[GeneV]

and let's face it... there would be something special about owning the 15, 21, 40 and 70 LTDs. I know it would make me feel warm and fuzzy!


mike

That is exactly the complement of lenses with which I travel and shoot most of the time.

I do own the 12-24 now, and I enjoy the 12mm perspective as well as the zoom convenience, but my go-to travel kit is the 15/21/40/70. Sometimes kit lenses or zooms are thrown in as a backup that usually stays in the room.

The 15mm is usually my wide angle lens for interior spaces.
The 21mm takes most of my exterior wide angle shots and street shots of people.
The 40mm is the general purpose lens which actually takes most of the shots overall.
The 70mm is for architectural detail, landscapes, street shots where tele is needed (i.e. from a tour bus or boat), and the occasional portrait.

I seldom use something longer, because the DA70 is so tack-sharp it is easily cropped.

[ShowMeTheMoney]

Mike, same dilemma here as well.

Though I think twitch does have a point here:

My opinion for what it's worth is that although the 15 can shot people, it's best at landscapes, and while the 21 can do landscapes, it's best for people (obviously I'm not talking head and shoulder portraits here though).

I was leaning towards the DA15, but after reading this, and since I mostly shoot street, I think I'm back on the DA21 again, LOL.

But the UWA perspective of the DA15 certainly holds a lot of appeal for me. And I think it can still do very well as a travel/street people lens. If only the DA21 was a little faster, it might have been an easier choice.

[bdery]

If only the DA21 was a little faster, it might have been an easier choice.

It's fast enough for handholding almost anything, at that focal length. Of course, sometimes there's no replacement for sheer shutter speed.

Can you go to a store to handle the lenses and try them? I'm not talking IQ, we all know they both are great. I'm talking general feel.

[philbaum]

Mike, same dilemma here as well.

Though I think twitch does have a point here:



I was leaning towards the DA15, but after reading this, and since I mostly shoot street, I think I'm back on the DA21 again, LOL.

But the UWA perspective of the DA15 certainly holds a lot of appeal for me. And I think it can still do very well as a travel/street people lens. If only the DA21 was a little faster, it might have been an easier choice.
[/COLOR][/LEFT]

I used to think that way, but don't anymore. Someone pointed out that the shorter focal lengths don't take much shutter speed to get sharp, thumb rule being 1/FL*1.5.

My Sig 10-20 is only the f4 and i've had no problems shooting indoors with it most times.

The other thing is, if DA21 was an f2.8, you get a short DOF with that which is not useful in street shooting, i think.

I'm still shy about street shooting, getting better but there it is. So i've tried this, i just walk along in a crowd with the camera set on half-shutter center focus, AV, and shoot off my DA 21 without looking through the viewfinder, and from waist level. In short, the DA21 seems to focus rapidly for me, and i've never missed an f2.8 setting with it.

it works quite well, here's a shot from waist level, non view finder shooting, 1/500, f8:

[IMG][/IMG]

Good depth of field, sharp, one can always crop later, (poor pic i know :-)), shows whats possible

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Last edited by philbaum; 09-28-2010 at 01:01 PM.

[schmik]

Hmmm... just to make it more interesting. The price in Australia vs B&H (it's a country right!)

15mm
au = $1330
usa = $499

21mm
au = $695
usa = $509

WTF? Looks like our importer has been on the crack pipe again.
I will buy from B&H anyway as our dollar is almost equal to the USD at the moment.
1USD = 0.966AUD

Is the 499 the usual USA price of the 15? or is now a good time to buy it.
Having said that I am leaning towards the 21.

mike

[twitch]

I bought a 21 locally for $660. I know that's not a great price, but when the dollar was high 80s not high 90s, and when you factor in shipping from B&H ($62), the difference was only ~$20, and for that I got Australian warranty which IMHO is a good deal. (Also my wife doesn't have to see yet another package arrive and so I get to avoid those uncomfortable questions, LOL). The nice thing is those limiteds are small and look very alike one another to the untrained eye

The DA15 on the other hand doesn't seem to be readily available locally. Just why that is I have no idea.

[schmik]

I am afraid that if i get the 21mm now then the dollar will drop and the price will go up on the 15mm in the USA. Can't get any higher here

Wish i had the money for both.

i love the wide angle of my fisheye but geez... it's huge compared to a limited!

mike

[bpjod]

The 21mm will likely be more appropriate for general photography. I'll go happily all day with that lens and never switch it for another. The only other prime I can do that with is the DA35 Ltd. That said, I got fed up of the bulk of the 12-24 and finally caved and ordered the 15mm. It completes my set of DA Ltds. and I've been wishing for it ever since it was announced. I'm sure it will be my least used DA Ltd, but it will also be my favorite because when I'm in the right mood, I love wide angles. Can't wait to get out and play with it!

[Shamwow]

If the size doesn't turn you off, you should consider the DA 14mm f2.8. It is a very unique lens, and in my opinion, one of the most underrated in the Pentax lineup.
I originally bought it for landscapes because of the focal length, but I actually use it more for portraits. It focuses down to six inches and provides a very interesting perspective. Not very flattering, but definitely unique. It is, however, very intrusive because it's huge and you really have to shove it in somebody's face to get a shot.
Plus, being an ultra-wide lens, it's obviously good for landscapes, architecture, etc.
Add in the large f2.8 aperture, and this is a very versatile lens.
But, this thing is huge and a pain to carry around. Different from the tiny elegant limiteds, but something to consider.

[paperbag846]

The only reason I would say the 21 over the 15 is versatility. A focal length as extreme as 15 is special purpose. There is nothing wrong with that, but really nail down why you are buying that focal length. The problem I have with FLs below 20 is that straight lines start to bend, and people/things become distorted. Now, in some cases you will want this, but in others you might get frustrated with your decision.

The 15 would be most helpful for buildings and large indoor rooms, however, expect distortion. For all other purposes the 21 would be a better fit IMHO.

(I use a 28mm for my "wide" shots, so I'm biased).

[schmik]

I know the 21mm would be more useful on a day to day basis 4 me but I have a 8week camping / roadtrip planned early next year. I will be seeing a huge chunk of Australia in this time. Teh 15mm would be nice to have for that.
Maybe i can get the 21mm now and save for the 15 before the trip??? YEAH! just get both.

And the size of the 14 puts me off. I would shoot the fisheye more if it wasn't so big.

mike

[JeffJS]

15mm.

[paperbag846]

It's a tough one, an issue I believe would be best solved by buying the 12-24, but then size becomes an issue again.

I believe the 12-24 would be ideal because it would cover both (for about the same price) with no real speed advantage in the prime arena. If you find something that requires wide angle, you can go as wide as you want. For most applications, you can zoom into the 20's, which will look much more natural.

From everything you've said w.r.t. travel, though, it seems the 15mm might be your best bet. Just be aware that you will need to stop this lens down to have good IQ corner to corner, so this lens is not at all suitable for low light.

[schmik]

Hmmm... I could get the 15 first and crop to 21mm.
My reluctance is that i have 15mm covered already with the 10-17 (highly distored and lots of CA).

But as others have said, the 15 is a bit of a speciality lens. The 21mm would be very versatile.

Thanks for the responses.!
mike

[Marc Sabatella]

Shooting the 15 and cropping to the equivalent of 21 is very viable = the lens is so incredibly sharp, you barely lose a thing. And you end up with an image that still probably has less distortion than one from the DA21.

BTW, yes, $499 is a good price for the 15 in the US - it's usually between $500 and $550.