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SMC Pentax-A 50mm F1.7 Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-A 50mm F1.7

Sharpness 
 9.1
Aberrations 
 8.4
Bokeh 
 8.7
Handling 
 8.6
Value 
 9.5
Reviews Views Date of last review
143 565,951 Fri December 29, 2023
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
99% of reviewers $58.87 8.91
SMC Pentax-A 50mm F1.7

SMC Pentax-A 50mm F1.7
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SMC Pentax-A 50mm F1.7
supersize
SMC Pentax-A 50mm F1.7
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Description:
The SMC Pentax-A 50mm F1.7 is a fast standard lens shipped with many 1980's Pentax bodies. It supports all exposure modes.



SMC Pentax-A 50mm F1.7
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
Full-frame / 35mm film
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
Yes (A setting)
Diaphragm
Automatic, 6 blades
Optics
6 elements, 5 groups
Mount Variant
KA
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F1.7
Min. Aperture
F22
Focusing
Manual
Min. Focus
45 cm
Max. Magnification
0.15x
Filter Size
49 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 32 ° / 27 °
Full frame: 47 ° / 40 °
Hood
Various types
Case
Hard case HA-90B
Lens Cap
Plastic clip-on
Coating
SMC
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
63 x 31 mm
Weight
165 g
Production Years
1984 to 1989
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-A 1:1.7 50mm
Product Code
20897
Reviews
User reviews
Notes
Lens was sold without hood. Several hoods will fit like PH-S49 (50mm) and screw-in type metal and folding rubber hoods
Features:
Manual FocusAperture RingAutomatic ApertureFull-Frame SupportDiscontinued
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-A 50mm F1.7
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-15 of 143
Senior Member

Registered: June, 2011
Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Posts: 235

7 users found this helpful
Review Date: September 21, 2014 Recommended | Price: $45.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: sharp, compact, build quality, colors
Cons: none
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K5   

I give this lens a 10 even though I rated a 9 for most of its characteristics. These lenses are very easy to find 2nd hand for a reasonable price. I paid around $45 and its worth much more! To repeat the previous post, don't penalize for manual focus. If you want auto focus, then just get an auto focus lens

Besides this 50, I also own a SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.4. Optically the M is more attractive, but it always stays home since I have the Pentax-A 50mm F1.7. This is pure for the benefit of controlling the aperture from the camera. In fact, i stopped buying M lenses and pure focus on the A series now. Thanks to this beauty.


(background of this photo here)

   
Forum Member

Registered: July, 2019
Location: Kamloops B.C
Posts: 83

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: December 31, 2019 Recommended | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Image quality
Cons: Plastic aperture ring
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: MX, Super Program, K-7, K-01, K-5, KP   

There is good value to this lens. It's a shame about the shoddily built plastic aperture ring because the rest of the lens is built quite nice, but if you just keep it in the "A" setting this is a non-issue. It is small and light yet the inner barrel and lens mount are metal, and the focus ring, although made of plastic feels smooth and well damped. I have used my copy for years and aside from the aperture ring there is no wobble or looseness and feels tighter than my modern HD Limiteds - I'm especially looking at you 21 and 70.


Image quality is typical of Pentax 50's which means to say its great. To my eyes the images it produces are indistinguishable from any of the f1.7's, as it should since they all share the same basic optical design and 6 blade diaphragm. No surprises here.


I really like this lens for international travel because it's so small and light, takes high quality images, yet it's easily replaced if lost, stolen or damaged. I don't like to take expensive camera gear traveling because it gives me "camera gear anxiety". This little lens is a part of cheap but potent kit I put together that allows me enjoy my travels without worrying about my gear, but still come home with excellent results.


For those who wish to mainly use this lens on an older film body that does not support the "A" setting I'd suggest skipping this lens and going for an M or K option as they are better built, but for a digital user this lens is golden.





I can highly recommend this lens to anyone who is on a tight budget but are in search of a high quality lens.

8/10 - good optics, poor aperture ring, great value.
   
Junior Member

Registered: June, 2018
Location: Lyon area
Posts: 46

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 29, 2018 Recommended | Price: $40.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Very sharp around F4-5, viewfinder focus assist works, well built overall
Cons: Wide open is not super sharp
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K-70   

Have it since a few days, it is the first time I shoot with a prime lens. This is also the first time I write review for any lens, so I like it but I'm not a pro or haven't tried dozen of lenses.

