Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

I am a newbie so I am not the best to be reviewing lenses, however, I really like this lens a lot. Its small, lightweight, simple to use, sharp, great in low light, and relatively inexpensive. You cant go wrong with this lens. Id say its a must have.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

A beautiful lense, i nevermade before so much great portraits before. An obligatory lense for pentax users !

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

if you have never owned a fast lens like this you will be amazed at what you can shoot with this thing. interiors won't require flash with the aperture wide open, and subject isolation is great with beautiful bokeh. super sharp. if you put it on a dslr though this is not a standard focal length lens. on a dslr this lens is roughly the equivalent of a 75mm lens. perfect for general portraiture, low light and closeups. my new favorite lens.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

This is one prime lens, everyone should have. As much as I like my zoom lenses you can't beat this one for picture quality. An idea walk about lens.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Love the bright view finder

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

I enjoy using this lens because it is tack sharpe from f2.8 and up. f1.4 and f2.0 are sharpe but because of the larger DOF it is harder to get consistent shots in lower lights. I use this lens (along with other lenes) for portrait landscapes, product shots. I am not afraid to use this lens whenever the need arises. Can not beat the price for such a great sharpe lens

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Having purchased my K200D in July 08, I must confess to being a newbie when it comes to dslrs. During my researches, this lens popped up as a must have from professional and user reviews alike both for its performance and as a learning tool, i.e. framing with your feet rather than a zoom. During my limited experience with the lens, I've found nothing to contradict the rave reviews it has received, and find it very useful shooting indoors. I have also taken some nice twilight winterscapes and close-ups. The [$]price tag didn't hurt either.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Very easy to use. Picture turns very nice. Best for indoor events that you want to shot without flash.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Its so good I am amazed at the speed. For me I cannot believe the speed at which this lens works. I am always astounded at the speed. Its absolutely brilliant

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Most reviews of this lens are very positive and they call this lens a "must have" prime lens.

I agree.

The focus is a bit soft wide open and can be tough to use in low light, but if you want to shoot without a flash you will very much like this lens--as long as you can use the manual focus correctly when the autofocus has difficulties.

Remember that the focal length on an aps-c camera will be more like 75mm or so rather than 50mm so you will have to step back from the subject sometimes.

It takes fantastic portraits of people and right out of the box I was getting some great shots.

Wedding photographers typically rave about this lens.

In fact, I would recommend that you NOT buy the kit lens and just start out with this 50mm f1.4.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

I raise Guiding Eyes puppies, which I photograph for archiving and pleasure. At last I can capture sharp and VISIBLE details of the black Labs. Often I have a lively puppy on short or long leash and can still shoot effectively one-handed with excellent quality. The lens has exactly the right range for shooting these dogs in action. It's a great transition lens between my older Pentax and my digital one.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Used with K200D's clean high ISO, this lense helps take low light pictures because of its large aperture(f/1.4).
I almost always use it at f2.0/2.8 in low light situations and got excellent result. Overall ,I am very happy with my purchase. Great buy for @200
A word about adorama's service - Simply Great..!

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

My third lens for my K20D (Pentax 16-45, Tamron 70-300)and I use it more than I originally thought i would. Turns out this is the one all my old Cokin filters fit, not to mention its three-stop advantage over the F/4 of the other two. Often it's one of the others on the camera, and the easy-to-pack F 1.4 in an Adorama lens case big enough to hold the other two when they come off. Need to shoot in dim light? need to shoot at low ISO? Need a fast shutter speed? The F/1.4 winds up on the camera a LOT! And it is SHARP! And since it is really a 75mm lens on this camera, it's modest close focusing of 17 inches is effectively more like 12. At [$], it's a steal. The plastic looks a bit cheap, but it is well put together, even with a rubbery rim on the front element. Looks like the old days with that big glass on the front of the camera, too!

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Very sharp focus, usable in very low light.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

I use this a lot on my k20d. It is a good fast lens, and if you stop it down a couple of stops it is tack sharp. It has a pleasing bokeh when you open it up. For the money, you can't beat it.
Cons:
If you are looking for candid shots in low light, you might want to manual focus, because it doesn't always catch focus quickly.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

I bought this lens to take pictures in low light conditions and to have better depth of field control for portraits. This lens exceeded my expectations given its price. Very sharp, great color rendition, and smooth bokeh. If those who use zoom lenses were to buy just prime lens, this would be the one to get.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

This is a great lens. It is very sharp at 1/2 stop over f/1.4. But 1.4 is good. I really like this lens for low light and inside shots.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Every good thing you ever heard about this lens is true. The back grounds are pure blur and creamy and the focus is very sharp. Used on my K10d it is a joy to use. Hey, a prime 50 for two bills! You should not pass this up.[...]

