| Author: | | New Member Registered: June, 2017 Posts: 15 | | Review Date: August 6, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $7.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | classic basic 50mm f1.8 - still made 2021 | | Cons: | soft at wide apertures | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 7
Value: 10
Camera Used: P30 and M4/3 lumix
| |
Cheap and creative 50mm - I have 3 of them
Has anyone made a truely bad 50mm lens? Even the distorted out of focus area Russian 58mm lenses have their fans!
This lightweight 50mm 6-blade lens has a long history - it seems to have started out being made in Japan and was attached to the vivitar/cosina 35mm cameras that got sold under many differnt shop/store brand names. This same model ended up coming from China with the Phenix, Saegull or Centon brand names (and many others I am sure). Did Cosina design this before licensing it to be made overseas? (perhaps one of the forum experts can tell us)
I have 3 in different disguises from Japan and China but all are the same underneath. None cost more than £5 GBP - about 7 USD or came included with a camera body that cost much the same. Two were pristine and clean, one needed the front and rear elements removing to clean - removing a layer of haze that really did drop the image quality. One of my 3 had erratic aperture closing on a Centon PK mount camera (Seagull brand rebadged for the UK market and sold in Jessops stores as "Centon" cameras). That one got put on an M4/3 adapter instead.
Amazingly - they are still for sale as "new" on asian web selling sites in 2021 !
At F4 to F8 the performance is excellent. At F1.7 the edges are very soft and contrast drops. This works in your favour for most all photographers - as it makes a flattering portrait lens wide open and then becomes a good universal lens at F4. Colour is pleasing on 7x5 prints with Fuji 200 negative film. As with all lbut the expensive "nano-coated" 21st century lenses - fitting a lens hood makes a big difference to contrast as it blocks sidelight that causes veiling-flare from internal reflections. Flare is worse than with the SMC 50mm's when shooting into the sun - but some of us like that "low-fi" effect, especially videographers.
Yes, my SMC pentax lenses are better and smoother to focus - but not by much.
On M4/3 cameras they become useful 100mm equivalent portrait lenses where their "faults" become creative "virtues" - but the bokeh can become very busy if there are lots of lights in the background. The images posted by Shariar (NSRakin) below are typical of the result when you shoot wide on a crop-sensor and then push up the colour and microcostrast sliders. I bet the suject of those shots liked the result - as they are just "different" in look and feel. Good for an instagram image but not for a portrait of your elderly mother! If you love that feel in your photos - then great, you will have paid way less than for a battered high-price Helios 58mm. If not - buy the fantastic M4/3 Lumix 42.5mm F1.7.
Conclusion - buy 1 or 2 of these "no-name" 50mm lenses at bargain basement prices and use for the creative fun. It is probably cheap enough for you to learn how to disassemble and clean - and how to check and correct for decentering when you put it back together. Keep one to smear with vaseline for the "ultra-soft focus look,.....for all the experimental things that you wouldn't do with your precious 50mm F1.4 !
| | | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: August, 2009 Location: Wandering the Streets Posts: 1,411 | | Review Date: September 3, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very inexpensive, Very Light. Good IQ from f2.8, low flare | | Cons: | Not much. A bit soft at f1.7 | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: Vivitar V3800n
| |
I am going to make a very radical statement here.
I absolutely love this lens. Between it and my Pentax M50/2 it gets more use than any other lens I own, period. For my money it is at least a 9. I would rate it a 10 but my little DA 40mm Limited is a better lens.
Now that I have riled everyone up, it is important to get one thing clear right away. I am not saying that this is the finest manual focus lens ever built. I am not. There are far better built lenses with far better IQ available. At a price. But, at its very low price point, this is an awesomely good lens.
GOOD THINGS!!
Let's quickly lay out some things I believe to be great things about this lens.
Build is quite good. After 5 years or more of regular use mine is still very solid feeling.
Handling is very competent.
