johnnyboy114 wrote:
I have a 50mm f1.7 bought second hand from eBay and to be honest, although the shallow DOF and speed of it is brilliant, I have been told by quite a few people who has seen photos taken with it that its not very sharp. The photos have been taken at around f8-f11, so right in the sweet spot, but even when enlarged, I tend to agree. There is a softness or a lack of focus and I am wondering if the lens has some kind of abberation in it. I am tempted to buy another, but I don't want the same thing to happen again. So, just beware where you are buying from and the quality you are getting. I am going to do a test back to back with the 18-55mm kit lens for sharpness, but the speed is a factor there....

Mongoose wrote:
currently of course the FA50 1.4 is not under £300.

The best lens in my bag which I purchased for under £300 is my Tamron SP 90mm Macro (£50), followed by my Zeiss Jena 35mm F2.4 (£20) and my Pentax FA 50 1.4 (£150 at time of purchase)

George Lazarette wrote:
Many older lenses were designed, fortuitously, to present the light to the film at close to 90 degrees, so they work fine on digital. In my experience, most older Pentax lenses work well, which is why I still use several.

However, the ones I use were all very highly regarded in their day, and are all very sharp. So, buy wisely, as I said.

G

Clarky wrote:
I don't wish to steal your thunder Tim, But I believe I bagged the bargain of the year earlier today.

Found this lot on a local classifieds website.

Pentax ME super, + winder
Pentax K 15mm 3.5
Pentax K 18mm 3.5
Pentax K 30mm 2.8
Pentax M 50mm 1.7
Pentax Extension tubes
Sigma 500mm mirror lens
Vivitar 75-205mm Not sure of the aperture?
Flash and a few accessories
Got the lot for 190quid, I think I can get my money back on the 15mm alone.
I won't have it in my hands until tomorrow and the seller tells me its all in excellent condition. I just hope he is right.

Here's a pic of the kit.
[IMG]http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x261/ClarkyinAus/MESuper3.jpg[/IMG]