| Author: | | Forum Member Registered: February, 2016 Location: Moab, Utah Posts: 90
8 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 29, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $31.00
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | Fine contrast, Color Punch, Sharpness in that order | | Cons: | bokeh, fringing possible at f2 until 2.8, doesn't look cool | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
| |
This is the best Pentax 50mm for landscapes. I tested the SMC 50 1.2 & 1.4 with 52mm filter rings and 8 bladed apertures, SMC Tak 55 1.8, and Super Tak 50 1.4... Hands down, this one offers the best fine contrast and color punch. The 55 1.8 is close, but isn't sharp from f13 to f16 and doesn't even have 22... This one also gives the best flare resistance out of them all, though can fringe when used wide open at f2. fringing clears up completely by about 2.8. Hence, this is "The" 50mm landscape lens from Pentax. I use this one a lot more than my SMC 1.2, which is reserved for bokeh and dreaminess. This 5 element design is barely more than a Tessar and performs similarly with a lot of 3d pop. Bokeh is not great - this is not the design of the lens, and why I also recommend the SMC 50 1.2 or Takumar 55 1.8 in addition to this 50.
For anyone interested, I compared 5 different 50mm lens options from Pentax and posted it on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/G22LGiKngp4
On my copy, the rubber focusing ring was slipping so a thin bead of high temperature black RTV gasket maker applied with a toothpick underneath fixed that. The focusing helicoid is so small on this lens that it feels like it's not even moving. Glassy focus and clicky aperture, typical of M series Pentax.
More people should get over fast lenses and start using readily available gems like this one.
| | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: January, 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 32
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 21, 2016 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Inexpensive, light, well build, Handling, I.Q. | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
| |
I don't understand why this lens gets a lower score here than the 1.7.
I owned the M 1.4, the 1.7 and the 2.0.
In my opinion, the 1.7 and 2.0 are both excellent, the 1.4 inferior (not really usable at 1.4)
Yes, you lose 1/2 aperture compared to the 1.7. But that is known, factored in the price.
Is it important practically? Hardly.
The quality of the photos is stunning, very good already at f2.0 (better than the 50mm 1.7 at full aperture), excellent at f2.0 and above.
Excellent color rendition, light vignetting at full aperture, very sharp and sharp at f2.0 and improving at small apertures...
Built quality is exceptional, not like today's cheap lenses... Superb focusing ring...
My only disappointment is the absence of specific hood (no telescopic hood, no baionet). But flare resistance is pretty good, the SMC coating was one of the best at the time.
| | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2021 Location: Visby, Gotland Posts: 18
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 6, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $15.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Cheap and nice build | | Cons: | All manual | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 7
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-x
| |
Nicely built and great value.
The only real downside is it’s manual only, which limits the photo opportunities in my opinion. Still I do recommend this lense, specially for taken photos on non-moving objects. In the end I prefer lenses with an A setting, but this lense is great value and well worth testing.   | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: July, 2020 Posts: 122
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 12, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $12.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Insanely cheap. Nicely built. Beautiful IQ | | Cons: | need to use stop down metering | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax Kr
| |
Things look just great with this lens.
My 50mm A 1.7 is sharper but somehow I prefer the rendering of this one.
Mechanics ( I have the earlier metal version) are also superior to the A , focussing in particular seems much smoother and my perception is that I am therefore more accurate with this on the camera. Despite the lack of electronic contacts this lens somehow handles better (at least when I remember to use the green button)
Coatings are pretty good but I see veiling flare more often than if I use a modern lens.
This is really lovely as a portrait lens on my Kr, I commonly use it at 2.8. For the cost I don't think it can be beaten.
| | | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: November, 2018 Posts: 585
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 3, 2019 | Recommended
| Rating: N/A |
|
 | | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2014 Posts: 9
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 16, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Small, good build q, pleasure to use. | | Cons: | Soft-ish wide open. | | Sharpness: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-5
| |
This is a good lens an I enjoy using it.
Build quality of this lens is very good and it also looks nice.
It is small and comfortable to use, and has smooth focus ring.
Bokeh is excellent, though the lens lacks sharpness when wide open (also it's a manual lens, so a lot of depends on photographer). It is sharp when stopped down.
