Pentax DA 15mm Limited Lens - All The Stories Are True - Shooting My First Pentax DA Limited Lens
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- My first Pentax DA Limited lens that I have been able to try out - wow! I use the 43mm FA Limited on my Pentax K-1 weekly, and wanted to try out some of the DA Limited lenses for my APS-C cameras. Thanks to PocketPixels, a Pentax shooter over on PentaxForums who lent me his lens so I could try it out. I can see now why people rave about these limited lenses, and it has me rethinking this whole full-frame thing! But then there's my film cameras too... Hmm.
15mm Limited thread with loads of great pics:
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Great story Brother! I have to say, your channel has me really interested in Pentax DSLRs and lenses. There's nothing quite like this channel. Thanks for sharing!
I like all sorts of cameras, but I do have a special place in my heart for Pentax and mostly use them ;) it's a good system, not without flaws. Thanks for stopping by!
Agreed really unique love the content.
I just wish Pentax would release a new batch of limited lenses and they would only have to make one change... WR!
Yep, that's one of the big downsides to the limiteds. Seems a shame that a WR body would have a non-WR lens. But I suppose maybe it let them make them smaller, and they cared about that more.
Been a professional Pentaxian for 35 years. Love this lens (and a bunch of the other ones, too). Great video!
Thanks! Its a fantastic lens!
Peter, which lenses on your short list do you recommend and why?
it's not just the limited lenses... i have 15 or more pentax-m and super tak lenses. they are better than people say, i never use modern glass as a result of their impeccable design and resolution.
So true! I think I mentioned it to you already, but I'm still shooting the M 28mm 2.8 and loving it. And that's not even optically the finest out there from those lenses, but it is still impressive. I'll be making a video about it one of these days. Along with some more vintage lenses I have been shooting with :)
Every time I take s photo that makes me go wow, it's been from my 20-40mm limited. It's a lens you have to learn, but when you nail that shot it looks incredible.
I only hear great things about this lens!
This I would say was probably the best lens I've ever owned. It's really just a perfect lens. It's particularly good when paired with the Pentax K-01
😁 wonderful. Thanks man
Perhaps the best APS-C wide angle. A true joy to use.
I'm also a fan of Pentax Limited Lenses. I have 15, 40 & 70 mm. This 15 mm stays on my camera most of the time when I travel.
Wonderful kit
Are you still interested in reviewing other Limited lenses and, if yes, which ones?
Absolutely spectacular lens, I picked one up 2nd hand weeks ago and I love it. The Pentax Limited lens are so amazing!
Nice timing!
Try the HD DA 20-40 f2.8 - f4 Limited... even better again.
A 24mm equivalent and no bowed horizon lines above and below the rule of thirds lines, seems great for landscape photography.
You're doing some great Pentax videos! As someone who's just getting into this system, I appreciate that.
Also, favorite wide angle is... the one attached to my Ricoh GR!
Thanks! And you're not the first one to say that - I agree! I'm blown away by my ricohs lens, even having high expectations going into using it. Does not disappoint. :)
I agree! And even more than the 28mm equivalent i prefer the adapter which turns the GRII into a 21mm jacket pocket friendly! Crazy good even at 2.8. For close focus/environmental macro I like also the 10-17 fish-eye: with natural subjects that don't have straight lines you don't even notice the distortion. When I go out with the K3 the 15/4 is on the camera and in the bag the 35/2.8 macro, 100/2.8 macro. Sometimes FA50/1.4...
Voigtlander lenses are absolutely outstanding. When you start use them then exellent lenses that you used previously suddenly become just normal. So think twice before buying them because your sense of good lenses will change dramticaly.
That's it! I just ordered myself a used one online. Can't wait for it to arrive. 😃
Awesome, enjoy!
Great video! My first serious lenses after kit-lenses was the SMC DA Limited range, still have all five of them. DA15 is my favorite wide angle! I find the 20 to 24mm range is my favorite wide angles (good complement to a 35 and 85). The DA15 is so compact, nice build & feel and fun with starbursts. Pentax is also very nice to give all of the DA Limiteds 49mm filters. The DA21 is very usable allrounder, but a bit boring perhaps. DA35 Macro a strange mix of standard lens and 1:1 macro. DA40 fun & tiny, but a bit odd focal length. DA70 perhaps most impressive with small size and big performance!
Now that I've used one, it feels very tempting to get the whole set. It was very impressive to use. That DA70 has been calling my name for some time...
Pentax DA 21mm is the best of the bunch, and I own most of the DA Limiteds. The green DA 21mm has the cleanest starbursts/sunstars of any lens, on any system, ever. I promise I'm not wrong. Take your green DA 21mm out for some pictures of sunsets, headlights, or streetlights at f/13.
The sigma 10-20mm simply the best up close lens that gets everything in. I love it:
I might add I do enjoy your channel, have downloaded if not all your videos:
The DA15 Limited is one of the only true crop sensor lenses I had for quite a while, let go of, and still miss several years later. It really is one of the tiniest amazing little bits of glass produced.
