| Author: | | New Member Registered: June, 2007 Location: London Posts: 22
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 12, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Beautifully built, very easy to use, very sharp indeed | | Cons: | Bokeh pretty at f2.8 but iris has very straight edged octagon shape when stopped down at all | |
This is my first macro lens, the only comparison I can make is a Canon 50mm prime with extension tubes on my last camera.
This Pentax macro lens is a joy to use. My only complaints would be
- wider aperture would be nice to have
- a "rounder" iris would give nicer bokeh effect with OOF points of light, which appear as clearly defined octagons due to the very straight edges of the iris.
But these are small points. It's a VERY sharp lens, nicely made, nice to use.
I'd recommend it without reservation.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2007 Location: Newcastle Australia Posts: 5,284
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 12, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $425.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Excellent. Sharp and great bokeh. Great Macro lens. | | Cons: | Wider aperture would help. (A minor consideration) | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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This is a really nice 50mm macro lens.
I find it to be very sharp and gives excellent Macro results.
I leave it on the camera most of the time and find its versatility very convenient (as a prime lens.)
I highly recommend this lens.
Cons: I suggest a 100mm Macro would be a better purchase but this is the next best alternative prime length IMHO
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: August, 2007 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 233
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 21, 2008 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Super Sharp. Great contrast and colors. Focus Clamp. Quick Shift Focus. | | Cons: | Much bigger than other 50's. Front element only minimally recessed. No Focus Limiter. | |
I bought this lens with slight misgivings because I already had so many other 50's 1.4's, 1.7's you name em. I also had a perfectly good 100mm manual focus macro. But, I really wanted to see the legendary sharpest Pentax 50 available (the FA 50 model, but this is supposedly even improved over that, this one has no problem with f32 on digital).
I am very impressed with this lens. It rivals the FA1.7 in center sharpness at f2.8 and higher and it beats the 1.7 in edge and corner sharpness by a fair margin until around f5.6. (I believe the FA1.7 to be the sharpest 50 in the Pentax stable after having used almost every other 50 they had.)
Autofocus turned out to be a great boon if you want to take just quick macros anywhere without the big setups and adjustments.
People always recommend 100mm Macros because you can get farther away from the subject, but they forget that shorter focal lengths are much better for hand-held shots. But that is purely a matter of preference.
However, The biggest benefit of the D-FA lens is the quick shift focus adjustment. Users of older macros don't know what they are missing. Having the ability to manual focus without disengaging the autofocus through the camera control is the most incredible feature. I have quick shift focus on all my DA lenses, but they were never as useful to me because I could always just choose another autofocus point very easily. In macros, you are frequently unable to shift as easily due to the effort it takes to properly position the lens. Quick-shift really saves the day. In addition the DFA autofocus doesn't move the autofocus ring when it focuses making holding the lens so much easier. Most people don't even think about this but this makes taking macro pictures so much easier.
The focusing clamp is also really helpful when you are set on taking a 1:1, you just turn on the clamp, get the right distance and take your shot, no need to disengage the autofocus.
On the negative side, I dislike the fact that the front element is not recessed on this lens. This has two major drawbacks. One, you need to use a hood on normal 50mm shots. Two, due to the close focus distances for macro shots, you can easily bump into the front element if you are autofocusing or in a hurry (a filter is a must).
A focus limiter would also have been nice. Occassionally if you are using autofocus on macro subjects, it zooms away and won't come back so you end up having to refocus manually.
Some people complain about its polycarbonate construction (rather than the old metal one on the FA). I for one, find it to be a blessing. The old macros were very heavy. This is still a very sturdy lens, no wobble, and perfectly fine construction. Even the current DA*'s are made of polycarbonate and no one complains about that. So what's the problem? Constructionwise, I just wish they engraved rather than printed the lettering for a lens which costs this much.
The lens itself is about twice the size of any other 50mm, but it really is a specialty lens. If you plan on using it for non-macro shots mostly, then I would say you are better off getting the FA50 1.4 or 1.7 (because of the size and weight). This lens takes wonderful shots outdoors, but then so do the other 50's, so why bother with the extra size weight and expense?
All in all. A wonderful lens. Highly recommended!
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2007 Location: Singapore Posts: 3,953
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 5, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, contrasty, Quick shift, light weight | | Cons: | Highlighes can bloom, no focus limiter, build quality | |
Very compact and light weight compared to my FA 50mm f/2.8 Macro. The build quality is mainly polycarbonate plastic and it shows. Only a focus clamp is available for locking focus, a focus limiter would have been good to limit the AF range. Quick Shift is very useful feature which obviates the need for switching to manual focusing for macro subjects. Lens has a deep hood to cater for the long barrel extension at the macro focusing range.
Optically it shows a little more overall contrast compared to the FA version. Images are slightly brighter overall, typical of the rendering of DA lenses. A sharp lens but if shot in direct backlighting macro subjects, the highlights can tend to "bloom."
