Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
07-10-2012, 09:04 PM   #1
Inactive Account




Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Cambridge
Photos: Albums
Posts: 31
UWA for K-5

Hi,

Which UWA (shorter than 24mm) would you recommend for K-5?

Lens must be FF combatible and have manual aperture ring trying to share this with my canon bodies.

Zoom or prime is ok, but IQ must be significantly better than kit lens (18-55mm WR).

I am thinking of Samyang 14mm, but the distortion is giving me pause. Should I be worry?

How about Tamron SP 17-35mm? For this one, I worry that it is not much of an improvement compared to the kit lens.

I hope to use this for landscape mainly, so slower lens is ok, looking for edge to edge performance for FF, but fast aperture will also be useful when I need this for indoor occasionally.

-kk

07-10-2012, 09:48 PM   #2
Veteran Member




Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Arizona
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 888
if you want a sharp ultrawide on FF with no distortion, grab yourself a sharp 28mm and learn to stitch.

otherwise, you go for the samyang, its seriously the sharpest lens i've ever used, even wide open. The distortion doesn't bug me, if you're shooting that wide (especially on FF, its insanely wide on film), a bit of distortion is to be expected.
07-10-2012, 10:43 PM   #3
Veteran Member
twitch's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 4,571
How about the FA 20mm f/2.8? Not so cheap though and a bit hard to find



I like my FA*24, although I know you said you wanted wider......




I tend to think the Samyang + PP to fix distortion (eg lightroom) would be the cheapest option, certainly the widest.
07-11-2012, 01:21 AM   #4
Veteran Member




Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Prague
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,199
I'm very happy with old M20/4. Much better than kit lens and yet small and portable.

07-11-2012, 03:05 AM   #5
kkx
Inactive Account




Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Cambridge
Photos: Albums
Posts: 31
Original Poster
Many choices

Thanks for all the reply.

Seems like the Samyang 14mm is a viable options.

If I can build my own lens profile (seems like there is a easy to use profile maker/builder) or copy one from someone else, I should be fine. I should only need to correct some of the photo, those with lines that make the distortion very obvious.

I will also check out FA 20mm and FA 24mm. If I can get them with good price. 24mm is a bit too long for K-5, for me, I think.

Stitching is possible, but not for all occasions. I have software for stitching and did play around a bit. Adding some extra steps and effort. Still like to have the one click options available, for scene with moving objects etc.

M20/F4 sound interesting too. Will check out some reviews and price.

Thanks again for replies. Other suggestions are still welcome. Like always, I might end up getting more than one lens.

-kk
07-11-2012, 03:10 AM   #6
Inactive Account




Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Northern California
Posts: 137
I use the 16-45mm f/4 - a good choice if you're on a budget. It's significantly better IQ than the 18-55mm kit lens, except it has a higher incidence of chromatic aberration in the green and blue.
07-12-2012, 05:51 AM   #7
New Member




Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Auckland
Posts: 19
You could try the FA 20-35/4. It gives the FA 20 and FA* 24 a run for their money despite being a zoom. There was one on eBay for $400 that didn't sell.

There's the Sigma 12-24 which is full frame compatible. It was reviewed here. However, like the Samyang, it does not take front filters.

07-12-2012, 06:41 PM   #8
Veteran Member




Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Seattle
Posts: 659
I am really impressed with the Pentax DA 10-17mm ED (IF) FISHEYE Lens. Yes, there is some distortion but that is completely correctable with software like DxO Optics Pro or RectFish homepage
07-12-2012, 08:05 PM   #9
Pentaxian
jimr-pdx's Avatar

Join Date: May 2010
Location: now 1 hour north of PDX
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 3,897
Every person will have a favorite, by choice or budget or distortion level. I'm really enjoying my Sigma 15mm fisheye, which meets your requirements. Not too fishy on aps-c, absurdly wide on film. Also f/2.8 when you want such things, and can do 1:4 close focus. I thought about the DA10-17, and wished for the DA15.. but this one came along and I'm really glad it did.
07-12-2012, 08:25 PM   #10
Pentaxian
cmohr's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Brisbane. Australia
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,823
I have the Pentax 20-35/4 as well as the Sigma 12-24 (first version), they are both well sharp and FF. Both K-Mount.

