| Author: | | New Member Registered: January, 2024 Posts: 2 | | Review Date: March 22, 2024 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, colors, build quality | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Sony A7II
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This is first vintage lens I bought and tried with my Sony A7II camera. I was really impressed with it and now I'm addicted to older lenses Here is few samples I posted on Youtube, wide open mostly, with some 1:1 crops, no edit. For my taste this lens is sharp enough even wide open, the bokeh is interesting and colors are bright. Will play more and more with the lens, just waiting for better weather.
https://youtu.be/r72CHbh_PFI?si=DPY86Vn_oSgX2C7w | | | | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2022 Posts: 7 | | Review Date: February 24, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Dreamy bokeh at f/1.4 | | Cons: | It's a radioactive lens (which is kinda cool tbh) | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: A7iii with lm-ea7 af adapter
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This is my favorite lens for night creative picture.
I really like to use it fully open.
Here are some pictures that I took with it at f/1.4 :
 | | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2017 Posts: 12 | | Review Date: November 15, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $45.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness beyond f/1.4, colours, contrast, mechanics | | Cons: | sharpness fully open | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax K50, Fujifilm XT-20
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This lens is a joy to use, I sold it just because I own many 50mm and it's not the absolute best in terms of sharpness, also I'm not an expert and I don't know if thoriated lenses can damage digital cameras in the long term, and this can be a radioactive lens -some, all of the K 50/1.4 are? Don't know...
This lens has some very strong points.
Mechanically it is fantastic, like many K lenses.
I like the contrast, the colours and the bokeh.
At f/1.4 it is soft but not unplesantly nor terribly soft, and some sharpness can be regained with a minimal elaboration.
Since f/2, it is a great lens, I can't give it a 9 because there are better glasses at f/1.4.
If I hadn't 50/1.4, maybe I would have kept it anyway, who knows!
 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: October, 2011 Location: British Columbia Posts: 377 | | Review Date: September 26, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Small size, buttery smooth bokeh past f/2, great manual focus feel, pleasant 3d rendering | | Cons: | middling sharpness wide open, prominent vignetting until ~f/2.8, specular highlight edges wide open (soap bubble bokeh) | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-1, K-2 (film)
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Optical quality:
-At f/1.4 the lens is very much useable but has lower contrast, more vignetting, more prominent CA (both axial and lateral), and diminished sharpness.
-At f/2, however, it's like someone flicked a switch. The performance of this lens comes alive! All of the abovementioned problems are greatly reduced.
-Above f/2.8, this lens behaves much like any other 50mm (very well).
-Although subjective, I feel that the bokeh is at its best between f/2-f4. Specular highlights are rendered as less hard edged.
-The 8 bladed aperture helps keep bokeh highlights non-polygonal for a little longer than its 55mm f/2, 50mm /2, and 50mm f/1.7 contemporaries. Of all the Pentax lenses in the 50mm range listed above, I feel that the K 50mm f/1.4 is the best all around pick.
Physical properties:
-The smooth operation of this lens makes it a treat to use.
-52mm filter threads make adding filters cheap and easy
Overall, I think this lens is just lovely.
Pentax K 50mm f1.4 @ f/2, 1/40 second, Iso 100 | | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: August, 2015 Location: Toulon, South of France Posts: 357 | | Review Date: April 2, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | small, easy MF, sharpness, IQ, colors, bokeh | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K5
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The model I received from Japan is in mint condition, I just had to clean some rear lenses with aceton.
It is one of the most wonderfull lense I have used.
Mine is even good at 1.4, great punchy colors, very sharp at focusing point, very fast, almost HDR !
Some may have a lower IQ one but mine is perfect.
MF is very accurate and easy to use.
