Pentax-DA 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 Fish-eye

Value

Fish-eye lenses are typically sought after for their unique distortion effect, often used for highly creative/artistic shots or for their ultra wide angle capability. There are not many K-mount fish-eye lenses currently in production (refer to our lens databases for more details).

As observed in this review, the SMC Pentax-DA 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED [IF] Fish-Eye offers solid performance and handling in a compact form. It is currently priced at $529.95 in the US. This lens was launched with a price of 579.95 in early 2006, but its price has otherwise been very stable, with very few variations or deals.

In terms of competing lenses in the same category (fish-eye zoom), there are none other than the DA 10-17mm Fish-eye  in current production. There are several third party autofocus alternatives, such as the Sigma 4.5mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM ($799), Sigma 10mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM ($649), and Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG ($609). For manual focus alternatives, there is the Samyang (Rokinon/Bower/Vivitar) 8mm f/3.5 ($279). Note that all of these current production fish-eye lenses are primes and their apertures are half a stop wider or at least equal to the DA 10-17mm . We consider that this advantage in aperture is offset by the zoom versatility of the Pentax zoom. In usage, the difference between a field of view of 110 and 180 degrees is significant, and the DA 10-17mm Fish-eye, in our opinion, is a much more practical lens than the aforementioned alternatives.