| Author: | | New Member Registered: May, 2020 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: January 28, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $125.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | very cinematic | | Cons: | slightly soft wide open | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Nikon Z7, Yashica TL
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Amazing lens to use, great value and with manual focus peaking tech in the new mirrorless and cinema cameras, the lens get a breath of new life!
| | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: February, 2020 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 30 | | Review Date: March 14, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Fast, sharp at F2 | | Cons: | Aberations | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 8
Camera Used: Canon T3i
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The overall build is very smooth. The aperture clicks are nice and soft and dont feel rigid like other lenses. It is very soft wide open, but sharpens a significant amount @F2.
@F2
Here are some sharpness tests
@1.4
@2.8
@4
 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: September, 2010 Location: MD Posts: 952
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 16, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $35.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | f1.4! solid & well-constructed; handles well; sharp | | Cons: | No A/M switch so needs adapter & spacer; only full stops | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax K-30
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I have the DS version which is definitely coated but likely only a single coat.
It is well made and handles beautifully, though there are a couple drawbacks.
- It has no A/M switch, so it means you need one of the M42 > K-mount adapters that has the inner flange. Further, the pin on this lens is shorter than most, so you need to add a washer of some kind in order to make sure the pin depresses. I cut out a plastic washer from an old credit card. Be sure to leave the full opening, since the rear glass comes all the way to the back when focussed at infinity. (It might be possible to modify the lens and depress the pin, but this was an easier and non-destructive way of doing things.) With all this in place the lens does fully function and focuses to infinity.
- The lens only closes down by full stops: 1.4 > 2 > 2.8 > 4 > 5.6 > 8 > 11 > 16.
The lens has 6 blades and minimum focusing distance is ~14 inches which means about 1:7.5 magnification.
 
As for performance, I can compare it to my Pentax A 50mm f1.4, and it compares very well. The Yashica is a bit softer a f1.4 and can have some green CA, but the bokeh at 1.4 is also a bit smoother. Once you start closing down, the differences become minimal. In most situations, the Yashica does appear a bit warmer, perhaps due to a yellowish tint to the coating.
Included are some pics of 100% center crops. The Yashica is on the left; Pentax on the right.
At f1.4
At f4
At f8
In summary, this is an outstanding lens that can probably be obtained for less than a Pentax 50mm f1.4 and provides similar results.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 9,859 | | Review Date: May 19, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Well built, seems sharp | | Cons: | No auto/manual switch, aperture in full stops only, green fringing wide open | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K3, Fujifilm X-M1, Yashica Electro AX
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Having now used this lens on an M42 film camera as well as on digital, I feel much better able to evaluate it.
The filter size is 55mm.
This lens has no auto/manual switch so on digital it can only be used wide open. With an adaptor or a modification to hold the aperture pin in it could be used stopped down but there's no obvious way into the lens either at the front or the back to allow a modification. Some M42 to K adapters will stop down but I only trust and own the Pentax ones, which don't do this.
The aperture ring only clicks at full aperture stops and it goes to f/16. There are only six aperture blades but they're rounded. The aperture is almost perfectly round at f/2 and almost round at f/2.8. Beyond that the rounded blades don't look like they make much difference compared to normal straight blades.
The build quality is very good and solid. The aperture and focus rings move smoothly and the aperture has rounded blades which should yield better bokeh when stopped down. Mine had the rubber focus ring a bit loose so I used a bit of glue to stick it down and now it's fine.
Below are a couple of shots taken wide open on APS-C digital at f/1.4 to test sharpness, though these images have had slight increases in contrast and sharpening. The lens seems fairly sharp wide open but with some green fringing in the out-of-focus areas.
DSCF1009a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
DSCF1014a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Update - some wide open shots. It's quite soft and glowy with some funky bokeh but useable for small display sizes. Whatever sharpening has been applied by Flickr has improved the look of these somewhat.
Yashinon 50mm f/1.4 M42 wide open by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
2016-06-26_08-38-40 by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
2016-06-26_08-49-54 by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Further update - film!
I've now shot a roll of Fuji Acros in a Yashica Electro AX camera, almost exclusively with this lens. The handling is superb, everything moves very, very smoothly and, most importantly, I've very impressed with the image quality. On film this lens appears very sharp, even wide open. Of course, this is black & white so no colour fringing. I have to say it was a real pleasure shooting with this lens and for use on film it's without doubt a keeper, better than the SMC Takumar 50/1.4. I can't wait to load another roll and take it out again.
In summary - on an M42 film camera this is one of the best fast fifties I've ever used, it's nothing short of superb. The lack of A/M switch and only full-stop aperture ring are minor problems that are forgotten in the pleasure of using such a great lens.
On digital, unless you have a good adapter which allows the aperture to be stopped down (or you're willing to modify the lens internally) then it's not much use except for the occasional shallow DoF shot for fun. The fringing wide open could be a problem too. I don't know at what point this fringing would disappear when stopping down, because I can't test it.
I've knocked off a point for the aperture ring and the lack of A/M switch (how much would it really have cost to add this???) but for it's intended use it's a solid 9.
This first shot was wide open or at f/2
Yashica Electro AX, Fuji Acros, Summer 001a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Yashica Electro AX, Fuji Acros, Summer 020a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Yashica Electro AX, Fuji Acros, Summer 004a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Yashica Electro AX, Fuji Acros, Summer 011a by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2007 Location: Brampton, Ontario Posts: 3,996 | | Review Date: January 15, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $82.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | The lens is well built, focusing very smooth | | Cons: | missing A/M switch | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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While I also have many other manual lenses of this focal length, I find that with this lens, it is easier to lock-in focus using my k-5. I have a feeling that the coating from this lens is a better than most others may have something to do with that. The coating on this lens is between the earlier version from Tomioka (more yellowish) and the later version (more blueish). As mentioned, the only gripe that I have is missing the A/M switch. However, I managed to alter the aperture control mechanism to a full-time manual mode by putting a spacer between the pin and spring lever inside the lens. I will upload some photos later when I have a chance.
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