| Author: | | Pentaxian Registered: November, 2018 Posts: 592
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 3, 2019 | Recommended
| Rating: N/A |
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 | | | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 10,916
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 26, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Build quality, image quality stopped down, compact | | Cons: | Soft wide open, expensive | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 8
Camera Used: K200D, K3, various film SLRs
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This lens is my go-to 50/1.4 due to it's build quality, compactness and optics. I use it on digital and also on film, where I find the feel of this lens is really ideal with a 35mm SLR.
I have owned the M, K and (seven element) SMC Tak 50/1.4s and they all perform very similarly. In terms of sharpness they are all soft wide open (not really usable in my opinion), acceptable by f/2.0 or f/2.4 and great at f/2.8 and beyond. In other optical qualities, colour and contrast from the M 50mm are really good, though contrast is unsurprisingly lacking at f/1.4 and maybe f/2. Bokeh is generally smooth and I've never had any problems with flare. I find this lens gives a rendering very similar to much more modern lenses rather than the less contrasty, less saturated "vintage" look that many old lenses give.
Build quality is great as with all the M series lenses and handling is superb - this lens is a pleasure to use. Focus is very smooth and the aperture ring clicks nicely.
Recently I've acquired an Auto Revuenon 50mm f/1.4 and discovered that it's optically slightly better than the M series lens, being slightly sharper wide open. It's just as compact and well built, has the same 49mm filter ring, it was also half the price. That lens could conceivably one day push me to sell the M series one, or at least to replace it as my go-to 50/1.4.
As all Pentax 50mm f/1.4 lenses are soft wide open, in terms of sharpness it's really impossible to justify having one instead of (or in addition to) a 50/1.7, which is smaller, lighter, just as well built, much cheaper, just as sharp at f/2.8 and considerably sharper wide open. The f/1.4 has eight aperture rings rather than six, so bokeh is smoother, but beyond that there really isn't much difference optically. In the end, if you really want an f/1.4 lens (as many people, myself included, do) then nothing else will do, but the sheer speed adds a lot of weight and cost without adding anything optically. The only real advantage in the optics are the extra aperture leaves for smoother bokeh. I find with all the 50mm lenses that I very rarely use them at less than f/2.8, where the combination of sharpness and ability to isolate a subject are ideal.
I'm not about to get rid of my copy of this as it's very good optically, though recently the Auto Revuenon has been getting more use, but it's mainly because I'm far too much of a gear freak to not have at least one really good f/1.4 lens.
Overall, this is a really nice lens and I rate it highly, though it's not good value for the reasons stated above.
Some sample images on digital.
Wide open at f/1.4:
DSCF0100a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
At f/2.8:
IMGP3919a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
IMGP3916a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Unknown aperture:
IMGP1275a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
IMGP9181a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
| | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2020 Posts: 11
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 1, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $110.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Beautiful bokeh, razor sharp at f/5.6 to f/8 | | Cons: | Wide open f/1.4 performance lacking, dramatic improvement at f/2 though | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax LX
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Handling
As expected for a Pentax nifty-fifty, the handling is very smooth and enjoyable. It feels good in the hand and the focus throw is just right - not too long, not too short, and allows for efficient and accurate manual focusing. The lens feels reassuringly solid and well built, and is compact enough to not look out of place on most SLR's. For handling I cannot fault it.
Bokeh
Bokeh is probably the biggest advantage this lens has. It's beautiful, being able to render even the harshest backgrounds into creamy smooth silk with spherical round balls of light. The change from in focus to out of focus areas is soft and gentle and very pleasing to the eye. I've only seen better bokeh in a lens that cost several times more.