Minolta produced the first computerized camera for the public if I remember, I still have mine. They broke up and Pantex picked up their lens fabrication, not to say that they needed it. I have the Pantex Kr and always salivated when I saw their LIMITED lenses. They've always made great cameras and lenses even way back. Was always told that you could get Nikon or Canon on a safari vs a Pantex. For the price, Pentax was my camera choice and value.
Fist comment(?). Your videos always make me energetic to take photos with my camera👍
Expecting the new D FA Limited lens
I think you got it 😂
Good, that's what it should do. Just go out and take some great pics!
I am super excited about the FA limited 21mm lens they announced. Whenever that eventually comes out.
I've watched this review 4 times 👍👍
Apparently 5 times now 😂😂. Red 21mm or red version ??
I've owned a couple of systems and many different wide-angle lenses. This Pentax DA15 Ltd. is among the finest of them all. It's my all times favorite wide angle lens, followed by the DA21 Ltd. If you're buying a DA Limited you should start with the DA21 Ltd. ;)
Agreed. Best starbursts and also lovely color rendering.
Aah; K5 with the 15mm on the front. I loved mine. The point about this and the 21mm is that the pictures are very immersive and 3D. I feel I can get a grip on the edges of the computer monitor and pull myself into the picture. I loved the K5 too. Whenever I picked it up it made me want to take pictures of anything. The body had lovely handling. The pictures had lovely colours and dynamic range. Pity the darned sensor stabilization system packed up - twice! Both times it cost me as much as new body to fix it. Couldn't justify that second time round. It went. But OOOOW I miss it !!
Oh, that's too bad about the camera. I agree, it's a killer combo. I love the feel of the K-5 and the compact limited lenses are just perfect for it.
Got myself the 14mm 2.8 when I bought my first pentax. Great video, thank you!
I've heard really good things about that lens.
I just ordered mine used for $250. I can't wait for it to get here and use it on my K-01.
Awesome! I don't think you'll be disappointed!
Good video as per usual. Great stuff mate
I love the music you use in your videos! Love it.
Excellent video 😮!
I personally like wide-angle lenses quite a lot. The SMC Pentax-M 2.8/28 is one of my favourites, especially in 35mm film photography, but the FA 2/24 is even better. In medium format I really like the Carl Zeiss Jena MC Flektogon 4/50, that I use for my Pentacon six TL. The results are simply astonishing...
I enjoy this lens also because it's small, light, and with a 49mm filter thread, like all limited lenses. The 40mm is also great for colors and practical for portraits. But one lens i would never sell is the smc f 28mm f2.8. It's the one that is mostly on my k5ii. If you can find one, buy it!
Very nice. I passed up on a chance to nab the FA 28mm a few years ago for cheap and have kicked myself since. The F would be even dreamier. I have the SMC F 100mm Macro and now want to expand my collection of these rather unattractive but incredible lenses. They are cute in their own way, I guess. ;)
Get the HD DA 20-40 f2.8 - f4 Limited and you'll sell your F series 28mm f2.8. I had 7x 28mm lenses, several 35mm, a 24mm and the DA 40 Limited... I sold almost all of them after buying the 20-40 only keeping a few.
@@nocturnal1970 I got the f28 for 40 euros and the 40 limited for 250 years ago. The 20-40 is a dream lens but too expensive for me yet.
@@lioneldm5130 Well that was an excellent bargain! I got the 20-40 for £429 new around 2 years ago which was also a great price, all I am saying is keep it in your target aims as you'll find it hard to take of your camera. Have a look at this 20-40 thread overall but this is one of mine after the lifting of the 1st Covid lockdown in Ireland. A modern technology short 2x zoom rewrites the rules that primes are always better. If you are a sharpness geek (I am not)... the 20-40 Ltd beat or at least matched the FA31 f1.8 Limited and I can assure you I have no doubt about that.
www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/247859-da-limited-zoom-club-58.html
@@nocturnal1970 for sure i' ll have a look, and i also check if i find 2nd hands one. I'm interested also in the wr. I shoot when i can, not when the weather is nice! Thanks for the tip.
I am lucky enough to own the DA 11-18 mm f/2.8. This lens is not only sharp as a knife, but also has a brilliant detail resolution and a beautiful color rendition. I'm loving it over most other wide angle lenses for the Pentax system. However, the price tag is "a pain in the butt".
That would be a really awesome lens to use one day. Glad to hear good things about it
center sharpness is amazing. But out of center softness is also amazing. I bought it for wider shots than Sigma 18-35 Art. Well while it is wider, the edges are not useful for anything serious like a group shot. It is still like 18 mm, but with added edge bonus. I just bought 11-18 in hope to solve the problem when I need wide and sharp lens to capture group shots.
Theres something very special about Pentax Limited lenses. I've been after a 20-40 for a while but people hold on to them understandingly so.
Just picked up the 20-40 recently. It's pretty nice. Follows the Limited theme very well. It's really more of a prime with some other primes built in than traditionally what I would think of a zoom as. But still, nice.
The Rokinon 14mm2.8 my favorite wide angle lens . I shot a good Milky Way picture with it a great wide angle lens
That's my go-to as well :) really like it.
