Yashica 50mm f1.7 ML - lens review

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We made it to the last of the three Yashica lenses I bought last winter: the 50mm f1.7 ML.

If you want to check out the reviews for the 28mm  and the 135mm you can find them here on the blog and on my channel.


I gotta say: it is no that easy to review 50mm lenses, because there are so many of them and most are just as good as the next one, with only a few really standing out and the Yashica is, well, one in the bunch.

The body is made of metal and it weighs 220 grams, it is 40mm long when focused to infinity and 48mm when extended, with a 52mm front thread.

The iris has 6 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f1.7 to f16. The focusing ring turns 180 degrees and minimum focusing distance is 50 centimeters.

Contax Yashica flange distance is 45,5mm and adapters are easy to find

In terms of size, weight and build, the 50mm is basically identical to the 28mm 2.8 that I have already shown you, minus some aesthetic differences and the different coating, being single on the 28mm DSB and multiple on the 50 ML.

Sharpness is good wide open at f1.7 but it gets really good from f2.8. Background blur is soft and pleasant and can show hints of swirliness in busier environments like tree branches and foliage.

Chromatic aberration is present, sometimes up to f5.6, and can be a little distracting on whites or high contrast areas.

Flares are quite interesting, being ring shaped and somewhat pinkish and blue in color. The lens is prone to ghosting and loss of contrast when shooting towards a light source. 

I also did a quick test comparing the Yashica to two other 50mm 1.7: the Asahi Pentax and the Konica Hexanon.

Among the three, the Yashica had the cooler colors, verging towards greener tints, while the Pentax is once more the warmest. I would say that they are almost equally sharp wide open but, as we have already seen, the Yashica does show some chromatic aberrations.

Now that I have tested all three of the Yashica lenses I own, I can say that there is no difference in built quality between the ML and DSB lines.

One difference that I did notice is that the DSB lens has less chromatic aberrations than the ML ones, but it might just be that my copy of the 28mm is really good, so if you own a Yashica DSB or ML lens let us know in the comments how they deal with CA, so that we can, you know, see the bigger picture.

As I was saying earlier, it is hard for a 50mm to stand out from the crowd and I feel that the Yashica falls just a bit short for me, and part of the reason for that is that I already own other lenses that I like more, but it might be the right one for you.

That is all from me for today, as always if you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments below and don't forget to check out the full video for all the samples!



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