Sharpness and performance
f/1.4 - Wide open the performance is unfortunately a little lacking in sharpness and contrast. Some people find the f/1.4 aperture to make perfectly good images. Perhaps for some artistic portraits with the great bokeh it can work, but by my standards I find it not sharp enough for usable images and I avoid it when ever possible, especially considering the massive improvement there is at f/2 just one stop higher.
f/2 - Dramatic improvement in sharpness especially in the centre. Contrast is still lacking a little but the overall image quality is highly usable and makes wonderful pictures, doubly so when you take into account the bokeh which is still excellent. Colour rendition is decent.
f/2.8 - Sharpness spreads across the frame and into the corners. Contrast picks up massively. Colour rendition on film at this aperture and further is stunning.
f/4 - Slight improvement in sharpness across the frame. Other quality performance (contrast, colour, etc) remain excellent.
f/5.6 - Slight sharpness improvement again. By now the image is tac-sharp from edge to edge. Images are so crisp and sharp they look like you could reach out and touch the objects in the picture.
f/8 - The same as f/5.6 - I see no difference other than the depth of field.
f/11 to f/22 - Performance remains excellent though diffraction starts to set in as you stop down further.
Comparison
I find the most likely competitor to this lens to be it's little brother, the Pentax-M SMC 50mm 1.7. At the middle apertures of f/5.6 and f/8 you'll see very little difference if any - both razor sharp. Perhaps if you screw your eyes up and zoom in you might find the 1.4 version just a hair sharper.
They are both good at f/2 and share similar performance at f/2 and f/2.8 (in my opinion). So why would you choose the 1.4 version considering it costs more? Mostly, I would argue, for the bokeh. There is no avoiding that the 1.7's bokeh can be awful (yes, it's true), whereas the 1.4 has a smooth silky bokeh in another league.
Whether you choose this 1.4 or the 1.7 as your standard 50mm lens will depend on what you want out of your lens and what you'll use it for. You can't go wrong with either, they're both great, but for dreamy backgrounds the 1.4 will be hard to beat.
Final thoughts
I would argue the best usage for this lens is street photography, travelling and walk-arounds - much like most 50mm's. But the sharpness at f/5.6 and f/8 (two very commonly used apertures) is out of this world and cannot be overstated, making travel and street photos of an extremely high caliber. The good low light performance (when not used wide open) and the delicious bokeh make it a great available light lens too.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: April, 2015 Location: Lower Saxony Posts: 181
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 18, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | very sharp once stopped down, view finder brightness, color rendering | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-5 IIs; K-1
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uncared for a year i rediscovered this gem the last dark days...
down scaled offhanded out of camera jpgs, K-5 IIs, f/2.0:
(click into this second to enlarge original out of camera jpg)
crop reveals (golden) pearl necklaces also with K-5 IIs
down scaled out of camera jpg, K-1, f/2.0
crop
p.s. @ wtigga: yours is the also great and with a radioactive Thorium glass rear element built SMC PENTAX K predecessor, ~ 1975-1977...
| | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: April, 2014 Posts: 136
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 30, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, bokeh, build quality, sharp, very compact, good close focus limit and yes, it's sharp! | | Cons: | Chromatic aberration is a pig in some shots. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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I've been using this lens on and off since shortly after I got my first film SLR, a Pentax K-1000. The fast fifty was my first lens purchase to replace the 50mm F2 that came with the camera. I never regretted it and shot a lot of portraits with it, usually on Black and White film. I got the lens specifically to avoid using flash on babies as I used to do a lot of newborns, and I soon discovered that some of them are upset by flashguns. I got some lovely shots, pin sharp even wide open, though focusing is tricky because the depth of field is so tiny at f1.4. Plenty of missed focus shots at first, but later I got better at that.
The handling is excellent, focusing is so smooth it makes you wonder what happened when more recent lenses were designed. Quite a long throw to make focusing as easy as possible, though still it requires some practice to nail it more than a tenth of the time. Practice regularly and you can raise that to most of the time, so don't worry!
I've just recently pulled the 1.4 out to try it with my K-r. I wish I'd done it sooner, it's really fine with the focus assist and I hope to shoot more than test shots with it very soon. Handles like a dream, and even though stop-down preview is needed for metering it's really fine if you're familiar with the manual mode of your camera. A classic, a gem, a marvel of optical design.
People who say this lens isn't sharp wide open either just can't focus it or they have a dud copy, it is sharp in the centre even wide open at f1.4. I use a lens hood as well and that reduces the bloom effect slightly and improves contrast, well of course if you want that dreamy bloom it's easy enough to use the lens without the hood.