It has plastic rings (as opposed to SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7) but feels well build and sturdy, my copy is very clean except a little dent on the front side


First impression is wow, so much light coming in compared to my DA 18-135 zoom, need a time to adjust usual camera settings.

Wide open it can take shots in an almost dark room, this is inside my room without any lights on, and curtains almost closed. Useable at ƒ/1.7 with 1/50 exposure time ISO1000 is ok on the K-70 this helps. With a tripod you can certainly shoot with a longer exposure and get even less noise


In sunny situation, closing the aperture to F/5.0 rendered nice, this time at ISO100 it is real sharp you can count the pollens that have fallen on the petal beneath


The flare does not seems bad against the light

I should update this on I got it out for landscape or portrait pictures, but for the price paid I'm already happy I bought it.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: July, 2007
Location: North West UK
Posts: 390

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: October 9, 2017 Recommended | Price: $10.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Contrast, well controlled CA, "A" on the aperture ring. Nice sharpness
Cons: Not a tactile delight that the SMC-M version is.
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-3 K-1   

Lets get the one thing out of the way, the build. It is a bit plastic. There I have said it.
It does not have the tactile delight of the smooth metal build SMC-M version, even though it is identical optically. Yes it is just the same, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I got mine as part of a £30 bundle with the rather nice and underrated P30t I found in a local camera shop.

Why did I get it when I already have the SMC-M F1.7, the DA F1.8 and the FA F1.4? Well it has the A on the ring, and it was dead cheap. There are times you want to use TAv mode with the nice and contrasty F1.7, but you can't. You can with this.

So, build is not as good as the earlier one, but does it perform? Well yes! Even now, the F1.7 is one of the better nifties out there for Pentax wide open. It is small, bags of contrast, a lot more than the F1.4, reasonably good CA control (and better than - ahem - the 43mm F1.9 wide open).

Stopped down, the CA does get better, but the FA F1.4 overtakes it when it comes to sharpness and rendition. Not that this is a bad thing, it is just that the FA is stunning, and one of the best fifties from F2.8 through to F8.

If you want a great, and I mean great, 50mm wide open, with some decent control, and you don't mind the less than perfect build quality, then for bang for the buck, get this. It is FAR less than the "perfect" F1.7 - the SMC-F F1.7, which are as rare as hens teeth.
   
Senior Member

Registered: November, 2015
Posts: 121

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: July 26, 2016 Recommended | Price: $60.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Cheap and very very good!
Cons:
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-1   

When I purchased my K-1 I felt I had to invest in some good glass, so I naturally went out and purchased the much praised FA43 Limited. To cut a long story short I'm seriously considering selling the FA43 as this lens is as good as and exceeds the FA43 in many ways imo. As I shoot still subjects and people manual focus adds to the experience as far as I'M concerned. A very impressive and versatile lens highly recommended.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: June, 2015
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 791

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 2, 2016 Recommended | Price: $30.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Sharp
Cons: poor flare handling
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 6    Bokeh: 5    Handling: 10    Value: 9    Camera Used: Pentax K-50   

This is the second lens I bought after the kit lens, and I got it for amazingly cheap on Ebay.

It's super sharp when stopped down to f/2.8. Even wide open at f/1.7, it is possible to get a decently sharp portrait at the minimum focusing distance. Of course, at f/1.7 it's also a little difficult to focus. My advice is not to rely on the red square too much. Just get a feel for how much you need to turn the smooth focusing ring before it's precise. After a little practice it's not too difficult to get sharp focus wide open. Stopped down to f/2.8 it's an effortless portrait lens. Example at f/2.8:



The focus ring itself is solid, turns smoothly, and is much better than the kit lens for that.

This lens has a bit of fringing and chromatic aberration but it's easily correctable and not that noticeable anyway. Stopping down helps.

The only thing that might be distracting is it has ugly bokeh between f/2.0-2.5, where the bokeh shapes look like shurikens. But in the situations where the bokeh lights will appear, just shoot wide open or f/2.8.

Update: After using this lens for many years I still love it. It's a great portrait lens and perfect for studio and indoor work. I would add that in certain strong lights, the flaring really is quite bad and the contrast lost in these situations is only partly correctable.

Update 2: I lowered the rating of this lens a little bit due to even more experience with it. I still think it's a great buy, but beware that it is frustrating to use in harsher, outdoor light because it does not handle flaring very well.
   
New Member

Registered: February, 2016
Location: Montreal
Posts: 4

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: February 22, 2016 Recommended | Price: $60.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Not expansive, good quality
Cons:
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: K100D Super, K-7   

Excellent lens that you can find under 70$ (approx. 50-80$ for the A version). It was my first lens that I bought after the 18-5 and the sharpness and the bokeh are excellent.