Taken at f1.4 : https://flic.kr/p/2kDjdTQ | | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Copenhagen Posts: 10
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 5, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Great Bokeh and 3D-like rendering | | Cons: | A bit heavy | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 9
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I really like this 50mm 1.4 K-series lens because it gives a wonderful 3D-like rendering at f1.4 and its plenty sharp when stopped down. Sharpness @ f1.4 is good but a bit soft though, it can't compete with a Leica Summilux 50mm f 1.4 Asph. But I think the bokeh is great and it costs 1/30th of the Leica. Hard to beat. I took these photos for a British NGO in Zanzibar and Pemba island on Kodak Portra 160 film @ f1.4 and one on Tri-X film.
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   | | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2019 Posts: 15
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 17, 2020 | Recommended
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Takes nice pictures | | Cons: | No different than M Series 50mm f1.7 in practical terms | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 6
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Neat lens but heavy and bulky for a 50mm. But it does look gorgeous and it feels great. Sadly, neither of these factors mean anything about the pictures it can take. Nevertheless, it does take good pictures; but so do many 50mm Pentax lenses, and many 55mm Takumar-Pentax lenses used with an M42 adaptor. This F1.4 is just not special to raise it above those.
Age and balsam separation will cause fuzzy or swirly blur in the "glued" internal glass section. It's found in many K Series SMC lenses after about 40-50 years that have a glued glass lens section inside. Some lenses will continue to take good images, but quality will degrade gradually through time. Japanese sellers on famous auction sites mention this transparently as "balsam separation" but, sadly, many US and European sellers turn a blind eye to it.
You are better off buying an M Series 50mm f1.7 as the imaging is as good across the aperture range, and having a lower f-stop than f1.7 is not really that important unless you are into 'bokeh' photography (which does not really make a difference between f1.4 and f1.7). The M Series is as good in quality, smaller and lighter.
| | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2015 Posts: 11
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 31, 2020 | Not Recommended | Price: $150.00
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | K-mount, durable | | Cons: | Soft wide open | | Sharpness: 6
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 4
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Soft at f/1.4. What's the point of buying an f/1.4 lens if its soft at f/1.4? Got rid of it after testing. This lens is not worth the extra pennies for f/1.4. Pay it as much as you would pay for an f/1.8 lens and then its fine!
| | | | | New Member Registered: July, 2016 Location: Toronto Posts: 3 | | Review Date: March 22, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | build quality, handling, size, lightweight, sharpness | | Cons: | hard to reach focus at all the way open aperture | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Ks-2
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It's built like a tank. if you looking for a buttery like smooth bokeh this is a thing you are looking for. they are famous for getting yellow a trough the time because of thorium added to the glass. It's not a big deal to me and you can fix the yellowish results in post processing phases. for bokeh fetishists this is a gift from gods.
  
 | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2017 Posts: 4
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 16, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Build quality, 3D rendering | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: ME Super / LX
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My favourite 50mm. I've used the M 50mm 1.4 and the M 50mm 1.2, as well as the M42 Takumar 50mm 1.4 which is optically identical to this lens (there might be variations through production but my copy is early and most certainly a Takumar within).
This lens produces a 3D look like no other lens I've used and the way it renders just 100% does it for me. Shots with this lens just look how I think a shot with a classic lens SHOULD look. It's difficult to explain...
My copy has the yellowed element but it's only a mild case and I don't notice it in use. Build quality is possibly slightly lower than the M version, but it could just be that I have a slightly wobbly copy. The focus is as smooth as any Pentax lens. Nikon and Canon should have sourced their helicoid lube from Pentax because they definitely knew what they were doing. I've never had a Pentax lens that didn't focus smooth as the day it was assembled.
Anyway, that's enough fanboying. Good lens. Buy one!