Love that fencepost-barbed wire with the background. Bokeh is not everything! I'm going to have to try some closeups with wide angles like that.
I really like wide angle close ups. You get so much of the background as part of the scene and not just the isolated subject. Really opens up some doors.
I LOVE my samyang/rokinon 14mm 2.8, you can get some crazy cool shots with it, and it even comes in K mount!
Yep, that has been my wide-angle of choice for years. Absolutely fantastic, and a great price. Maybe only complaint (and I'm being nitpicky) is that you need a fancy kit to throw big filters on it. It's also big lol. But for sure not leaving my collection.
Nice review! You pointed out the points I like about the SMC DA 15 too. My only, minor, complaint is border & corner sharpness could be better wide open but in field use its never been a problem for me. Once you have tried one, it tends to spoil the others comparable lenses IMO. I find the limiteds a joy to use - it goes beyond their very nice optical abilities. I use the DA-15 mostly on my K-01 when traveling light (which is to say not at all at the moment).
Unfortunately in FF land where I mostly live at the moment there is no equivalent of the DA-15 (as in small and high quality). I'm hoping the new DFA 21 limited is not too long coming. In the meantime I have just acquired a craptastic FA J 18-35 (as the DFA 15-30 is just not an option for me on a couple of fronts). So far the FA J seems to fill focal length hole fine (its smallish, very light, good flare control, good colors, good center sharpness even wide open and its cheap). On the flip side its construction is pretty rubbish, corners are not very good on FF (although good enough for me especially by f11) and IQ on my copy from 28 - 35mm is lack luster (unless you stop down to f11+) - but I expect I will mostly be using it from 18-25mm anyway. I will write a review once I have used it in anger for a while.
The only wide angle I have for full-frame is my Rokinon 14mm 2.8, which is nothing like the 15mm limited. Big and bulky, manual focus, but for what it does it's amazing. Awesome IQ wide open. My go-to milky way lens.
I have seen that FA J before and always wondered how it performs. Your comments made me laugh. I've had that reaction to lenses before, an immediate turn off from the beginning. It would be interesting to read your review once you've put it through it's paces some more.
@@snappiness Agree, I have the Samyang 14mm f2.8 also, I bought it before I got DA15, the DA15 retired it except for astrophotography where the Samyang 14m f2.8 is excellent. Astro lenses only need to be sharp wide open, across the frame, little field curvature and little astigmatism. The Samyang or Rokinon 14mm is big and bulky to accommodate these specifications and obviously the DA15 is the polar opposite. Although one big plus of the dinky DA15 often not mentioned is it's tremendous lack of distortion unlike the Samyang 14mm but you can;t see moustache distortion in the Milky Way right but you can in daylight photography. I know it can be corrected to a certain extent but I always find lenses with little distorion are to be cherished.
Ma greatest PRO on this lens is: wide enough to capture whole scene without making panorama stitching (like in church when I shoot wedding events) and GREAT AF capability, to nail focus ever time where it needs to be. Other pros are wide enough to shoot over head. CONS are curvature and soft edges. At certain points (again in church) this is also PRO, since at the edges focus is closer to camera than middle and despite low DOF a lot is in focus. But for flat things like large group of people portrait, the edge ones will be way more soft, so it is better to use different lens or just go backa bit and crop a little. It is plenty of sharpness in the middle of frame. I use new version on K3ii.
Ah yes, that would be an issue for group portrait, good point. I also found the focus to be very quick. Nice you're making good use of it!
Loving your content. And you have skills ! Nice pics. Great vibe. I want to watch more of what you have to say. Greetings from England.
Thank you! :)
I just got the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 a few weeks ago, been really enjoying it on 35mm film. That's my first ultra wide angle lens. Before that the widest I've gone is 31mm with the FA Limited.
I've shot that lens once on my Pentax K1000. Looked super nice.
I have this lens (and other ltd. primes) for some years now and was believing the hype about it. It's not a bad lens but not as good as I hoped. Wide open its disappointingly washed out except the very centre. I use it mostly on f/8 but even then the corners are fuzzy plus plenty of chromatic aberration. Yes if You like starburst, not bad and I like the colour rendering. I think the 15mm f/4 has 'character' which include some solid flaws I can live with. The Leica Super Vario Elmar TL 11- 21mm f/3.5 - 4.5 is the best wide angle APSC I have seen so far. Leaves the Pentax in the dust.
Nice, I haven't heard of that lens before. My Rokinon 14mm 2.8 is quite a bit sharper in the corners as well, but also 3 times the size, so I get some of the appeal for a more compact lens. In my brief time with this lens I didn't have any sharpness or aberration problems that ruined a shot for me. I mostly come from cheap lenses though, so maybe my expectations are just really low :P
That is one wonderful lens. As are all of the limited lenses. The only one I had the pleasure of trying was the DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro. I rented it. That was many years ago and I got some nice shots with it. I loved the feel of it on my ol' K10D. Thank you for the review of the 15mm. Maybe I'll try it one day.