It's an old lens without autofocus (you need to go to the FA or DA if you want it) but I really recommend this lens. Perfect to learn and progress :-)
   
Site Supporter

Registered: October, 2008
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 8,085

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 12, 2015 Not Recommended | Rating: 6 

 
Pros: Excellent optics, “A’ setting.
Cons: Terrible plastic build and a bit too compact for my taste.
Camera Used: Pentax film bodies (K1000, KM, KX, K2, K2DMD, MX, LX, Super A, P50)   

The A50/1.7 was released in 1984 and was a direct replacement for the M50/1.7. The A50/1.7 was in production until 1989. The similar Auto focus F50/1.7 was available along side the A50/1.7 from 1987 onwards.


Optics:
Excellent optics and the A50/1.7 is sharpest at f/8 & f/11.

Focal Length:
On film this is a normal/standard lens and your go to prime focal length. On APS-C you get the FOV of a short telephoto, interesting but less useful.

Build:
Unfortunately when Pentax introduced the A Series lenses in 1984 they also started using plastic on some of the “budget” lenses. The A50/1.7 has the same design/optics as the M50/1.7, but is 20 grams lighter, so the difference is the plastic used in the construction of the A50/1.7. The Achilles heal of the A50/1.7 is the plastic aperture ring assembly, which is extremely prone to breaking and limiting the movement of the aperture ring.

This was a terrible design by Pentax and the A50/1.7 has the roughest moving aperture ring of any of my 70+ Pentax lenses and that’s after I spent $20.00 on a CLA. Yes you can leave the aperture ring in the “A” setting (if you can get it there) and use it happily on a DSLR or “A” Series & newer film camera, but that’s just not acceptable in my books. Would you want a lens that could only focus to infinity, as it was stuck there?

Usage/Handling:
The A50/1.7, like the M50/1.7 is a bit small for my taste and doesn’t handle as well compared to the bigger K Series normal/standard prime lenses. As I only use this lens on film cameras, this FL is the one you interact with the most and handling is a big part of the usage of any manual focusing normal/standard prime lens. I tend to use hyperfocal focusing & aperture priority a lot with the A50/1.7 to compensate for the lenses size and flaky aperture ring.

There were four lens hoods that were available for the A50/1.7, 49mm square plastic, round plastic, round metal and round rubber. These hoods will also work on the other M, A, F & FA normal/standard 49mm filter thread primes. .

Speed:
Normally f/1.7 would be considered a fast maximum aperture, but as this is the third slowest normal/standard prime at the time of the A Series release, f1.7 is just adequate. However the faster A50/1.2 & A50/1.4 were higher priced, so more people ended up with the A50/1.7 as their go to prime than the other two. There was also an even slower A50/2 in the A Series line-up, but it was only available as a kit lens for the K1000 camera.

The A50/1.7 vs my other similar FL normal/standard primes:
I also own the M50/1.7 and both lenses are basically identical except for the construction and the “A” setting on the A50/1.7. I like the optics a bit better on the A50/1.7, but would still choose the M50/1.7 over it, due to its metal construction.

Summary:
If the A50/1.7 was built like the “M” Series version then I would have given it a 9. However its excellent optics are wasted on a plastic lens with a design flaw, so I can’t recommend the A50/1.7. There are many other manual focus Pentax 50mm-55mm primes that are better built with similar optics, so I would pick one of those instead. (Also avoid the A50/2 as it’s also a plastic build.) Having a broken lens, or one that breaks down when you are on holidays is just not worth the hassle.

Price:
I bought a Pentax Super A and the A50/1.7 came with the camera, so I don’t have a price for just the lens.

Sample shots taken with the A50/1.7. Photos are medium resolution scans from original negatives or slides. Shot one was taken in Vancouver, Canada and the second shot in Maupiti, French Polynesia.


Camera: Super A Film: CineStill 50 ISO: 50




Camera: LX Film: Fuji Provia 100F ISO: 100

   
New Member

Registered: June, 2015
Posts: 11

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: July 1, 2015 Recommended | Price: $35.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharpness, bokeh, compact size.
Cons: None for the price
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: K200D   

If you know how to use manual focus, this is excellent low-cost prime.
Very soft at 1.7, but stopped down becomes very sharp.
Beautiful colors.
Bokeh is really nice.
   
