| Author: | | Junior Member Registered: January, 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 32 | | Review Date: April 28, 2017 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | I.Q. | | Cons: | MF ring, No quickshift | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K10D, K30
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Very nice lens. To reach perfection, it need a telescopic of bayonet hood, Quickshift and a larger / nicer manual focusing ring.
Compared to 50/1.4 A or FA, it is better at full aperture, identical from 2.8 up.
| | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2013 Location: Lincoln Posts: 106 | | Review Date: October 17, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $16.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, fast and accurate | | Cons: | None really but I could say plasticky | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-30
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I picked one of these up for a tenner (£10) because it was a tenner. It was not until I checked ebay that I realised what a ridiculous bargain I had got. I haven't used this lens nearly enough as opportunities have been few this summer but when I have used it I have loved it. Sure and quick to find focus, sharp sharp and even more sharp, accurate colours and pretty good bokeh. Nice and fast. Feels a bit flimsy but I can live with that and I will have to get some sort of hood for it but if I could get bargains like this everyday... | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2010 Posts: 753 | | Review Date: June 4, 2011 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | compact, fast, sharp, fast af, price, bokeh | | Cons: | manual focusing, not so useful focal length on dslr | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
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...as some reviewers above I have to agree that this lens is outstanding value. To my naked eye it is sharp as 43 limited. Objects in focus pop out. Slightly on colder side of overall colour cast. Fast autofocus. Bit less contrast than DA*50-135 and 43 limited.
All in all - good buy.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: January, 2010 Location: Md Posts: 33 | | Review Date: November 5, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Small, light, fast AF, Tack Sharp, Low Price | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
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This lens is a beast. I've had it for several months now and love it. I bought it at a local camera shop that deals mostly with Canon and Nikon. It was mounted to a cheap Pentax film camera - paid $80 for both. The body is worth about $30, which means I paid $50 for the lens! I couldn't believe it when I saw it.
It performs extremely well and nicely complements my DA 18-55 II and DA 55-300. I also own the M version of this lens and as another poster said the optics are about the same but you get auto-focus.
| | | | | | | Inactive Account Registered: August, 2009 Location: Lapu-Lapu City Cebu Posts: 14 | | Review Date: May 25, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | very good for portraiture | | Cons: | no lens hood | |
this is a must for portrait shots the details are very sharp/fine - i have tested it with my new k-x and it blends well with it - i have to experiment more with this lens @ slow shutter speed on a landscape to see how far this would go...
The only thing i don't know if this lens can be attached or have a lens hood with it?
Over- All - i rate it @ 8.75 because of it's quality and price
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2007 Location: Chicago Posts: 24 | | Review Date: February 15, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness and color rendition | | Cons: | Possibly a bit narrow field on digital | |
This is by far my favourite lens, on my ist DL it made a world of diffrence, I always used this for portraits, on my K20, I am so stunned by the IQ with the kit lens that it seems to narrow the gap between lenses. I have to say that I find mine to produce the highest quality images at the 2.8 f-stop setting, could just be me though. All of my pentax-using friends now own this lens as well.
| | | | | Banned Registered: December, 2023 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Posts: 113
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 1, 2023 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Pixie Dust | | Cons: | | | Bokeh: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
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I received this lens in a fleabay package deal with a K1000, and I ignored it totally for months, but I have come to adore it deeply, to the point that it is my favorite lens.
Not my favorite Pentax lens, not my favorite 50mm lens, not my favorite fast lens, but just my favorite lens period.
I love its flares, I love the way it renders everything, bokeh and color and details and... I love just... everything about it.
I know this isn't a particularly helpful review, but for anyone on the fence about spending $100 on this lens, I am of the opinion that it's the single best photo-bargain on the planet.
 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 10,897
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 26, 2022 | Not Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 4 |
| Pros: | Small, light, fast, fairly sharp, aperture ring so works on film | | Cons: | Poor build quality, erratic focus, worst of the AF f/1.7 lenses | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 4
Handling: 4
Value: 4
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-3
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I bought this lens to use for shallow depth of field work and portraits but in the end I very, very rarely used it, because it's too long on APS-C and manual alternatives such as the M version are more pleasurable to use and just as good optically. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the image quality from this lens but it's too light and plasticky and the AF anywhere near to wide open was very erratic and so produced a lot of shots where focus was missed. What's the use in having a fast AF lens if the AF fails more often than not unless it's stopped down to f/4 or smaller?
