50mm f1.2
Hehe trying to show off? :bsmilie:
The money used to buy a 50mm f1.2 can get a da*55mm f1.4 ...
So far have not heard good things about the da* , only bad reviews ...:sweat:
Bokeh shots
- Thread starter joycegian
- Start date
Hehe trying to show off? :bsmilie:
The money used to buy a 50mm f1.2 can get a da*55mm f1.4 ...
So far have not heard good things about the da* , only bad reviews ...:sweat:
azul123
Senior Member
But seeing photo of your child in nice bokeh background is priceless.Price increase again.
Just got a ca from SLR that the stocks are in..
Now $546.
../azul123
detritus
Senior Member
not so much lah... can get good bargains on ebay once in awhile... i saw auctions close at ard 1/2 that amt before
creampuff
Senior Member
I think the consensus is the DA* 55mm f/1.4 is better optically than the FA 50mm f/1.4 especially at the wider apertures, so I'm not sure where you read about bad reviews. How much better is a question of degree and therefore open to subjective assessment. I believe the lens designer for the DA* 55mm was also responsible for the design of the FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited. It may be pricey but it is quite a special lens. Of course ultimate in narrow dof goes to any of the 50mm f/1.2 lenses. But trying to focus manually at f/1.2 can be a challenge even for stationary objects, what more if it is a moving subject.
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on the topic of bokeh shots, are there any general rules to follow that states how much dof is needed for any particular kind of shots? or is this mainly and mostly controlled by the photographer and his/her experience?
i understand that having bigger apertures (small f numbers) will lead to shallower dof effects, and most of the time when we take close up bokeh shots using a large aperture we're moving as near to the subject as possible, and the background as far back as possible. but if we need to take subjects that are not as close, using a big aperture will tend to soften and create unnecessary blurring of the subject.
are these knowledge all part of the photographer's experience and practice? :dunno:
i understand that having bigger apertures (small f numbers) will lead to shallower dof effects, and most of the time when we take close up bokeh shots using a large aperture we're moving as near to the subject as possible, and the background as far back as possible. but if we need to take subjects that are not as close, using a big aperture will tend to soften and create unnecessary blurring of the subject.
are these knowledge all part of the photographer's experience and practice? :dunno:
evolutioner
New Member
yup.. read about good reviews on it..DA40mm is a nice lens.. It's a pancake lens which is small! Putting on K-x or K-7, it is so nice. looking.Very good build. The 40mm focal length is nice for indoors. (Not good for groups photos if you are in a small area.).
http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/...sion/101470-da-pancake-most-popular-lens.html
Here is a link on it, some pictures of people using it is in there also.
But a FA50 and DA40, has different F-stops, F1.4 to a F2.8 respectively. You will surely start to think of the F1.4 :devil: especially when you are taking indoors. DA40 may struggle under low light situations but if you don't mind using a flash. It helps u out on that.
and thanks for the link..
i think i might juz get it over the FA50 due to the ever increasing price and of coz it's a da limited..
for low light juz pump up some ISO, after all, thats the strength of k-x
oh well.. hopefully some1 will be dumping FA50 by the time i get back..
maybe can get both~~
to k4rsh:
its really about what you want to portray and focus on. i love shallow dof.. and there are ways to achieve it when the subject isnt very close. one of the better ways is to use a longer focal length. the longer the lens, the shallower the DOF for a set aperture.
here's one taken with 135mm f/2.0 at 2.0. d200, also streetlighting.
can see that its sharp enough, but the bg melts away nicely. so you ve gotta noe what your lens can do and what u want to achieve. but i find that for something so far, you got to use longer FLs. even the 50 1.2 doesnt really cut it.
also, as for the sharpness issue, if u focus well, usually its sharp enough. but not sure about consumer zooms.. hope it helps =)
its really about what you want to portray and focus on. i love shallow dof.. and there are ways to achieve it when the subject isnt very close. one of the better ways is to use a longer focal length. the longer the lens, the shallower the DOF for a set aperture.
here's one taken with 135mm f/2.0 at 2.0. d200, also streetlighting.
can see that its sharp enough, but the bg melts away nicely. so you ve gotta noe what your lens can do and what u want to achieve. but i find that for something so far, you got to use longer FLs. even the 50 1.2 doesnt really cut it.
also, as for the sharpness issue, if u focus well, usually its sharp enough. but not sure about consumer zooms.. hope it helps =)
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Normally focusing closer to the subject with a distant background will be more effective in getting the oof areas
A pic with smc k 50mm f1.4 which is quite fugusted ...:sweat:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1796496&l=e019e1505c&id=1240539318
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1796496&l=e019e1505c&id=1240539318
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Normally focusing closer to the subject with a distant background will be more effective in getting the oof areas
Hi Ben (that's a really nice picture btw!) and Recoiled, thanks for the pointers, they were very helpful. Guess it's a matter of understanding your equipment, which calls for practice, practice and more practice ! :bsmilie:
Well..guess people got put off by the price tag and hence the bad review...:dunno:
DA*55mm f/1.4
scorpioh
Senior Member
oops. Ha. Yeah, paiseh - it's a lens with bragging rights though its just really marginally faster than the f1.4. :sweat:
Manual is really when you can take things slow and yeah, its not quite for moving objects like children.
