The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Pentax FA 50mm F1.4 Classic and the Pentax 16-50mm F2.8 ED PLM AW 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. Pentax 16-50mm F2.8 ED PLM AW is the longer of the two lenses at 117mm. The Pentax FA 50mm F1.4 Classic with a length of 37mm, is 80mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Pentax 16-50mm F2.8 ED PLM AW also has a larger diameter of 84mm compared to the Pentax FA 50mm F1.4 Classic's 65mm 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. Pentax FA 50mm F1.4 Classic weighs 216g, which means it is 496g (69%) lighter than the Pentax 16-50mm F2.8 ED PLM AW which has a weight of 712g.
Filter Threads
The Pentax FA 50mm F1.4 Classic has a filter size of 49mm whereas the Pentax 16-50mm F2.8 ED PLM AW has a 77mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 49mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Pentax FA 50mm F1.4 Classic:
And these are the 77mm filters that we recommend for the Pentax 16-50mm F2.8 ED PLM AW:
Lens Mounts
The Pentax FA 50mm F1.4 Classic has the Pentax KAF lens mount whereas the Pentax 16-50mm F2.8 ED PLM AW has the Pentax KAF4 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 KAF Mount and Pentax K-3 III Mono, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III for the Pentax KAF4 Mount.
Focal Range
Pentax FA 50mm F1.4 Classic 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 Pentax 16-50mm F2.8 ED PLM AW has a focal range of 16-50mm and 3.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 24-75mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
