Konica 50mm/2.0 or Pentax 43mm 1.9?

raid

Dad Photographer
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For similar cost, is one lens clearly better than the other lens?

I have once borrowed a Pentax Limited 43mm 1.9 LTM, and I found the lens very well built and also with great optics. I have never tried a Konica lens though.
 
Raid, they are both great lenses. I think I'd give the Hexanon an edge overall. A lot of folks on RFF hold it in very high regard, for good reason. But I love the Pentax and would be loath to part with it.
 
Well, the 43mm lens may be smaller in size than the 50mm lens. Both seem to be excellent. The 43mm lens may be more "rare" than the Hexanon, but I may be wrong here. The 43mm lens may have a more vintage rendering than the Hexanon? Am I right here?
 
WHile I dont have 43mm lens - I have seen several pics of it and read a few reports - it's not very small, and may as well be same size if not larger than Hexanon. Deffinately larger than 40mm rokkor and nokton, I believe. It is rare - limited production numbers. Again, from some reviews - I and pics I have seen - I would and did go with Hex. But thats personal preference and may be way different from others. 😉
 
I think the LTM 43 Limited is quite unique--read somewhere that it came about as a result of an Pentax engineer's personal project. On the K-Mount, the 43mm Limited seems to be much loved as well.
 
Hi, having never seen any results from the Pentax, I doubt it could improve on the M-Hexanon, which is a killer lens. Still can be had for under USD 500, unbelievable build and optical quality, will last you a lifetime. Talk about value for money, this is it.

Anyone have any Pentax shots? Would love to see some here.
 
Johan,

I should have some for you in a few weeks. I just purchased the pentax, which is what started this whole thing off 😛

Optically, it is the same as the pentax mount version. So you could just check flickr. There are very few photos there from the L mount version.
 
Hi, having never seen any results from the Pentax, I doubt it could improve on the M-Hexanon, which is a killer lens. Still can be had for under USD 500, unbelievable build and optical quality, will last you a lifetime. Talk about value for money, this is it.

Anyone have any Pentax shots? Would love to see some here.

Hi Johan,
I once compared the Pentax 43mm to the Summicron-C 40mm, and both did extremely well in the matched lens comparisons.

The Hexanon is an M lens whereas the Pentax is a LTM lens with a 43/50 finder of first quality. The finder would be "for free".
 
The SLR version is absolutely marvelous, surpassed only in my experience by the Pentax-FA 31mm f/1.8, which would be a monster on a rangefinder! The SLR version of the 43 is very small, the RF larger, I assume because it was designed for a longer focal length [edit: DISTANCE TO FILM PLANE, DUH! That was a mental hiccup, sorry!]. I haven't used the LTM version but here are a few pics from the SLR one.

3425406948_58f24eb38d_o.jpg


3425406522_5740edd9ef_o.jpg

(that's motion blur, not softness--it's very sharp)

3424597959_fbcc5861a1_o.jpg
 
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mabelsound-

From what I read, the reason that the L mount version is larger has to do with the distance to the film plane.

The optical formulas of the lenses are the same. SLRs have a mirror box, and the L mount version of the lens had to be elongated to cover the same distance as the photo would travel if the lens were mounted on a SLR.

I hope that made sense. I dont think I phrased that too well.
 
Love those shots Mabelsound, especially the last one.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm a profiling genius and I'd say it's mainly musical music on the cassette player, and a single female lives there, judging from the dog-toiletbrush holder and the shower curtain.

Well? Well? How close was I?

@David: Like to see those shots in a few weeks, wondering about contrast in color shots!
 
I typically adjust my tone curve in post, which affects contrast. I develop in diafine btw.

But I can provide you with some unedited scans (V500) of negatives if you want once I get the lens and have shot a roll with it. In the scanner I only lock exposure in vuescan and adjust my black and white points.
 
From what I read, the reason that the L mount version is larger has to do with the distance to the film plane.

DUH, yes, I know the difference! I was thinking distance to film plane and "focal length" popped out. You're right of course! I edited my post.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm a profiling genius and I'd say it's mainly musical music on the cassette player, and a single female lives there, judging from the dog-toiletbrush holder and the shower curtain.

Well? Well? How close was I?

Nope! It's the bathroom of my friends Pete and Mel's old place. He's a recording engineer and musician, and she is an artist. Great people. Those are his guitars in the other picture, which is of their guest room. I took a ton of pics in their house--there is something interesting everywhere you look. The portrait is of my pal Joel and his daughter, sitting in a bookstore.
 
...Nope! It's the bathroom of my friends Pete and Mel's old place. He's a recording engineer and musician, and she is an artist. Great people. Those are his guitars in the other picture, which is of their guest room. I took a ton of pics in their house--there is something interesting everywhere you look. The portrait is of my pal Joel and his daughter, sitting in a bookstore.

Again missed it by a mile😀, but I still like the shot!
 
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