Pentax Lens Guide for Beginners in 2022

Kit lenses, bundles, and other great first options

By wadge22 in Gear Guides on Mar 8, 2022

Buying your first lens to go with your new camera can be a daunting task. There are many options available on the market, particularly for Pentax APS-C shooters such as anyone buying a Pentax K-70. The fact that Pentax has a one of most complete lineups of APS-C lenses of any manufacturer with its DA series of primes and zooms, as well as the fact that these cameras can use any other K-mount lens from the current lineup or going all the way back to 1975, means there is plenty of overlap between the numerous choices.

This guide will attempt to make it simple for someone new to photography to pick the right lens or lens combo to go with their camera, and will cover the top choices that are available new from Pentax today. Most lenses in this guide are available as a kit with the K-70 from major camera retailers, such as B&H Photo or Adorama.

Which Pentax Camera to Choose in 2022?

Selecting the right Pentax camera for your photography needs

By wadge22 in Gear Guides on Feb 14, 2022

In the run-up to the release of the Pentax K-3 III, Ricoh/Pentax reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the DSLR. With the discontinuation of the KP model in 2021, as of early 2022 there are now three DSLRs available new in the Pentax K-mount lineup: the feature packed entry level APS-C Pentax K-70, the new advanced APS-C Pentax K-3 III, and the robust full frame Pentax K-1 II.

Each of these offerings represents a powerful tool for any photographer, but the differences between the models are great enough to create very distinct choices for the potential buyer. This article will cover each of the options, and attempt to outline which prospective users may benefit most from a given model.

Top Pentax Gear of 2018

A look at what Pentax fans seem to enjoy

By PF Staff in Gear Guides on Jan 23, 2019

2018 was a slow year for Pentax announcements, with just three new products hitting the market: the WG-60, K-1 II, and D FA* 50mm lens.  Several other interesting developments sprouted throughout the year, but we'll save those for a separate "year in review" article.

For now, to break radio silence as far as gear-related news goes, we wanted to take a look back and share something new that we haven't done before: an overview of the most-purchased Pentax gear of 2018, based on sales data from our US partner stores. The cameras and lenses that have made it onto this list represent great value, performance, or desirable features.  Consider it a crowdsourced gear guide!

If you were among those who added one of the listed items to your kit, feel free to share your comments below.

Top Cameras of 2018

1. Pentax K-1 II

The Pentax K-1 II was released in early 2018 as a successor to the K-1.  As the main product launch of the year, it comes as no surprise that it was popular.  Moreover, Pentax made an upgrade service available to existing K-1 owners, and the response to this offer was much greater than expected.

Links: In-depth review | Purchase

Full Frame Coverage of DA Lenses: Comprehensive Test

Which DA lenses cover the full 24x36 mm frame?

By PF Staff in Gear Guides on Jan 7, 2019

In response to the many requests regarding which DA lenses cover the 24x36 mm full frame format ("FF") we have tested almost all DA lenses with a Pentax K-1 under similar circumstances.  We are happy to finally be able to present the full results.

A few DA lenses officially support full frame as stated by Ricoh/Pentax. Those lenses are:

• DA* 200mm F2.8
• DA* 300mm F4
• DA 560mm F5.6

For all the other lenses which we have tested the FF coverage presented in the table below is based on our subjective evaluation of a very large number of test images taken at various apertures, focus settings, and zoom settings, as appropriate. It is highly personal how much vignetting, how much drop in resolution, or how much optical distortion is acceptable, so your mileage may vary. We welcome feedback on our evaluation, but please include photo evidence with any such feedback.

The main flaws generally found with the FF coverage are:

• black corners, i.e. the lens doesn't cover the FF frame at all
• heavy vignetting, i.e. the lens covers the FF frame but the vignetting is too heavy to give an acceptable result even when corrected in post processing
• soft corners, i.e. blurry and/or swirly patterns

Pentax in 2018: What the Brand Brings to the Table

Pentax is a Fine Choice

By PF Staff in Gear Guides on Nov 5, 2018

Ricoh’s sole announcement at Photokina 2018 was the development of the GR III, which has created some frustration and disappointment amongst some of our members. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what Pentax actually gives us today and how that leaves us with little excuse for not buying into Pentax and getting out and taking some wonderful images!

After all, were we always to be waiting for the next model, we’d never get anything, because there will always be a next model!