Pentax f lenses. Pentax 50mm F1.7 SMC Pentax-F Lens
Pentax 50mm F1.7 SMC Pentax-F. Lens
Fast and sharp autofocusing normal focal length lens for Pentax K-mount.
- Optical design: 6 elements in 5 groups
- Closest focusing distance: 0.45m
- 6 diaphtagm blades
- Weight: 205g
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Features / Specifications
Distinctive imaging characteristics Through intentional fine-tuning of the lens design, this lens has been designed to produce a unique visual effect commonly known as rainbow flare when an image is captured at open aperture and against strong backlight. It lets the photographer change the position and size of the rainbow flare by shifting the relative position of the subject and light source, creating this unique visual expression not available with the latest lenses. By closing the aperture down to F4 or smaller, the photographer can also capture sharper, crisper images with minimal flare and ghost images.
It may be difficult to create rainbow flare when the lens is mounted on an APS-C-format digital SLR camera, because the camera’s image sensor is designed to use only the central area of the image circle.
During shooting, the user is advised to mount a Neutral Density (ND) filter (included as a standard accessory), or a commercial ND filter designed to reduce light transmittance in the lens to less than a 1/16 level, on the lens. When observing an image through the camera’s optical viewfinder, the user is advised to avoid looking directly at strong light sources.
Simulated ghost images in backlight
The lens coating on each optical element of the smc PENTAX-FA 50mm F1.4 Classic has been fine-tuned to minimize the generation of unwanted ghost images, while retaining those that are essential in producing its distinctive rendition.
These images are at open aperture, and are simulated using the exclusive software.
Water- and grease-repellent SP (Super Protect) Coating has been applied to the front surface of the lens, making it easier for the user to wipe off water or stains.
Distinctive image rendition
Thanks to its large F1.4 open aperture, this lens captures images with a very shallow depth of field. Its eight-blade diaphragm control mechanism produces a soft, natural bokeh (defocus) effect from open aperture to F2.8, and also minimizes the streaking effect of point light sources.
Nostalgic design
This lens retains the exterior design of its base model — the smc PENTAX-FA50mm F1.4 — and features a black matte finish and a matte-black FOCUS ring. It has no green ring — the symbolic design of recent PENTAX-brand lenses — to recreate the nostalgic appearance of interchangeable lenses designed for PENTAX Z-series film-format cameras.
Compatibility with older cameras
Thanks to the aperture ring installed on the lens body, and the coupling mechanism with the camera’s motor-driven, in-body AF system, this lens is designed to be fully compatible with older K-mount digital SLR cameras and film-format AF SLR cameras, allowing the photographer to retain all camera functions of these models.
[MTF Chart]
Geometric optics MTF (MTF calculated without referencing the effects of light diffraction phenomenon)
F4
F8
Wave optical MTF (MTF calculated referencing the effects of light diffraction phenomenon)
Since it is impossible to avoid light diffraction phenomenon on the actual lens, wave optical MTF is more realistic. However, geometric MTF is appropriate if you want to compare only the effects of geometric aberration correction on MTF.
Compatible Converters
A1.4X-S, A2X-S, HD PENTAX-DA AF REAR CONVERTER 1.4x AW
The maximum aperture is set at F2.4 When mounted on K-1 series, the image size is automatically cropped to the APS-C size. Please apply the latest updater of Digital Camera Utility 5 when you handle images taken by this lens on Digital Camera Utility 5. In case the software version is old, the name of this lens can not be displayed correctly. Digital Utility 4 and below can not display the name of this lens correctly.
The 5 Most Revolutionary Advances in Photography
The art of photography has been shaped by some incredible technical trends over the last few decades, and it seems like the pace of change is ever-accelerating. In this article, I wanted to take a look back at some of the biggest advances and game-changers in modern photography.
Film to Digital Transition
Arguably the single biggest change in photography since the invention of photography was the shift from film to digital. This transition saw the fall of massive, household names like Kodak, and the rise of new companies and industries. There are countless interesting stories from the early days of this transition, including the fact that Kodak actually developed the first digital camera, but executives didn’t see how it would be important. No one is thinking that now.