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Excellent lens whether its on film or digital. Factor in the cost it makes it a legendary fast fifty. It and the DA 35mm ltd macro have all but replaced the 18-55mm II kit lens. Once I get the DA 14 or Sigma 20, it will be on the used market, not that it is a bad lens.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Nice bokah, fast and sharp. Quite a bargain for the money

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Admittedly I haven't used 10 different portrait lenses in my life, but this is by far the best in my experience. I use it with my K10D. Incredibly sharp right down to f/2, with the most amazing bokeh of any lens I've ever seen. Shooting at f/1.4-1.7 is a bit of a crapshoot, but when the shot comes out well, it's amazing. I tried using this to take a few action shots of some friends waterskiing, but I have to say I prefer my 50-200 Pentax zoom for that. But for that wonderful, intimate low-light portrait feel you can't go wrong with this lens. Works best with the subject filling the majority of the screen, such as facial close-ups. A fantastic value.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

This lens outshines several other, more expensive lenses that I inherited from my father. Straight out of the box is takes beautiful, sharp images that truly take your breath away. I have not yet found another lens that takes pictures that are as true to real life as this one does. Awesome product!

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

This lens is my default lens. I use it more than any other lens I own. The focussing is tac-sharp. The bokeh and color are unmatched.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

This is a great lens. Very sharp and get really nice pictures with background blurred. I mainly use it for portraits. For a portrait photographer it is a very good investment.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

I love this lens! It is especially useful for shooting without flash in avaialble low light situations, such as church interiors and outdoor portraiture, in shade or after sunset. With APS sized digital sensors, it is equivalent to a 75MM lens, which makes it really nice for head and shoulder portraits. The large F1.4 aperture makes focusing really easy and the shallow depth of field makes the background soft and undistracting. Great for candid portraits. This lens is very sharp when stopped down to f2.8 and further. Great contrast and colors. I highly recommend this lens.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

This is a very good lens for a very good price! The sharpness is very good and excellent at f/4!

One little minus point (the only one I could find) is that we cannot turn te focus lens when the AF is enabled, like on the 18-55 (Pentax K10D kit lens)

Otherwise, a very good and beautyful lens: it LOOKS good, and I like it :-)

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

This is a great lens for everyone. Specially for indoor photographers. Perfect for portraits. Very small and good quality. Highly recommend to everyone in addition to their kit lenses.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

This is a really sharp, light prime lens. It is the only prime lens that I thought worth buying and I have been very pleased with it. Small, light, very sharp, and inexpensive full frame lens. I really recommend it for those times when a zoom is too slow, or to bulky.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Excellent bang for the buck. Takes excellent photos.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Very sharp lens. On a digital dslr it makes a nice portrait lens with nice bokeh.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

A magic touch in portrait at f2.8-f5.6 and sharp over f5.6 for nature detail or street scene. I use it on a PENTAX K10d. It seems a 75 mm (135 format).
My prefered lense I repeat! The one I will take on an desert island.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

I bought this lens to shoot my son's basketball games. Every public school gym I've been in has had very low lighting, so this fast lens helps eliminate the blur of the shutter being open too long. That bouncing ball is nice and sharp in the dark gym.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

i shoot fashion photography, and the true color to the eye is excellent. works well in low light, small enough to get shots in tight places,lightweight. i have used better lenses, but not for this price.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

I bought this lens about a month after getting the 18-55 and 50-200 combos. Initially I was thrilled with the fast shutter speeds it allowed. The 75mm equivalent focal length didn't grow on me though, and the last good use I got out of it was playing around with an old film SLR.

This lens peaks in quality at f/5.6 as opposed to about f/11 for the kit lens at this focal length. If you like the unusual focal length on digital it has many merits. It is small, economical, and while heavy for its size (lots of glass) it is on par with the kit lens for weight. I highly recommended it for low light shooting and portraits (it is a short portrait lens on digital, not a normal - get the FA 35 or FA 31 if you want a normal).

All Pentax 50mm lenses (and probably other brands too) are based on old technology from manual focus film days. They were good lenses for their time, but their reputations are a little inflated. Digital is also less forgiving of flaws due to the smaller format. Specifically, sharpness is lacking below f/2.8 and full contrast is not reached until f/4-f/5.6. The contrast can be helped by photo editing software, but the sharpness issue can't. Luckily sharpness is not the most important quality for a portrait/low light lens.

