HD Pentax-D FA* 50mm F1.4 SDM AW

Field Report and Sample Photos

The shooting experience with the HD Pentax-D FA* 50mm F1.4 SDM AW lens has been simply enjoyable.

While its size and weight certainly don't make it a typical holiday travel lens to pack together with 4 other lenses, its standard viewing angle makes this prime lens a good candidate to remain glued to your K-1 or K-1 II for a long time.

The lens overall is not only a winner on the spec sheets, but it helps photographers create very clear images through both smooth bokeh and excellent micro-contrast.

The author of this review was surprised how often he chose this lens over a standard-zoom. And that is from someone who never liked 50mm lenses before.

Obviously, a fast fifty allows a photographer make good use of the full frame sensor format and helps with a little subject separation even for relatively large subjects.

But it is not only for large subjects.

The short minimum focus distance combined with the major cropping option of a 36 megapixel sensor allow some rather macro-like shots.

Even lamas like it and are not scared away by its size and allow nice portraits.

Finally, you can make a nice documentation of the hairdo of alpacas as well:

Ok, maybe they were not even aware of the lens...

Being hip and being practical is not always the same. Vision might be limited.

In practical terms, this lens is an always-on option for those who can focus their attention on specific subjects, as motivated by the standard field of view. It is not a tiny pancake lens, so it may benefit from an additional companion for convenience reasons. In cities, an ultra-wide prime such as the Laowa 12mm F2.8 can help capture the surroundings; on trips a standard-zoom fits the bill for those cases where you want more reach in either direction.

The one thing (which is true for all fast lenses) you do need to be careful about is focusing when shooting at F1.4. The focal plane often is so thin that careless pushing of the shutter button can easily end in poor results. Do think about what is the most contrasty edge you have under your focus point and if that is what you want.