A look at the SMC Pentax 50mm 1:1.4 prime, the initial iteration of the 'PK-mount' system lenses produced for Pentax 35mm SLR film cameras.
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The SMC Pentax 50mm 1:1.4, an iteration from the first generation of Pentax K-mount lenses, was introduced by Pentax with the launch of Pentax K-series 35mm SLR film cameras (Pentax K2, K2 DMD, KX, KM, K1000) in 1975. The lens, in production till 1977, is an all metal and glass 7 elements in 6 groups (with SMC coating) with 8-blade diaphragm, an aperture range (with no A setting) from f1.4 to f22, has a minimum focusing distance of 45cm, measures 63mm (diameter) x 43 mm (length), weighs 265 grams, and takes 52mm filters.
The lens has gone unnoticed, and with almost no reviews on the Net (aside from one on PentaxForums), is more often wrongly (including YouTube influencers) misrepresented as the later version, the SMC Pentax-M 50mm 1:1.4 (1977 to 1984), which is lighter, more compact, and has almost similar image characteristics.
The lens series, though the first with the bayonet K-mount, was not officially referred to as a K-series lens by Pentax, a designation given to later K-mount lenses (such as the M, A, F, FA, and DA series) produced for later model cameras.
The K-mount system, often referred to as the 'PK-mount,' has also been developed to be adaptable with later versions of Pentax camera bodies with aperture linkages for shutter priority and program auto exposure modes, with electrical contacts for A-mode cameras, as well as later AF bodies.
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When mounted on an APS-C digital SLR camera, in this case, a Pentax K-m (K2000 in the US) the lens is equivalent to a 75mm short telephoto, not a popular choice, but worthy for close-ups, still life, the urban scene, and best used in portrait photography for more focused subject isolation with natural perspective.
While most accolades on the lens for its color, contrast, and pleasing bokeh, the SMC Pentax 50mm 1:1.4 is equally suitable for candid street photography or capturing smaller groups of people at a slightly longer distance.
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