Additionally, this lens has a reputation for consistent auto-focus errors that occur in some copies, even when stopped down. The low contrast wide open also makes this lens more likely to focus hunt. With lenses this fast, the depth of field is so narrow that manual focus will be needed for certain types of shots (and some luck). Basically, autofocus wasn't a consideration when the optics were originally designed decades ago, and the adaptation isn't perfect. Modern bodies aren't optimized for auto-focus with ultra-fast lenses, either. All that aside, this value-priced lens can turn out some great photos.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

I also use it for daytime shooting when I need a fast shutter speed. Well worth the money.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

really good buy

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

This lens is a beauty. Awesome construction, it doesn't feel cheap. The manual focusing ring has a rubber like grip. The lens has really big glass for a 50mm. F/1.4-2.4 i do not recommend using because the photos are soft. It only really gets sharp at around 2.8 and up. Great for all uses, especially for portrait or indoors.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Bought this lens based upon many other recommendations and absolutely love it. Very lightweight and awesome for taking portraits. When my other lens cannot handle the low lighting conditions, I grab this lens without hesitation. Great bokeh and very sharp! You won't regret this purchase.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

This lens is very sharp and performs very well optically. My only complaint is the rubber focus ring turns easily and feels cheap.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

We bought this lens from [...] and it is fantastic. Much better than I expected for a lens of this price. The very fast aperture gives very little depth of field when wide open, but we knew and expected that going in. This lens gives that great out of focus background for portraits known as bokeh. If you learn how to use the max aperture to your advantage for an artistic/aesthetic effect then you have a great addition to your pentax kit.And for a very attractive price to boot.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

What a fantastic lens! My pictures are bright and sharp. My experience is reshaping my thinking about fixed focal length optics and non-digital lenses. I will look for more std 35mm lenses in the future.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

A must when close and sometime candid shots are in play.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

This is just a fun lens! Slapped on my ist*DS it makes about the smallest and cheapest DLSR setup you can find! On my K10D it's a great portrait lens for outdoors in that evening time 'sweet light'. If you don't have at least one fast prime you need this lens! Fast lenses take the fun of photography to a whole new level... especially ones this small and inexpensive. Scoop it up and be proud to shoot Pentax!!

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

It isn't often that you find a lense this fast for such a great price and when it comes down to it is simply a great lense. Mind you this has a very shallow DOF as many of the other users have mentioned, but if you know how that can be used to take great photos you're golden.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

You arent going to find a better bang for your buck when it comes to glass. While it produces some chromatic aberations (green) and some purple fringing wide open, you can shoot in very low light, and stopping down even a stop cleans up the picture. Stop down some more and this lens gets SHARP. I never go shooting without this lens.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Awesome Lens, [...]

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

This is a classic lens in the Pentax range - with the 1.5 crop of the Pentax digitals it is a mild telephoto marvelous for people shots at parties and I just used it successfully in poor light at an air show.

The Depth of Field control is great for isolating your subject in crowded shots.

The sharpness and the wide aperture make it a very useful prime.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

(1)F1.4 is really a must for indoor photo. The DOF is shallow, but you got the picture anyway.(2)Compared to Nikon/Canon for the similar product(50mm, 1.4), you got the similar quality, if not better, and paid less.[...]

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

Perfect lens for indoor or outdoor shooting in low-light situations. Small size also facilitates easy portability when mounted on camera.

Due to large aperture, be careful about focusing carefully on subject because at f/1.4 there is very little depth of field. Also 50mm focal lenght might not provide wide enough angle on dSLR cameras.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

1 year

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

When I received it, I am surprised by its small size. When I used it and Pentax smc P-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 to take pictures from a badminton tournament and post the pictures on my web site, my friends asked me about why some pictures (taken using Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4) are better than others (taken using Pentax smc P-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6). The wider aperture helps with this result for shots that you need to freeze the action, like badminton play.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

A friend recommended this lens to me for my new Pentax K10D. I love close ups of faces and this lens is simply wonderful for that use.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

I've used 50mm f/1.4 lenses from several manufacturers ... Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, Leica 50mm f/1.4 Summilux M, Nikon/Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D, and the Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4.

I can honestly say that the Pentax is the best 50mm f/1.4 lens I've used so far. If someone said I could only choose one lens to use on a camera and never use another lens THIS would be that lens.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Standard Auto Focus Lens:

This is the most affordable new auto focus Pentax prime lens. Used on K100D body and it is 1000 times better than the kit lens.

It allows for:

- great control over depth-of-field
- fast auto-focus due to large maximum aperture
- sharp and virtual distortion-free pictures
- portraiture when mounted on APS-C size bodies
(equiv of 77mm on full frame sensors)
- inconspicuously taken shots (kids etc)


The only dissapointment I have is that it is not a zoom lens:-)