EDIT to add: Here is one image linked from my gallery here; it's from the first portrait shoot I did with my Pentax K-r using this lens and I love the bokeh on the lights. It took several attempts to get this lined up right so the lights were where we wanted them but it was worth the effort. The only PhotoShop is the glow on her hands and the darkening of the background as some parts didn't turn out completely black the way I wanted them. Of course the lights were really quite a way behind her hands but I wanted to create a nice illusion using the smooth bokeh this lens gives you. I know this is scaled down but the eyelashes are pin sharp even on the full images when pixel-peeping and this shot was taken at f1.4.
 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: December, 2008 Posts: 2,361
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 29, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Fast, Cheap, Build quality, Sharp stopped down | | Cons: | IQ wide open, Bokeh f2-2.8 | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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Ok firstly, the vast majority of my experience with this lens has been with m43 (GH2), on which is becomes a 'long-portrait' - 'short-tele' 100mm equivalent. I've also used it on Pentax film (LX and MX) and digital SLRs (K20D, K-7), but not enough to form a solid opinion.
Bare in mind that on a GH2 you can shoot this in Aperture priority. No stop-down metering, just set the aperture, focus, fire  Very easy and intuitive...
Ok, the short and fast:
Focussing: Very good, as with all the manual Pentax lenses I've used. Wonderfully smooth and tactile. The focus magnification on the GH2 EVF makes it very easy and practical to be precise, even at f1.4.
Build: Very good, although not quite as good as my K24/f2.8. The only niggle is a little bit of play in the aperture ring, although this could just be my version.
Size/portability: Very nice. Not significantly bigger than the M50/f1.7, which I also own. Very nicely balanced on the GH2 and site beautifully in the hand.
IQ: As with all old (and a lot of new) fast lenses, the performance at f1.4 isn't amazing. It's a bit soft and has that distinctive 'glow' often found on such lenses. The bokeh however, it absolutely gorgeous - soft and dreamy with nice circular highlights. Stopped down it becomes very sharp, and at f5.6-8 it is totally usable for print-quality work, even with the GH2's 16mp.
An odd grumble though, at f2-2.8 the aperture blades don't quite overlad, so you get some peculiar 'corners' in the bokeh. The annoying thing about this is that the lens is much sharper at f2 than f1.4, so it's an aperture that I use frequently...
Not a big issue but something to be aware of if you're shooting something where OOF quality is important.
Overall: I love it, very useful low light and portrait lens on m43 - especially so for moody/grungy stuff like gigs and street photography. Also highly usable stopped down for pretty much any short-tele work. Speed and focussing smoothness make this a very handy video lens too.
Only real con is the odd bokeh at f2-2.8.
f1.4
f1.4 - Smooth bokeh
f2 - Bokeh with 'corners'
f8
f1.8
f2
*EDIT* Just added a few more samples.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2018 Posts: 2
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 21, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $85.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | High sharpness and contrast, excellent build and handling. | | Cons: | Aberrations wide open | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: MX, X-T3
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Out of all the Pentax 50mm 1.4's, this version is my favorite. It's got the right size and shape, handling and look, and image quality and performance. In terms of image quality, it's very similar the old m42 SMC Takumar version but without the rare earth metals. That is, decent central sharpness wide open with aberrations starting in the mid-frame and turning into heavy aberrations at the edges and corners (average for lenses of this design). It also controls fringing OK for a fast prime at bright apertures. Close down the aperture and by f/4 it's excellent across the frame. Flare control isn't as great as the 50mm 1.7M but it's good for a fast 1.4. All in all a solid lens and an important part of my 4-lens MX film kit.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: November, 2012 Location: Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany Posts: 6,802
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 3, 2019 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | small, fast, sharp, easy to use, inexpensive, ubiquitous | | Cons: | a bit soft wide open... not necessarily a negative, challenge for MF | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-1 mII
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The Pentax M50 f1.4 is the fastest 50mm in their M series, which ran during the late 70s and early 80s. The M was probably supposed to stand for "miniature" since most of the Ms are small compared to contemporaries, and very very small compared to their modern equivalents. This particular lens was one of the first manual focus lenses I bought, and I intended it for use on adapters with the Sony NEX APSC system. These are inexpensive lenses and are also fairly ubiquitous. Pentax makes a faster f1.2 50mm lens, but not in the M series.