If I had more time with the lens I was going to use it on my K10D. I thought that'd be the perfect combo for nice colors! But I knew I was going to be stretching the dynamic range a lot with some of these sunrises, so I opted for the newer camera. Next time ;)
@@snappiness I hear you. My K-5II with that CMOS sensor would probably do a nice job with the 35mm. Wish I could afford a couple of the Limited lenses, those things are so nice. I make do with my M glass and my one A lens.
@@dbkfrogkaty1 I'll have more videos coming up to show case my cheap stuff. Really, that's where my heart is. As much as I think these other things are cool, I absolutely love shooting with a lens or camera I got for the price of dinner and getting amazing pictures. It is extra satisfying. And I love sharing that with others so that photography becomes more and more accessible!
Awesome video. Really like the build on these lenses. Your video showed it very well.
Thanks! I do too, not that I expected anything less, but still I was impressed.
Hi , yes , Pentax 15 limited is great , but I like the Sigma 8-16mm f4.5-5.6 HSM DC even more , ultra wide angle and sharp Lens , with specific color rendering
My favorite wide angle lens is Carl Zeiss Distagon 2,8/28 T* Y/C mount lens.
Since you asked in any system, I used to like the Fuji XF 16mm 1.4 but it's too hefty for my liking. I replaced it with the XF 16mm 2.8: 24mm equiv, metal build, aperture ring, and weather sealed.
I've seen Andrews videos on those and have been really impressed. Looks like a great lens!
@@snappiness Yes, I have that XF16 1.4 and I don't see how it can be bettered... except maybe the 10 x more expensive Leica 24mm SE. This Pentax looks pretty soft in comparison but it does have a magic to it.
Just as a PS after watching your video on the K3 I brought one after one shoot with it ordered a k3iii straight away: So I’m going to starve for the next two months. Lol
dude!
it would be awesome if you made a video about how manual lenses works work with the pentax dslr.
witch one comes. with split image fokus screen and so on.
witch one allows you to change fokus screen and so on
I have the 15mm lens. The weather sealing is an issue for me and mine has gotten gritty. Other than the tiny size, I prefer the 12-24 DA which I can also use on my K1 where it doesn't vinette above 16mm.
Not a popular opinion but... I'm not a fan of the DA Ltds, I've owned the HD DA 15, HD DA 21, HD DA 35 Macro and sold them all. This is for a few reasons, some completely not relevant to other users, but here's why;
1) No weather sealing. This is what led me to settle on the HD DA 20-40 instead. I'd feel quite differently if the primes had weather sealing.. but they don't. It's a crime!
2) Slow glass. F4 and f3.2 is not great tbh, and on crop sensors its even worse. I mean... often we do the 35mm FF equivalence thing for crop (like you did in this video, you equated the FL to being similar to 24mm on FF), but I find it odd that we never also equivalence the aperture also? I mean ok, its still f4, and letting the same kind of light and exposure as f4, but... it is rendering DEPTH more closely to f6 on FF, and thus this lens would be an equivalence of 24/6 on FF! Now... ask yourself... who would buy a FF 24/6 lens? It kinda becomes a 'one trick pony' which this lens is. The lack of DoF really hurts its creativity, subject isolation occurs really only when up close to objects. You can do portraits but it's really lacking in separation for the ideal framing to work well. So I feel its uses diminish more than it should because of that f4. I get it tho, its compact, compromises must be made etc, it's just not for this guy.
3) Built in hood. It's annoying. It's a landscape lens but Pentax pretty much want you to shoot naked with it. Vignette occurs with CPL/ND (and definitely both). For me this is a landscape lens really, and that means filters, but its hood makes that problematic at times, even fully retracted. you want to use step up rings to help avoid this but the hood doesn't retract far back enough, so you lose the 15mm when again wanting to be creative. So it becomes more like a Street Photography lens than a landscape one, again its uses get less and less.
4) And lastly... no FF compatibility (heavy strong vignette). Of the three the HD DA 35 Macro comes closest to being the best for FF compatibility and is the sharpest of the bunch. I actually think that lens is the best of the bunch, its one of the sharpest lenses I've ever used and with the macro it becomes a great walk about lens. But why oh why no WR! Of course I understand we shouldn't want FF compatibility, but as a K-1 owner as well as KP its nice to share lenses across both cameras.
So I sold them and settled for the HD DA 20-40 which I think covers the primes pretty well but has WR, and replaced the 15 with the DA 12-24 which has FF compatibility at 19-24mm (which makes it pretty good for subject isolation on FF and a better fit).
IMO I think Crop sensors NEED FAST glass, more than FF even, yet here we are stuck with semi slow stuff. Sigma released a 18-35/1.8. Brilliant. The 16-50/2.8 PLM will be fantastic I think as well, but even then I want faster for crop bodies than 2.8. I will stick to using the FA ltds on crop and look forward to the DFA21 also.
To me this lens prioritises compactness at the expense of uses.
Ok... I am ready for the full wrath attack of the DA 15mm lovers to commence ahhaha
This is a very well thought out list of reasons, and anyone should be able to tell you really did use these lenses and really did have reasons for letting them go.
