Ultra fast 50.

Whenever I see a 50 f1.2 lens on ebay, I watch it. Not because I want to buy one, but just to see what it fetches. I am constantly amazed at the prices they go for. £300+ is not unusual.
They are certainly beautiful. Big, sexy front element and that, but what use are they?. The depth of focus at f1.2, close up at least, must be about as thick as a fag paper! Difficult to focus, I'll bet. The difference between f1.4 and 1.2 is what? One third, or one quarter of a stop?- Not much, really. The price difference though, is three times as much.
Why do people buy 'em?

Interesting question. Maybe some would buy one for the perceived kudos of owning one.

Photographic reasons would include the very high level of control of coma, so point light sources are reproduced without smearing or distortion. In this reapect the Pentax lens is one of the best ultra fast 50mm lenses of any make.

It would also make manual focusing much easier in very low light.

In terms of quality it is as good as any of the 50mm lenses when stopped down to f8 and beyond, so it can also be used for general purposes. It is not suitable for use on bellows and other close up accessories because of increased curvature of field. That's the price we pay for the speed.

Mowog and John

Thanks mowog for asking this question. I have come across several 1.2/50 lenses in the past year, but -as I also already have several 1.4/50 lenses in the same mounts, I have always resisted buying (though tempted) because of the price (3 times plus as much as the 1.4s/1.8s) and the relatively small difference in aperture/perceived benefit.

The other thing is that these superfast lenses tend to be "damned with faint praise" and are often criticised for relatively poor performance unless stopped down, which tends to negate the whole purpose of the exercise.

And thanks, John, for giving some rational explanations for buying.

I guess, one day, I still may still give into temptation...

Just don't buy this one for obvious reasons.

You can't fault him on the description. If someone buys it at that price, it's probably a lesson they need to learn.

He's revised it Chris, it was specifically referred to as a 1.2, someone must have got into his ear and set him straight. I still find it strange he has left the original asking price though

Ah well, yes, that would have been naughty.

I have an A-50 F2, which I'm planning to get rid of at some point.

It is quite tempting to describe it 100% accurately, as of course I always would, but give it a high BIN, and see if it goes....

Ah well, yes, that would have been naughty.

I have an A-50 F2, which I'm planning to get rid of at some point.

It is quite tempting to describe it 100% accurately, as of course I always would, but give it a high BIN, and see if it goes....

[/quote]I almost brought one today, only because it was going so cheap, (AU$36.00)but didn't pull the trigger.

They are not the most popular of the nifty fifties i'm afraid

Admittedly I haven't been keeping my ebay database up to date and prices have gone up somewhat lately, but it used to be that the K version went for about £170 and the A version for about £240. A K series lens in rather battered condition went for £155 last night.

If they have gone up to £300+ I'll be happy as I have just bought a Pentax MG that happened to have a K version 50mm/f1.2 on the front. The seller didn't realise and hadn't mentioned that fact! I was hoping for a Clarky-style bargain but some other bidders had also noticed the 1.2 lens and although it was a little cheaper than I would have expected it wasn't an amazing bargain (although the MG is in nice nick with an excellent ever ready case).

I am going to try it out for a little while before deciding whether to sell it on or not.

Best wishes, Kris.

Good pickup Kris, There is an A version of the 1.2 lens going for US$400 (£245)on another forum at the moment, which has been sitting there for a week.

I love grabbing those bargains where the seller is unaware of the value of what they are selling. I'm always on the lookout for them.
My latest acquisition arrived today, Pentax MZ-5n with AA battery grip, Pentax F shutter release, lowepro toploader Z2 and a Pentax FA 24-90, its in mint condition, only the lens cap missing. £60 for the lot.

I've seen that many a time, usually from sellers who don't know anything about cameras and just copy the front of the lens incorrectly.

I've always been waiting for the day someone does it the other way around...

Just had a quick play. At f/1.2 the depth of field is unsurprisingly very thin but the lens is also very soft. Not too sure it is usable wide open unless for impressionistic shots. By f/5.6 however it seems very sharp indeed. The lens is in excellent nick, I am glad to say. Until it arrived I was a little concerned!

K.

Here are a few at from the A50mm @ f1.2:







It starts to look great at f2:

Very pretty Lance I love how soft it is wide open, just super.

Thanks, Stefan.

The A50mm f1.2 is a supe lens and is great for those "special effects" of narrow DOF. It is beautifully made, as are all the A lenses, and wondeful to use.