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2016 Location: Alberta Posts: 48 | | Review Date: January 8, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $70.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Bokeh, Works naturally with the K-1 | | Cons: | Aberrations | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-1, K-3
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I purchased this lens awhile back for the purpose of getting amazing bokeh photo's. This didn't disappoint. First I used it to photograph my daughters wedding of which the photo's turned out amazing with this lens on my K-3. I decided to try the lens on the K-1, and it worked flawlessly. The light metering was right on, the colour rending was very realistic, and not too difficult focusing wide open.     | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2018 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 2
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 1, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $85.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharpness, build quality, ergonomics | | Cons: | none that I can see | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K1000SE
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This is a great piece of glass. I've been using this lens exclusively for black and white photography, so I can't speak to its color accuracy, but I can say that this lens is a beautifully crafted lens. The value of this lens is amazing. It's sharpness, and ease of use are exceptional. I love this lens. Some sample images...
  | | | | | Senior Member Registered: April, 2015 Location: Lower Saxony Posts: 181
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 30, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $140.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | contrast and sharpness wide open; size; creamy bokeh | | Cons: | may be the little radioactivity | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 8
Camera Used: K-5 IIs, K-1
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Owning this lens a year now i rediscovered it the last days at 35mm.
There did come up a little browning of the rear element after a year covered with a lens rear cap,
but colors are still ok and cooler temperated than with the SMC-M 1.4 50.
Seems to start up open with more contrast and sharpness than the SMC-M.
Have not stopped down beyond f/2.8 so far for my issues.
Some out of camera jpgs for example;
click into to enlarge original out of camera jpgs
f/1.4, ISO 100, K-1
f/1.4, ISO 200, K-1
f/2.8, ISO 800, K-1
edit 2017 February:
K-1 + SMC Pentax 1.4 50, @ f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/80s; linked to ooc jpg
edit 2018 May, photo taken Nov. 22. 2017:
K-1 + SMC Pentax 1.4 50, @ f/1.4, ISO 100, 1/320s; linked to ooc jpg
 | | | | | Forum Member Registered: February, 2016 Location: Moab, Utah Posts: 90
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 18, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $140.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, color rendering, fast | | Cons: | radioactive rear element yellows | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Sony A7s, A7m2
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Top notch build quality, smooth and snappy like you want. Tough metal and glass.
Razor sharp, fast, Pentax color punchiness. This 8 bladed aperture offers better bokeh in my opinion than the 6 bladed Super Takumars. It offers better image quality than the M series 50mm f1.4 with 49mm filter diameter. Therefore, it's the "best" 50mm f1.4 from Pentax in my opinion.
My only complaint about these is the radioactive rear element which yellows over time. I shot some photos for the local newspaper when I first got this lens and when I saw them in the paper, I was shocked to see my photo all yellowed out! I couldn't figure out what our graphic designer had done! After another week using the lens I finally figured out about the radioactive rear element coating they used in this lens and the Takumar version. It IS possible to get rid of it completely and I did.
I tested this lens against the Pentax SMC K 50mm f1.2, Pentax-M 50mm f2, Super-Takumar 50mm f1.4, and Super-Takumar 55mm f1.8 (same optical formula as Pentax 50mm f1.7.) If you are comparing vintage Pentax 50mm lenses, you might find my YouTube video where I compare all 5:
https://youtu.be/G22LGiKngp4 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2013 Posts: 1,740
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 7, 2015 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Image quality, tactile experience | | Cons: | None besides that it's hard to find | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: Mostly K2DMD, but also other K bodies
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The K 50 mm f1.4 is my favourite 50/1.4 along with my Takumars.
It's bigger than the Taks but as as I understand optically they are the same, the new mounting require more space (in particular the inner diameter that was increased from the S to the K system allowing according to Keppler do design the 50mm f1.2) so it results bigger and chunkier than the Taks, not that this is a disadvantage, the lens oozes building quality, focusing and changing f stop is a pleasure.
In terms of image quality I agree with what has been written here: the lens is very sharp stepped down:
wide open it's sharp in the middle, not much in the corners but still better than the average f1.4 on the market:
Bokeh is smooth as silk but as any fast lens you need to be able to focus with precision:
All these samples have been taken with the K2DMD in aperture priority with Neopan 400, apologies for the lack of a yellow filter outdoors and the poor scans but I hope they will give an idea of the performance of the lens.
Here there are few samples in colour (Portra 160), the behaviour of the lens is neutral:
Flare control is excellent as usual with SMC coating as it can be seen when shot directly at the sun.
In conclusion IMO one of the best if not the best, a step above the M equivalent.
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