| Author: | | Junior Member Registered: June, 2015 Location: Százhalombatta, Hungary Posts: 35 | | Lens Review Date: August 24, 2017 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $39.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Excellent sharpness, compactness, handling | | Cons: | Blue fringing @ f/1.7, sometimes it could be a tad bit longer physically | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: MX, K10D
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After successfully destroying my previous fifty, the Chinon 50mm f/1.4 (by taking it apart), I needed to get a new fifty. Something sharp and cheap. For a while I didn't want to go below the f/1.4 range, but I didn't have the money. I saw this cheap online and decided to go for it. I just got my Pentax MX recently before buying this. It is said that the f/1.7 version is by far the sharpest of the M series. It is also very compact. This has proven to be quite true! It's so razor sharp, that it cuts the eye!
I use it mainly on my Pentax MX, but I occasionally also use it on my K10D. It has very nice, punchy colors with excellent contrast. Digital images made with this hardly need any post-processing. Wide-open it produces blue fringing, which isn't quite nice. It doesn't matter with B&W photos, but on color it is better avoided by stopping down a little... say... f/2-2.8.
The only downside I could mention is that sometimes it feels a little-bit too compact. Also, I don't really like the hexagonial BOKEH. I'd prefer it to be eight bladed.
My lens on my Pentax MX w/ a lens hood
Film shots:
Kodak Portra 160
Kodak Portra 160
AgfaPhoto APX 100
AgfaPhoto APX 100
Digital:
Pentax K10D | | | | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2017 Posts: 5
1 user found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: June 21, 2017 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $40.33
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Small | | Cons: | Soft wide open | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 1
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: Sony A7RII
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Great little lens, soft at 1.7, once stopped down to 2.8 it perfect
Little bit of fringing
 | | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2011 Posts: 9
2 users found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: May 3, 2017 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: N/A
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Absolutely pin sharp | | Cons: | Non | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K5
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Came as part of a bundle so can't say how much it cost. Just trying out as a portrait lens and it's magnificent, beating my other two 50mm Pentax lenses easily, and they aren't bad.
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2017 Posts: 2
1 user found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: May 2, 2017 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $25.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharpness, build quality, price | | Cons: | wish it could focus closer | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Sony Nex 6
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Everyone should own a copy of this lens. It can be had for bargain prices. In my opinion it beats the f1.4 version on most fronts too.
Has excellent sharpness when focussed correctly. Also very high build quality but then all these Asahi Pentax lenses are well made. The SMC coating gives excellent colours shooting with digital.
Wish it could focus a bit closer to the subject but you can't have it all.
One slight niggle in that I had to re-calibrate mine for infinity but then this isn't the lenses fault as I'm using an adapter. Was easily done anyway.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2017 Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: May 2, 2017 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $90.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Optical quality, sharpness, easy to focus, high quality build | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: Canon 600D
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A very good lens for astrophoto. 5 plates composed with software. Made with the Canon 600D (unmodified) on the Star Adventurer with a SMC Pentax-M 50mm f1.7 lens. Exposures of 30 seconds, ISO 800.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/148000154@N06/31871709663/in/dateposted-public/ | | | | | New Member Registered: July, 2015 Posts: 11
1 user found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: April 4, 2017 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $20.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, bokeh | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-5
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I bought this lens used for about Eur 20 something 3 years ago. Absolutely worth each cent and actually I would like to have more copies. I was searching a prime lens that gave interesting result wide open in term of bokeh and depth of field and this little gem just do that perfectly. I shoot 99% manually so it suits just very fine.
Here's a gallery of my flickr page of pictures I've taken with this lens: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stefanorugolo/albums/72157651869061007 | | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2016 Posts: 5
1 user found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: March 24, 2017 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $25.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Cheap, great IQ, sharp in center wide open, tiny | | Cons: | ... hee | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: PENTAX K-3
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I got this lens with a Pentax K2, a Vivitar S1 28-105 2.8/4 and a TC x2 macro focusing vivitar at 50 € (55$), all in mint condition, so it was very cheap.
I allready got a SMC F50mm 1.7, so I wanted to compare the two lens. I known they have the same optical design but i wanted to know if the coating was different. So after testeing theses two lenses, I didn't notice any differences.
I have noticed CA in hard condition (wide open and back light huge constrast), but after I tried the F version in same condition, I observed the same coulour fringing.
So in conclusion same IQ as the A,F,FA version, full manual and tiny price.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: October, 2016 Posts: 38
1 user found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: November 26, 2016 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $42.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Pentax quality | | Cons: | Not | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: Canon 6D, Pentax K200D
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I burning to buy a Pentax-M 50 / 1.7, but when viewing photos, noticed the similarity pattern to my Takumar SMS 55 / 1.8.
And the optic schemes these lenses are the same. What anybody can say about this.
And some photos of my Takumar SMS 55 / 1.8 on near wide open
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: November, 2016 Posts: 112
2 users found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: November 22, 2016 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $65.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Color, build quality, handling, price | | Cons: | Nothing | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax Kx
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With such a price tag there is nothing negative of this lens. I bought it in mint condition for 65$ and even that was overpaid. I love its way of rendering color, much more "classic" than modern and expensive digital lens. Build quality and handling are just great. One more thing to add is its look. My camera is a white Pentax Kx which looks like a toy, but when mounting this lens it becomes much more balance and has a "professional" look.
