| Author: | | New Member Registered: August, 2013 Posts: 11 | | Review Date: December 20, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness & Build Quality | | Cons: | Still searching... | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Kr
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Wow, I'm very impressed by this lens, it's just amazing how sharp it is! Sharp wide open at F4 from the middle to the corners.
Shooting in A mode (always at F4) is really simple and it gives very great results, I felt it would be a bit hard to use in M mode but it's just an habit to take (green button).
It's real pleasure to shoot with this lens, it deserves a 10!
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2009 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 3,757 | | Review Date: October 19, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | sharp, sharp, sharp | | Cons: | lacks contrast a bit, esp. wide open | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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I'm not going to insist on the qualities of this lens--what the others said is true. Tiny, lightweight, all metal. Decent macro, but excellent for landscape, streets. The lens is very sharp corner to corner right from f4; @f5.6-f8 is one of the sharpest lenses I've seen. I've taken some occasional portraits with it, too, and the bokeh isn't bad at all. (The only problem: I had to soften the pics in PP.) Lacks a bit of contrast, but this is no issue if you shoot raw. Very natural colors, may need to be bumped in PP (although bumping the contrast is in most cases sufficient).
Now I'm letting images speak (taken with K-x--click on the pics to enlarge them):
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: May, 2013 Location: BC Posts: 138 | | Review Date: September 11, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness & Build Quality | | Cons: | Manual everything (but hey it is a M lens afterall) | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K100D
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sharp at f4 and just improves when stopped down. Not really the best macro lens but it works for a general 50mm "close-up" purpose.
Compact size, sharp, nice bokeh are all pros for this lens
at f8
at f4
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2012 Posts: 963
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 12, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $93.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp! Very good dampening! | | Cons: | It could have been faster. A pseudo-macro | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-x
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This is a very sharp lens. I bought this lens out of curiosity, as I already have a real macro in the form of DFA 100WR. I already have a lot of 50mms too.
Still, there's something special in it's unassuming image character/rendition that defines this lens. It's a slow lens, at f/4, but it definitely has the Pentax pixie. It may as well be a brother to my K55/1.8! That's how good this is!
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2011 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 23
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 8, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $70.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp and compact | | Cons: | None yet... | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K5 classic
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I picked this lens up through eBay in Australia, I feel it truly is a sleeper lens in the M line-up.
I've had it for a day and my first impressions are very good. The fact that it isn't a 1:1 macro is a non issue for me, I'm not really a macro shooter, so 1:2 leads me into the hand held, every day macro world without having to use ring flashes etc.
The biggest unexpected bonus with this lens is the sharpness, as a walk around 50, it's very sharp and the bokeh isn't too bad either, I own the 43, 77 and 15 limiteds, so I know what sharp looks like! This lens compliments my current line up well, it doesn't have the mojo of those 3 jewels, but for $70, it's a no-brainer!
The way it renders blue skies is very rich, also an unexpected bonus!
My copy is very clean and looks hardly used, most copies I see on eBay are in similar condition, it looks like they're just not heavily used by anybody! The focus helicoid is very damped, which makes close focussing easier, compared with the M1.7 focus damping, it's very nice, the M 1.7 is too loose for me.
In closing, if you see this lens for sale people, buy the thing, you'll love it... use it as a street lens first, it's great!
( just get in before the word gets out and the price goes crazy like the Taks did!)
Happy Shooting!
Cheers
Chris
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: November, 2012 Location: Cosenza Posts: 42
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 7, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness, size, colors | | Cons: | only f/4 | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: Canon Eos 5D Mark II, Pentax ME Super
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At the link below you can see how it performs at all stops compared to various other 50s-ish: the 50mm f/1,4 Takumar 8-elements design, the S-M-C 7-elements variant and a few others 50s (Contax Makro Planar, Minolta MD, Olympus OM Zuiko):
http://www.addicted2light.com/2012/12/08/battle-of-the-50s-contax-60-vs-mino...ntax-takumars/
It would be basically a great bargain anyway, but at the actual ridiculously low price tag it's a "must have" lens, even if you, like me, don't do macro.
It gives you almost the same quality of the Contax Makro Planar, but in a package that weights maybe one forth!
As a dedicated macro lens I would have some reserve, but only because it doesn't reach 1:1 by itself; this may or may not bother you at all.
BTW, I gave it an 8 for handling, instead of a 9, only because I'm spoiled by the butter smooth focusing action of the old Takumars, not because there is anything wrong with the M macro.
