Pentax Da 50mm f/1.8. Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 ii. key spec. key spec. 80 / LOWeST PRICe / CANON.CO.uk 116/ ShARP AT f/1.8 / PeNTAx.CO.

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3 Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 ii Pentax Da 50mm f/ / LOWeST PRICe / CANON.CO.uk 116/ ShARP AT f/1.8 / PeNTAx.CO.uk anon s budget 50mm is the least c expensive f/1.8 lens on the market, and has earned something of a cult status for its legendary value for money. This version of the nifty fifty first hit the shelves back in 1991, making it one of Canon s longest serving and most successful EF lenses. With an all-plastic body and mount, and no rubberised coating on the barrel, this lens doesn t have anything like the premium feel of some of the other lenses in test. This basic build quality also extends to the inner mechanics of the lens, which has a focus ring that moves during AF, and no MF control in AF mode. The lens also has only five aperture blades, which means the bokeh (aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas) is not considered as attractive on account of the highlights appearing pentagonal rather than near-circular. The Canon has only six elements which, along with the Pentax 50mm, is the fewest in test. This helps keep it small and light (it s less than 6x the Sigma s weight), though it has less control over correcting optical aberrations. The lens has Super Spectra coating to help reduce ghosting and flare in bright conditions. When tested against our lens charts, I found the image quality was slightly less sharp at wider apertures than the other lenses in test, though equally as sharp at mid-range apertures like f/8. There is very little visible chromatic aberration at any aperture. key spec Largest aperture: f/1.8 Smallest aperture: f/22 Minimum focus distance: 0.45m Angle-of-view (APS-C): 30 Aperture blades: 5 Filter size: 52mm Lens hood included: No Fits: All Canon DSLRs Length: 41mm Weight (inc. cap): 130g his ultra compact prime lens t is one of two 50mm options in the Pentax range. The other has a larger maximum aperture of f/1.4 but is more than double the cost, so if you re looking for a budget option the f/1.8 is probably for you. Pentax also manufactures a 43mm f/1.9 pancake lens, though this is not quite such a suitable focal length for portraits. The build quality of the 50mm f/1.8 has a slightly economy feel to it, with an all-plastic lens barrel and mount, and no rubberised grip on the focus ring. This leaves the lens more vulnerable to dust, water and impact damage than a lens with a metal barrel and more durable construction. So if you put your kit through a lot of punishment, a lens like the all-metal Sigma 50mm f/1.4 might be a better choice. The Pentax 50mm f/1.8 doesn t have a focusing motor built-in, as on Pentax bodies it s inside the camera. So focusing noise depends on the body you re using the lens with, but on the K-500 using AF is loud and slow. The lens has seven slightly rounded diaphragm blades for pleasing bokeh with fairly circular out-of-focus highlights. Image quality at wider apertures is generally good, with minimal chromatic aberration, though the lens has some blooming issues where highlights appear to bleed into shadows. Corner sharpness is quite impressive across the whole aperture range. key spec Largest aperture: f/1.8 Smallest aperture: f/22 Minimum focus distance: 0.45m Angle-of-view (APS-C): 31.5 Aperture blades: 7 Filter size: 52mm Lens hood included: No Fits: All Pentax DSLRs Length: 38.5mm Weight (inc. cap): 122g the verdict This tried and tested prime lens ofers incredible value for money, enabling Canon users to shoot professional-looking portraits on a shoestring. Optically, it s not the best at f/1.8 but image quality is excellent around f/8. the verdict With a price-tag of just 116 the Pentax 50mm f/1.8 is a good value portrait lens with impressive image quality. In terms of corner sharpness at f/1.8 it s second only to the Sigma, though there are some optical issues wide-open. Features Build quality image quality value Overall Features Build quality image quality value Overall 114 practical photography

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