Overall this is a lens well suited for food photography, flowers, abstract close-ups and as a general walkabout lens. My only grouse is the build quality could have been better, which is clear when comparing macro lenses from other makes.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2009 Location: Toowoomba, Australia Posts: 24 | | Review Date: March 11, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $384.91
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness, quality | | Cons: | | |
This is my my first macro lens and I am very happy with the quality of pictures it produces. I have used it from everything from insects to food and any problems i have had has been with my inexperience rather than from the lens itself.
Compared with the kit sigma 70-300mm with pseudo macro this lens is fair superior in its sharpness and clarity. As already pointed out if you were serious in insect photography i would definitely recommended the 100mm as you are almost standing on top of your subject at 1:1 magnification.
examples of photo's i have taken with lens can be seen:
http://viewfromthemirror.deviantart.com/art/Australian-Classic-III-115557797 and http://viewfromthemirror.deviantart.com/art/Varied-Eggfly-114825458
This is now almost my most used lens behind my 50mm f1.4.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 509 | | Review Date: September 21, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | light, high image quality | | Cons: | could be better built | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 9
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I have a Vivitar 105mm Macro (made by Kiron). The image quality is comparable between the two lens for macro shots. The Vivitar's rear element does not move when focusing. So it might have a better control for distortion. This lens is much lighter (I know it is a 50mm lens). It has a much better control of PF at the largest aperture than the Kiron. So it is also suitable for a daily lens. You can shot at f2.8 as a portrait lens. The resolution is amazing. The focusing throw is much shorter (only one rotation). I also like the filter size which is 49mm instead of 52mm on FA50 Macro.
While I like the light weight, I wish that it has slightly better built quality. In particular, it would be better to have all the aperture numbers etched on the aperture ring instead of printed. It would last longer that we. However, we do not manually control aperture anymore. So this should not be a big problem.
I am not talking about wight. But it does not feel as sturdy as a K or M lens.
The clamp is useless to me, since I can manually disengage AF on my K10d by pressing a pre-programed button. On my kx, I have to use MF to shoot marco. AF can be slow. I wish the camera is able to predict the direction of focusing which would save a lot of time.
MF override works fine as long as you do not use constant auto focusing.
| | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2008 Location: California Posts: 20 | | Review Date: November 6, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $170.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | very sharp, 1:1, focus fast, decent build quality, small and lightweight | | Cons: | front element extends, slight barrel distortion, no distance limit | |
Generally speaking, macro lens are very good. This little lens is no exception. Very sharp even wide open. Unlike other brands (e.g., Canon), it is 1:1, which is a big plus. AF is very fast for this non-SDM lens. Build quality is decent even though it's plastic. My favorite lens to replace the scanner. However there is slight barrel distortion. And a distance limit may improve the AF speed in some situations. My biggest complain is that it is not IF design and the front element extends during focusing.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Posts: 9,830 | | Review Date: January 8, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Tack-sharp, lightweight | | Cons: | Could be a stop faster to perfection | |
This lens is just the ticket for macro, indoor shots or any application where high resolution is a must. Shoots nicely wide open, and is impressive at smaller stops. It is also a joy to use as a manual focus lens. Because of the macro focus, it may take a moment longer and cause a bit more noise to focus.
It's great on older film bodies because, in addition to being razor sharp, it is full frame and has an aperture ring.
 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: December, 2007 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,249
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 15, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharp, compact, quick shift, covers FF | | Cons: | octagonal highlights, OK build quality. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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It's maybe one of the most overlooked Pentax lens. Probably because people prefer longer focal lengths for macro, they may already have a fast 50mm and the new 35mm limited is too close.
I find it more useable than the 100mm macro when doing hand held macros, especially when not going to full 1:1 I can usually use shutter speeds half that of the 100mm, gaining about 1 stop.
Optical quality is of course very good as you can expect from a macro. There's nothing to say other than it produces smooth bokeh, great contrast and sharpness.
Compared to the 35mm limited it has two advantage: it covers full frame and has an aperture ring.
The only thing I don't like are the octagonal highlights (due to sharp non rounded 8 blades) when stopping down. That's why I'll give a 9 instead of a 10 for the bokeh.
My pictures taken with this lens
Libellule by Manu_H, on Flickr
Grabbing by Manu_H, on Flickr
Also check out Flickr pictures from the D-FA 50mm macro | | | | | Inactive Account Registered: September, 2010 Location: istanbul Posts: 1
7 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 24, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | excellent contrast , excellent detail , Excellent sharpness , successful bokeh | | Cons: | none :) | | New or Used: New
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my best lens 
I have no use for one year from the housing without removing a single lens
I think the most useful and high quality Pentax lens)
a perfect lens with a single word
(Non working links: MyPics.com deleted)
 | | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2010 Posts: 17
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 3, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very Sharp even wide open, Great Bokeh, color rendition and sharp | | Cons: | AF Hunts on low contrast and the hunt is long since macro | |
Very nice lens. I got the lens from one of the users on this forum for a very nice price.
I got my K-x in August and I was looking for a great prime portrait lens.
The FA50 1.4 seemed like the winner until I saw some reviews of this lens.
Since I got such a great deal on this lens, plus I can do macro, I went with the DFA 50mm macro. It's a win win situation for the reason I need this lens.