It has a nicely weighted focus ring with rubber grip. The focus throw is 180 degrees from 1.45 feet to infinity. It doesn't pretend to be a macro but mine does quite well with inexpensive Chinese manufactured, E-Bay purchased macro rings.
Half stops on the aperture ring make it quite easy to adjust your exposure. Aperture ring is plastic but settings are easy to make even with your eye at the viewfinder of the camera. Speaking of the viewfinder, the f1.7 aperture makes the view in that viewfinder nice and bright, even with those tunnel vision, digital camera, viewfinders.
The lens multi coating is quite good. I usually use a lens hood, this lens came with a nice, collapsible, rubber hood, but the coating keeps flare to a minimum even when I forget the hood. Neither is the coating or glass too soft. I am not always super careful when cleaning my lens and there are no obvious wear or scratch marks on the lens yet. I do own some recent lenses where the lens coating is obviously wearing off from my poor handling.
It has a metal mounting ring. For years this was kind of expected since metal is harder wearing than plastic. But now days even Pentax is moving to plastic lens mounts to save money on their less expensive lenses. I thought it was worth mentioning.
My copy of this lens produces very good image quality from f2.8 onwards. F5.6 appears to be the sweet spot though I often run around with the lens set at f8, which is quite good as well. I am not sure this is always a good thing to mention as there can be quite a bit of variance at this price.
No serious lens aberrations that crop up from f2.8 on, at least ones that are so obvious you can see them in your day to day photography.
The price of this lens is very hard to beat. Right now (mid-2016) this lens is selling for around $40 on E-Bay, though you can obviously find them cheaper if you try a little. That is a great price for this lens. The only equivalent Pentax value I can think of in the focal range is the SMC Pentax M50 f2, which is also a great (and under rated) lens.
NOT SO GOOD THINGS!!
Now, let's talk about some of the things that people generally don't like about this lens.
First, it is soft at f1.7. So who really cares? If you absolutely must have that aperture setting for very low light situations then a little softness isn't your biggest problem. It is actually a good thing when you are taking portraits of your favorite girl.
Think of it this way...since this lens was built for manual focus film cameras, the f1.7 setting is really there to assist your focus accuracy with a bright focus screen, not necessarily for you to always shoot at that aperture.
Ok, next. There is no A setting for the aperture ring. Hmm. Again, think of this lens like the early K and M Pentax lenses. Those lenses do not have A settings either because they were made for cameras with completely manual exposure settings. So is this one. If you decide you want to use it on a digital camera then you will need to take your photographs the old fashioned way, by manually adjusting your exposure settings.
The next gripe appears to center around the use of a plastic aperture ring. I have a bit of a hard time trying to figure out why this is a problem. Believe me, the days of plastics falling apart in your hands after a few years are long, long gone. Plastics are used in far more technical applications than cameras. For crying out loud, I don't hearing any whining about plastic in the i-Phone. Whatever. This aperture ring works very well and will continue to do so for quite awhile. If you happen to drop this lens and crack or break the aperture ring, I am pretty certain there are a lot of other things that will be bent and broken as well.
A COUPLE THINGS THAT DO BOTHER ME
This next problem may or may not worry you too much. If you use lens filters in your photography you probably have some 49mm filters. This is a standard size for a number of Pentax lenses. Unfortunately, this lens will require a different size filter. It uses a 52mm filter so your 49mm filters won't fit unless you use a step down ring.
Finally, a concern at this price point is always quality control, especially around image quality. Because the price is so low, even new, the manufacturing tolerances are not as tight as more expensive lenses. This means you will need to be a bit more responsible for yourself and check your lens when you buy it. Also be sure to buy from someplace or someone who will accept a return. Test your lens when you get it. If it isn't acceptable to you then send it back. It is easy to do. Photograph a yardstick from the long end at an angle. Focus on the 12 inch mark. Take your photos at all apertures from a couple distance, at the closest focus point, and about 5 feet away. Then take your pictures to have them developed. If the focus is way off you'll see it. If you were careful you should see a clear view of the 12 inch mark and the numbers before and after 12 will get clearer as you close down the aperture. If it seems off by about half an inch, don't worry. If it is further than send the lens back and get another.
