Hin's Photo Corner

I have consolidated my DA 40mm f/2.8 limited and FA 50mm f/1.4 into one single prime with Pentax FA 43mm f/1.9 limited. After trimming my DA limited trio with 21, 40 and 70, I am down to 4 limited lens with two DA limited and two FA limited.

• 15, 35, 43 and 77

and I find the 43mm limited to be a great replacement for my DA 40mm f/2.8 limited. The 40mm limited is an under-rated limited lens but the 43mm stands out in speed and color. I found the 40 limited sharp even wide open but the gain of speed in the 43mm is especially useful in indoor and low light shooting. Though it is not pancake small like the 40mm limited, it is a delight to use with aperture ring and a removable lens hood that is not adding too much bulkiness to the lens. It has a charming factor on its own rights.


When I used it in a weekend in an Art & Wine festival and an indoor night club shooting with Pentax K20D, I was very impressed with its sharpness, color and small form factor like the other limited lens.









Impressions & Notes

• I find it a good replacement for consolidating my two lens with DA 40mm f/2.8 limited and FA 50mm f/1.4 into one.
  
  
• Not pancake small like the DA 40mm f/2.8 limited but it actually is small like the 21mm and its lens hood is reasonably good in size and removable. I actually don't mind and find the size quite ideal for both digital and film. It is smaller and more compact than the FA 50mm f/1.4.
  
  
• It beats the DA limited with an aperture ring and well suited for film bodies as in Pentax MX or my Ricoh xr-p. You can call me old school but I always prefers lens that work with both digital and film bodies.
  
  
• AF is not as fast as the DA 40mm f/2.8 limited.
  
  
• In the night club shooting, I had a very difficult time with AF assisted light from flash and it took a second or two to lock on focus. The difficulty had more to do with my K20D
  
  
• The gain of speed in f/1.9 offers tremendous help to my K20D shooting as I tried to avoid iso 1600 and I shot in iso 800 with f/1.9 for the test shots above. Though wide open maybe soft but I much rather have that option instead of bumping up ISO alone
  
  
• Lens is very sharp like the 77mm and it is cutter than the 77mm in terms of size. Color rendering is vivid and rich and it lives up to the expectation and positive experience with 77mm limited.
  
  
• Highly recommended limited lens
  

Related

• Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 limited with Pentax K-x
  
• Pentax FA 31mm f/1.8 limited
  
• Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8 limited
• High ISO habit forming with Pentax K-x
• Hin's Camera Gear

After getting Pentax DA 15mm f/4.0 limited and that I have used the new lens quite a bit for the ultra wide angle needs, I question myself if I need Pentax DA 21mm limited and my fisheye lens with Pentax DA 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5. Before I jump into any conclusion, I try to bring it to good use whenever I find the right scene. I am so glad to bring this lens to a group lunch in Xanh in Mountain View, a very classy Vietnamese restaurant that offer buffet lunch with great style and good taste. I was very much indulged in good food but I tried to find time for pictures. The fisheye lens really came through in the tight corners to have 180 degree view at 10mm and it does well with people shots in 16 and 17mm where the distortion is not as severe.

I was late to the table as I spent the extra few minutes of time in shooting the restaurant interior.





And I was surprised with a drink of salty plum soda and it was surprisingly refreshing and good. This place is a must visit if you ever think of lunch in Mountain View Castro street.




And when I left the restaurant, the narrow doorway leading to exit to the garage parking invites the widest angle to savory the good-bye shots to a wonderful experience in Xanh of Mountain View. I have told my boys and wife that I will bring them to this classy restaurant next time we visit Mountain View.




Related:

• Pentax DA 15mm f/4.0 limited in Traveling
• Mirchi Cafe Fremont with Pentax DA 15mm f/4.0 limited
  
• Pentax DA 21mm f/3.2 limited in Traveling
• Pentax DA 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 Test Shots
• The Tech Museum
• Hin's Camera Gear
  

Pentax DA 15mm f/4.0 limited is surprisingly small. Those who love the pancake will love the DA 15 in terms of size and compactness. The following is a side by side with the 21mm with hood mounted. It offers the minimum focusing distance of 0.18m which is the shortest among all the DA limited primes. It is very likely that it offers the best close up among DA limited but more tests and use cases are needed to confirm.



And a visual differentiators is the thin metal screw cap. The inner lining seems like dust magnet as it is made of some cloth material like suede similar to other DA limited lens. The manual focusing is much more dampened than the 21mm. AF is a sweet baby. The close up is at 0.18m in the DA 15 as compared to 0.2m in DA 21.


Casual Initial Test Shots












Impressions & Notes

• It is too early to draw any conclusions but here are few notes that come to my attentions.
  
  
• It is surprisingly small. Very close in size to the 21mm limited
  
  
• The focusing ring is well dampened when I compare it to 21mm limited. Not that I use it in manual focusing but the quick shift focus in DA prime with a dampened focusing ring is a welcome thought.
  
