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 Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM 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 Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM with a length of 92mm, is 14mm shorter. On the other hand, the Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM has a larger diameter of 84mm compared to the HD Pentax-D FA 50mm F1.4 SDM AW's 80mm 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. Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM weighs 565g, 37% (345g) lighter than the HD Pentax-D FA 50mm F1.4 SDM AW's weight of 910g.
Lens Mounts
Both the HD Pentax-D FA 50mm F1.4 SDM AW and the Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM has the same Pentax KAF3 lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Pentax KAF3 lenses are Pentax K-3 III Mono, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III.
Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM is also available in Canon EF , Sony Alpha, Sigma SA and Nikon F (DX) mounts.
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 Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM has a focal range of 17-50mm and 2.9X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 25.5-75mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