To use it on a Canon full format (and possibly even on an aps-c, but I haven't tried), you'll need to file down or cut with a Dremel-like tool the rear aperture fin and the metal lip that protects said fin; it's pretty soft metal, all the procedure - included the time spent wrapping the lens in aluminum foil to avoid dirt entering the lens itself - it will take maybe 10 seconds top.
If you want to avoid the hassle just buy the m42 version. I didn't only because I wasn't able to find one at the right price at the right time. Yep, patience is not my strong suit  | | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2012 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: October 23, 2012 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Ridiculously sharp, zero distortion, superb build, makes a surprisingly good street lens | | Cons: | Not very macro | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax ME Super
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This lens is one of my favorite 50's ever. The way it renders images is surreal; so unbelievably sharp and pristine. It's macro capability is good, but honestly I used this as a walk-around and street lens more often. It might even be too sharp, but it makes an amazing portrait lens too. Yes, it is f/4 but the images are stunning.
| | | | | New Member Registered: July, 2011 Posts: 8 | | Review Date: July 29, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, macro ability | | Cons: | only f/4, magnification only 1:2 | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-5
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You cannot have all in one lens. This lens is sharp, just like the 50 1.7. I would prefer to have the combination of both: sharp, a close focus ability and the possibility to open up the lens wide (f/2 or wider). Unfortunately, this ideal lenses do not exist - or if so, they are extremely expensive. For what you can expect from the specs (1:2 magnification, f/4 aperture), this is as good as it can be. Nice colors, great build. Surprise: the front lens element is located very far inside the lens, so the probability of scratches on the lens is very low: good news for the potential buyers of this older lens...
I would have given the lens a 8,5 if possible.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: November, 2010 Location: California Posts: 2,223 | | Review Date: April 7, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $154.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | The best landscape lens | | Cons: | None (well, maybe the 1:2 ratio could be 1:1) | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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This was my macro lens until I purchased the TamronSP90/2.8 that gives me 1:1 ratio. However, in a John Shaw book about landscape, I learned that this lens could be one of the best landscape lenses. Here is a sample I took:
Pentax-M 50mm f4 Macro - Great landscape lens by Palenquero, on Flickr
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Posts: 12,285
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 7, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, versitile, solid build | | Cons: | Not 1:1 | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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I got this as part of a Macro kit, with the M100 Macro, an M200, and some filters through a thrift store and it was dirty. I sent it out for a CLA and when it came back Eric had made it look like it must have straight out of the box! The price listed reflects both the purchase cost (1/3 of the overall for the kit) plus the CLA cost.
I can't review this lens without comparing it to the M100 Macro. I find it tough to see this lens rated higher overall than the M100 Macro. Nothing bad about this one but the M100 is far more versatile in my experience. They are both solid lenses with excellent build and smooth operation. Each provides sharp images with very little need to stop them down at all. They both generate images that are more 3D in appearance than any other lens I have used but the M100 edges the M50 out in that regard IMHO.
As another review I read said -It's an incredibly well thought out lens. The reproduction ratios are on the front of the focus ring, making them easier to read on their own scale than having them mixed in with the focus scale. This makes this lens much easier to read than any of the other macro lenses.
It is sharp corner to corner from wide open (f/4) as I said but its main advantage is a flat field, no distortion, has very high contrast, and almost no CA. Since it is an M lens and performs so well wide open, you can set it at f/4 and use the camera in A mode if you want to use the camera’s meter without pressing the green button. It has a creamy and circular shaped bokeh at f/4 (as opposed to polygon shapes at f/4 with the 50/1.7 lens).
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2009 Posts: 1
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 23, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Great resolution and contrast, "tessar-look" | | Cons: | 5 aperture blades only (unless you like the resulting effect) | |
This is a great lens.
Tested it extensively against the DA 35 macro Ltd. and against tht M50/1.7 and it is on par with both (which is quite a statement IMO).
There are some differences compared to the DA 35 Ltd, however:
- Colours are a bit punchier with the DA 35
- Sharpness might be a bit better using the M50/4 but this is really a borderline difference and not field-relevant
- The bokeh of the 50/4 macro is typical tessar-style which is a matter of taste. Can be a bit distracting in non-macro-situations but gives a beautifull romantic / artifical component to flower shots or similar.
