While I have several 50mm lenses already, I’ve given two to my son, leaving me with one that is very nice, but also very heavy (800 grams).
I’ve been looking for a less bulky alternative as a walking-around lens. Again turning to the Konica family of lenses, they offered three versions with different minimum apertures: F1.4, F1.7, and F1.8. Interestingly, the F1.7 version is considered to be slightly sharper than the F1.4 version. The F1.8 version is said to be the least sharp. The F1.7 version is also physically smaller and weighs less than the 1.4 version (my lens weighed in at 226 grams). Since weight and size are a key factor in my buying decision, coupled with quality, drove my choice for this lens. The only counterpoint to this option, in my mind, is the oddness of the F1.7 aperture itself (rather than the usual F1.4, F2.0, F2.8, etc.). Upon deep introspection I came to conclude that this concern was a manifestation of some deep prejudice against odd apertures (I also have similar feeling about F1.8 and F2.5). Recognising it as unfounded, I quickly overcame this issue and moved on.
Within the F1.7 line there are three variations that were introduced over the life of the product. The variation first introduced was intended to replace a 52mm F1.8 lens. The second variation introduce an Automatic Exposure capability. The third and last variation retained the original optical formula but reduced barrel size and weight at a cost of a longer closest focusing distance (from 0.45 meters to 0.55 meters). As focusing distance isn’t a major factor in my assessment, this was a compromise that was easy to make. Just as an aside, my other lens has a closest focusing distance of just under 1 meter.
I received the lens just yesterday so I haven’t had a lot of time to test … but I did take a couple of shots just to make sure it works…Colour rendition and sharpness seem to be OK (upon superficial examination).
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