Part of the importance of this shift is that digital photography has drastically changed the way that new photographers learned the techniques and secrets of photography. Being able to shoot and instantly see the results, even on the shockingly poor rear LCDs of the time, made it possible to practice and get immediate feedback on your techniques. It also reduced the cost-per-photo to effectively zero. I know how many photos I took as an early digital photographer that I instantly deleted – this would have been a very expensive method of learning on film!
A related shift is that digital post-production techniques gave rise to entirely new types of photos that would have been exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to capture on film. Even amateur photographers can do things like FOCUS stacking, Milky Way image blending, and HDR photography in just a few minutes of effort today. It has radically changed the types of subjects that are easy to photograph, or even possible to photograph at all.
Moving to digital also changed the game in the way that images are displayed. Among consumers, physical prints are now a rare way to see photos. Most images now live entirely online, whether in social media posts or simply on your home computer. This particular development is probably bad for the art of photography, but even so, it’s been a major consequence of the film-to-digital transition. That really was the seismic event in photographic history.
Sensor Technology Developments
Despite how revolutionary digital imaging was, the actual results weren’t so amazing at first. Early digital cameras, while offering a number of conveniences, lagged their celluloid cousins in image quality. For example, Nikon’s D1, which was heralded as a major milestone in digital camera development, only had a 2.7MP, APS-C sensor. No wonder Koda’s executives dismissed digital at first!
It would be a long process before digital caught up to film across various metrics: resolution, dynamic range, sensitivity, color, and even sensor size. These days, however, there’s little argument to be made for the superiority of film over digital, other than rare cases of using complex large format film. Modern digital cameras can do multi-shot panoramas for hundreds of megapixels of resolution, 50MP bursts at 30fps, ramp the ISO to 32,000 or greater, and produce 14 stops of dynamic range – far, far better than any 35mm film camera ever made.
Even with all those capabilities, the march of technology continues. Newer sensors will inevitably feature higher resolution and better performance, and the last few weaknesses of digital capture devices will soon being addressed with upcoming tech like global shutters.
Looking back, it’s tough to identify any singular camera sensor that revolutionized things. Instead, the continual progress moved on, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. In my mind, the Nikon D3 was a significant advancement, with the amazing low light capability and Nikon’s first full-frame sensor, although that may be a bit of brand bias. I have similar warm feelings towards the Nikon D800, with the impressive resolution of 36MP paired with excellent dynamic range, starting a trend that has continued to this day.
Vibration Reduction/Image Stabilization
Image stabilization is another area where continual improvements have added up to some really transformative technologies. Early VR/IS lenses were already useful – Canon’s early implementation offered 2 stops of benefit – but nothing like what we see today. Subsequent developments gradually increased the benefits of image stabilization, and today, the best methods (which leverage both in-lens and sensor-based stabilization) now yield up to 8 stops of reduction.
Image stabilization isn’t perfect, since it doesn’t cancel out subject motion, and even now isn’t available across all bodies or lenses. When it’s available, however, it really broadens the types of subjects that can be photographed handheld. One of my first outings with my Nikon Z7 was on a walk through a botanical garden after dark, photographing some new lighting installations they had. Using a tripod wasn’t feasible, and the dim light levels meant I was stretching my exposures even with a f/1.4 lens. However, I was amazed by just how sharp the images were, with exposures of 1 second and even longer. That was a moment when I felt the gradual revolution in stabilization tech had really left a mark.
Image stabilization also is just nice to use when shooting with telephoto lenses. With VR on, there’s no jumpy viewfinder waving around with your movement, but instead a calm floating view of your subject. Sport/wildlife photography has probably undergone more changes and improvements than any other genre over the last few decades, and stabilization is part of that. Imagine photographing a distant bird with low-sensitivity 35mm film and a non-stabilized, perhaps even manual FOCUS, lens. We are definitely spoiled these days!
Vibration reduction tech earned a spot in this article because it combines everything good about technology: an interesting technical implementation, concrete benefits, and a great development arc over time.