- Contrast is not higher compared to the DA35 macro or the M50/1.7. Not a bad thing, I am just mentioning it, because originally I had hoped it might be due to the 4 Element / 3 groups design together with SMC. Knowing the lens better now, I assume the "not so punchy" contrast is just an effect of the Tessar-design.
- The five-blade aperture mechanism produces strange highlights in form of (not even perfectly regular) pentagons when stepped down. Some people may like this, I prefer "rounder" highlights.
All in all, this is a refreshing alternative in the macro segment and a must-have if you do close-up work and like the vintage look of a tessar. Differences to the DA35 macro are subtle, though. Hence, given the low proce also a great budget alternative. Maximum magnification of 1:2 is not a big issue IMO as it can easily be overcome with extension tubes, bellows and/or reverese ring. It is also extrmely compact and lightweight for 50 macro. In terms of "bang for the buck" one could also rate it a "10".
Update: That this is a rather sharp lens also can be seen form the fact that it even is quite usable on the Pentax Q with its extreme crop factor.
Examples:
Regarding sharpness I also got good results when using the M50/4 with a 2X macro TC on the K5 or K200D. However at f/8 this combinaton is quite slow and contast goes down quite a bit and needs to be pushed via camera setting or post processing.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2011 Location: Minahasa, North Celebes (Sulawesi) Posts: 586 | | Review Date: April 4, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Macro | | Cons: | Not really that macro | |
I should have rated this lens higher.
I have this lens for only a day, before sending it back to the seller. I have only test it few hours, both at night and in daylight. I got many foggy/blurry/white images at F4, yet the glass seems to be free from haze/fog, even dust or fungus. I tried it's max magnification (1:2?) and then move a bit back, 20-30 cm from the subject, looks the same. When I'm at F8 however it looks sharper, must be because of the fog is no more. This lens has problem at infinity focus, or even focusing at closer than infinity. Few shots at wide open, really bad. I tried stepping down the aperture, it helped a bit, but there still is a 'vortex-like' effects on the corner. The reviews said that this lens is, well, is always sharp at any aperture. My copy is so badly decentered, so off it went back to the seller.
Still looking for a perfect copy of this lens 'till today.  | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: August, 2009 Posts: 417
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 23, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, small, better focal length for cropped sensor | | Cons: | f4 | |
What a great little tessar lens. From my knowledge of enlarging lenses, the tessar is a good design for flat field sharpness, but restricted in terms of speed and also has some vignetting. It actually looks like a large version of the Nikon EL-Nikkor f4 50mm enlarging lens.
Reading through Herbert Keppler (Pentax Way 11th ed, p206) last night, the 50 and 100 Pentax macro lenses have higher definition and colour correction than the other lenses. I don't know how this is possible with fewer elements, but it certainly sounds good to me. He suggested using them in place of the faster lenses, unless the faster apertures were really required.
Its definitely a dedicated macro lens, with the large, accurate throw and deeply recessed front element. Its very well built, the helicoid feels superbly machined. The barrel is wider than the M 50mm f1.7.
Mounting it on the ist DS, I have already seen that close ups of flowers are more detailed, and zooming in on GIMP shows the rasterisation limiting the resolution, so the lens out performs the sensor.
I like the accuracy of focussing, the last few degrees of rotation of the focus ring cover an object distance of 0.240 to 0.234m. Thats 0.6mm for about 5 degrees of throw. I also like the magnification which is 0.75x on the cropped sensor.
Something like f8 at 1/250 with Fuji Pro800z
 | | | | | | | | Review Date: March 20, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Extremely high quality and still incrdeibly cheap | | Cons: | Not F2.8 and only 1:2 magnification | |
Amazing sharp for a simple 4-elements lens. Supply is plentiful in the used market. Many of them are not heavily used and well taken care of by previous owners.
F4 aperture is not too much a problem as it can be safely used wide open. Sharpness will of course further improve if you stop down to 5.6 or 8.
Might not appear to be a powerful "macro" as compared with the newer F2.8 with 1:1 magnification lenses Still it does its job effortlessly as a "close-up" lens or general purpose 50mm.
The low price of course is another big plus.
| | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2009 Location: Bodø Posts: 5 | | Review Date: December 22, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $140.00
| Rating: 10 |
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+Build quality
+Sharp sharp sharp sharp shaaaarp
+49mm filter
+SMC
+Compact
The lens is superb, nice colours, nice bokeh, shaaarp, this lens makes u happy | | |
;)
;)