Work great even from 1.7. Focus ring and aperture ring are a joy to use. This is my very first lens after the kit lens, and I have to admit it spoiled me so much that I have been disappointed with a lot of other lens I purchased or used after that (not as sharp, not the same color rendering, or price/performance ratio is not that high)
 | | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2015 Posts: 8
3 users found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: October 23, 2016 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: N/A
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, great build quality, price is just right | | Cons: | None. Yay! | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: Nikon D90
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This lens is an amazing steal-of-a-deal at around $45! If you find one at a good price, pick it up. I use this lens with my Nikon D90 using one of the many Pentax PK to (insert camera brand here) adapters you can get. I mainly use this lens for macro (because that's the only thing my adapter will let me do), but I'm sure this lens would be great for other things as well. I got this lens from a Pentax ME Super that my grandfather gave me, so it's pretty special to me. Anyway...
Build Quality:
This lens is built great. Full-metal construction, metal mount. Focus ring feels very smooth, and aperture ring feels solid and clicks into place with no play. Lens is very heavy for it's size. The only thing that rattles is the little arm that the camera would use to open up the diaphragm when you took the picture, which is relatively normal. Mine has gotten quite a few bumps and dings, and the only thing that happens when it gets bumped is a little bit of scratching to the lens body. Filter thread is metal.
Optics:
The glass in this lens is great. When you tap the front element, it feels like real glass and not just some cheap plastic-glass like other lenses. It has 6 elements in 5 groups. Use f/5.6 if you can, it is sharpest.
Handling:
This lens just feels "right" in the hand. You can easily distinguish the aperture ring from the focus ring, and the focus ring and aperture ring aren't too big, nor too small for my small hands.
The filter thread accepts 49mm filters. This lens' minimum aperture is f/22, and the maximum is f/1.7. The lens mount is a Pentax K mount. It focuses up to 0.45 meters (1.55 feet). This lens is almost a pancake lens.
Conclusion: This lens is a fantastic deal. It's built like a tank, it feels "right", it's useful, it's readily available, and it has great image quality.
| | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2016 Posts: 2
2 users found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: October 14, 2016 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $40.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Solid, all metal and glass, discreetly elegant retro design, smooth handling, very sharp, lots of light | | Cons: | Avoid shooting at 1.7, soft | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K10D
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Absolutely fantastic gem of lens. Mine is very old and relatively worn out, bought it from a mysterious vendor face to face; yet the lens never betrayed me. My favourite walk around lens among all I have on my K10D. The f/1.7 provides a lot of light, yet I would not recommend to shoot at 1.7, as the lens is soft there. Usually I shoot at f/2.8 or 4, at full manual mode metering with the green Pentax button. Fantastic experience, that I would not replace with a digital auto lens. The focus ring makes a long turn, which makes it fit for precise focusing. The aperture ring makes hard, noticeable clicks, and is very easy to use. I would recommend it to anyone.
   | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: September, 2016 Posts: 3
2 users found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: October 5, 2016 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $25.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp. Accurate metering on digital bodies | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-30
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This lens is crazy sharp. Only drawback is the somewhat awkward focal length on crop sensor cameras. Antenna enlargement at 100% magnification. Pic taken at F8.
  | | | | | Junior Member Registered: August, 2014 Posts: 27
1 user found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: August 27, 2016 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $20.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Price, build quality, my copy looked like it was new | | Cons: | Contrast, color rendering, sharpness wide open | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 7
Value: 6
Camera Used: K-5
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I've had this lens for a couple of months but I decided to sell it again because of a couple of reasons.
- The contrast is quite bad with this lens, your pictures will need more post processing if you're wanting to correct for that.
- The color rendering of this lens is quite bad. You can't make up for this by simply increasing the saturation or vibrance. A lot of other pentax M and K lenses have a nice color rendering, but this one doesn't.
I bought the A1.7 50mm as my cousin recommended me that lens (I hope to write a review of that lens soon). You might be inclined to think that the lens is basically the same except for the A functionality, but it's not. At least in my experience the A edition is much sharper wide open and the color rendering and contrast is better to.
My copy of this lens looked like it was brand new, I never had a vintage lens that looked this pristine. So that made it a little harder for me to sell this lens again.
Would I recomend this lens? I can't say I would recommend against this lens. It's not a bad lens, but there are (in my opinion) better alternatives (e.g. 55mm 1.8 (K series) or 50mm 1.7 A series).
 | | | | | Forum Member Registered: September, 2009 Location: Kyoto Posts: 71
1 user found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: July 18, 2016 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $40.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, low distortion, fast aperture, good handling | | Cons: | uninteresting APS-C crop focal length | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-3
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A no-brainer lens from a cost/performance aspect, the main question for crop-format users is "what are you going to use the 75mm effective focal length for exactly?" I find the 55mm variants of the standard primes make better "85mm replacements" than the 50mm lenses, but if that's not an issue for you then I can't think of any other objections.
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2016 Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Lens Review Date: July 4, 2016 | I can recommend this lens: Yes |
Price: $60.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, Contrast, Colour, Handling, Very Small Lens | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: 1 year
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This is must have lens, best two lens 50mm f1.7-f1.8 for me Pentax-M 50mm f1.7 and Zuiko 50mm f1.8.
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;)
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