Pentax F 50mm 1.7 on sale for $160, good deal?

[mugundhan_varadanarayanan]

<p>Hi,<br>

Somebody is selling the pentax-F-50mm F1.7 for $160, this lens is an autofocus lens<br>

Is this a good deal or should I look for even low prices<br>

I heard that this lens is sharp wideopen too, thats why I am looking at it<br>

Thanks,<br>

Mugundhan</p>

[trw]

<p>Look for it substantially cheaper. The FA50/1.4 is ~$200 new and still in production.</p>

[duane_mills]

<p>You can get the FA 50mm f/1.4 here in Canada for $199 CDN which is about $150 USD. For that price buy new with warranty. The Canadian Warranty on Pentax lenses is 2 years.</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>I think you might find it a little cheaper in a kit with a camera, probably SF series if you keep your eyes open. The price remains fairly high for this because it is less common than the FA50/1.4 and some prefer it--I believe some say it is sharper at f/1.7 than the f/1.4 is at f/1.7. KEH has an EX copy for $159 so I wouldn't say this is more of a 'fair' price than a <em>real </em> bargain.</p>

[mountainvisions]

<p>Seems a bit high, but not unreasonable. That said, as everyone noted, you can get a better deal for sure.</p>

[subho basu]

<p>Amazon is selling new FA 50mm f1.4 at $169<br>

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005ABC5/ref=s9_subs_c2_s1_p114_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=02EAWFTS7KB9NW7GM0CD&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463383371&pf_rd_i=507846">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005ABC5/ref=s9_subs_c2_s1_p114_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=02EAWFTS7KB9NW7GM0CD&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463383371&pf_rd_i=507846</a></p>

[snik75]

<p>Wow, a lot of Pentax stuff on Amazon is pretty cheap right now. That is a great price for the FA 50mm - perhaps it is going bye bye now that the DA55mm is available.</p>

[mugundhan_varadanarayanan]

<p>Thanks everyone.... I am gonna wait as I saw prices of $130 in ebay<br>

I am not going for FA50mm f1.4 because all the reviews say wideopen, it is soft while the f1.7 lenses are reputed sharp<br>

I already have a f2.8 zoom and I use it @ f2.8 for acceptable results, so I am looking at to use the prime even lower fstop and at a budget thats why hesitant to go for FA35mmf2.0</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>For anyone who might be curious, I noticed that the MTF tests on photodo appear to support the F50/1.7-is-sharper-wide-open claim. Their #'s say the f/1.7 lens is still a little sharper at f/2, though they're the same by f/2.8.</p>

[a few images]

<p>The, that lens is sharper than this lens debate isn't so well supported on my K10D - though it's obviously correct on my SLR. Not too long ago I listed my testing of the pentax 50's I have - in the end they are all so critically sharp, even the 50 f2 is no slouch.</p>

[multivitamins]

<p>Maybe this answer is so late. But I guarantee you that the F 50mm f1.7 is a keeper. Hard to find - soon it will be rare. A full frame lens that is sharp wide open. although Im not a big find of bokeh that it can produce at 1.7. but still... great lens indeed!</p>