Pentax K-m, Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8

Cameras and Lenses: Images with a legacy Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8, high praise for its dreamy vintage glow, exceptionally close minimum focus distance, and unique characterful bokeh, a 75mm short-tele equivalent on the Pentax K-m.

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I had an earlier session with the Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8, a highly regarded vintage lens, mounted on a 6MP CMOS APS-C Canon EOS 300D a while back. I am back with the lens again, which was manufactured in East Germany during the 1960s and 1970s, this time mounted on a 10.2MP CCD APS-C Pentax K-m.

The Oreston 50mm f/1.8, normally available with a M42 or Exakta mount, is popular for its "zebra" or all-black styling, manual focus, and distinctive rendering.

The all-metal and glass single coat 6 elements in 4 groups construction is of a robust built quality, comes with 6 straight aperture blades, a minimum focusing distance of 0.33 meters, measures 52mm x 48mm, takes 49mm filters, and weighs approximately 220 grams.

It has a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture, which sets it apart as being ideal for portraits, low-light, and shallow depth-of-field images. Images, which sharpen up significantly from f/2.8 onward, are known for their creamy bokeh, subtle swirls, and a soft, dreamy character when shot wide open.

The lens also has the potential to perform well in low-light situations, especially for indoor events or night photography. Its increased reach, when used on a digital SLR with crop sensors, allows for a non-intrusive stance while maintaining proper social distancing etiquette.

While the lens was initially manufactured by VEB Feinoptisches Werk Görlitz (formerly Hugo Meyer & Co) in East Germany, it was later rebranded as the Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 when Meyer-Optik merged with VEB Pentacon.

On the Pentax K-m, the Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8 is equivalent to a 75mm short-telephoto lens, a very versatile focal length for portraiture, as it isolates subjects and compresses perspective, providing a flattering compression of facial features and a tighter field of view than the human eye.

Pentax K-m, Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8

The Pentax K‑m (K2000 in the US), launched in 2008, is a 10MP CCD entry-level APS-C digital SLR camera with Pentax KAF2 bayonet mount, an optical viewfinder, a shutter speed range from 30 seconds to 1/4000 seconds, a 5‑point AF system, a 230,00 dot 2.7-inch LCD, ISO sensitivity from 100 to 3200, and in‑body image (sensor‑shift) stabilization. The camera runs on 4 AA batteries. Images are praised for color and depth, suitable for both portrait and landscape photography.