  
• Close up is very decent and offer better close up than the 21mm limited
  
  
• A bit concerned on the fringing that I see in daytime in f/9.0 in the corner
  
  
• Sharpness is great in center. Yet to see corner sharpness.
  
  
• Handling, size, compactness is good with the 15. Surprisingly good.
  
  
• The lens cap is one of a kind unique among the DA limited. I like its thin cap design and the screw mount cap will take some time to get used to but I think Pentax design it well for the 15mm.
  
  
• Outstanding in flare control in shooting into the light. The 21mm is already quite good in both flare control and protection from the square opening of the lens hood but the 15mm is simply outstanding in flare control. The lens hood in 15 limited is pull-out type and hence it doesn't protect the lens as well as the fixed lens hood on the 21mm limited. The lens hood is of a petal shaped hood.
  
  
• Unlike the 21mm limited, it is much easier to add a filter or a diopter to the lens front as the built in lens hood don't intrude the mounting of a filter. That is not the case in the 21mm where the lens hood is fixed and the only thing one can do is to get a 43mm odd sized filter. And I honestly don't know if a 43mm filter will work well with the built-in lens hood on the 21 limited. On the 15, it is plain and simple just like any front loading lens front and the beauty lies in that the lens hood continues to work for the 15 limited.
  
  
• The built in hood is great to use and not as flimsy as the DA 35mm. It is of the same kind as in pull in extended hood with a petal design
  
  
• This will become my night shooter on a street scene. Fringing concerns me but I am hopeful that the fringing that I see is moderate
  

Related:

• Mirchi Cafe with Pentax DA 15mm f/4.0 limited
  
• Traveling with Pentax K-x and DA limited lenses
  
• Traveling with Pentax DA 21mm f/3.2 limited
• Traveling with limited lens
• Pentax DA 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 fish-eye
• Pentax K-x and DA limited primes
• Tamron SP 17mm f/3.5 adaptall-2 (51B)
  
• Hin's Camera Gear
  

I have created my own LBA dilemma in having overlap lens with Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 limited. I bought the 70mm after the Pentax K-x purchase. Having the trio of DA limited lens in 21/40/70 is great in traveling with compact lens design. The 70mm serves well for portraits and candid shots in event. Its size is more compact than the 77mm limited but not by much when the fixed lens hood is mounted on the 70mm.


When the hood is mounted, it look closer in size to the 77mm limited. The fixed size lens hood in 70mm seems to double the actual size of the lens. The 70mm is actually quite small in size like the 21mm limited.












Impressions & Notes

• The 70mm is closer to half the height of the 77mm when its hood is not mounted. Out of the DA limited lens in 21/35/40/70mm, I find the lens hood in the 70mm the biggest to be used that hide the compactness of the prime. I much prefer the thinner lens hood in the 21 and 40 limited.
  
  
• Sharpness is pretty in par with 77. At least, that is my impressions. Color is better in the 77mm if I have to find something to talk it down.
  
  
• The quick shift focus in 70mm wins it hand down for me as compared to the 77mm limited as I do find it great to have the overriding mechanics in quick shift which allow one to minor tune the focus after half-press.
  
  
• Auto-focus is faster in 70mm than the 77mm. It is noticeably faster in K-x.
  

Related:

• Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 limited Insanely Good with K-x
• Pentax FA 77mm vs DA 70mm dilemma
  
• Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 limited insanely good
• Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 vs Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8
• Hin's Camera Gear
  

It is my irony that I frequently go for zoom in traveling instead of having primes for less lens change. I have recently pushed myself in bringing two primes in short weekend trips with Pentax DA 21mm f/3.2 limited and Pentax DA 70mm f/2.4 limited. It is a surprise for me that I have gotten used to using the 21mm for both landscape and portraits. I see more in the background. And that is a welcoming thought that I have grown to love with the 21mm. It is a dependable limited pancake in traveling. It is not in the extreme wide angle but I find it very capable and dependable in traveling. I love the color and wonderful flare control that I can depend upon.











Impressions & Notes

• Its close up is at 0.2 meters. Not sure on filter size as I see 43mm on the lens hood. The cap between the 70 and 21 are not interchangeable. Yes, one can still mount a 49mm on the lens but the hood will not fit. The lens hood that comes with the 21mm limited has inner thread that is likely to fit a 43mm filter.
  
• Color is outstanding. I can't say it is the sharpest among all limited lens. It is quite good but I find other limited lens to be sharper than my 21mm.
  
• Flare control is outstanding. I especially love its thin lens hood. The lens hood provides great protection to the lens that I don't find the need to put an optical filter for protection.
  
• I am surprised to find its good use in portraits to blend in with great landscape on the background. You see more in the background.
  
• Great pancake for traveling for sure. It is not an extreme wide angle but it has its pancake uniqueness to be much liked for its excellent build and compactness.

Related:

• Pentax DA 21mm f/3.2 limited Purchase
• zPizza with Pentax DA 21mm f/3.2 limited
• Pentax K-x and DA Limited lenses
• Pentax DA 21mm f/3.2 limited in FF film bodies
• Hin's Camera Gear