All are practical and valid points, and of course for some individuals some of the points are a non-issue. I was going to explain my thoughts there, but then realized you know more than me anyway and get the idea. For some the size and weight and their shooting style makes them exactly what they want.
I am always bummed when lenses aren't weather sealed in the Pentax line. It's such a big part of the Pentax style and brand, and then to find out a lens you may want doesn't have it is a let down.
I am interested in trying a few more of these. The 21mm interests me purely because of the size and sounds fun. The 35mm I have heard from others to be a stellar performer. The 70mm also because of the size and focal length, and that one I heard works decently on FF.
But, I share some of the same reasons for not adding any into my forever collection yet. I do like WR. I do like FF capability. For certain lenses I really would rather have a bigger and heavier lens to get the larger aperture like you said. I don't think I mentioned it in the video, but in the case of this 15mm, I wouldn't buy it and will instead keep the off-brand Rokinon 14mm 2.8, which ticks my boxes. It is an awesome performer for me (but is also much heavier and much larger). I wouldn't mind using the 15mm for daylight work, it'd be much easier to hike with, but I use my Rokinon for nightscapes a lot.
In short (it didn't end up that way) it is interesting the route Pentax took with these lenses. I think they are really neat, but some of that neatness comes at the cost of some compromises.
And yes, the DFA 21mm. That's what I am saving up for. Not the K-3 III 🤣
@@snappiness I wouldn't want people to take what I've said the wrong way. These are GOOD IQ lenses, compact and light. These things DO matter to some photographers and they lack of speed is not an issue whatsoever. They will find a genre for these lenses that work very well and be content.
Personally, I would choose the 18-35/1.8, for sure its a bulkier lens but it covers (almost) the trio of 15, 21 and 35 fl without the need to lens swap and with the DoF that I might want/need for some shots. Yes its a heavier lens but I'm at an age that this is ok for me. Or go the HD DA 20-40 to get the Pentax equivalent which has WR to boot (something that was important to me).
I think the KP is super with the HD DA 20-40 and 55-300PLM, this is a great two lens combo that covers a lot of shooting conditions and ranges, and has WR. I would like to replace my 20-40 with the new upcoming 16-50PLM and then pretty much call it a day. But hey, that's just me...
I agree that your reasons are well thought out for your situation. I just don't find myself in those situations often. I wish my 21mm Ltd were faster, just a smidge to f/2.8, but I've never wished my 15mm Ltd were. At least half of my shots with the 15 are taken in full daylight, and (sheepishly) a quarter are shot at f/11 just to get the starburst pattern. A landscape lens needs depth of field, flare resistance, and pure color rendering. The 15mm Ltd ticks all those boxes.
My thin UV seldon leaves the lens, and it in no way impedes use of the built in hood. But the tiny ridges of my graduated filter do brush against the hood's lining.
I think the underlying assumptions that don't always get spoken about is that it's a constant consideration between price, performance, size. For example, I don't want a lens sticking out over 3 inches or bulky.. if I wanted that I would just get a used FF mirrorless (A7 ii) for $200 more than my K-70. I think a lot of people are shopping for between 1 - 3 core lenses, but that isn't always the target audience for someone giving advice. Such a spectrum, it's hard to give advice without going deep into requirements. // I also think that for videos that reasonable points of reference for everyone are (1) how much better than a cell phone photo we are talking about and (2) how much worse than a bonkers $10,000 camera it is.
My favourite wide angle lense is the 28mm 1.8 macro from Sigma. The close focussing distance is amazing, together with f1.8 and great sharpness in the center it performs great on my nikon dslr.
I've heard really good things about this lens! Sounds impressive. There's times when that large aperture really comes in handy.
@@snappiness yeah if fast AF isn't neccessary it's amazing. The header picture of the course "bushcraft schwarzwald" in www.waldwaerts.com I took with this lens for example.
Hello ! I was looking for close focus wide angle lenses and saw this video. Really nice !!
It will be great if you can recommend close focus wide angle lenses (adaptable) to Fuji X, Nikon F or Canon EF
Please consider making a dedicated video for close focus wide angle lenses if you haven’t. Feel free to share some information/links about close focus wide angle lenses.
Thank You!! Loved your content.. keep them coming
This lens is really great, though it isn't pixel-perfect sharp wide open. I have shot a lot with it, but nowadays preferring something a bit tigher switched to 21.
I have this lens, I love it, the only downside is the corner sharpness, you have to stop it down to at least F/8 to correct this.
I didn't feel like it ruined any of my shots at F4-5.6, but I wasn't looking too closely. I definitely agree stopping down improves and should be done for maximum effect. Thanks for commenting. :)
It's true that corners can be soft at f/4, but the starburst patterns don't show up until f/8 anyway. This lens was designed for landscapes at f/11 pointed into the sun: sharpness, no lens flare, rich colors, magical starburst.