CONCLUSION
I think it is very important to remember that this is not a Zeiss Makro-Planar 50/2. Neither is this an SMC Pentax-DA* 55mm f1.4 SDM. Or even a Pentax SMCP-FA 43mm f1.9 Limited (which btw is an awesome lens). Instead it is a light, inexpensive, relatively fast, 50mm lens that will fit on all kinds of Pentax cameras. Moreover, at f5.6 or f8 it will take some serious pixel peeping to spot any differences in the photographs taken by this lens versus either of the other three.
Now, if you are relatively well off, then you can probably afford one or more of the other three lenses and there is no reason for you to buy this one. So don't bother worrying about it.
But, if you are more like 90% of the people in the United States today, and have very little discretionary income, this is a terrific little lens and you should seriously consider getting a copy if you do not have a 50mm lens already.
The dirty little truth that most reviewers and most lens manufacturers don't want you to know is that just about any lens built in the past 40 years will provide excellent image quality if the photographer does his or her part. Beyond playing around once in a while, most people rarely use apertures smaller than f2.8, even indoors. Why is this? Because, even though lens builders and lens reviewers want you to believe otherwise, most people cannot accurately focus lenses, even on auto focus, at more wide open apertures. So, for important pictures, they usually don't try.
Beyond f2.8, as I have already said, it can get very difficult to see the difference between a $1,000 lens and a $40 lens like this one. Computers have taken most of the guess work out of lens design and manufacture. The difference between high and low price is now in quality control, at least that is what they want you to believe.
If you post most of your photographs on line, and/or print most of them as digital prints at WalMart using their automated, online, computer service, then save your money. Unless you have a bad copy, or you have terrible photographing technique, you should be getting nice, clear photographs. I easily scan and print many of the photos taken with this lens as big as 13 inches by 19 inches. That is a pretty big print for 35mm film.
Use the money you save on your lens to take a vacation to a great place like Rome, London, Tokyo, or CanCun, so you can take great photographs of something besides your backyard, your cat/dog or your sister's kids.
A great, little lens that can be a lot of fun!
| | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2016 Location: Dhaka Posts: 4 | | Review Date: June 14, 2016 | Not Recommended | Price: $24.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Cheap, Solid Build, Bokeh is fine | | Cons: | Soft, Not that sharp, | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 7
Value: 7
Camera Used: Pentax k50
| |
 This is my first nifty-fifty and I'm completely disappointed with the lens.  You may often find it at 20$ but please don't buy; rather go for M 50/2. Check the pictures.
This is bit sharp because of editing...
Corrected in Lightroom
Straight out of the camera
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2009 Location: Mount Joy, PA Posts: 544 | | Review Date: August 5, 2014 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | IQ from 2.8 and up, bokeh, size, solid build | | Cons: | Ghosting at 1.7, some might miss the "A" contacts | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax K-5ii
| |
I bought this little guy because I missed having my Pentax-M 50mm 1.7. By the numbers, the Pentax lens is smaller than the Vivitar, but this thing is practically a pancake lens when mounted on Pentax's flagship bodies like the K-5ii. I prefer to use a messenger-style camera bag, so having a little extra room afforded by a small lens like this is helpful.
Let me be clear: The sharpness of this lens when used wide open at f/1.7 leaves something to be desired. There is heavy ghosting which also reduces the overall scene contrast. And this is assuming the photographer had perfect focus at a setting for very narrow depth of field. Going down a half-stop to f/2 helps, and using this one could make some nice soft-focus portraits. Things get satisfactorily good at f/2.8. Strangely enough, on more than one occasion I've been shooting at f/1.7 for the heck of it and upon reviewing the shot I had to double-check the aperture. I'm inclined to say subjects with strong light/dark elements fair better than low contrast scenes when using maximum aperture. The Vivitar is crisp and clear from f/4 and up.
