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Pentax Lens Review Database » Film Era Pentax K-Mount Lenses » M Prime Lenses
SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7 Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7

Sharpness 
 9.4
Aberrations 
 8.7
Bokeh 
 9.0
Handling 
 9.4
Value 
 9.8
Reviews Views Date of last review
246 938,475 Fri June 16, 2023
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
99% of reviewers $40.77 9.34
SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7

SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7
supersize
SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7
supersize

Description:
The SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7 is a common standard lens that shipped with many early Pentax bodies.

SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
Full-frame / 35mm film
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
Yes (no A setting)
Diaphragm
Automatic, 6 blades
Optics
6 elements, 5 groups
Mount Variant
K
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F1.7
Min. Aperture
F22
Focusing
Manual
Min. Focus
45 cm
Max. Magnification
0.15x
Filter Size
49 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 32 ° / 27 °
Full frame: 47 ° / 40 °
Hood
Various types
Case
Dedicated hard case
Lens Cap
Plastic clip-on
Coating
SMC
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
63 x 31 mm
Weight
185 g
Production Years
1977 to 1984
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-M 1:1.7 50mm
Product Code
20877
Reviews
User reviews
Notes
Lens was sold without hood. Several hoods will fit like PH-S49 (50mm) and screw-in type metal and folding rubber hoods
Features:
Manual FocusAperture RingFull-Frame SupportDiscontinued
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-15 of 246
New Member

Registered: February, 2023
Posts: 4
Review Date: February 8, 2023 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Extreme sharpness at f/2, good quality
Cons: Using it on a digital camera is unhandy (not a real con though)
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K-70   

An excellent nifty fifty, borrowed from my father's old kit with a Pentax ME Super.

Focusing is a bit challenging due the lack of split diopter on the focusing screen on modern cameras, and Catch-in Focus only in spot mode isn't too helpful, but if you take the right time with it, it's all fun and games.

Compared with the old thin cameras, this lens is very small mounted on my K-70, and my big hands didn't help too.

But for a budget lens, giving back this quality, it's all worth it, and a fun training on manual focusing and apertures.
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: February, 2019
Location: Florida
Posts: 186

6 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 25, 2022 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Timeless Quality
Cons: None
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: Ricoh XR-1, Ricoh XR-2S, Pentax K2, Pentax K-50, Pentax K-1 II   

I'm posting this review as a tribute to my go-to lens.

Purchased brand new in 1982.

Yes, 40 years ago.

Every bit as smooth as day one. Glass clean and clear. Aperture as snappy as ever. Not a bit of slop or play.

And to top things off, it just looks beautiful on the K-1 II. Great performance on film, digital and video.

The Swiss-Army Knife of lenses!
   
New Member

Registered: March, 2022
Posts: 6

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: March 23, 2022 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Very nice little prime
Cons: None
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 10    Camera Used: LX   

Fantastic prime, usually well priced and works outstandingly well on adapted to my Sony cameras.
   
New Member

Registered: August, 2017
Location: Ronneburg
Posts: 1
Review Date: August 5, 2021 Recommended | Price: $50.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: built like a tank, fast lens
Cons: none for me
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: Z-1, K-3, K 200 D   

Pentax M SMC 50 f1.7 is a great value for the money. It is small, light, and there are lot of them around making the price reasonable. Slightly softer at f1.7 it reaches very good figures from 2.8.
   
New Member

Registered: October, 2020
Posts: 4
Review Date: October 10, 2020 Recommended | Price: $35.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Sharpness Bokeh Size
Cons: None
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-01   

Got a near mint copy of this for the equivalent of $35US. All I can say is the images it produces are easily 4 to 5 times the price I paid for it.