The compression of TH-cam didn’t do justice to the sharpness of the fotos. Always wanted that lense but when I finally got it, it wasn’t that impressive and returned it. Maybe a bad copy. Now I have to carry the huge 15-30
these are good shots
Excellent and informative video as usual. I bought a pristine K7 a couple of months ago based upon your thoughts and review...I’ve enjoyed my limited time with it so far. ...this lens sounds interesting. Along with my original 50mm Pentax lens, these two could be a great duo. Really like the photos with the duck coming out of the water and sunburst. Btw, which Pentax forums do you frequent? Be safe. Peace.
Glad to hear you're enjoying it.
I float around PentaxForums, the one with the red logo quite a bit. I'm also in the DPreview Pentax subforumnand several facebook groups dedicated to Pentax. When you sift past some of the dull stuff there's a lot of really talented, creative, and wise people over there! I learn a lot.
You should rename your channel to snappiness ASMR :)
Your voice is very soothing, I am sure you would get some extra few thousands views besides the views from Pentaxians.
Hahaha - Now there's a marketing idea! Thanks :P
Now try DA12-24/4 and you'll find that resolution can be better... including starbursts. Just not that small.
And if I want to go really wide, then Sigma 8-16 is the obvious option. Since I bought that lens the DA12-24/4 is barely used. 8 vs 12 mm is huge difference.
The DA 12-24 is a sneaky lens. I don't hear much about it, but when I do, it is very highly praised. I'll have to keep remembering it. Sounds great.
I have DA 12-24 and DA 15mm Limited. There's no doubt the 12-24 is "better": better resolution and sharpness in the corners, considerably wider, flexible zoom range, distortion is better controlled… But I'd take my 15mm Limited any day of the week. I like it far more than the "better" lens. Because the weight of my 12-24 is no joke. Even though the 15mm Limited is all metal and glass, my 12-24 must weigh 3x more. And it seems to grow heavier with each hour I walk. By the end of a hike, my 12-24 can weigh 20 pounds. The starbursts of the 12-24 are decent, but the 15mm limited starbursts are perfect.
@@ransackedroom It is bigger... but... being used to carry things like Sig100-300/4 or 50-500... then the 12-24/4 looks like many other standard sized lenses :D Just the petal lens hood is large because of diameter. That is another thing I like on Sig8-16... it is just compact cylinder that slips nicely into bag.
I post in that forum, I prefer the HD version turning against the cult trend of the SMC version which I find the star bursts can be over-whelming at times, the HD version starbursts also but more subdued and you have control over whether you want it or not by selecting various apertures. I prefer the extra flare resistance, contrast and colour transmittance of the HD version but the SMC has it's place:
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www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/86234-15mm-limited-controls-my-mind-club-753.html#post4720699
This lens takes learning where to focus as it has a lot of field curvature, only on close-ups should it be used wide open f4 (where surrounding areas are out of depth of field regardless) and it is great at close-ups... you get lovely bokeh doing this with the HD version being a bit better here.
Yes the DA15 is a legend in Pentax, I have the HD 20-40 Limited and these two (DA15 HD version) have exactly matching colours which can be useful for uniformity. Fuji equivalents are left wanting in comparison especially when you want the sun in the frame which these excel at without the flare ruining the photographs.
Really, really nice pics and interesting perspective! In my very short time using it I didn't find anything iffy with flare or low contrast, but being even better I bet the HD is a keeper 👍
The Fuji 16mm (2.8 and 1.4) are absolutely not 'left wanting'.....and the XF 14mm is an another league altogether optically. However, the DA15 has something uniquely special beyond mere optical performance...which is why I'm definitely going to buy it.
I can recommend 14mm designed by Jun Hirakawa, it’s interesting lens to, try it)
I love this lens very much
It's a good one, I can see why.
Nice! I really need to pick up an APSC body to go with my K1 in the near future.
If I was closer to Arkansas, I'd let you play around with some of these toys! I find no practical benefit of having my apsc and full frame (not that there isn't any, just for me there isn't) but it doesn't stop me from having too much stuff. Since you're into landscape and environment portraits, I feel like even a cheap K10D would suit you pretty well, and then you wouldn't have too much investment into the body and could focus on glass. I know you've tried the k70. I thought that camera was a killer deal for the price, too.
@@snappiness yeah, I really liked the K70 a lot. The main thing I'd like a KP or K3ii for would be long lenses and wildlife type stuff. The biggest problem for me in the K1 lineup is definitely tele work. The 150-450 is great, but it's expensive and still not super long. I also think the pixel density of the apsc cameras seems to be nice for that. My 80-320 seemed better on the K70, and I kind of think that may be why. Also, I have that problem where you just want all the lenses and cameras because they're cool 😂
@@jbradfordphoto I'm in talks right now to purchase a nice telephoto I hope to use for astro and wildlife. I thought it would be interesting to see if I end up preferring it on the K-1, or aps-c for the reach. Surprisingly in the past I've found that the k-1 cropped can sometimes be better than my older crop bodies, particularly in high iso situations. So it just depends. But a top end apsc with the extra reach should usually have the advantage there.
@@snappiness nice man! I got a few pretty decent shots of Andromeda with my 80-320 and a Rokinon 85mm on the k1 recently. Looking forward to new moon coming up soon to try some more. I'm interested to see what you end up thinking once you've got the new lens, and of course what you shoot!