Would I recommend it? Well, That depends on at what price you can get it.
For what I paid for it, I could've gotten the f1.7 version instead (Don't know if it's any better though, as I've never tried it, but 1.7 looks better than 2.0 on paper  ).
For 20-40USD - it's a no brainer.
 | | | | | Junior Member Registered: January, 2018 Location: Tokyo Posts: 44
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 4, 2024 | Recommended | Price: $5.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Amazing cost/quality for the peanuts | | Cons: | Not a modern lens | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax K1 Mark II
| |
When talking or thinking about Pentax 50mm lenses, for some reason the f2 hardly shows up on the radar; and when it does, it is generally tagged straightforwardly as a ‘kit lens’ or ‘starter tool’... a lens with a simple, when not even ’primitive’, optical design. In reality the SMC Pentax-M 50mm f2 lens is a rather peculiar and unique horse in the Pentax 50mm stud farm. The simplest of them all, perhaps, yet capable of delivering very good sharpness and strong detail, while in situations where depth of field is shallow, it renders a beautiful separation with a smooth and creative foreground blur and intriguing background effects.
Two versions of it existed, as noted above, the M and the A version. The A series was released in March 1983 with the ‘PENTAX super A’ film camera, but it was not present in the Asahi Opt. Co. lenses list of that year, because the camera was commercialized in silver with the model name ‘Pentax Super Program’ mostly only overseas and the only two standard lenses of the A series listed were the f1.4 and the f1.7. It seems it showed up steadily on the catalogs only from the release of the "Pentax P30 Date”, around 1985.
While the M model is made all of metal with the solid feel of that series, the exterior and the components of the A model were indeed mostly of plastic, and it truly might feel cheap. Rumors have it that in order to cut costs, ita manufacture was moved to Taiwan, and it was so cheaply made that Pentax hid the ‘Made in Taiwan’ mark on the retractable rim of the lens barrel in shame, making it invisible during normal use. It seems instead - believe it or not - that there were two types on the market, one all made in Taiwan and another in Japan and that both were distinguishable by a sticker put on the lens barrel carrying the provenance clearly.
Be that as it may, the optical system, remained the same: an original symbiosis of a Biometar with a Xenotar design of 5 elements in 5 groups. Some reviews describe it as an expanded Ernostar, but if you split it in half you can see that the front optical group is the classic 3 elements Ultron type, while the rear group has the same 2 lenses configuration of the Zeiss MC Biometar 80mm f2.8, with one very thin and curvilinear lens; an ingenious attempt to improve color shift and resolution without the use of a more expensive doublet, as often happened back then.
In general the lens offers an extremely good compromise of quality and performance at a price that truly leaves no reason not to get one and make good practice with it. I personally like it lot; its size is surprisingly small. Ignore the comments of people that thrash-talk its sharpness wide open: it simply is a different thing than the f1.7 or the f1.4. It delivers a very fine contrast and a good color punch. It has also a quite good flare resistance compared to all the other 50s, probably in reason of its simpler lens scheme. Helicoid movement is smooth and focusing on your subjects is very easy. Aperture has a modest 6 blades that leave a visible mark on the boke balls, but you have to live with it.
It is suggested - and I tend to agree from my experience - that it is particularly good for B&W photography, thanks to its ability to record a wide dynamic range particularly in the shadows. The transitions in that realm result very creamy. CA is contained, but not absent (it wasn't an issue when it was made). Barrel distortion too is controlled, but I wouldn't call it ideal for architectural shots. A red-magenta cast might flatten and dull a bit blue/green tones sometimes. A 50mm is not an ideal portrait lens, but I wouldn't hesitate using it for that, in reason of the beautiful blur effects it delivers in foreground and background with a subject placed at the right distance.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2015 Posts: 5
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 21, 2022 | Recommended
| Rating: N/A |
|
What is the difference between A and M versions?
| | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2019 Posts: 2
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 4, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Excellent low light results | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-50
| |
Another great lens with good sharpness, provided you are adept at dialing in focus manually.
- Pentax-M 50mm F2
- 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 image and click "Open Image in New Tab", then zoom in.
