HD Pentax-DA 21mm F3.2 Limited

Construction and Handling

The DA 21mm Limited shares the same high quality materials and build as the other HD Limited lenses. Like the others in the series, it is available in both black and silver finish, typically with no difference in availability or price.

DA 21mm Limited with MH-RBB43 hood and cap. (Click for larger image.)

The barrel, caps and mount are all made of hand-machined aluminum. The widest portion of the lens is ribbed, and since there is no aperture ring, the section is rigid and fixed.  This makes it easy to mount and dismount from the camera.

Without hood or caps, the DA 21mm Limited extends just 25mm from the front of the camera. Still small enough to be considered a pancake lens, it is not as extreme as the DA 40mm, and one of the benefits is the DA 21mm Limited's wider focus ring. The focus ring is built to a tight tolerance, with no wobble through its relatively compact 70-degree throw. Lacking an aperture ring, the lens has the focus ring as its only moving part. The barrel extends slightly, but does not rotate, as it focuses.

The focus throw is lighter than on, say, a legacy manual focus lens. Unlike some manufacturers who utilize a 'focus by wire' wherein the autofocus motor moves the elements even in manual focus mode, the DA 21mm Limited allows for true manual focusing.

It offers full-time manual focus override in the Pentax Quick Shift feature. The manual focus ring allows for adjusting the focus at any time, even when the camera is set to autofocus.

The MH-RBB43 Hood

The DA 21mm Limited, like many of the other Limited lenses, has an ingenious hood. The MH-RBB43 is a bayonet type, allowing for quick attaching or detaching. The front face of the lens itself has two small ball bearings which give the hood some resistance in the locked position, preventing it from accidentally turning. The hood and lens have a small dot which align to begin mounting.

Dots align the MH-RBB43 hood's starting point with the lens. (Click to enlarge.)

Sitting almost flush with the front of the lens, the hood extends the length just another 5mm keeping the ultra-compact profile intact. Rather than a petal-type, it has a rectangular cutout sized for APS-C cameras.

Instead of placing filter threads on the exterior of the hood, and thereby losing the hood's protection, the MH-RBB43 has interior circular 43mm threads. This allows for seamless use of filters while the hood is mounted.

The underside of the MH-RBB43 accepts 43mm circular filters. (Click to enlarge.)

While effective, the MH-RBB43 hood only allows one 43mm filter at a time, a size not shared with other Pentax lenses. The lens will accept 49mm filters without the hood attached.

Other Features

The DA 21mm Limited has a dedicated push-on metal cap. It was designed to be used in conjunction with the MH-RBB43 hood, since without it the cap only grips the very end of the lens barrel. This isn't nearly as secure as with the hood attached.

The rear of the DA 21mm Limited is imprinted with 'Assembled in Vietnam' along the rear flocking. The lens shows the typical five electrical contacts for communicating with cameras, and as can be seen below, has a screw-drive for auto-focus.

The mount of the DA 21mm Limited. The screw drive is lower left. (Click to enlarge.)

Additional Product Shots

Click on any thumbnail to enlarge.

Verdict

From a construction and handling perspective, the DA 21mm Limited is superb. It is extremely light weight and small enough to be considered a pancake, but never too small to use in the field.

Like the other HD Limiteds, it is made of hand-machined aluminum to tight tolerances. It has a well-designed bayonet hood which can take 43mm filters. The dedicated push-on cap fits snugly (with the hood attached) and is easy to attach and detach.

The only features missing from the DA 21mm Limited, like with the other HD Limiteds, are silent ultrasonic focusing and weather sealing.