The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the HD Pentax-D FA 50mm F1.4 SDM AW and the Nikon 35mm f1.8G for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. HD Pentax-D FA 50mm F1.4 SDM AW is the longer of the two lenses at 106mm. The Nikon 35mm f1.8G with a length of 53mm, is 53mm shorter. Besides being longer, the HD Pentax-D FA 50mm F1.4 SDM AW also has a larger diameter of 80mm compared to the Nikon 35mm f1.8G's 70mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Nikon 35mm f1.8G weighs 200g, 78% (710g) lighter than the HD Pentax-D FA 50mm F1.4 SDM AW's weight of 910g.
Lens Mounts
The HD Pentax-D FA 50mm F1.4 SDM AW has the Pentax KAF3 lens mount whereas the Nikon 35mm f1.8G has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Pentax K-3 III Mono, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III for the Pentax KAF3 Mount and Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount.
Nikon 35mm f1.8G is also available in Nikon F (FX) mount.
Focal Range
HD Pentax-D FA 50mm F1.4 SDM AW is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 50mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
75mm.
On the other hand, the Nikon 35mm f1.8G is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 35mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 52.5mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.