My more realistic approach has been looking for something like an SMC-A 400mm f/5.6 or similar to try out.
I have mixed feelings about this lens. I don't get to go out and about much for various reasons and I'm not primarily into landscapes. So this lens doesn't get much use. HOWEVER, there are times when absolutely nothing else in my collection will do - e.g. going on museum ships, where even the 18-135 isn't quite wide enough. If I can anticipate this, the DA15 takes up so little extra space and weight in the camera bag that it comes along for the ride. It's also great for narrow, bustling streetscapes, although there aren't many of those at the moment for obvious reasons.
Yes, I thought it would be particularly good for around downtown, but just wasn't a good time to try it out there.
As I currently shoot with Olympus Micro 4/3s (OM Digital Solutions I believe is the new name now), I love shooting with my Samyang 12mm f/2 NCS lens with my E-M5ii.
I love my Samyang/Rokinon lenses that I use on Pentax, so I'm sure that lens is a solid performer. And f2, too! Great for low light. Sounds tempting for astro stuff.
@@snappiness keep in mind that f/2 on a micro 4/3s is equivalent to a f/4, but still does the job.
To wide for me. I prefere something around 20mm for APS-C, but it's very expensive.
Came back for a re-watch.. And I'm thinking you've done such good work with a lot your documentations. This in particular, is really well done !
I've a 40mm da/lim. That I really like to use, I know you've tried this lens out and seem to remember you not being such a fan - wondering, would you like to perhaps give it another go? As for wides - I do like the way my 28/3.5 makes pictures look, though on aps-c, 43mm isn't really wide. I have a 24 and 18 but there's something about that 28 perspective and the way the pictures come out. Would love to get into some wider primes if they didn't carry such a premium! 🤣 Hope you're all well anyway dude 🙂
I shoot pentax because its the camera that most accurately produces real life.
Nice review.. Can you please test the da 20-40??
For sure, if I ever get my hands on one! Lotsa lenses to try, so little time :(
Great video! just have one question and maybe i misunderstood you. But you said that with a this was a APSC lens which when paired with a the camera (being an APSC sensor) the actual focal distance is 24mm and not 15mm as it says on the lense. I thought this only happened when you put a full frame lens on an APSC, whilst buying an APSC specific lenses meant that what ever the lense focal distance it is designed to be is what you get - ie this would be 15mm.
Have i misunderstood something here?
Focal Length on lenses are set at the 35mm film standard (aka Full-Frame in the digital world).
Because APS-C Sensors are smaller, they provide the added pro/con effect of "cropping" your photo.
So for most Nikon, Pentax and similar APS-C cameras, you have to multiply focal length by 1.5x to understand what you will actually see.
Full Frame lenses just means that there won't be any vignetting on a Full Frame sensor.
So if you put this 15mm on a full frame, you would effectively get 15mm.
lol @ "it's favorite color is... All of them". Pentax colors are very special, and all the plain old DA lenses I've used also capture similar colors - it just seems that these limiteds bring them out best of all.
I always say that Pentax colors are not so much "accurate", as they are a better version of reality :D. I also like Olympus colors for a similar reason, but there's nothing quite like the way a Pentax sees the world.
Silly question (and maybe not-so-silly suggestion) time: did you try this lens on the K-1? Does it vignette horribly even when stopped down to starburst levels? If you use the 1:1 crop mode, it's supposed to be usable, but there's still obvious vignetting at f/11. I just wonder if maybe f/16-22 isn't too bad, or could be seen as "artistic"? I've read that the DA 21mm doesn't vignette much even wide open in 1:1 crop mode, but I'm not sure how wide that would work out with that square crop :D
I did not try it on my K-1, I should have played with it for a bit. I had read it didn't work at all, but I would be curious how it looks. I do plan to test some of the other DA limiteds on full frame, because they seem more usable.
@@snappiness well, I wasn't even aware that a 1:1 crop was available, so I'd never have even thought it would have had a chance in anything other than APS-C crop mode.
Panasonic f2.5 14mm.
Love those highlight, do you use spot metering for avoiding overblown?
I do use spot metering almost exclusively, and then just adjust the exposure compensation in something like aperture priority. I usually follow the method of making sure the highlights don't clip the histogram, because digitally shadows are much easier to bring up than bringing down the highlights. But sometimes I like the look of something blown out. Just depends. :)
@@snappiness cool, thanks for your answer, I really appreciate it.
This quickly became my go to lens. I get into light painting, so the starburst is great for that sort of work. It's also just a wide enough angle that I can use it most anywhere, including tight spaces. This isn't my photo, but it quickly became a favorite of other members. Starbursts galore!
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Wow, incredible shot! Really shows off what this lens can do.
But the da limited's don't have an aperture on the outside correct so if I want to use them on something like a Fuji I need an adapter with an iris? Correct me if I'm wrong stay safe what are your thoughts on the rumored new Pentax camera
I am using my DA Limiteds on both Pentax APS-C and Fujifilm X-T2. Your are correct that you need an adapter with iris control, they exists and work quite well (but you won't be able to set exact aperture values).