Just wondering , you mention that you want to use it on a Canon body. Are you looking for a M42 screwmount so as you can swap adapters, to fit either PentaxK-Mount or the Canon mount??? If so there are some brilliant Pentax and Taks out there in screwmount.
07-20-2012, 01:30 PM   #11
kkx
Inactive Account




Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Cambridge
Photos: Albums
Posts: 31
Original Poster
sigma 12-24

Hi,

Mount is not important. M42, pentax-k (A prefered) and adaptall is ok. As long as I have means to use it on both K-5 and Canon-eos (via adaptors).

The sigma 12-24 looks good. Expensive and I need the version 1 (the one with aperture ring), can't seems to find them.

The samyang 14mm 2.8 is still on top of my list (with PTLens to correct distortion, I think it will be a great solution).

The sigma zoom range (12-24) is really versatile, so I am tempted to try this. Anyone know at 14mm, how is the sigma compared to the samyang? If the different it acceptable, I might consider paying the extra (diff of USD500) and try to hunt for a sigma version 1.

Thanks for the reply and hopefully, I will find a wide angle soon. Now I am surviving with a komine 2.0 28mm close focus. Been testing it and not so happy with the result (on both K-5 and 5DII). Maybe it is just me doing something wrong, but it is soft for distance (over 10m to inf) shots. But on near distance, it is quite good.

-kk
07-20-2012, 01:33 PM   #12
kkx
Inactive Account




Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Cambridge
Photos: Albums
Posts: 31
Original Poster
Thanks pentaxmz and jimr-pdx,

I generally stay away from fisheye, not because of personal experience (I have none). Maybe I should try one out. Renting or borrow one. Hmm..... choices.

It is hard to decided. But If I can find a good rectilinear, that can do good lanscape for both system, then fisheye can wait till my next LBA attack.

-kk
07-20-2012, 01:49 PM   #13
Ash
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
Ash's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Toowoomba, Queensland
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 23,920
This thread is more about lenses than about the K-5. I've moved the thread accordingly. I'm not sure the DA 16-45 is FF compatible, but it's going to be hard for you to find a good FF UWA lens to be satisfied with using on an APS-C camera. 28mm is pretty wide on a FF format, but nearing 50mm equivalent FOV on an APS-C. The Tamron 28-75 is one of my favoured FF compatible zooms but is just too long on APS-C (at the wide end).

Last edited by Ash; 07-20-2012 at 01:59 PM.
07-20-2012, 02:21 PM   #14
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
RobA_Oz's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Tasmania, Australia
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 8,182
I have the FA20/2.8 and the Sigma 10-20/3.5. Both are sharp and have rich colourings with the K-5 and the K20D. I keep both because of the flexibility of the 10-20 for general WA photography, and the unobtrusive (without the standard hood) light weight of the FA20 for more specific work. I tend to use all my primes like that, to force myself to see subjects in a particular way.

The FA20/2.8 is a bit rare, but a year or so ago there was a rash of them on eBay, from Germany and the Czech Republic (where I got mine), I think. A quick check just now reveals only one, starting bidding at $499AUD, which is just a bit less than the going rate when I bought mine. I had considered the DA21, but the faster FA20 won out with me, and even if it's not as well built as the 21, it's fairly solidly built for a plastic body lens of that era.
07-20-2012, 03:29 PM   #15
Pentaxian




Join Date: Nov 2011
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 4,309
The A20/2.8 is another option, optically the same as the FA20/2.8.
It will focus on the Canon as well as it focuses on the K5 (the old-fashioned way).
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
aperture, edge, ff, k-5, k-mount, kit, lens, pentax lens, slr lens, uwa
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
looking at UWA lenses falagund Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 19 01-07-2012 05:29 PM
One down, WA/UWA to go.. Next lens? Chex Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 38 04-16-2011 09:22 AM
DA* UWA lens??? Loren E Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11 02-12-2011 03:56 PM
UWA Advice Ron Kruger Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 9 12-09-2010 11:33 PM
UWA - Please Help Me Decide: Freak Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 10 11-17-2010 05:27 AM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:32 PM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top