FA50/1.4
I took the plunge again to use the A7iii with Monster Adapter and the FA50/1.4 as my only AF lens (the other a MF Laowa 12/2.8) to a short cycling trip in Vietnam, to see how far I could get with it as my only lens.
Well... it could potentially screw me over with poor inaccurate AF, slow response or some other issue.
I found great joy shooting with the FA50/1.4 along the streets on Hoi An.
Be it the bustling local markets or the tourist spots of the old town.
Focusing is generally fast, especially with the new firmware update.
Whatever shots I missed, were missed opportunities due to slow realization of the chance to take a shot (which happens with any camera ).
What could be better might be that the shutter response upon button press can be a bit faster.
I seem to find that there is a slight lag.
However, I think that in most cases (As shown in the photos, it was still manageable )
A7306869 by
pinholecam02, on Flick
Shooting f1.4 and nailing it certainly shows off what this old 50mm is capable of.
The other thing is that the Pentax FA50/1.4 (as with many Pentax lenses) often strike that perfect balance in size, decent sharpness wide open and very good bokeh in more situations.
Flare can be an issue with the lack of baffling in the adapter.
Perhaps at this point, I think it might be biggest weakness of this adapter now that AF is much faster with the new firmware.