to spend. furthermore, trying to shoot at 1.2 could be a little bit tricky especially with a manual focus lens. as mentioned by others, these lenses got a thin DOF, so precision focusing is very necessary.

09-13-2009, 08:49 PM	#15
iht Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 528	I'm with the others - a 1.4/1.7 is definitely a much better investment. I was fortunate enough to "accidentally" pick up a K 1:1.2 in a package that was way below the going rates. It's in immaculate condition, except it's missing the rear cap, since it served as a K1000's lens cap for the last two decades or so in a dry cabinet! I've only used it a few times on my DS. It's a great lens with beautiful bokeh, but as a beginner, I would struggle to tell the difference between it and a 1.4 or even a 1.7. The 1.2 is much heavier lens with a huge amount of glass! It's built like a tank. Some people say the viewfinder is brighter when it's on, but I haven't really noticed that much difference. I still don't think I could ever justify paying the normal going rates for it. Maybe at this stage of my photography I just don't appreciate its beauty, yet. I'm still in two minds as to whether I want to sell it. I'm hesitant to take it anywhere with me, because it's heavy and because of its value, and because my 1.7 really does a great job for a manual focus 50mm. On the other hand, I know I'll never find a 1.2 again anywhere near that price, so...I think I'll keep it for the moment! It seems it holds it value quite well.