   
Veteran Member

Registered: September, 2017
Location: Medellín
Posts: 1,322
Review Date: December 23, 2019 Recommended | Price: $80.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Sharp, small, nice handling.
Cons: Six aperture blades.
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: Film cameras, K-5   

I got one to see what all the hype was about. It's that good!
Can't go wrong with this one. I specially like the handling. If it had seven or eight aperture blades it would be the perfect fast fifty.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: July, 2016
Location: Patrick Co. Virginia
Posts: 1,531
Review Date: November 11, 2019 Recommended | Price: $27.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Inexpensive compared to the f1.4, good low light, sharp
Cons: not wysiwyg for aps-c cameras, too narrow fov for milkyway
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: K50,k5   

I sought a 50mm after reading lots of legendary things about them, only to flind the f1.4 artificially expensive compared to other models and "settled" for this one when I found one at a low bid. One thing I learned from the experience is that 50mm on an aps-c required me to take a few steps back down the trail quite a bit. When I saw a shot it would frame too close every time. This is because the k50's crop sensor, while displaying subjects in the same focal length at film or "full frame" sensors, crops the image FOV by 1.5x, leaving you a bit to close. I've since found the 35mm works better for such walkabouts. I now somehow have three of these things and this one has been the workhorse of the lot, working mostly as a very nice portrait and closeup lens. In Astrophotography it works well for shooting a wide region of sky without the "all sky" or fisheye effect on really wide lenses.
Overall it's a nice little manual prime with nothing to gripe about, but buyers should be aware that they are getting a defacto fov of a 70mm f1.7
   
New Member

Registered: October, 2019
Posts: 2

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: October 22, 2019 Recommended | Price: $35.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Excellent low light results
Cons:
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-50   

Just got this lens after getting a K-50 (first DSLR). I have tested low light and close shots with excellent results. I will try bokeh, outdoor performance, etc later.

- Pentax-M 50mm F1.7
- Pentax K-50 DSLR (16.3mp)
- mounted on tripod
- aperture priority
- ISO 100
- white balance set to AWB
- focus peaking enabled on camera
- using manual focus assist
- 2-second timer

Right-click the following images and click "Open Image in New Tab", then zoom in.

All jpegs right from the my Pentax K-50.

F5.6, 1/4 second exposure:





These shots were taken in a living room at night with just one soft incandescent lamp turned on across the room.

I was very surprised at how well it performs in low light. The pics appear bright, but the room is pretty dim by comparison. Amazing how clear, bright, and rich in color this photo came out.

F1.7, 10 second exposure:


Here are a few more pics I just took, with focus centered on the Rhythm / Treble switch:

F1.7, 1/10 second exposure:



F5.6, 7/10 second exposure:



F22, 10 second exposure:
   
New Member

Registered: February, 2019
Posts: 15

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: October 8, 2019 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Small and easy to use
Cons: None
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 10    Value: 10   

I think there is a lot of exaggeration going on because people don't seem to know that an old lens on a digital camera will have it's output influenced by the onboard software, sensor and processor of the camera, so you are not actually rating just the lens.

On film cameras (no software or hardware) this remains a lovely all-rounder lens. Performance is exactly the same as an "A" version Pentax 50mm but without the tacky plastic feel of that more recent version from Pentax.

At infinity it's very good at f5.6 to f8 across most of the photos it takes from-corner-to-corner and it never gets worse than good at the extremes of aperture unless you drop below f4 where the infinity quality is poor. Don't bother to waste cash on the ridiculously expensive f1.4 or f1.2 versions unless you take photos in very low light, as this lens is perfectly fine for 95% of the photos most people take. Close up photography and it acts like many quality lenses of the same price and gives me exactly the same results as a Zeiss Jena Tessar. Most lenses of quality operate fine close up, anyway, and even some cheap tacky ones give fine close images.

Make sure the one you buy is internally clean and has no dirt or fungus in it before you buy it. There are two fused pieces of glass in the rear section that can get separated and misty through time, but most of these lenses are well made and last for many decades. Otherwise, you can't go wrong unless you are a seriously ridiculous pickettypixel person who blows every image up 100% and then scans over every pixel for no reason at all.
   
