Twin Pentax 50mm F/1.4 Primes Launched

2023.05.16

Ricoh added two new 50mm prime lenses for K-mount with Full-Frame coverage and a bright F/1.4 maximum aperture during the same launch. The new Pentax HD FA 50mm F/1.4 is modern version of a well-established design from 1991. This version uses state-of-the-art coatings and fully corrected optical elements.

Build upon the same optical design, the new Pentax FA 50mm F/1.4 Classic changes its lens coating to leave out some corrections in order to produce a more nostalgic look. This is flawed-by-design approach taken by a few niche lens manufacturers but not adapted my major lens companies until now.

Besides this slight optical variations, the Pentax HD FA 50mm F/1.4 and Pentax FA 50mm F/1.4 Classic share identical key specifications:

• Fixed 50mm focal-range, giving a 47° field-of-view when mounted on a Full-Frame camera.
• Bright F/1.4 maximum aperture for razor-thin depth-of-field.
• Minimum focus-distance of 45cm for 0.15X magnification.
• Weatherproof and freezeproof down to -10C.
• Water ad grease-repellent lens coating.
• Standard 49mm filter-thread.
• Dedicated aperture-ring.
• Internal focus mechanism driven by external focus motor.

These nearly identical lenses are expected during the second half of June for $380 USD and $350 USD, with the HD version being the more expensive of the two but certainly worth the price difference.

• Lens