Header banner
Revain logoHome Page
smc pentax fa 📷 50mm f/1.4: exceptional low-light photography lens logo

SMC Pentax FA 📷 50mm f/1.4: Exceptional Low-Light Photography Lens Review

18

·

Very good

Revainrating 4.5 out of 5  
Rating 
4.5
👓 Lenses, 📷 Camera & Photo

View on AmazonView on ЯM

Media

(2)
img 1 attached to SMC Pentax FA 📷 50mm f/1.4: Exceptional Low-Light Photography Lens
img 2 attached to SMC Pentax FA 📷 50mm f/1.4: Exceptional Low-Light Photography Lens

Photos by authors

(2)
img 3 attached to SMC Pentax FA 📷 50mm f/1.4: Exceptional Low-Light Photography Lens
img 4 attached to SMC Pentax FA 📷 50mm f/1.4: Exceptional Low-Light Photography Lens

Details

BrandPentax
Lens TypeStandard
Compatible MountingsPentax KAF
Camera Lens Description50 millimetres
Maximum Focal Length50 Millimeters

Description of SMC Pentax FA 📷 50mm f/1.4: Exceptional Low-Light Photography Lens

Product Characteristics

The SMC Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 lens, a compact and standard lens, offers exceptional features that make it a must-have for photography enthusiasts. With an incredibly large f/1.4 aperture, this lens allows for extra-fast shutter speeds and provides wonderful depth of field control. Its focal length, equivalent to 75mm when used on a Pentax(r) digital SLR camera body with a 1.5x crop factor, ensures versatility and optimal performance.

Similar Products and Competitive Advantage

When comparing the SMC Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 to other lenses in its category, it stands out as a top choice for discerning photographers. Its unrivaled aperture size sets it apart from the competition, allowing for exceptional low-light performance and the ability to capture stunning bokeh effects. Unlike many lenses on the market, this lens offers precise depth of field control, providing photographers with creative freedom and the ability to craft captivating images.

Benefits and Versatility

The SMC Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 lens is a versatile tool that solves various photographic challenges. Whether you're shooting portraits, landscapes, or street photography, this lens excels in producing sharp images with beautiful background blur. Additionally, its compact size makes it highly portable, allowing for easy transportation and handling. From professional photographers to hobbyists, anyone seeking to elevate their photography game will benefit greatly from the exceptional performance and features of this lens.

  • Portrait photography sessions, capturing captivating expressions and details.
  • Landscape photography, showcasing breathtaking vistas and natural beauty.
  • Street photography, documenting the vibrant and dynamic scenes of urban life.
  • Low-light photography, capturing stunning images even in challenging lighting conditions.
  • Product photography, highlighting intricate details and textures with precision.
  • Compact, Standard Lens. Extremely Large F/1.4 Aperture Allows Extra-fast Shutter Speeds & Wonderful Depth Of Field Control. Focal Length Equivalent To 75mm When Used On A Pentax(r) Digital SLR Camera Body (1.5x Crop Factor). Pentax(r) Super Multi-coating For Very Low Light Loss. Compatible With All Pentax(r) Film & Digital SLR Cameras. Only 1.5 inches and 7.8 ounces. 47 degree angle of view. Fixed 50mm focal length. Fully automatic diaphragm. Lens construction of 6 elements in 5 groups.

    Hide

    Reviews

    Global ratings 18
    • 5
      13
    • 4
      2
    • 3
      3
    • 2
      0
    • 1
      0

    Type of review

    Revainrating 5 out of 5

    Exactly as promised by the manufacturer, high quality.

    A small (in fact, the smallest of all systems) fifty dollars with an aperture of 1.4. Autofocus, by the standards of Pentax, works quickly and accurately even in low light. It's soft enough wide open that it makes you think of shooting portraits, but it turns out that the bokeh is not that great compared to 77 lim. Extremely sharp starting somewhere from 2.8. Nice and very reliable design. The overall impression is extremely pleasant.

    Pros
    • Small, bright fifty dollars. Sharp on closed apertures, quite soft on open ones. Good autofocus.
    Cons
    • Bokeh is so-so.

    Revainrating 5 out of 5

    A nice option for the money, one of the best deals.

    I bought a camera with a whale lens, a month later I bought this one, the difference is like between a Zhiguli and a Mercedes. If there is no money for Limited - take this one. Got pros: I have been using it for three years as a staff member on the K-5II. Very good color reproduction, beautiful bokeh, on an open hole the pattern is very soft, starting at 3.2 the pattern is sharp, from 5.6 it is very sharp. The picture quality is slightly inferior to lims. Small size and weight. Ideal for staff,

    Revainrating 4 out of 5

    Nice price, good quality.

    Excellent lens. You can shoot both portraits and landscapes. He's just great. Picture class. If there is no money for lim - you have to take it!

