Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens USA
A standard lens for Pentax autofocus cameras with a bright f/1.4 aperture. The SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 is an excellent choice for lowlight handheld photography, and effectively becomes a brilliant short telephoto portrait lens when used upon the *ist series of digital SLR cameras. The Pentax Super Multi Coating process provides the highest possible transmission of light.
If you use the SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 with an *ist series digital SLR camera and desire the light-shielding contrast benefits from a lens hood, Pentax's RH-RB49 hood (catalog number 34774, B&H item code "PELH70210AF") provides the most effective shielding. While this hood would cause vignetting with a full-frame 24 x 36mm-type camera(such as a Pentax 35mm SLR), the smaller 23.5 x 15.7mm sensor size of the *ist series makes the RH-RB49 an ideal shielding device. In such applications, a 49mm polarizer can be used at the front of the hood with no darkening of the image corners.
Go To
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Focal Length |
50 mm Comparable APS-C Focal Length: 75 mm |
| Aperture |
Maximum: f/1.4 Minimum: f/22 |
| Camera Mount Type | Pentax K |
| Format Compatibility |
35mm Film / Full-Frame Digital Sensor Pentax Digital (APS-C) |
| Angle of View | 47° |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 1.50' (45.72 cm) |
| Magnification | 0.15x |
| Maximum Reproduction Ratio | 1:6.6 |
| Groups/Elements | 6/7 |
| Diaphragm Blades | 6 |
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Image Stabilization | No |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Tripod Collar | No |
| Physical | |
|---|---|
| Filter Thread | 49 mm |
| Dimensions (DxL) | Approx. 2.5 x 1.5" (6.35 x 3.81 cm) |
| Weight | 7.8 oz (221 g) |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 125 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
98%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Lightweight (91)
- Fast / accurate auto-focus (75)
- Consistent output (57)
- Easily interchangeable (54)
- Durable (42)
Cons
- Slow focus (5)
- Blurry focus (4)
- Weak casing (3)
Best Uses
- Portraits (58)
- Night photography (53)
- General purpose (41)
- Low light (40)
- Weddings (23)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Enthusiast (49), Photo enthusiast (21), Semi-professional (14), Casual photographer (10), Semi-pro photographer (8)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (30)
Most Liked Positive Review
Should be Pentax's kit lens
I use this lens primarily as a general purpose lens, shooting mostly candid portraits in available light. I use this a lot to take portraits indoors and don't find it at all long. After...Read complete review
I use this lens primarily as a general purpose lens, shooting mostly candid portraits in available light. I use this a lot to take portraits indoors and don't find it at all long. After using the excellent 16-45/4 for a year I found that 90% of my shots were at 45mm f/4 and as high an ISO as I could stand (the others at 16mm mostly.) This told me I needed a faster lens, and this delivers in strides. This is a cheap (cost), compact lens which performs well above its price. The DOF is super thin at 1.4-2 but this is both a blessing and curse. It does not include a hood and the element is very close to the front, so it can benefit from a hood regarding flare. It is a much better solution than the m50mm/f2.0 I was given and the FA50 is ridiculously sharp by 2, and very usable at 1.4. When you couple this with in body shake reduction you can practically shoot in the dark, with usable results. The 1.6 crop factor doesn't bother me since I found that on 35mm film (Canon 50/1.8) I often found that I should have cropped closer and this focal length matches what I expect to see in the viewfinder when I put it to my eye, rather than having to move. All in all an incredible value, and I think that a fast lens like this needs to be at very last, the second lens you own.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Focus issues, soft even when in focus
Had all kinds of problems with the auto-focus deciding it was in-focus, when it clearly wasn't, even in the eyepiece. Even when it got the focus right (or I did manually) it was...Read complete review
Had all kinds of problems with the auto-focus deciding it was in-focus, when it clearly wasn't, even in the eyepiece. Even when it got the focus right (or I did manually) it was soft, even stopped down.
For the same price, my Sigma 28mm F/1.8 is a much better performer (plus it offers macro focusing.)
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 125 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-20
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Pros
- Consistent Output
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Portraits
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
I recently bought this lens to go with my new Pentax K-5. Coming from the Olympus system I was spoiled by the quality of my Oly 50mm. This lens does not dissapoint. Very fast autofocus, sharp, sharp images at f/4 onward but even decent at f/1.4 with very nice bokeh. The only negative (the reason for 4.5 instead of 5 stars) is the tendency for CA appearing around edges of sharply contrasting objects. This is typical of lenses originally designed for film cameras- something I was not aware of.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Details
- Indoors/Low Light
- Night Photography
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
I purchased the SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 lens to begin to explore depth of field and low light photography and have not been disappointed. As a beginner this lens is greatly expanding my knowledge by allowing me to quickly make and see the changes from adjusting iso, aperture and exposure and it has been fun adjusting the settings in Manual mode on my Pentax k-r.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Sports/Action
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
Good value for money. Very effectif in situations where there is not a lot of light.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Easily Interchangeable
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Macro Photography
- Night Photography
- Sports/Action
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
I'm a hobby photographer and I've been looking at this lens for a while... I finally bought it and I must say I'm impressed. It's great not only for low light, but also for some macro and portrait photography. One word of warning... If you have an APS-C sensor, this lens is about a 75mm equivalent, so the image will be a bit more zoomed in than you might expect. That being said, it's still an awesome lens.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
- Strong Construction
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Night Photography
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
I bought it mainly for the fact that I always have a thing for fast primes. Having recently bought a Pentax K-r, so I thought why not shop for a prime?
