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Cannot decide between F or A

NickJS
Posted 11/02/2012 - 19:34 Link
Hey everyone,

I've been looking at the SMC 50mm f1.7 lenses for my K20D but I cannot decide between the F or A one. I have read the reviews on both of them and they both seem to be great especially at their price. But is it better to have the auto-focus on this lens or not?

Cheers .
Mike-P
Posted 11/02/2012 - 19:46 Link
Purely a personal choice I would have thought.

I would always take an AF lens over manual purely because you can use it both ways but apart from that it makes no real difference in this case.
Edited by Mike-P: 11/02/2012 - 19:47
NickJS
Posted 11/02/2012 - 20:10 Link
Thanks Mike, that definitely makes sense haha. The non AF looks nicer quality, but that again is personal choice .

Think I might go ahead and get the AF one then.
Mike-P
Posted 11/02/2012 - 20:11 Link
Unless you are in a hurry I would wait a while.
There is a new cheap AF 50mm f1.8 coming (hopefully) soon.
Pentaxophile
Posted 11/02/2012 - 21:50 Link
I would hold off until the new DA is out. The F is very good but a bit plasticky and odd looking. And I bet the upcoming DA version will undercut it on price.

Maybe grab a cheap M version to tide you over. Its got a nicer build than the A version and is prettier. It's not so bad using stop down metering.
[link=https://500px.com/will_brealey/[/link]
NickJS
Posted 12/02/2012 - 01:42 Link
Cheers for letting me know about the new one that is coming out, I just googled it and I think I will manage with what I have til it comes out
sterretje
Posted 12/02/2012 - 12:11 Link
The new one does not have a distance scale (judging by the photos that I have seen); so if hyperfocal distance is your thing, you might not like it. F and A both have distance scale and DOF markings.

For you to decide what's important
Pentax K10D + Vivitar 55/2.8 macro + Super Takumar 55/1.8 + SuperMultiCoated Takumar 85/1.8 + SuperMultiCoated Takumar 135/3.5 + SuperMultiCoated Takumar 200/4 + Super Takumar 300/4
Pentax K100D + DA18-55ALII + DA55-300
Pentax K5 + FA31Ltd + M50/1.7 + DFA100WR + M120/2.8 (+ DA18-55WR at occasion)
Edited by sterretje: 12/02/2012 - 12:12
LennyBloke
Posted 12/02/2012 - 12:33 Link
I doubt whether the new one will have an aperture ring either - this is of course not essential for later cameras, but if you ever dabble with film it could be useful.

Pentaxophile has a valid opinion on the M series lenses, but in actual use I find the addition of the "A" setting on the A, F & FA lenses makes life much easier. I quite like the look of the F series lenses and don't find them any more plasticky than the FA's.

If you've still got good eyesight then the A (or M) lenses are excellent value, if it's not so good as it used to be then the F (and onwards) might be the better choice.

I must declare a vested interest in that I do have an F series 1.7 and an A series 1.4 for sale in the Classified Ads section
LennyBloke
johnha
Posted 17/02/2012 - 02:04 Link
I think that if you have an AF body, you might as well get the AF lens. The AF with the 50/1.7 F is much faster than my 28-80 FA zoom and this is really useful in some situations (low light etc.). For a manual focus body, the 'feel' of the manual focus damping improves handling and generally feels better built (and of course matches an M, A or P series body better).
George Lazarette
Posted 17/02/2012 - 08:30 - Helpful Comment Link
I have a theory that having less automation helps you to take better pictures. It imposes a more deliberate approach to picture-taking. You can't just fire off a quick shot and hope for the best.

Everyone should have at least one K or M lens for this reason. Even an A is "cheating"!

G
Keywords: Charming, polite, and generally agreeable.
Edited by George Lazarette: 17/02/2012 - 08:43
milamber
Posted 17/02/2012 - 08:41 Link
I'm with George and Pentaxophile on this.

Having recently picked up an 'M' series 50mm 1.7 in as new condition for £22 it's at least as sharp as the FA 50mm 1.7 I had to sell recently to pay the vet's bill (!)

Using manual focus and stop down metering is much easier than I would have expected and is actually quite fun. Feels like proper photography again.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for occasions where you are taking lots of photos in a short time, where auto focus is a real benefit, but where you can take a little time and care it's great.

Add to that it's a thing of beauty compared with the FA 50mm's. Beautifully engineered, fantastic looks, feels weighty and well balanced, snappy aperture ring and a smooth manual focus to die for. To be honest I'm happy just looking at it and turning the focus ring with a big smile on my face.

Did I mention that it looks unbelievably cool on the DSLR body as well?

Add to that the fact that you will always get all or most of your money back if you decide to sell (provided you buy wisely - about 10 a day on Ebay so you can take your time).
Edited by milamber: 17/02/2012 - 08:42

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