All jpegs right from the my Pentax K-50.
F4.5, 2 second exposure:
Here are 3 shots from my send copy of this lens:
F5.6, 2-3 second exposure:
 | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: June, 2013 Location: Utrecht Posts: 255
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 11, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $10.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Cheap, build quality, decent performer stopped down | | Cons: | M1.7 is better and also costs almost nothing... | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: ME super to K1ii
| |
Wide open this lens is less good compared with the M1.7 at F2.0, visible less sharp, visible more ghosting. Stopped down this lens is realy good. But... For a few more €$ you can get a M1.7 which is clearly a better performer. Build quality and handling of the M2.0 are great like all M-lenses. I own the metal "made in Japan" version.
See also https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/390869-som...-compared.html
Picture wide open:
 | | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2017 Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 3, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | great DOF, Build quality, Long focus throw, Sharpness | | Cons: | Can't think of anything at this moment | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Panasonic Lumix GX80
| |
I have been looking at this forum for some time now. When i realised i could use the old pentax lenses my father used 30/35 years ago, i tried to use them with a focal reducer from Pixco on my Panasonic Lumix GX80/GX85 and with great results. I will show some samples with this post.
This lens is great. The focus throw is buttery smooth and the sharpness is very good with the camera i am using. When i use this 50mm lens with a m4/3 camera and the focal reducer it comes down to 76mm, but the results are great. The sharpness at F2.0 is reasonable and at f8 it is ultra sharp. The mood and depth of field of this lens is beautifull. It feels like quality and it is.
https://ibb.co/eZYxvv
https://ibb.co/nfhCTF
https://ibb.co/mATaha
https://ibb.co/dxPFha | | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2009 Location: Seattle Posts: 21
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 24, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | very good sharpness, bokeh, color, size, price, well built | | Cons: | none (with this price) | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K5II
| |
Don't know why this lens has a low score
I also have the A50 F1.4 but personally, I think the M50 f2.0 easier to handle
 | | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2013 Posts: 21
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 23, 2016 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K3, K7d, K01
| |
Like most others, I got this cheap, as part of a collection of old lenses and other things.
I really like the Pentax m42 primes and probably wouldn't have bought this lens if it hadn't come along with other things I wanted. And that would have been a huge mistake. This is what I like about it:
The Bokeh really appeals to me. I am very fond of this lens.
| | | | | New Member Registered: September, 2014 Posts: 14
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 12, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $8.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Very Cheap, Color Rendition, Build Quality | | Cons: | Nothing Major | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Canon EOS 60D with adapter
| |
It's just so worth it for the price and because of the fact that the are so readily available.
Got mine from a Hospice shop with a faulty Super - A and a slightly damaged Tasman 70 - 140 f3.8 for $8 USD.
This lens alone was worth it. I am used to pathetic Canon kit lenses and read online that old Pentax lenses with adapters are a cheap way to have some of the highest quality glass on Cannon cameras.
I'm fine with manual focus although the with the super shallow DOF it is hard to focus correctly.
So I plan to buy an AF confirm adapter soon which will help immensely!
I would DEFINITELY recommend this lens to anyone who wasn't sure about a purchase!  | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: March, 2010 Location: Frankfurt am Main Posts: 1,241
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 2, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Size, Sturdyness, Sharpness | | Cons: | No A mount | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: ME Super
| |
I bought this lens new in December 1981 for DM 99, to replace the 2/50 Porst lens which came with a K-mount Porst SLR I had bought 2 months before.
It was a big improvement in sharpness and colour rendering, and many of my best shots have been made with this lens.
I never found a weakness in real life shots. Maybe at F2 it's a bit softer than at F4, but the difference seems to be smaller than with every other lens I owned. It should also be mentioned that, at the same size as the SMC-M 1.7/50, it sits deeper in the housing (less glass), providing more shading for the front lens if you don't use a hood.
For several years, it also was my standard lens for party shooting with flash (mostly at F5.6-F8), and enlarging to poster size still showed no weakness.
Very sturdy, too (fully metal). After I got the A 1.4/50 together with a nearly unused Super A, it stayed fixed on my ME Super in the back of my cars for many years, never any problems.
| | |
;)
;)
;)