I think the aberrations for this lens are on par with other fast-fifties. Wide open you can see some purple and green fringing on edges, but this is often overlooked because the ghosting softens everything. Again, going down one stop to f/2.8 minimizes the effect and post processing takes care of the rest.
The MC coating is at least adequate; I haven't had issues with flare.
I always looked forward to seeing the bokeh produced by this lens. It's downright painterly in close-up scenes. When conditions are right there is a subtle bokeh swirl (although if you're counting on that effect you're better off looking at one of the Russian lenses).
A few others have noted the long focus throw on this lens. Some people like this because they feel they have more control over accuracy. On a strictly personal level, I'm ambivalent about the focus in this case. When I'm not in a hurry a long focus throw can be nice. When I'm trying to be quick about it, however, the focus ring can feel like it's a mile around. Takes getting used to, that's all there is to it.
While there is some plastic in the construction (aperture ring), most of the lens is metal and feels well made. The focus ring is nicely dampened. Aperture settings include half-stop settings between all regular numbers (1.7, 2, 2.8, 3.5, etc.) except between f/16 and f/22.
I don't personally feel the lack of "A" contacts is a big problem on standard lenses like this one because I'm usually shooting frame after frame at the same aperture. If I'm on the street I'm probably shooting at f/8 90% of the time. If I'm doing some portraits then I'm not likely to stray from f/2 or f/2.8.
 | | | | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2011 Posts: 5 | | Review Date: April 13, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Cheap, fast | | Cons: | IQ poor until F/2.8, ghosting, low contrast, feels cheap, manual lens, no A setting | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 7
Camera Used: K-1000
| |
This is one of the cheapest 1.7's you can get. Sadly, that is reflected in performance. My example ghosted badly, without filter. The coating is not as effective as SMC coating, and images also lacked contrast. Good as an entry level prime, but for $10 more, buy the SMC-A F/2. It eats this lens for breakfast.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: March, 2011 Posts: 3 | | Review Date: October 2, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $5.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, light, easy to care for, | | Cons: | Lots of plastic in there. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
| |
Camera: Vivitar XV 1
Lens: Vivitar Auto 1.7 MC (k-mount)
Image shot wide open @ 1.7
Before I serviced this lens it was soft and dry, after service it is SHARP and smooth.
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2013 Location: Kansas City, KS Posts: 1,612 | | Review Date: September 7, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Small!, solid build, long focus ring | | Cons: | Manual aperture | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
| |
This lens is super charming. I absolutely love using it. I don't keep it on my K-30 as much as I use the 28mm Sigma, because the 50mm focal length is a little long with the crop factor considered, but if I know I'm going to be out and about (and not trying to shoot groups or landscapes), it is there with me.
The large aperture is extremely handy for night shooting, but it is quite soft, especially around the edges, when it is wide open. It is very sharp from 3.5 or so and up...
My copy does seem to have a warming tone to the glass, which is fine by me, since I would probably end up warming the tones in post processing anyway. (Just my preference.)
The handling is what makes me love the lens. The focus ring is a mile long and I love being able to fuss with the focus. This can be inconvenient when you suddenly switch subject matter from a close-up shot to a far-away one, but I can deal with it.
It is slightly inconvenient that there is no auto-aperture option on the lens. I don't really USE the AV/TV settings, but it's nice when the camera can give me a general idea about the exposure of the scene with the digital meter, and I'm trying to accustom myself to using the click wheel to change the aperture, rather than grabbing the lens. This is a minor gripe, and I don't mind using the manual aperture ring on the lens at all. In fact, it is a NICE aperture ring, clicky and pleasant, with half-stops all the way from 1.7 to 22.
The lens is also very small. Smaller than my 28mm, and lighter, even with a mostly metal and very solid-feeling build.
It's a really nice lens. I'm glad that I picked this little guy up as my 50.
| | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2013 Location: manila Posts: 13 | | Review Date: February 17, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Tank barrel with razor sharp capability. | | Cons: | Aperture ring is plastic | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
| |
Got this for nifty fifty for $50.00, lens is nice as long as you stop down and hooded to avoid flaring,
Aperture ring is plastic.
