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Pentax SMC-FA 50mm f/1.4 - Review / Lab Test Report |
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Lens Reviews -
Pentax
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Review by Klaus Schroiff, published April 2007
Special thanks to Markus Stamm for providing this lens!
Introduction
It took a while but welcome to the first Pentax lens test here at OpticalLimits.
As usual we'll start with a reference lens, typically 50mm primes and the
Pentax SMC FA 50mm f/1.4 qualifies here. Despite being one of the most
affordable Pentax branded lenses it is also the fastest one in the
current Pentax lens lineup. By now it is a fairly old lens and one of the
few remaining full format Pentax FA lenses. All Pentax tests will be performed
on the K10D - an APS-C DSLR where the FA 50mm has a field-of-view equivalent
to 75mm so it behaves like a moderate tele lens within this scope.
The build quality of the lens is very fine based on very good quality plastics
and a metal mount. The small rubberized focus ring operates very smooth. As you
can see above the lens extends a little bit towards closer focus distances.
The front element does not rotate so using a polarizer is no problem. The lens
has no internal AF motor and relies on a slotted drive screw operated by the camera.
As a result AF operation will generate a moderate degree of noise.
The AF speed is very decent on the K10D.
| Specifications |
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| Equiv. focal length | 75 mm (full format equivalent) |
| Equiv. aperture | f/2.1 (full format equivalent, in terms of depth-of-field) |
| Optical construction | 7 elements in 6 groups |
| Number of aperture blades | 8? |
| min. focus distance | 0.45 m (max. magnification ratio 1:6.7) |
| Dimensions | 64 x 46 mm |
| Weight | 196 g |
| Filter size | 49 mm (non-rotating) |
| Hood | rectangular (optional) |
| Other features | - |
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