Computer-Aided Lens Designs
The change in how lenses are developed is really two advancements in one. The first is the shift to computer-aided lens design, which allowed for more complex optical formulas and faster development. That story has been going on for at least 30 years, yielding sharper lenses that cover a wider range at a lower cost. It’s also another story of continual, gradual improvements yielding a better product. A clear example of this is to look at the state-of-the-art for wide angle lenses.
In 1976, Nikon introduced the 13mm f/5.6. This lens leveraged all the latest technology: multilayer coatings, close FOCUS correction, and a massive 115mm element. It was unique and wildly expensive, and it has remained so, with samples even today going for tens of thousands of dollars.
In recent years, if you wanted to go ultra-wide, you no longer needed a mortgage. Instead, well-behaved 12mm and 14mm lenses became available for a few hundred dollars. Then, things got wider and wider, with Laowa’s 9mm f/5.6 now holding the “widest rectilinear” crown, all for about 600. The developments even expanded to the addition of zooms and faster apertures, showing up in lenses like Canon’s 11-24mm, Sony’s 12-24mm f/2.8, and the 14mm f/1.4 Sigma recently released. Almost all of these lenses would compare very favorably against that 13mm f/5.6 Nikon lens head-to-head, yet they are a tiny fraction of the cost (and size).
It’s clear that lens design and manufacturing has drastically changed what’s possible, and at what price. That, in turn, has made it possible for more photographers to capture a broader range of subjects and really implement their creativity to the fullest. Of course, these developments not limited to just ultra-wide lenses. Across the lineup, there are faster apertures, broader zoom ranges, and new combinations of specs that just weren’t possible before.
The other aspect of this development is the increased reliance on the nature of digital photography to correct for lens deficiencies. While this hasn’t been formally announced as a policy, it’s become apparent that more lens designs are leaning into the trade-offs that digital imaging has made possible. Consider distortion, for example: this optical flaw was almost impossible to correct on film, so low-distortion lenses were highly coveted. For digital, it’s not a problem at all. If a lens design has heavy distortion uncorrected, like Sony’s 20-70mm, it’s still a feasible lens design thanks to how easily distortion can be corrected in post.
This reliance on digital corrections isn’t without sacrifices. Heavy distortion correction can lead to stretched/unsharp corners, and vignetting correction can reveal some noise in the corners. But it affords lens designers much more flexibility anyway. They can FOCUS on things like sharpness, maximum aperture, and focal length with more flexibility than they could before. Gone are some of the traditional constraints on what optical flaws are “permanent” parts of a photo. I’d consider that revolutionary in its own right.
Machine-Learning and Artificial Intelligence
All these previous advancements are retrospective. Although most of them are still shaping the art of photography, their impact is already made clear. This next one is a bit more forward-looking: the potential of machine learning and artificial intelligence on photography.
Like some of the previous examples I gave, this advancement has some positive and some negative effects. On the positive side, the potential of machine-learning tools was apparent to me when I first used Generative Fill – the tech felt completely transformative. Even if you’re just using it as a glorified cloning tool, the results are incredible. Along similar lines are the better noise reduction, sharpening, and upsampling tools that we’ve seen in recent years.
Things change a bit when you consider the possibilities of more drastic applications of the new technology. Adding entirely new elements to a scene is easier than ever, and there’s starting to be a radical realignment around just what constitutes a photo versus digital art.
The results are already being felt – Spencer recently discussed how a real, AI-free photo being disqualified from a competition because it “felt” like artificial intelligence to the judges. It’s unclear how all these new developments are going to affect photography as an art, as an industry, and as a hobby, but it is clear that photography may look wildly different 10 years from now as a result. Maybe it will, ironically, have the effect of returning people to film or older digital cameras – or give physical prints a bit of a resurgence – because they feel more “real.” And then the cycle begins again.
Do you think I missed any big advancements? If you were around for the film-to-digital transition, what did it look like for you? Let me know in the Комментарии и мнения владельцев below!
