HD vs. SMC Pentax Limited Primes

Overview and Construction

On this page, we'll be taking a closer look at the construction of the 5 HD Limited primes.  Refer to our existing review for remarks on handling.

HD Limited Primes with Caps - Click to Enlarge

As shown above, the 15mm (far left) and 40mm (2nd from the right) lenses have screw-in lens caps.  The other three lenses have push-in caps with a soft felt lining.  The screw-in caps can be a bit tedious to remove and replace at times, so that's a very small strike against the 15mm and 40mm lenses.

HD Limited Primes with Hoods Mounted/Extended - Click to Enlarge

The 15mm and 35mm lenses conveniently have built-in hoods that you can simply pull out.  The 21mm has a unique bayonet hood.  Although the hood itself has a somewhat strange appearance, its bayonet makes it very easy to mount and remove.  Thanks to two metal locks, the there is no play when the hood is mounted.  The 40mm has a simple screw-in hood that goes on the lens's 49mm filter thread.  The hood itself has a 30.5mm thread for the cap.  The 70mm also has a 49mm screw-in hood, but the hood can be extended to about twice its original length  (it is shown fully extended).  This is easily overlooked and it means that if you try removing the hood while holding it by the edge, it will simply turn in place.  To remove the hood, you have to hold the part that contains the lettering.

HD Limited Primes Without Hoods - Click to Enlarge

Without their hoods, all of the Limited primes are truly compact.  The 40mm is the shortest overall, while the 35mm is the longest.  None of barrels are wider than the lens mount.

All five lenses have traditional (fast but noisy) screwdrive autofocus with full-time manual focus override support (a.k.a Quick Shift).  They are not weather-sealed and they are designed for use on APS-C bodies only.  Light falloff when using the 40mm on a film camera is minimal as this lens is based on a film lens from the 1970's.

Like the SMC Limiteds, the HD Limiteds have a fantastic all-metal build quality that's durable and free of any play or wobbles.

15mm F4

The 15mm Limited is a wide-angle lens that is much more compact than faster lenses like the 14mm F2.8.  We recommend it for landscapes and close-ups.

SMC 15mm Limited (Left) vs HD 15mm Limited (Right)

21mm F3.2

The 21mm Limited is a wide-angle lens that's good for street photography as well as close-ups.  It also works well as a walkaround lens.

SMC 21mm Limited (Left) vs HD 21mm Limited (Right)

35mm F2.8 Macro

The 35mm Limited is a 1:1 macro lens that doubles as an extremely sharp normal lens.  It is one of the sharpest lenses in the current Pentax lineup.

SMC 35mm Limited (Left) vs HD 35mm Limited (Right)

40mm F2.8

The 40mm Limited is the second-smallest lens in the current Pentax lineup, after the 40mm F2.8 XS, which employs the same optical design but does away with the 49mm filter thread.  On APS-C, the 40mm offers a long "normal" field of view and thanks to its size it's truly a go-anywhere lens.

This is the original pancake lens and we consider it to be the "king of pancakes", as it will outperform just about any other ultra-compact lens that the competition currently offers.

SMC 40mm Limited (Left) vs HD 40mm Limited (Right)

70mm F2.4

The 70mm Limited is a short telephoto lens that's suitable for portraits and anything else requiring a bit of extra reach.

SMC 70mm Limited (Left) vs HD 70mm Limited (Right)

Size Comparison

The five Limiteds sacrifice a stop or two of light for ultimate compactness: a design philosophy that's been unique to Pentax in the DSLR era.  Refer to the photos below and you'll see that even the largest of the Limiteds (the 35mm) is actually very compact.  Click on any thumbnail to enlarge and browse.


15mm

21mm

35mm

40mm

70mm

Silver Versions

Each of the five HD Limited lenses is available in a black or a silver finish.  While silver versions of the SMC Limiteds were reserved for special production runs, the silver HD limiteds are regularly-stocked just like the black versions, and there is no longer a difference in price.

Silver HD 40mm Limited with Caps and Box - Click to Enlarge

The silver limiteds have a matte silver metal finish with black lettering and the same red ring as the black versions.


Silver HD 40mm Limited Without Hood - Click to Enlarge

The front of the silver Limiteds has the same color and lettering as that of the black Limiteds.  This makes them match limited edition silver Pentax DSLRs particularly well.

Next, let's move on and take a look at the optical characteristics of the new HD Limiteds.


facebook.com/PentaxForums PentaxForums @PentaxForums News | Reviews | Forum

Support Pentax Forums Donate to Pentax Forums Support Pentax Forums