    Revainrating 3 out of 5

    Average purchase, there is something to complain about.

    I advise you to think before buying, especially for beginners. Because cool photos with good bokeh can be taken on Av. And the replacement of aperture: a flash with a diffuser. And I advise if you have already decided to take: be sure to see if this lens is suitable for your device! For Pentax k-r, for example, it is suitable for taking pictures only in A mode. =) With its pros. Everything is already listed above . about excellent bokeh, etc., etc. Its cons: In fact, the lack of a hood is not…

    Revainrating 5 out of 5

    Wonderful quality, one hundred percent satisfied!

    as a portrait and for still life photography - class! It will also come in handy for landscape photography, if the "fix" does not scare you. No oberrations, unlike wide angles! Different pros: Awesome picture! No distortion. Excellent luminosity. You can shoot if necessary at very fast shutter speeds without increasing the ISO. You can shoot cool portraits at a large aperture. No retouch needed. Almost all skin imperfections are blurred by reducing the depth of field. Cons below: If you shoot…

    Revainrating 5 out of 5

    I'm amazed! It was definitely worth the money!

    Great lens. Highly recommend. Pros below: Magnificent lens. I shot it for 5 years. Still on a film camera. The most positive impressions. I want to shoot more and more. When shooting landscapes, it perfectly conveys the air and time of day in any weather. Portraits are simply divine. Excellent color reproduction. No distortion. Very plastic. Got cons: A full aperture, of course, is not for shooting, but in order to be able to retreat one or two steps. The depth of field will not increase by…

    Revainrating 5 out of 5

    An ideal product for any type of consumer.

    Dropped one on the tile, now I want to buy again. Its pros: One of the best lenses in the history of photography. Sharp, light, bright, excellent bokeh. Quite beautiful, but not distracting. Excellent color rendering. It competes with lima in quality, but they are three times more expensive. Canon's analogues did not crawl at all for the price. Cons below: Plastic case. On the one hand, this has a good effect on price and weight. On the other hand, I'm still used to metal and glass. There is an

    It was used on one of the younger cameras in the Pentax line - K200D - in the entire history, 2-3 pieces were not thrown out of the frames shot at 1.4. Starting from 1.8-2 is quite suitable. Starting from 4-5.6 - very sharp. Large chromatic aberrations are noticed at the same 1.4. The price is very inadequate. At the time of writing the review, the price is 16,500, while the cost of analogues in other systems is 10,500 for Nikon and 13,500 for Canon. Probably, the lack of competition in the…

    Pros
    • Large aperture, good, strong construct, good quality optics, the presence of a manual diaphragm.
    Cons
    • When focusing, the lens block extends. On the "younger" cameras 1.4 - non-working: very weak autofocus. Very inadequate price.

    Revainrating 5 out of 5

    A great option for this money, I definitely recommend it!

    I have been photographing with this lens periodically since 2022. I believe that this lens is somehow underestimated by users. Yes, the DA55* has slightly nobler bokeh. But this is very subjective. I want to play around with this lens shooting a city at night out of focus (round lights at night) ;=) The lens needs to buy an inexpensive 49mm lens hood. The image contrast will be greatly improved.

    Pros
    • Light, metallic hood, nice bokeh. Covers full frame. With this lens, I managed to get good and dear photos to which I want to return myself))) With a good attitude, the absence of a motor inside makes the lens a long-liver.
    Cons
    • Focusing is not instantaneous, but on the K5 it is fast enough. Perhaps the price is high. No quick shift. Sometimes it needs

    Revainrating 5 out of 5

    Good quality product, I rate this purchase excellent.

    The lens has been produced for a very long time and its price is a consequence of the huge number of copies released. The lens pattern is very interesting - at 100% image scale (pixel-to-pixel) all the lines are really lines, but the colors are gradient, pastel transitions, limited by these same lines. As a result, image processing becomes very simple - in Photoshop it is very easy to select the contours of an object, sharpening is done very accurately using Unsharp Mask - plain areas do not…

    Pros
    • -Very low price for such optics -High aperture -Excellent plasticity of the picture (see comment) -Iron constructive -Small size - Eight-bladed diaphragm - almost perfectly round hole. - Almost complete absence of distortion ("bulge" or "concavity" of the picture)
    Cons
    • -Due to the thin focus ring and the shallowly recessed front lens, there are fingerprints on the front lens. Immediately buy a protective filter or lens hood. -Strongly loses contrast when shooting against the light on an open aperture (almost all high-aperture optics have this) -Slightly harsh bokeh

    Revainrating 5 out of 5

    The right product for me, there were no problems.

    You can’t be at least a little disappointed with a rare product, and this is a pleasant exception. I’m generally against zooms, fixed lenses give out a more pleasant picture, IMHO. The fact that it’s practically working at a fully open aperture and “chromatizes” is not a drawback, but a feature, I constantly photograph at 1.8. Apparently, this lens must be bought among the first to the camera.