The Fujifilm X-T1 and Olympus Half-Frame Lenses Make the Ultimate Digital Film System
https://i0.wp.com/casualphotophile.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/mirrorless-and-film-kit-01.jpg?fit=2200%2C1237ssl=1 2200 1237 Josh Solomon Josh Solomon https://i0.wp.com/casualphotophile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/kodak-ektachrome-samples-josh-9-of-9.jpg?fit=96%2C64ssl=1 July 20, 2023 July 20, 2023
I wasn’t expecting much when I bought a friend’s old and worn Fujifilm X-T1. I only needed a stand-in digital camera to replace my recently stolen Sony A7, and wanted to see how well one of Fuji’s first tries at the faux-film camera digital camera design had turned out. I was skeptical, considering my lingering distrust of the practice (see: the Nikon Df) and general dissatisfaction and disillusion with digital imitations of film.
Circumstances, however, made pulling the trigger on this relatively old digital camera a little more interesting. I recently acquired a small system of half-frame lenses for my Olympus Pen FT which, in theory, could adapt well to the similarly-sized APS-C sensor size of the Fuji X-T1. And seeing as the X-T1’s price dropped considerably since its release in 2014, I thought that it could (in theory) combine with the already economical half-frame Pen FT to provide a perfect solution for the constantly rising cost of shooting film, without sacrificing anything of the analog-based processes that I love.
Before long the humble, workmanlike Fuji X-T1 quickly became the centerpiece of my photographic world. It accomplished something very rare among digital cameras – it provided a real analogue (no pun intended) to the process and workflow of shooting film, and even provided a meaningful lineage and continuation from the classic camera designs I love.
And perhaps most important to film shooters in our inflation-riddled, price-gouged future of 2023, I’ve discovered that the combination of Fujifilm X-T1 and Olympus Pen FT is perhaps the most economical film/digital setup out there.
Why the Fuji X-T1?
For devoted film shooters like myself, the arrival of the Fuji X-T series (as well as Fuji’s entire line of digital cameras) was a godsend. Finally, there was a practical alternative to the cynical devotion to the same old function-over-form black blob DSLR/Mirrorless design of the Nikon D-series, Canon EOS series, and Sony A-series cameras of the day, laden with multi-purpose sponge buttons and bottomless menus. Here was something that felt like it had a lineage to the manual FOCUS cameras we loved, without it feeling like it was pandering to the people who loved them. The Fuji X-T series was (and still is) the answer we’d been seeking.
From the jump, Fuji X-T1’s design reminded me of (and bore an uncanny resemblance to) two of my very favorite SLRs; the Nikon F3 and Nikon EM. The camera fit in the hand as easily as the compact EM and shares much the same dimensions, and the control layout almost nearly mimics that of the F3. The angular design punctuated by small ergonomic finger rests is straight out of the F3’s playbook as well, and also recalls cameras like the Pentax LX, Olympus OM-4, Canon A-1 and F-1, Minolta XD and Leica R4. As somebody who has an affinity for this specific era of SLR design, the X-T1 feels like a true spiritual successor.
Where the X-T1 starts to separate itself from other retro-chic cameras is in the purpose of its execution. It doesn’t overdo or rely on its reference points, nor does it make the reference The Point. Yes, the control layout features a big ol’ shutter speed dial, an ISO dial, switches on the front, and an on/off switch integrated into the shutter button surround, just like the F3, but it doesn’t present itself as a hodgepodge pastiche marketing exercise. The presence of these tactile dials, levers, and buttons do recall a simpler time and have some retro-chic appeal, but they primarily streamline and make simple the myriad options and controls available for digital cameras.
The design and layout of these macro-controls is so effective that there’s almost no need to menu dive; all angles of the exposure triangle are available in a simple physical form. Its analog-inspired aesthetic doesn’t just simply act as a dog whistle for the film geeks among us (remember when Leica made a digital M with a fake film advance lever?); it actually forms the bedrock of its utility, which may be Fujifilm’s greatest design achievement to date.
The camera’s user interface also happens to recreate the manual film camera experience so well that it feels tailor-made for the use of legacy lenses. Though the X-T1 was praised early on for the quality and speed of its auto-FOCUS, its user interface seems meant for an old manual FOCUS lens. Adjusting aperture and shutter speed feels exactly as it does on manual FOCUS cameras, and even the focusing aids feature a fun black and white digital rangefinder which mimics the split-image rangefinders of yore. The resemblance is a little uncanny, but oddly comforting, and I actually prefer it to the FOCUS-peaking mode, and massively prefer it to the dinky glass viewfinder with no focusing aids found on most DSLRs.
