The ''highly recommended'' FA50 F/1.4 thread

[markus maurer]

9 year old Michelle takes a portrait of her brothers friends & soccer team after a few instructions with a

50mm Pentax prime on the *istD and the Monostat monopod<div></div>

[hinman]

I have been using my beloved <a

href="http://techtheman.blogspot.com/2007/09/thoughts-on-pentax-fa-50-f14.html"><b>Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4</b></a>

in both daytime and night time from <a

href="http://techtheman.blogspot.com/2008/09/best-lens-for-sushi.html"><b>Sushi</b></a>, <a

href="http://techtheman.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-pizza-lens.html"><b>Pizza</b></a>, to common close up shots with

<a href="http://techtheman.blogspot.com/2008/07/kenko-2x-macro-teleplus-adapter.html"><b>Kenko 2x Macro Teleplus

MC7 converter</b></a> and <a

href="http://techtheman.blogspot.com/2008/06/cosinapentaxphoenixpromaster-11-matched.html"><b>Cosina 1:1 matched

macro adapter</b></a>.

<br><br>

Though I have recently purchased another 50mm with <a

href="http://techtheman.blogspot.com/2008/11/cosina-55mm-f12.html"><b>Cosina 55mm f/1.2</b></a> and <a

href="http://techtheman.blogspot.com/2008/10/pentax-50mm-f17-pentax-f-17x-af-tc.html"><b>Pentax A 50mm

f/1.7</b></a>, I would not trade my FA 50mm f/1.4 as it the best value prime in my bag with auto focus and it is

fast.

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<p align="center">

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/2594411126_60f26da3e6.jpg">

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<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3008/2593675293_991818e855.jpg">

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<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1044/1468729551_a3f353eada.jpg">

<br><br>

<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1202/1093676938_6505c27ede.jpg">

<br><br>

<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1241/1091817273_f02636b34d.jpg">

<br><br>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/2870838079_c68de88e12.jpg">

<br><br>

in wedding <br>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3110/2900571813_6577caf080.jpg">

<br><br>

my dream film camera <br>

<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2357/2161127214_581ebca6e3.jpg">

<br><br>

<b>Hin's extreme nighttime picture</b>

hand-held in K100D <br>

3/5 sec, f/8.0, 50mm, iso 1600, hand-held with K100D<br>

<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2154/2160346635_413ee411f8.jpg">

<br><br>

1/4 sec, f/2.8, 50mm, iso 400, hand-held with K100D <br>

<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2210/2160402483_28d11d042a.jpg">

</p>

[shots worth sharing]

I don't have a 50mm so I'm just sitting back and enjoying the show (very much)--and learning a lot too! Michelle's soccer team shot is killer, Markus!

[michael_kuhne]

After seeing these, I'll use mine more! How do you guys post such sharp photos? I reduce size in photoshop elements to 680 width to post, and always lose sharpness. All I do is punch in the 680.

[shots worth sharing]

Try sharpening again after resizing, Michael--it helps.

[jgredline]

@ Dave, I am ''SHOCKED'' that you don't have a 50..Goodness, you have everything else...Time to shop..

 

@Michael. What I have found is that indeed when sizing for p.net you do loose sharpness. About 10% I figure, so I photoshop I always add a 10% ''smart sharpen'' and that's it. Give it a try. Elements would be the same.

[jgredline]

The Pentax 50's have a cult following....Kinda like ''pulp fiction'' or ''a clock work orange''..

[markus maurer]

Thanks Dave and your advice is right, sharpening slightly before and again after resizing as the very last step helps.<div></div>

[markus maurer]

one from last year with the 50mm Takumar f4 1:1 macro again<div></div>

[markus maurer]

for starters (like me!)<div></div>

[markus maurer]

bikes<div></div>

[markus maurer]

taking care of the homeless cats

[markus maurer]

hey,where is the pic<div></div>

[snik75]

I've posted some of these before. But this is with an A 50 1.7 I got at my local thrift store for FOUR DOLLARS. With pentax front and back caps and a pentax skylight filter. Love it.<div></div>

[snik75]

Higher!<div></div>

[markus maurer]

and finally, an "A" for anarchy....<div></div>

[jgredline]

@Markus, I always enjoy your black and whites.....

[jgredline]

Ok, here are a few more FA50 images.

<img src="http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp128/jgredline/lense%20test/50.jpg">

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<img src="http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp128/jgredline/lense%20test/501.jpg">

[jgredline]

Here is a pine cone.

<img src="http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp128/jgredline/lense%20test/PentaxFA50.jpg">

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Flower @ F/9

<img src="http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp128/jgredline/lense%20test/PentaxFA502.jpg">

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Same flower @ F/2.0

<img src="http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp128/jgredline/lense%20test/PentaxFA501.jpg">

[jgredline]

And my last one..This is one of my favs.

<img src="http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp128/jgredline/lense%20test/PentaxFA503.jpg">

[ianmaleny]

A recent street portrait, F 50/1.7. K20.

<br><br>

<center><img src="http://reyno.com.au/Street pics/1314ms.jpg"></center>

[personalphotos]

Some great shots from everyone. Everything I have with the FA50mm 1.4 is low light work photography. So intsead I'll post one from my sharpest lens. FA50mm f2.8 macro.

 

<a target='_blank' title='ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting' href='http://img135.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ivp9207122yh7.jpg'><img src='http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/2126/ivp9207122yh7.jpg' border='0'/></a>

[garry_young1]

Hmm, here's the first shot I ever took with my FA 50mm f1.4:

<P>

<a href=" title="Nicole by Garry Young, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/2566640749_432358fc9c.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Nicole" /></a>

[todd_phillips3]

I'll add a couple I took over the weekend...

<br>

<br>

gerber baby (iso200, f/2, 1/500sec, 0/10ev, pp'd with the gimp)

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/3047794870_8cb351fa2f.jpg" />

<br>

<br>

and the original

<br>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/3046961625_ab2450fe3d.jpg" />

<br>

<br>

(iso400, f/2.5, 1/100sec, 0/10ev, pp'd with the gimp)

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3282/3040809690_024058f93d.jpg" /><div></div>

[le-plume]

The SMC Pentax-M 50mm f:1.4 is my basic workhorse nowadays. The 1.7mm is not bad either, with its extreme compactness a plus. I'm in two minds regarding the FA lenses since I mostly use manual-focus bodies.... The focusing ring of the F-series was a disgrace; it it much better on the FA-series?

 

Below: what to do with the last frame of a film, a table tripod, a 100mm lens and a macro extension set (available light only)...<div></div>