Tank barrel with razor sharp capability.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: June, 2012 Posts: 80
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 26, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Build quality, sharpness | | Cons: | aperture ring not as solid | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 9
| |
I'm not too sure about the copy the other reviewer had but this lens IS sharp if you nail focus. Not as sharp, especially at the edges, as my Rikenon 50 but then again, my Pentax 50 isn't that sharp. :-). Edge sharpness is good by f5. The bokeh is quite pleasing because of the VERY nicely curved aperture blades. It maintains smooth, curved highlights for the first four half stops. The hexagon starts to show up at f4. It's a nicer shaped bokeh than my 8 blade Rikenon 1.4 and certainly better than my M50 1.7.
Contrast seems decent even wide open, not changing drastically as some lenses do from wide-open to the first aperture setting.
CA seems well controlled by f2.8. Some PF on extreme highlights.
Build quality is very nice. All metal and solid feeling. Also compact. The plastic aperture ring is the only thing that doesn't match the rest of the build.
This may have been a lower cost Korean 50 but it's still a nice one that is not to be overlooked especially for that curved aperture which is why I rated it an 8.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2011 Location: Minahasa, North Celebes (Sulawesi) Posts: 586 | | Review Date: April 23, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
|
OK, for the sake of knowledge I have to put on these:
Brothers they are 
..and probably there's still a lost brother out there.. or even some more 
EDIT:
One more:
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2011 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 830
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 23, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Build quality. Reasonably priced. Decent image between f5.6-f11 | | Cons: | Suffers a extreme apertures (f1.7-f2.8) and (f16-f22) | |
Please note; comments and reviews are merely my opinion for this one particular copy I have which I purchased off eBay.
I didn’t have much experience with manual lenses in general when I purchased my K-x. I searched through eBay for cheap “practice lens” and eventually came across this Vivitar 50mm f1.7. For the price I figured it was worth a try.
Build quality is quite decent with solid metal construction. Aperture dial feels a little “spongy” but does snap precisely into place with one click between markings. Focus ring is smooth and well damped. Unlike my other Vivitar lenses that where made in Japan, this particular 50mm f1.7 copy I have is made in China…(not that it matters!)
I ended up not using this lens very often after acquiring two Pentax-A 50mm f2. I did a rudimentary comparison between these fifties side by side and as far as I can tell, images produced by the Pentax-A at all apertures were far superior to this lens. Between f5.6 and f11 with sweet spot at f8, this Vivitar is capable of producing rather decent images. Unfortunately, images at wide (f1.7-f2.8) and at min apertures (f16-f22) were disappointingly soft throughout entire frame.
I didn’t test for CA and cannot offer any comment on that aspect. Having two 50mm Pentax-A, I honestly do not see myself using this lens very often, if not at all. For someone looking for a “fast fifty” this is not it, unfortunately. IMHO, this Vivitar 50mm f1.7 is only usable if aperture is set between f5.6-f11. As for recommendations, for the cost I would still say “Yes” but with reservations.
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2008 Location: Mumbai,India Posts: 9 | | Review Date: November 9, 2010 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
|
I have this lens ,which came with the Vivitar 3800 camera I bought around 1995.Used it first with this camera;has always given very decent results.
Then ,have been using it on my Pentax K 100D since last four years.
No complaints.
| | | | | | | | Review Date: November 6, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $355.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | bright, cheap, apart from wide aperture good quality, nice bokeh | | Cons: | not sharp at f1,7 | |
This is my first private manual lens. Got it cheap so as to play around with it and not worry to much. In general it's doing fine, however at f1,7 it is not very sharp and often there is a strange luminescence around object edges were it supposed to be sharp. At other f stops above 2.0 it seems to be fine. will update as soon as I take some more pics.
If anyone else is using this lens please give some feedback ;]
| | |
;)
;)
