[ChooseAName]

Actually with the crop sensor you will likely find the 50mm focal length too narrow a FOV for 75% of the things the lens was originally designed for. My A50 1.4 spends all its time on the K1000 for just that reason. An A35mm F2.8 would be a much more useable alternative and you can actually occasionally find one unlike the F2 version.

If you want something you won't get sick of for MF find yourself an A35-105 F3.5, its worth whatever you need to pay for it (usually under $200). Though with a MF zoom you either have to turn SR off or compromise in some way.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm quite familiar with the 50 mm focal length for the crop sensor, considering I started on the 50 mm listed in my sig.

It turns out the 50 mm f/1.7 I ordered on eBay wasn't actually what was listed. One of eBay's pages for the 50 mm f/1.7 had listed some other item and I clicked to order that instead, but luckily was able to cancel before it shipped. So technically I am still in the market for an affordable MF lens. I had the thought that it would be nice to have a focal length I don't already have (i.e. 35, 50). But then again I thought that 50 mm (on a crop sensor) is good for what I shoot, which is mainly my 3 year old daughter.

[Klaus]

So technically I am still in the market for an affordable MF lens. I had the thought that it would be nice to have a focal length I don't already have (i.e. 35, 50).

28mm lenses are easy to find, and I find my A 28/2,8 very useful and of good quality. It is better to go for A lenses, to be able to meter without stopping down, and to have p-ttl flash.

Cheers - Klaus

[pezmaker]

It's about what you shoot, not what everyone else shoots. If you like the 50, stick with the 50. I have a 35 and a bunch of 50's. I was using the 35 more when it was new, but I pretty much am 50/50 on which I use now, and the 35 is AF, the 50 isn't even A. *shrugs* It might be different with other models, but my K200D and the green button make using M lenses basically painless. I do have some A lenses, but I don't use them as much as the straight up M50 1.7.

Some good advice about focal lengths and A vs M, but I really think that it's about what you shoot, not what everyone else shoots . It sounds like you're also more concerned about seeing what the focus screen can really give you than much else, and it doesn't get much better at that low of a price than the ole standard 50 F1.7 that you've already decided on. I maintain good choice. (This being a focal length opinion about what to shoot that you weren't asking for )


--- edited to be less of a jerk ---

[PPPPPP42]

I forgot to ask, have you shimmed your Katzeye or did it happen to be spot on with the first try? I forget if mine noticeably front or back focused after the Katzeye install and detailed testing, but I had to order the whole set of shims from Pentax (cheap) and it was either one thicker or thinner that re-centered the point of focus.

If the 50mm length works good for you without being too tight indoors or anything then the 50mm 1.7 is indeed one of the best deals in all of Pentax, very good quality for pocket change. I only have the faster A50 1.4 because it was the kit lens on my Super Program, though the bit of extra speed has come in handy more than once. I would also recommend the A series though you pay a bit more for the automated feature, mainly because then you can use the front and rear dials to set shutter speed and aperture plus as was stated the metering works normally. Dunno what your film camera history is but the very precise long throw of the focus ring on these things will probably shock you compared to the short sloppiness of using an FA by hand.

I don't know if one of my earlier comments was was something you knew about already, but when you start the camera up with a MF lens with shake reduction turned on it will ask you the focal length of the lens you are using, not a problem at all with a fixed focal length prime lens, but with a zoom lens unless you reset it every time you zoom in or out, its basically always wrong. The normal fix is either to set it right in the middle and compromise both ends, or set it to the part of the zoom range you will use most, or just do like I do now and turn the damn SR off so it doesn't constantly over correct for movement that isn't there because it thinks your lens is something it isn't. If you turn on SR after the fact or change lenses without powering off you can change the focal length in one of the menus (Fn?) but its in kinda a stupid spot so I just turn SR on and flip the power off and on if I need to change it. Your Exif data will show whatever you set the SR focal length to as the lens focal length if you check it later.

[ChooseAName]

Just thought that I should mention this, for the benefit of anyone who comes to these forums looking for solutions to this problem I originally had (i.e. not able to disengage AF screw drive even when switch is set to MF)

I noticed that other day that my MF/AF switch is magically working again, somehow. So apparently it fixed itself. With no lens on, when I flip the switch back and forth, I see the screw going back and forth correspondingly. My best guesses is that maybe there was some camera setting that prevented disengaging of AF screw drive, or maybe I jostled the camera in such a way that it kicked the MF/AF switch back into working status.

(But if the MF/AF switch had always worked in the first place, I wouldn't have started down the road of manual focusing...)

[kh1234567890]

I noticed that other day that my MF/AF switch is magically working again, somehow. So apparently it fixed itself. With no lens on, when I flip the switch back and forth, I see the screw going back and forth correspondingly. My best guesses is that maybe there was some camera setting that prevented disengaging of AF screw drive, or maybe I jostled the camera in such a way that it kicked the MF/AF switch back into working status.

Isn't purely mechanical design amazing ?

Pushing the AF shaft in a couple of times would probably had the same effect, it is spring loaded after all and was simply 'stuck'