First of all B&H really has the best price on most things (even including Shipping to Austrlia), customer service is also top notch.
Now to the lens, to sum it up - get it before there's another price hike (the SMC FA 50mm 1.4 used to sell for $200), you won't be disappointed.
The sharpness in the center is good right from f1.4 to excellent when stopped down to f4-f8. It's contrasty, it really brings colours to life (some may complain that it is a little bit on the warm side but I find warm better than cold).
I cannot comment on the focal length, you either love it or you don't - it suits me perfect for indoor head and shoulder shots and most street photos where I want to isolate the subject.
Autofocus (used with the K-r) is good to excellent depending on the lighting condition, accuracy is as good as any other lens in the price range (this is dependent on the on the camera body of course).
Some say it's a shame that it doesn't come with a hood, I don't find that I need one, it resists flare extremely well.
Ok I wish the barrel was mostly metal - if it was I would have gladly paid another $150 for it. But the build quality is very good as it is though, I certainly don't have to babysit it.
To recap - get it!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Night Photography
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
Good overall use lens. Used extensively in travel for indoor/low-light situations (museums, etc...) Allows you to shoot most situations with ambient light at higher iso and gives a narrower FOV. Color rendering and resolution of this lens is incredible. General outdoor travel photography is great as well. Good color rendering and bokeh. No zoom, but most people shooting a DSLR will have a selection of lenses to choose from. I'm always amazed when I first look at shots taken with this lens. If you get a good copy, hold on to it!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
- Rugged
- Strong Construction
Cons
- No Hood
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Night Photography
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
Good image quality, speed of focusing above a middle. Has no hood therefore difficult to use for backlit scenes.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
I am just getting started using this lens, but so far I think it's great. The depth of field range is much better than my standard lens, and I can't wait to practice with some portraits!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
- None so far
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Night Photography
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
I'm a pretty good amateur photographer. I put the lens on my K10D when the lens arrived, and have only switched to other lenses a couple times. Great for shooting low light and very fast shots. Very sharp pictures. I'd recommend it to anyone.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
the best quality achievable at that price!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
I do happy with this product. Exelent qyality from Pentax [...]
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Macro Photography
- Night Photography
- Portraits
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
Beautiful bokeh with the 1.4 aperture, awesome for lowlight and portraits
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Night Photography
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
Although not really value for money, its probably only option for Pentax...nevertheless excellent optics and bokeh
- Was this a gift?:
- Yes
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
- Rugged
- Strong Construction
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Macro Photography
- Night Photography
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
I love this lens, I use it for both outdoor and indoor applications...It great for low light situations, and the bokeh is beautiful.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
This is the lens that is always on my Pentax K10D.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easily Interchangeable
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
- Slow Focus
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Landscape/Scenery
- Night Photography
- Video
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
This is my favourite lens. Sometimes it focusing not fast in darkness but give brilliant results if does :)
I've find some parametrs - distance to object, distanse to background - where this lens brings unbeliaveble photos.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
I've heard for years how awesome a 50mm lens is, how great being able to open up so wide is. I finally got to see for myself with this lens. To be able to shoot indoors after dark with just available light with no flash - it's great! Being able to achieve such a shallow depth of field is great for closeups. Images are crisp.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Durable
- Easily Interchangeable
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
- Strong Construction
Cons
- NONE
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Macro Photography
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
LOVE! Takes wonderful quality photos!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Fast / accurate auto-focus
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Night Photography
- Sports/Action
- Video
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
Use mostly to take indoor photos of my 1 year old daughter. She now walks around & moves a lot. This fast lens captures every moment. Wide open aperture allows me to not use a flash without problem in most indoor places, especially restaurants. Great bokeh makes everyone focuses on her beautiful innocent little face.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Consistent Output
- Easily Interchangeable
- Lightweight
- Nice Bokeh
Cons
Best Uses
- Indoors/Low Light
- Night Photography
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens:
This is a small lightweight lens that produces amazing images from my K10.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Displaying reviews 1-20
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Filters & Filter Kits
- Price: $20.85
- Price: $31.08
Hoods & Covers
- Price: $39.95
Cases & Wraps
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- Original: $9.95
- Save: $0.99
- Price: $8.96
What's in the Box
- 49mm Front Lens Cap
- Rear Lens Cap
- 1-Year Warranty
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