The lens handles excellently, with a rubberized focus ring and an aperture ring without an A setting. The lens has a 49mm filter ring like many other M and A lenses and weighs 235g (0.5#).
50mm is a "normal" focal length, and were sold with 35mm film cameras as a complete kit back in the day. That's one reason there are so many of them, another is that the focal length is generally popular.
Manual focusing can be a challenge, since the depth of field is narrow and details in the viewfinder can be quite small. Split focus screens were useful on film cameras, but they don't put them in digital cameras anymore since they interfere with automatic metering. Thankfully, the K-1 and K-1 mII has an articulating rear LCD screen that can be used as a live viewfinder and can magnify the image, ensuring precise focus when needed.
The photo above is an example of the narrow depth of field you can get with this shot, taken wide open. This was in mid-day sun, bright sun, intense heat, but thankfully over the course of the day, not long lasting. Anyway, at f/1.4, and at such a close focus distance, all four of the heads could not fit inside the focus plane.
Balancing the shutter speed versus aperture here, in order to get both a shallow depth of field and the blurring effect of rising bubbles. I think the aperture here was f/2.8, and whatever was on TV complemented the color of the wine nicely I thought. This was manual focus (of course) done with the rear EVF. Usually slow shutter speeds require a tripod, but here I rested the camera on my knee and a technique that involves slow breathing and careful motion on the shutter button.
BIRD scooters can be rented for a quick runabout downtown Kansas City. Most of the time they get parked out of the way on the sidewalk, where they wait for a new passenger or the charging truck. Sometimes, BIRD pilots park their chariots in the wrong place, where tragedy can befall them. The cause of this carnage is unknown, but presumed to be death by automobile.
I chose black and white for this one, since the colors were drab anyway, and since it conveys the somber mood of the scene.
Thanks for looking!
| | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2007 Location: Madrid Posts: 3
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 20, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | detail at high and low contrast;handling; construction | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K 10D
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I'm using this lens without pause, since I bought it ending the 70's. In the analogic era with KX, MSE Super, SFX and at present, with K10 and K3. It's one of the best lenses I ever tried, comparable to the best Leica and Zeiss and believe me, I'm not exaggerating.
For architecture and portrait is my favourite. Of course, it isn't autofocus and this can be a serious inconvenient when action photography. For the rest, THIS IS MY LENS     | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: August, 2009 Posts: 417
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 29, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, bokeh | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
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Firstly, on film, having conducted some systematic methodical testing, this is sharper than my 50/1.7, which is sharp already. Notably, the 50/1.4 is as sharp as the M 28/3.5. I comment using the Pentax-M 28/3.5 for reference, as its notable as being an excellent performer. It has shown itself capable of exceeding 80lp/mm on TMAX film previously, which is impressive given this is approaching the limits of film in normal contrast settings.
In recent testing, I got 77lpmm out of the M 50/1.4 at f5.6. The M 50/1.7 only managed 66lp/mm at f8, being less sharp at f5.6. I need to rerun the testing for all apertures for these two lenses. Its my feeling that the 50/1.4 is actually diffraction limited at f5.6, and that f4 may be sharper, whereas the 50/1.7 needs stopping down to f8 for controlling aberations. This might all seem boring, but once you have tested a lens, you can take pictures with it until your heart is content. Its quite tempting to pick up a Planar 50/1.4 on a Contax 139 and compare...it would be nice to know if the 50/1.4 is as good or better than the Contax.
These readings come from tripod mounted set up, careful development of a roll of film and then analysis of the film under a scope. Limits of resolution of the film are around 100lp/mm in normal lighting. Anecdotal results which do not follow a scientific method are tant amount to the veracity of horoscope forecasting from the back of a local newspaper. Importantly, my results fly directly in the face of anecdotal reports that the faster lenses in the Pentax line up are not as sharp as the slower ones. Practically, once you start hand holding a camera, resolution is going to drop off substantially due to camera shake.
Bokeh is smooth and pleasing, but this is always a subjective thing dependent on how the lens has been used.
One thing I would change: having recently used a OM1n with 50mm Mij lens, the M50/1.4 has a disappointing feel of the focus ring. The Oly rubber on the grip is substantially more tacky and feels like it will outlast the Pentax. However, rest assured that the Pentax is sharper!