One last point to add, the built of these manual lenses (the A50 in my case) is really impeccable, a notch higher than even the FA limiteds! When you hold them, its sad to think that lenses are no longer built this way (excepts except for a Zeiss or Leica :dunno
scorpioh
Senior Member
No harm meant but have you ever felt that the bokeh is kind of edgy/busy?50mm f/1.2 @ 1.2 with nikon FA, ilford hp5 iso 400, at night with only street light.
=)
af2373
New Member
TS, may i borrow your thread....thanks....
i am also leaning towards a 50mm f1.4 to be my first prime lense cos it's fast and i love the bokeh. the thing which is holding me back is that i feel that 50mm is a bit tight for me to work on when i use the 50-200mm. is it due to the fact tat i am currently used to the zoom kit lens...thus i tend to compose pics by zooming the lenses rather than zoom on my legs? :dunno: :dunno: or my shooting habits does not suit a 50mm? would something like a 43mm or perhaps 40mm be easier to work on?
am i alone in this thought.....
i am also leaning towards a 50mm f1.4 to be my first prime lense cos it's fast and i love the bokeh. the thing which is holding me back is that i feel that 50mm is a bit tight for me to work on when i use the 50-200mm. is it due to the fact tat i am currently used to the zoom kit lens...thus i tend to compose pics by zooming the lenses rather than zoom on my legs? :dunno: :dunno: or my shooting habits does not suit a 50mm? would something like a 43mm or perhaps 40mm be easier to work on?
am i alone in this thought.....
oops. Ha. Yeah, paiseh - it's a lens with bragging rights though its just really marginally faster than the f1.4. :sweat:
Manual is really when you can take things slow and yeah, its not quite for moving objects like children.
One last point to add, the built of these manual lenses (the A50 in my case) is really impeccable, a notch higher than even the FA limiteds! When you hold them, its sad to think that lenses are no longer built this way (excepts except for a Zeiss or Leica :dunno
A50 f1.2 are still in production... so its still built this way... :bsmilie:
Brianskivvy
New Member
TS, may i borrow your thread....thanks....
i am also leaning towards a 50mm f1.4 to be my first prime lense cos it's fast and i love the bokeh. the thing which is holding me back is that i feel that 50mm is a bit tight for me to work on when i use the 50-200mm. is it due to the fact tat i am currently used to the zoom kit lens...thus i tend to compose pics by zooming the lenses rather than zoom on my legs? :dunno: :dunno: or my shooting habits does not suit a 50mm? would something like a 43mm or perhaps 40mm be easier to work on?
am i alone in this thought.....
You are not alone... I bought a M 50mm when i just got my kx and i find it too narrow especially when you are using it indoors and sometimes there is really no way to step back when the space is too tight.
This is the main reason why I bought the DA35 instead and although it's a slow lens @ f2.8, i am able to pump up the iso w/o degrading the IQ too much if I am using it indoors. I find the combination of the DA35 or the DA40 with the kx is really a match made in heaven due to the high-iso capability of the kx.
Maybe this is because I could not afford the FA31 ;p
creampuff
Senior Member
By Vietnamese hands no less... :angel:
TS, may i borrow your thread....thanks....
i am also leaning towards a 50mm f1.4 to be my first prime lense cos it's fast and i love the bokeh. the thing which is holding me back is that i feel that 50mm is a bit tight for me to work on when i use the 50-200mm. is it due to the fact tat i am currently used to the zoom kit lens...thus i tend to compose pics by zooming the lenses rather than zoom on my legs? :dunno: :dunno: or my shooting habits does not suit a 50mm? would something like a 43mm or perhaps 40mm be easier to work on?
am i alone in this thought.....
40 and 43 not much diff from 50 in terms of FOV... maybe just half a step... it takes time to adjust to shooting prime lens... depends on usage, if 50mm is too tight then use something wider... after some time, u dun wait to change lens until u find it too tight, u will change lens in advance before u find it too tight...
scorpioh
Senior Member
Talking about the FA31, it really, from my personal experience so far, does not give a shallow enough dof, especially for indoor portraits/events kind of shot unless you are really going very close to your subject. a >135mm would easily fabricate sufficient bokeh, even at >=f3.5.
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