@@domtomazo thank you very much are you are you using the K & F Or vello one. Do they hold up just as well with the Fuji sensor or do you see a slight difference thanks for the feedback. I can get the same sharpness and rendition on a Fuji sensor I might try one. Stay safe
@@unbroken1010 I have the K&F Concept version. I have not used them as much as on my Pentax bodies, but I have not seen any issues that should be because I am using them on Fuji bodies, they will have more or less the same strengths and weaknesses as on Pentax bodies. Manual focus is quite good (for sure better than focus by wire) but not as good as a lens made only for manual focusing. A good thing is that in Lightroom you can manually select what lens you have shot with and apply lens corrections for DA Limited even on Fuji bodies.
Yes, and good to point out. Thanks for the extra info Thomas. I do like exchanging lenses with my film bodies a lot, so I thought about that as a negative, but then decided not to mention it because I bet the majority of people wouldn't care. Forgot about adapting lenses though. Guess you could always grab a Pentax body to go with it ;)
@@snappiness now they make a good adapter it looks like with aperture Iris so if it keeps the same image quality you're getting I might try it on a Fuji I also have one of these weird front aperture clip-on things it's like an antique made from Rochester camera Clips onto the front of the lens and gives me measured apertures quite a strange little contraption but made exceptionally well
Again, thanks for your content.
My favorite wide angle lens ever is the ricoh GR, no matter which generation. I currently use the GRIII but the lens on the previous models is amazing to. The wide angle converters are great to
On film camera, it's a draw between the pentax M 28mm f/3.5 and the pentax 6X7 55mm f/4
And for my APSC pentax cameras, the 15mm HD comes first with the samyang 16mm f/2. I have another great lens : the sigma HSM 10-20 f/3.5, but even if I'm forced to admit that it has almost no flaws, I think I don't like it enough to take it with me and I'm planning to sell it.
This is really funny because I totally agree and used that as a joke on an unpublished video I ended up scraping. Maybe I'll bring it back. But I was going through my lens collection talking about it and then the punchline at the end of the video was that my favorite lens was my ricoh gr. But it's so true! Absolutely stellar performance. Love it.
The Samyang 16mm f2 has long been on my list to try, particularly for astrophotography. I've heard super good things about it.
@@snappiness
I'm pretty sure that anyone who have used a ricoh Gr feels the same! I sold my nikon full frame wide angles after buying the ricoh gr...
The only complain I have about the samyang 16 is its weight and size. I take it anytime I think I'm going to shoot at night. The lack of AF doesn't bother me as I often take my time and shoot on tripod.
@@snappiness The Wide Converter for the GRll is an excellent performer, giving a 22mm equivalent, IIRC.
sigma 10 to 20 3.5 on a Pentax K-3
Never had the chance to use one, but I've heard (and seen) good things! Very nice!
Ok I am thinking about getting this lens for a Pentax K70 body . Would it fit a K mount?
Yes, it will fit the K70 and all features will work :)
Can this be used on the Pentax KP camera?
I had the 15, but found the CA to be too obnoxious.
Huh, in my limited time with it I didn't notice CA that bugged me. But yeah, I can't stand bad CA, so totally get that. Interesting.
Can this lens be adapted to other cameras like a Fuji x?
Great question! Yes technically, but it has no manual aperture ring, so you'd have to use a fancy adapter to get that to work. There's a comment on this video by a user named unbroken asking the same question, and there's some good answers there.
whats a good model for APSC KP?
I've never used the KP but it has it's fans. It is the latest APSC camera from Pentax, along with the K-70, it's younger sibling that I have used and is a fantastic value for money. There's a new APS-C flagship in the works, but it won't be released until later this year (hopefully, that's what they say). Personally, I am using older models like the K-5/K-3 for more modern sensors and autofocus, or even older (K10D) for much cheaper but beautiful colors. Just depends what all would meet your needs :)
Does this lens work well on a k70
While I've never tried it on a k70, it should perform the same. Actually, maybe even better in some ways. The k70 is more modern than what I was using it on.
Hi, we have chatted on Instagram I am lewisandlight.... I just bought the 15mm 🤪
Hey! So cool! It’s a neat lens. So compact but packs a punch. I am excited to see some of your shots on Instagram in the coming weeks. 👍🏻
@@snappiness cheers m8! I am loving your channel and will get the lens by next week so will hit the city for a post lockdown street session ❤️👍
You daytime pictures are wayyyy too hdr
Nvm just some of them
@@hanfei6871 I was definitely stretching the dynamic range of the K3 in post to try to get those starbursts and the foreground. Not something I've ever tried before!
Still miss my DA 15 from time to time. For anyone interested here is a link to a Flickr album of my favorite DA 15 shots: www.flickr.com/photos/chris_rankin/albums/72157650055687161
By far my favorite wide is my 30mm 2.8 K on my K1.... Masterful! This lens looks fun. Even though it a crop lens I would like to try it on the K1.
what happens when you put a APSC designed lens on a full frame camera? :)
@@Littletass in most cases it will not cover the full sensor.