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: April, 2013 Location: Longview, Washington Posts: 64
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 12, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Amazingly sharp, super fast, great for everything! | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Canon 40D
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My very first camera I ever owned, a Pentax Asahi K1000, came with this SMC Pentax-M 50 1:1.4 lens. I loved it.
All of my original Pentax equipment was stolen, so I really missed the lens! So years later, I find that I have come full circle.
A friend of mine gave me one of these lenses that he no longer used and I immediately purchased an adapter so that I could use it on my Canon 40D body.
I absolutely love this lens. It's sharp, produces beautiful imagines, and I can use it for anything from portraits to landscape, or even macro photos.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2013 Posts: 8
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 20, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Beautiful smoothness wide open, tack sharp stopped down, A joy to use! | | Cons: | Stopping down 2-2.8 gives jagged bokeh, making the decision to stop down a bit a hard one | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Canon 40D
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This lens is the one I use most. I know, a 50mm prime as the standard lens on a crop sensor.. Makes you think about the composition. This lens is perfect for flashless low light photography. The images wide open are beautiful! And since you can take images without flash, you can really capture the mood. Canons own 50mm 1.4 is an ugly bokeh. You basically need a 50mm 1.2L which is insanely expensive. And it still has a cold look compared to this one. It has the (in)famous jagged edges in the bokeh when stopped down a bit and they vanish after F2.8. This can be distracting, so I am wary to stop down to increase DOF because of this. This is the reason I give 8 points for bokeh. When the jagged edges are not there I give it 10! However, it is still an 8-bladed aperture, which beats Canons 5-6 in their cheaper 50mm primes.
Example images:
        | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 2,653
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 23, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp stopped down, nice build | | Cons: | Soft wide open | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: K-7
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I spotted this on eBay attached to some old film body, another case where the seller thought the body was worth more than the attached lens, and had to snap it up.
Very nice metal build, much better than the series A lenses with their nasty aperture ring. Smooth and well damped focus. Aperture ring has half stop detents and is precise, if just a touch wobbly.
In use, wide open is a bit of a disappointment. Below f2 or thereabouts it seems quite soft and 'dreamy'. However compared to say a fully opened A 50mm f2 it is actually a fair bit sharper at that aperture. Things improve considerably at f5.6 and beyond. A good trick to try is to use a 49-28mm step-down ring as a lens hood. This effectively stops it down to f1.8 - most of the examples below were taken using this.
Bokeh is beautiful with the possible exception of f2-2,8 where the aperture blades overlay in a strange way.
As with all 50mm, on a crop sensor body the focal length is just a bit too long for my liking. Also, having a better focus screen than the stock Pentax one, such as the cut down Canon Ee-S, is just about essential.
  
  
  
 | | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2010 Location: Perth Posts: 6
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 27, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Size, construction, sharpness | | Cons: | Flare (sometimes) | |
It's relatively cheap and I love the manual focusing. It's fast and I adore the DOF. I have great fun taking this lens for walks with me.
Sample photos on my *ist DS:
The Mouth Face by whimsicalbunneh, on Flickr
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: June, 2013 Location: Utrecht Posts: 255
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 6, 2019 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Produces briljant pictures, 1.4 is a bonus. | | Cons: | Dreamy wide open, but maybe that's positive too... | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: From K2 to K1ii
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Together with my M2.0/85 this is my most adorable piece of glass. A compact heavy brick of aluminum with lots of nicely coated bright elements in it. I bought it new as a kit lens with my ME in 1978. I always shot wonderful pictures with it, much more punchier than my friends who used standard zooms that times. At F1.4 it is dreamy and difficult to focus spot on on film cameras. For one reason images spot on in the split screen finder were often not spot on on the film. F2.0-2.8 was ideal for contrasty object isolation, between F4-F5.6 it was sharp as hell. And it still is on 36MP Full Frame. I always use the original hood to avoid the front lens catches direct sunlight from beside, that results in flair. Great build quality, after 40 years it still works like new.
See also https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/390869-som...-compared.html
Wide open on K1ii:
F2.0 or 2.8 on film (1995), scanned on Coolscan V:
Original test report 1978:
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