New Member

Registered: June, 2018
Posts: 2
Review Date: September 26, 2019 Recommended | Price: $45.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Small and lightweight, high contrast, flare control
Cons: Handling and feel, lots of coma at bright apertures
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: MX, X-T3   

I found this lens to be very well rounded and even a great performer on digital. It has high contrast and good central sharpness already wide open, but a high amount of aberrations prevents the mid-frame and edges from being tack-sharp until about f/4.5. After that everything is excellent and I feel that is where this lens really shines. Flare control is also superb, you'll have a hard time finding another old fast 50 from any other brand that can match it. I'm not a huge fan of the handling, like everyone else I lament the loss of the Takumar and 1st gen K-mount build and handling, but compared to modern lenses and even the A type lenses the handling is excellent.
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: June, 2013
Location: Utrecht
Posts: 250

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: August 9, 2019 Recommended | Price: $10.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Compact, smooth aperture, sharp, contrasty, cheep
Cons: none
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: ME super to K1ii   

Works fine on everything, snappy aperture, decent sharp wide open, super sharp stopped down, only a very little CA wide open in out of focus areas. I bought this ten years ago as a ME-super set (camera + M2.8/28 + M1.7/50 + M135/3.5) for € 45,- . Lenses and camera were like new, camera was hardly used. I often mount this on my K-01, but also on Full Frame this is a stellar perfomer. Everyone with a K-mount camera should have this lens, they are often offered for little. Pentax made millions of it....

See also https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/390869-som...-compared.html

Pictures taken with K-01, (almost) wide open.





Original test report 1978

   
New Member

Registered: March, 2019
Posts: 2

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: June 2, 2019 Recommended | Price: $40.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Size and Weight, build quality, feel when using, optical performace
Cons: None
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: Sony a6000   

This is hands down one of my favourite vintage lenses in the 50 something millimetre focal range. And with 12 others in this range from a multitude of manufacturers I have plenty to compare it to. I love the bomb proof feel of quality from the Pentax m lenses. It looks fantastic and is super easy to use. It is very easy to get focus on this lens using focus peaking. I really like how it renders colours and its sharpness. I got my copy with front and rear caps in great overall condition for what I consider an excellent price considering the quality of the images it produces. Highly recommended.


   
New Member

Registered: June, 2010
Location: Slovakia
Posts: 20

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: August 27, 2018 Recommended | Price: $45.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Sharp, bokeh, atmosphere, 3D, size,price.....
Cons:
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-5   

I love this lens. Allways with me in. Make pictures in old fashion(good) look. Beautifull bokeh.
   
Pentaxian

Registered: July, 2013
Location: People's Republic of America
Posts: 9,897
Review Date: July 17, 2018 Recommended | Price: $30.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Sharp, great colors, flare resistance, wonderful rendering
Cons: None, really
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: P30T, K20D, K10D, K-r, K-S1, K-50   

I have to give this lens a 10. I have had two copies and both of them were super sharp wide open. I thought I had a great copy but when I got a 2nd one it was just as good - and both are slightly better, especially wide open, than the A 50 1.7 that I used to have, and the F 50 1.7 that I still have (I keep the F, of course, because it is very handy to have an AF nifty fifty).
Everything about this lens is great. it's small and almost a pancake, and the positives in the top of the review tell the story.
I have a metal hood on mine but I feel it's more for looks than anything else - it's pretty flare resistant even without it.
I don't remember ever seeing aberrations that needed correction.
The bokeh might not be quite as good as the 50 1.4 models but it's still good.
It even works really great with an inverter ring for about 1:1 macro. Other 50-ish lenses I tested for this purpose (Rikenon 50 1.4, K 55 f2) were not nearly as good.

Very sharp in the in-focus area wide open:
Sunflower M 50 1.7 @1.7 by ChristianRock, on Flickr

Stop it down a bit and it's perfection:
Leaves on the Ground by ChristianRock, on Flickr

Entrance Road in Fall 2015-50mm by ChristianRock, on Flickr
   
Forum Member

Registered: October, 2015
Posts: 61
Review Date: March 22, 2018 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: sharpness, contrast, color rendition, cheap, build quality, micro-contrast
Cons: None
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: K5IIs   

This is a wonderful lens. The color saturation and rendition and also depth rendering is amazing which gives the images out of this lens a 3D look. You can find them for real cheap. I got mine in almost brand new condition. At 1.7 the images are a tiny bit soft but stop down to f2 and you will get amazing photos.
Don't hesitate, if you find one buy one, even if you have a 50mm. It is THAT good.
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