Pentax SMC 50mm 1.7 vs Yashica ML 2.0 Lens: What is the better?

[Antigen]

Hi,

I have two camera:

- a Yashica FX 3 with a 50mm 2.0 ML
- a Pentax 30T with a SMC 50 1.7

What do you think is better as lens quality and sharpness and general performance?

Thanks very much

 

[Ian Grant]

It's highly unlikely you'll see any differences both are excellent lenses.

Ian

 

[Ron789]

If you cannot see the difference in your photos, any difference between the lenses is irrelevant.

 

[Dali]

Hi,

I have two camera:

- a Yashica FX 3 with a 50mm 2.0 ML
- a Pentax 30T with a SMC 50 1.7

What do you think is better as lens quality and sharpness and general performance?

Thanks very much

What we think is irrelevant. As you have both lenses, try by yourself and trust your own judgement. Time to grow up.

 

[ic-racer]

Send them to me and I'll let you know...

In terms of my equipment, I have a Yashica ML 1.7, ML 1.4 and ML 2.0. I don't use the 2.0 much because it is noticeably not as sharp at the corners in my enlargements as the other two (which I can't tell apart). I have never used the SMC 1.7

 

[Antigen]

I ask only because on some forum tell that yashica 2.0 is a wonderful lens that can beat Zeiss.

The same about Pentax smc.

I ask only to tell if is better to use the pentax or yashica lens

 

[Ian Grant]

To me what's more important is which camera you prefer to use, particularly if yo want or already have more lenses.

Ian

 

[Dan Fromm]

I ask only to tell if is better to use the pentax or yashica lens

As has already been mentioned in post #4 above, don't ask us, ask the lenses. You're asking about lenses you own. You have them, we don't. Some of us may have examples of both lenses, but ours aren't identical to yours. Ask your lenses what they can do for you.

 

[Dali]

I ask only because on some forum tell that yashica 2.0 is a wonderful lens that can beat Zeiss.

The same about Pentax smc.

I ask only to tell if is better to use the pentax or yashica lens

Using a lens which allegedly "beat a Zeiss" makes you a better photographer? As I said earlier, it is time to grow up.

 

[Paul Howell]

I ask only because on some forum tell that yashica 2.0 is a wonderful lens that can beat Zeiss.

So your question is really: are my Yaschica and Pentax lens better than a Zeiss? Which Zeiss? Zeiss has a long history of making 50mm lens for 50mm for many different cameras. Are we talking new Zeiss or legacy Zeiss from the 50s, or a Zeiss made for the Contax and Yashica FR system in the 80s and 90s?

A lot of folks will post statements that are more opinions than fact. I have Pentax and Yaschia in M42 and the Pentax in K and AF mount, but I don't have any Zeiss lens so I don't know how to answer your question other than what I have read in Shutter Bug and Popular Photography the Manual Focus Zeiss it is razor sharp. Will you see any difference in a mid size enlargement, I doubt it, then again unless you test the lens with a Zeiss don't really know.

 

[Soeren]

To me what's more important is which camera you prefer to use, particularly if yo want or already have more lenses.

Ian

Exactly, the lens on the camera you like using the most. Doesn't matter if one is a stellar performer if the camera is a PITA to use. A camera you enjoy using and want to use more is more likely one your get to know well to overcome it's weak points, to have ready and know exactly the settings to use in all conditions with a film which qualities you'll also learn in combination with a single developer. All in all getting to know your gear, film and developer and use it to its best is more important and will get you more quality than speculating about any one single parameter (lens, film, developer)

 

[Soeren]

As has already been mentioned in post #4 above, don't ask us, ask the lenses. You're asking about lenses you own. You have them, we don't. Some of us may have examples of both lenses, but ours aren't identical to yours. Ask your lenses what they can do for you.

Tried that but my ZF25MM F2,8 didn't answer

 

[Dan Fromm]

Tried that but my ZF25MM F2,8 didn't answer

Torture it. Nothing stands up to torture. But be prepared for it to tell you what you want to hear whether or not it is true.

 

[David Lyga]

Japan has a long history of not allowing manufacturers to release products to the outside world unless they come up to snuff. Most Japanese manufacturers scoffed at that requirement and, instead, opted to far exceed the government's requirement. Let it be said, that a lens from Japan that is not stellar in performance is rare. - David Lyga

 

[Soeren]

Torture it. Nothing stands up to torture. But be prepared for it to tell you what you want to hear whether or not it is true.

Hmm I think it's a seal, it stands torture very well.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Hi,

I have two camera:

- a Yashica FX 3 with a 50mm 2.0 ML
- a Pentax 30T with a SMC 50 1.7

What do you think is better as lens quality and sharpness and general performance?

Nobody on the internet can tell you, even if they think they know which is best.

This is how to discover the answer to your question:

1. Use the Yashica and its lens for exactly one year. Use nothing else. Ignore what people say.

2. Switch to the Pentax and use it for exactly one year. Use nothing else. Ignore what people say.

After these two years you will know better than anyone else in the world which camera and lens is best for you.

 

[dynachrome]

I have more than one example of each. They are both capable of decent results if they are in good condition. My observation is that the Yashica lens is more lightly built. It was the least expensive standard lens and was typically sold with their least expensive cameras. The 50/1.7 SMC Pentax-M is sharp and also well made. I prefer the earlier 55/1.8 SMC Pentax but the 50/1.7 is excellent. Asahi also had a less expensive standard lens from that period. It is the 50/2 SMC Pentax-M. I consider the 50/2 Pentax lens acceptable if stopped down a little. It's not as good as the 50/1.7. Yashica's 50/1.7 ML is considered better than their f/2. I have two 50/1.7 MS lenses but have not used them enough to form an opinion.