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My experience with the X-T1 and Legacy Lenses
Despite some initial hesitation, the X-T1 proved itself a real digital alternative to my favorite-ever cameras, and a platonic digital ideal for the film and manual-FOCUS obsessed. With the X-T1, Fuji successfully recreated the very process of shooting my favorite cameras without ever resorting to cheap nostalgia, something I previously thought was impossible.
Revelatory though the X-T1 has been for me, there was one huge caveat that came with it and nearly all of Fuji’s cameras that initially prevented me from using them in the first place – the APS-C crop sensor. Debates about sensor size and image quality versus full-frame sensors aside, APS-C sensors still crop the crap out of the 35mm legacy lenses I love. Speedboosters purport to solve this problem (and they do, to some extent), but I don’t love the idea of throwing more glass elements at the cropping problem, nor do I love the idea of spending 700 USD for the privilege. No matter how good, the crop sensor of the Fuji X-T series really holds back raw, native adaptability between it and the full frame legacy lens systems many film shooters build their photographic lives around.
It’s this very issue which makes the Olympus half-frame lenses such a simple solution on the APS-C sized Fuji X-T1. While the Olympus half frame is still very slightly bigger than APS-C, it is the closest one can get to a native vintage legacy lens specification for the Fuji X-T series.
When used in tandem, the Fuji X-T1 and Olympus Pen FT lens system operate as one of the most elegant film/digital systems in photography, and the ideal combination for those unwilling to compromise on the film shooter’s workflow. The entire system (both bodies plus three lenses) is small and portable enough to fit in just a small bag, and one can switch from the Fuji X-T1 to the Pen FT in a couple of seconds. If it’s the real film experience one wants, the Olympus Pen FT offers one of the genre’s finest shooting experiences, and if it’s flexibility and versatility one wants, the Fuji X-T1 is there to grab everything else.
But aside from lens compatibility, there’s one thing which puts this entire system above the others – the Fuji X-T1’s film emulation. Despite being from the olden days of 2014, these film emulations still do a stellar job of approximating some of Fuji’s classic films. Fuji Pro 400H, Provia, Velvia, Acros, and even freakin’ Fuji Astia are represented in these film profiles, which can be applied both in-camera through JPEG processing, and in post-processing image editing software like Lightroom and Darktable. As somebody who doesn’t like the endless post-processing required to get RAW digital photos to look less flat, both the instant in-camera processing and the simplicity of applying a tailor-made film profile in post is extremely appealing, and even closer to the set-it-and-forget-it analog workflow.
It should also be noted that the age of these emulations has also given rise to third party improvements upon them, namely the so-called “film recipes” for different Fuji sensors. These recipes provide different in-camera JPEG processing settings for emulations of specific films, ranging from the now-extinct Kodachrome to the hyped and consistently sold-out Cinestill 800T. Whatever lingering qualms one might have about the age and quality of the built-in film profiles and sensor can be soothed by these new user-made film recipes. If it isn’t ever enough, a real film camera is only a lens swap away, and the RAW files will still be there anyway for your editing pleasure.
This brings me to my final, and perhaps most timely, point – the system could very well be one of the best solutions to the problem of rising film costs. The older Fuji X-T1 can still be had for less than 500 USD new and less than 400 on the used market, and provides quite literally an unlimited number of exposures in every different variety, while the half-frame Pen FT automatically doubles the amount of exposures possible on a single roll of 35mm film, thereby halving processing costs. Shooting without financial pressure or worry is valuable for any and every shooter, and helps us enjoy and explore the art form we love more freely.
But what’s truly special about this Fuji X-T1-based system is that it accomplishes everything in a way that’s familiar to film shooters. The Fujifilm X-T1 itself is a wonderful and actually functional tribute to every classic film SLR I love, while the Olympus Pen FT provides me one of the best real film shooting experiences out there without blasting a hole in my wallet every time I finish a roll of film. And after years and years of shooting film nearly exclusively, being disappointed with the design philosophies of the digital world, and being priced out of consistently shooting film year after year, I couldn’t ask for a simpler, more elegant solution.