    Pros
    • 1. Price! True, now I’m looking at the price list, in the store where I bought it, the price has increased by 2022! 2. Fast! I did not expect how beautiful the pictures turn out at all without any backlight in the room. 3. Beautiful bokeh, it’s not a shame to show such pictures, the difference compared to the whale lens is immediately visible.
    Cons
    • 1. It looks too simple, small, and therefore does not impress model girls :) 2. The design, as the previous ones quite rightly noted, is designed to smear the lens with your fingers. There is no hood in the kit and I had to look for a protective filter.

    Revainrating 3 out of 5

    Thought it would be better, but overall not bad.

    For myself, I concluded: this is exclusively a portrait lens, they should not photograph people in full growth. My full-length photos in the studio came out terribly, just a terrible daub. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, maybe the camera (K-5IIs) is crooked and not friendly with the lens, but waist-length photos come out well, portraits are excellent, but full-height ones don't work :( that's why I only rate 3/5, I expected more.

    Pros
    • Price, good clarity in the studio at closed apertures.
    Cons
    • Daubing on an open aperture, just a terrible daubing, it is impossible to photograph up to 3,5.

    Revainrating 5 out of 5

    A high-quality product, the price corresponds to the quality.

    Despite its age, the smc Pentax-FA 50mm F/1.4 model is able to compete with modern Pentax DA series optics and provides excellent sharpness across the entire field of the frame with apertures up to F/2.8. At F / 1.4, the lens has a soft effect and reduced overall contrast, with the aperture covered to F / 2, the soft effect disappears, sharpness and contrast are very good. Longitudinal chromatic aberrations are strong at f/1.4, noticeable at f/2-2.8, and mostly disappear only at f/4. Such…

    Pros
    • High aperture, compact lightweight body, smooth background blur
    Cons
    • Build quality could be better

    Revainrating 5 out of 5

    Great quality, happy with it one hundred percent!

    Great lens! Soft up to f / 2, quite strong on the open. But this is not any soap, everything is beautiful and noble, I like it very much. I bought a deep iron hood on eBay that I never take off. Chromacytoma wild, especially on open ones. At first, it was very frustrating, but as I tried this lens, I realized that for a wonderful picture it can be forgiven, since this trouble is treated in converters. The appearance is controversial, series A looked more convincing)

    Pros
    • aperture 8 blade diaphragm small size
    Cons
    • Chromatism!

    Revainrating 3 out of 5

    The item is ok but not fully compliant with the description.

    I read all sorts of reviews and recommendations, took this lens. But something didn't work out for me. The picture is inexpressive, i. E. there is a blur, but it's just a blur and not "bokeh" :) At the same 50-200 I like it better at the long end. My GX-20 with this lens misses the target 70% of the time, maybe the copy was like that. Focal length too: neither fish nor fowl. I regret that I took it and not the 40th lim, I coveted four times the large aperture.

    Pros
    • Good lens for the price
    Cons
    • Inaccurate focus.

    Revainrating 5 out of 5

    The simple joy of fixed zoom photography f1.4

    It has been a few months since I bought a Pentax 50mm f1.4 lens, the first fixed focal length SLR lens in my arsenal. Of course, the first thing I feel is how different, if not downright difficult, it is to shoot my way, especially when my everyday lens is the now largely discontinued Pentax 18250mm. But that discomfort quickly dissipated once I started figuring out what kind of lens it was. well in. The impressive aperture and the shallow depth of field it offers are simply amazing. He turned…

    Pros
    • Good product for the price
    Cons
    • weak

    Revainrating 4 out of 5

    Star performers at an obscene price.

    Now I have this lens, Pentax DA40/2.8 and FA50/1.4. This lens outperforms both for the types of shots I take often and I think for most images in general. around the lens. It will always be my go-to lens for really nice portraits, but this 35 outperforms it in all directions, focuses faster and has a much better focal length for DSLR crops. The 40th is a pleasure to use. and focus, and in itself an amazing piece of craftsmanship, but I've always felt like it doesn't quite do what I need it to…

    Pros
    • So far satisfied
    Cons
    • Write later

    Revainrating 5 out of 5

    Good fast lens, but not the sharpest in my bag.

    I bought this lens to have a fast lens for shallow depth of field shooting and indoor concert shots in low light. It does that pretty well, although it's not the sharpest lens in my bag. I usually prefer to shoot with my 3 amigos (Pancake Limited 21, 40 and 70mm lenses which I always take with me when I shoot). This usually stays in my pocket until I need the hood, it takes good photos but you should definitely always use a good lens hood as the front element has good exposure to stray light if

    Pros
    • nice touch
    Cons
    • I don't remember but there was something