Yes I know it's slower than the 1.4 but the reviews pointed to the 1.4 being soft opened up and most use it at f2.0+, so it's no loss since I use the DFA 50 at 2.8.
Sharp even wide open and very sharp stop down a bit.
Great Bokeh on portrait shots and even better on macro, really smooth and buttery.
I mainly use it as a Portrait lens on my son. My wife hates this lens because it shows all her "Imperfections" haha.
I tried out the D- FA 100 at my local camera store and the focal length was too long for me, so I decided to go with the 50mm since I shoot mostly indoors.
The AF hunting could get annoying to some as mentioned above in my cons.
AF in brightly lit areas is fast and accurate.
If you want to shoot macro, make sure you do it on manual focus or it's going to hunt the full length over and over again. Also I recommend you mount it to a tripod since at Macro, the DOF is really really small and the slightest movement (like breathing) can throw the focus off.
I truly believe this is the most underrated lens, can be gotten for pretty cheap used on ebay or on this forum.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: October, 2010 Location: Acworth, GA Posts: 7
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 7, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $399.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp!, Decent Bokeh, 1:1 Macro, Quality Construction | | Cons: | Slow focusing at times if used as standard 50mm, not the most rounded blades | |
This is an excellent little lens. First and foremost it is a true 1:1 Macro lens, unlike many of the zooms out there with Macro designations. The image quality is very good, with sharpness corner to corner and only mild light fall-off at the edges (something easily corrected for in post processing). Its bokeh could be improved with more rounded blades, but is perfectly fine for my uses. Its build construction is solid with a metal mount and plenty of heft to it. It is NOT an all-metal body, but the polycarbonate used should stand up to years of use.
The D FA 50mm Macro is a well-regarded if little-used lens... it is thought of in some circles as one of the sharpest lenses produced by Pentax, though it suffers from its effective length. For Macro work many prefer 100mm or longer, and for some subjects the extra working distance is certainly helpful. A 50mm Macro, however, does create its own set of opportunities and photographic possibilities.
One of the key features is its quick-shift focusing capability, meaning that manual focus is always an option even when set to Auto-focus. This is a very helpful ability when working anywhere near true macro distances. The focusing ring requires a good deal of turning, leading to both fine-tuned focusing capability but also at times long hunting periods when used as a normal 50mm prime. While the focus ring's throw is long, it isn't as long as some other macro lenses.
Its 2.8 aperture is very helpful and useable wide-open, though it is not as fast as other, non-macro primes of the same length. Still, I have used this lens successfully for food, flower and product photography as well as some of my favorite shots of my son in low light. This is a versatile lens that can be successful in a wide variety of settings. Be realistic about its ability though. 2.8 will not magically enable you to take shots in the dark, the screw drive makes some noise, and be prepared for slightly more focusing time required in some settings compared to a non-macro lens due to the longer throw of the focusing ring.
Overall, highly recommended for its primary uses: true macro work not requiring longer working distances, portrait photography, and occasionally as a walk-around. An extremely sharp lens. A rounded, 9-blade design would likely push this lens to a 10 for me.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2007 Location: Prague Posts: 1,199
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 11, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharpness and contrast, lightweight and tiny | | Cons: | extends a lot on 1:1 focus, body construction | |
really outstanding optical quality. My macro lens when going out with lightweight gear, but it is great for general shooting too. Maybe just too sharp for portraits, I have to soften those in PP.
It is particulary great when combined with TC or tubes, still retains superb IQ even with accessories for greater magnification.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2010 Location: New York Posts: 1,071 | | Review Date: February 9, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $419.95
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | SHARP! (even wide open!), great bokeh | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-r
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I cannot emphasize this enough: this lens is incredibly S-H-A-R-P, even wide open! The 50mm focal length is quite useful on APS-C, and the bokeh is great as well. I have not experienced any chromatic aberration or distortion and there's quite a bit of contrast. The autofocus is not as slow as I thought and is very good for a macro lens. The 1:1 macro capability is superb, and the f/2.8 aperture lets me get better pictures in low light.
| | | | | Banned Registered: March, 2012 Location: Charleston & Pittsburgh Posts: 1,668 | | Review Date: August 16, 2012 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | The best of the 50mm's | | Cons: | Read text for more; all minor issues | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-01, K-5, LX
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Considering both the present market of 50mm's that Pentax offers, and also the ones in the past - this is by far the best optical 50mm lens that Pentax offers. Sure it is not as light, or as small, or even has the better aperatures of some of the other 50's, but... For this 50 it's all about the optics, and also the added benefit of having 1.1 macro.
This would be a great choice as a first lens with any Pentax (interchangeable lens) camera; or a great first addition to any of the kit lens that come with any of the Pentax cameras. This 50 is by far one of my most used Pentax lens'.
Wishing that every lens were this good optically and also for the included macro capability.
The only minor concerns for this lens. One has to be a bit careful when the lens is in manual focus mode. The manual states not to go beyond either of the focusing ends. The lens also extends considerably in macro mode.
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