At the time of purchase the DAL 50/1.8 had not been released so prices were high on the used market. I later got the DAL and found the same problem, though maybe not quite so severe, with the AF and that despite being lighter it felt better made. So that lens is better than the FA unless you need the aperture ring to use it on film cameras. Still later I got the F version and found that to AF better while having better build quality than either of the other two and also having an aperture ring for use on film if needed (I have to admit though that the F version is ugly). So really there's no reason at all to get the FA: get the better quality F version for the same or less money or save a bit of money and get the lighter DAL version. Or just go fully manual and get the lovely M version which will give you more joy from your photography.
A couple of sample images:
IMGP1007a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
IMG_6920a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
| | | | | New Member Registered: September, 2016 Posts: 2
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 12, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $185.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | cheap, small, lightweight, stunning image quality | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K-1
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This lens is a gem. I never get tired of using it. I focus using live-view, it is much more reliable then PDAF and eyes are always in focus.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: July, 2018 Posts: 33
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 18, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $130.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Fast, small | | Cons: | Screw drive AF, noisy | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-50
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My first prime, now my go-to-lens for everything where I do not need more reach. Definitely recommended, especially for being this compact while being robust.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: March, 2010 Location: Svealand Posts: 172
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 5, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $210.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, bokeh, fast | | Cons: | Plastic | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K-5
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A fantastic lens with only one downside - It's not made of metal  | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2011 Location: Near Sydney, NSW Posts: 331
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 2, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $360.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Stupidly sharp wide open or otherwise | | Cons: | 6 sided bokeh not 8 (worth it for the sharpness over that f1.4 version) | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-5
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I've owned two copies of this lens and one of the F-version, which is optically the same.
All 3 have been outrageously sharp. In fact I thought my Sigma 105mm f2.8 was sharp until I saw these lenses at f2.0. Suddenly everything else was soft.
The 6 sided bokeh is almost always fine, and sometimes quite lovely, but occassionally a bit messy. I can live with that - compared to the f1.4 version which is just soft soft soft, but has nice bokeh.
That's about all there is to say except for:
Um, Pentax - if you can make a lens this sharp - why is the FA 50mm f1.4 so NOT sharp, and why is THAT the one still in production? That would be like discontinuing the K-5 and continuing to make the istD.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: October, 2011 Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 2, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $190.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, sharp, sharp, fast, color, contrast | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-r
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I own this lens quite a while. Great for portrait shooting. Very nice color-rendering. Contrasty pictures and lightweight. Well built. And sharp open wide, razorsharp stopped down (F 2,0/2,2). I love it.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: April, 2011 Location: near Berlin Posts: 9
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 24, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $150.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | IQ, size & weight, fast AF, bokeh wide open | | Cons: | a bit soft up to f/2.2, bokeh stopped down | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
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In 80% of all cases I use this lens and I can rely on it. IQ is very fine maybe a bit warm but I like it. Wide open the bokeh is fine but the sharpness is not best. Stopped down a bit it is quiet sharp but the bokeh... It can be a bit nervous. CAs are well controlled but sometimes too visible. I won't miss this lens. As hood I use that one from the smc M 85/2. Fits great!
Paul
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: February, 2011 Posts: 118
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 7, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharpness, bokeh, compact size | | Cons: | manual focus | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: New
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I bought this lens new in box, many moons ago, for about $150, can't remember exactly how much.
Looking at ebay lately, I see that price has jumped like other Pentax lenses.
Much like M50/1.7, it is a sharp little lens. Sharper wide-open than 50/1.4, up to about f2 or f2.8. I would not use FA50/1.4 wide open but this lens is very usable at f1.7.
Love to bring this lens along when low light shot is required. The only drawback is, like most AF lenses, small focusing ring is a challenge to manually focus.
Same optical spec as F50/1.7, but interestingly this is one of odd lens where FA version is rarer than the F, as many have reported.
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