Pentax fa 50 1.4 usage

Who out there owns this lens and use this for all there shots, i met a guy on holiday and he has k20d, all he uses are the prime lenses with the 50mm being his faveroute.

The 50mm is a great little portrait lens.

The fact is that people have different tastes and requirements. Some people don't find a use for the 40mm lenses; others love them. (More of the former than the latter, I expect).

Generalising enormously, zooms appeal to the impatient, and primes to the more methodical photographer, and to those who seek ultimate quality.

G

At home I 'play' with my SMC-M f1.7 lenses, not the lens you asked about I know, but when I have time to compose, select subject, get lighting 'just right' then it's OK.

Out and about, a super zoom has found favour. Being a whole bag of lenses in one bundle means no change or dropping expensive kit.

I'd love an AF 50mm lens, but can't justify or afford one.

Hope that makes sense Carl.

Primes are for creative, quality & classy photography and I agree with that bloke, the 50mm is also my all time favorite.
I use it for portrait, low light, food, still life, nature, I could go on. If you look in modern day recipe books you will see an abundance of shots using the 50mm playing with the DOF for creative effect.
Lilly

I actually use an a-50 f1.7 for about 80% of my shots! I love it so much I've decided to dumb it! The other lenses in my kit is 12-24 and 77ltd so I thought that something a bit wider than 50mm would be good and between the 40 and 43 mm I opted for the fa43.

With regard to this and your other post I can only say: try to spend some time with the 50mm - at f2.8 it should be every bit as sharp as you will need.

I had an unwanted lesson once that proved useful: Once flying to Tanzania I realised I had forgotten my wide at home! Left in the wilderness with my 85mm so called portrait lens (this was in my film days) I almost gave up beforehand as I realised this loss... But I came home with lots of excellent shots including landscape stuff.

I bought the 40mm Ltd from Amazon (still around £232 link) and I have hardly taken it off since. It is a cracking little lens, wonderfully sharp and so small you hardly know it's there.

I think i will start playing with the 50mm i have i have not even used it yet lol. Will this be ok for lanscape shots as well as close ups etc, I remember someone on the forum telline me that this lens is no good for groups of people why is this?

The lens will be perfect for anything as long as you can fill the frame with it.

So some landscapes will be fine (in fact, lots), and groups of people as long as you don't mind standing further back. If space is tight, you won't get them all in.

It's ideal for portraits.

G

would be nice to see some examples of lanscapes taken with the fa 50 any 1 have any

Uploaded one to the gallery. It does seem surprisingly sharp.
link

Sorry if this takes things a little off topic but does any one use any of the old manual focus lenses for there landscape work. I ask this because its an area I want to try and get into and there are some old lenses in a shop in Newcastle. I have both the 1.4 AF and the 1.7 MF 50mm the 1.7 cost me ten pounds and its a realy nice lens.
Ian

I use old manual focus lenses for almost all my photos. I would rather have the 50 1.4AF than my 50 2 MF though, any day. But the difference in IQ/ease of use isn't worth the cost, to me.

If I were you I'd sell the 1.4 and make a tidy profit on what you paid for it, or sell me the 1.7!

Ian,

Oddly enough I did excatly that this afternoon! This one was taken with the SMC Pentax - A 1:2 50mm. I don't think it is the best example of what the lens can do though.

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt148/PentaxBabe/IMGP9998ManualLens.jpg

MMMM thanks for the info , its appriciated, i have some thinking to do now! but going to slap the 50mm on i think and have a play , will open a whole new idea to composition

Sorry Phil Im keeping both lenses they are two nice ones, Pentaxbabe I will give the 50mm a whirl asp.
Ian