Another lens question - 50MM portrait prime this time

Currently looking a lens purchases - (Christmas is coming !!) & have already posted about a wide angle options.

I'm also looking for a decent portrait prime - mainly for indoor use. I just came across this whilst browsing, seems a decent enough price, anyone any user experience - does it autofocus on the K10D ?

Pentax 50mm F1.4 P-FA SMC Lens


http://www.microglobe.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?pName=pentax-50mm-f14-pfa-s...


thanks

Simon

That lens will work perfectly on the K10D, including AF. All the FA lenses will.

I have the SMC-FA 50mm F1.7 and it's a very good lens - the slight extra speed of the F1.4 you're looking at will be useful for portrait use when you want to limit the depth of field.

It's a beautiful lens, probably my favourite. I took a quick test portrait on saturday when I was doing one of my workshops, to show the difference between this sort of lens and a slower zoom (in this case a Canon 24-105 f/4 L series, more on that in a bit ).

Here's the shot I took:



K10D, FA50mm 1.4 at f/1.4. ISO 200, 1/45s

The reason I'd taken this wide open, was because at f/2.4 this lens looked far sharper than the Canon one on a 40D. This was comparing them on the screens on the cameras, but I mean far sharper. The Canon was nearly comparable at f/5.6. So I said "at f/1.4 this one will be softer", but to be honest it wasn't... This is the above shot shown at 100%.




I just love this lens. Note that at this wide an aperture, the eye is sharp but the glasses are a little soft, and the tip of the nose is definitely blurred. Also note, the soft blurred background, which was bracken, brambles, trees...

Dan

top notch, blows away competitors (canikons) equivalents even thou it costs much less.


http://www.popphoto.com/cameralenses/4769/lens-test-pentax-smcp-fa-50mm-f14-af.html

Simon,

I think you need to know about the two bibles of the Pentax K-mount world.

http://stans-photography.info/

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/

G

Thanks for the links - very helpful.

the second link states the FA 1.4 stopped production in 2004 though, I have just seen one onsale brand new - I'm guessing they've started remanufacturing again ?

simon

I was under the impression that limited batches were still being made. There does still seem to be a demand.

Like the real bible, these are not infallible.

But I also think that Pentax may have rethought its policy on phasing out the 50 1.4.

G

Also, bearing in mind the prices these are now going for, I rather suspect that they may still be using up "old stock". Interesting, on the microglobe site that they list the 50 twice with the second listing being £148.99!

Kim