New Member

Registered: December, 2013
Posts: 7

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: November 21, 2014 Recommended | Price: $50.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: 'A', sharp stopped down, beautiful wide-open, price
Cons: none
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: k30   

If you shoot with a Pentax and you don't have this lens, you need to have a word with yourself.

If you want sharp, it really does sharp; if you want dreamy pixie land, it does dreamy pixie land; flare resistant; Pentax colours. ! Its small, it has all the exposure automation and data, and it's cheaper than going for a curry! Much cheaper. Oh, and also with a macro ring its the shizzle.
   
Forum Member

Registered: February, 2014
Location: Warsaw
Posts: 76

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 3, 2014 Recommended | Price: $90.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Good image quality, sharp after f2, build quality, fast
Cons: soft wide open, to narow FOV (75mm)
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-500   

Overall great lens for small price.
Soft at f1.7, sharper at f2, razor sharp after f5.
Great lens when there is not too much light, unfortunatelly offers to narrow field of view (75mm) quite difficult to shot indoors like at family parties etc.
At f2 you will be able to take photos with literally four times smaller ISO then when using for example kit lens.
Not to versatile but much sharper than any zoom.
It is worth to pay more and get A instead of M, exposure automation makes life much simpler.
Grate build quality, great value for the price, highly recommended.








   
New Member

Registered: December, 2010
Location: Bratislava
Posts: 7

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: September 15, 2012 Recommended | Price: $65.59 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: fast, sharp, can be used in A mode
Cons: manual focus
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K-x   

Great lens for the price, if you happen to have one, do not part with it. Bought mine in mint condition, and this is the lens that I choose to take when i am shooting indoors, or for a macro (with macro extender rings).
   
Junior Member

Registered: March, 2012
Posts: 31

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 20, 2012 Recommended | Price: $88.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Sharpness, great image, very compact and solid build
Cons: Nothing for me
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K-x and K50   

For me, this lens it's absolutly great and I love it very much. With it I found the pleasure I had more than 30 years with my 85mm 1.8 Canon ( an other fantastic lens ) on my old Ftb...)
It has becoming essential for me and I use it everytime specially now on my K50

1


2


3


4


5


6
   
Inactive Account

Registered: March, 2012
Posts: 1

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 19, 2012 Recommended | Price: $126.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharpness, Build, compactness, looks
Cons: not so easy to focus at night on a dslr, apeture ring is jerky- but i don't use it anyway
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-5   

My example was expensive but is mint, the lens is small, but well built and focuses smoothly, i find it easy to focus on the k-5 in good light, less so at night. Overall a superb lens, sharp, contrasty, with good,if not the very best, bokeh.
   
Pentaxian

Registered: April, 2009
Location: Madrid, Spain
Posts: 10,847

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 24, 2017 Recommended | Price: $75.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Small, light, good optics, "A" setting
Cons: Poor build quality
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 7    Value: 7    Camera Used: K200D, K3   

The A series 50mm f/1.7 is optically identical to it's predecessor in the M series, except perhaps the SMC coating, and performs very similarly. It produces images which may have a touch more contrast, giving them a more modern look. The Pentax f/1.7 and f/1.8 standard primes are superb optically and this one is no exception, producing images which may be use-able wide open (depending on circumstances) and are very sharp indeed by f/2.8.

The problem with the A series is the very poor build quality. The plastic build of the barrel is not a problem per se, but the plastic build of the internals, especially the aperture ring, is a big problem. My copy had an aperture ring which was gritty and difficult to move and another copy I tried, while externally fine, had an aperture ring that simply wouldn't go below f/8. This is because the aperture ring is plastic inside and just gets worn out very easily.

While images from this lens were very good, I sold it because I don't get any pleasure from using it. I stick to my other 50mm lenses which are K, M, Taks or third-party offerings with similar high quality build.

It's worth noting that the f/1.4 version has similarly poor construction while others in the series, like the 28/2.8 or 50/2.8 macro, are considerably better and have properly constructed aperture rings.

I would recommend the K or M series fast fifties over this one, especially the M, which is the same size, almost as light, just as sharp, and much more pleasurable to use due to the superior build quality. It's also less than half the price. If you get one which works and plan to always use it in the A setting then you won't experience the aperture ring problems.

Sample photo (taken wide open in low light):


IMGP1325a
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

At f/2.0


IMGP1386
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

Wide open:


IMGP2763a A50_1.7
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

100% crop of above:


IMGP2763a A50_1.7 100pc
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Add Review of SMC Pentax-A 50mm F1.7



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