Prime Wide Lens Suggestion Please (Sharpness, Color, Contrast) under 800$

pentaxnood · 02-13-2013, 06:28 AM

I need a prime wide lens suggestion (10-35mm).

-under 800$
- color, contrast, sharpness
- no fisheye
- any brand is OK
- old/new does not matter. I live in Japan, so there are wide selection of lenses available. If there is a good old lens with manual focus, that is OK too.

I looked at FA 77mm pictures, and I liked it very much, so similar to it but wider preferably.

I need it for landscape photography

NitroDC · 02-13-2013, 06:35 AM - **1 Like**

Pentax DA 15mm f/4 Limited.

Docrwm · 02-13-2013, 06:38 AM - **1 Like**

The biggest hit here for Landscape Photography has been the DA15 LImited lens.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/lens-clubs/86234-15mm-limited-controls-my-mind-club.html

yusuf · 02-13-2013, 06:40 AM

Originally posted by Docrwm

The biggest hit here for Landscape Photography has been the DA15 LImited lens.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/lens-clubs/86234-15mm-limited-controls-my-mind-club.html

Agree, DA15 seems to have a great fan club, though I haven't used it myself

**TER-OR** · 02-13-2013, 06:55 AM - **1 Like**

You're going to get some distortion at the very wide end. 28-35mm range that's not overpowering.

There are some good threads about this already and the DA15mm seems to be well-regarded as a landscape lens.

I recently bought Sigma's 28mm f1.8 macro and I'm very happy with it. I wanted it for close work, but it seems like a nice sharp lens al-around.
For manual lenses or FA series lenses you have a lot of choices, figure out what ranges you're interested in and look in the database. I think there are some nice A-series wide lenses out there.

percy · 02-13-2013, 06:59 AM

I'm going to agree with what seems to be the majority here so far, and vote for the DA15 Limited.

lytrytyr · 02-13-2013, 07:04 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by pentaxnood

I need a prime wide lens suggestion (10-35mm
I need it for landscape photography

I've used DA 15 Ltd, Zeiss ZK 25/2.8, Pentax K24/2.8,
and have been happy with all three.

For landscape, some users like the stitching option.

pentaxnood · 02-13-2013, 07:09 AM

thanks all, da 15mm looks great but I am wondering, maybe I should increase my budget. How about 31mm vs DA 15mm ? Macro and value is not important.

lytrytyr, I looked but could not find gallery for zeiss? any links?

pentaxnood · 02-13-2013, 07:11 AM

Originally posted by TER-OR

For manual lenses or FA series lenses you have a lot of choices, figure out what ranges you're interested in and look in the database. I think there are some nice A-series wide lenses out there.

Well actually I bought a few months ago following what you said, it was great for value but definitely not the best. So I am now knowledgeable about Pentax lenses, I was wondering maybe an old lens is much better than new lenses.

lytrytyr · 02-13-2013, 07:14 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by pentaxnood

lytrytyr, I looked but could not find gallery for zeiss? any links?

Currently, the only example I've posted is this one,
although it's not a landscape,
just a sample to show how field curvature
can work in your favor:

ZK2528cu - lytrytyr's Album: Zeiss ZK - PentaxForums.com

There might be samples on the Zeiss site,
since they invited users to post there.

demp10 · 02-13-2013, 07:18 AM

If you don't mind manual focus (and at the wide end it shouldn't be an issue), then you should also consider the Samyang 14mm F2.8 and its various branded versions (Bower, Rokinon, Vivitar, etc.). It is cheaper, faster and sharper.

Depending on your final goal, stitching may be a viable alternative especially if you plan to print big. For that, you can use anything from normal to short tele and get excellent results.

L33tGreg · 02-13-2013, 07:21 AM

Originally posted by pentaxnood

thanks all, da 15mm looks great but I am wondering, maybe I should increase my budget. How about 31mm vs DA 15mm ? Macro and value is not important.

lytrytyr, I looked but could not find gallery for zeiss? any links?

They are completely different lenses. Both are sharp, the 31 is sharper. The 31 is obviously faster, much larger and almost twice the cost. It's also more than twice as long. On APS-C, the 31 is not wide, it's close to normal (most consider 28mm normal on APS-C). If you want a wide prime, DA15 or DA21 are good choices. The FOV difference between the 15 and 21 is enormous. I love the photos I take with my 15, but I use the 21 more because the 15 is often too wide.

Docrwm · 02-13-2013, 07:29 AM

Glad the thread was of help. It all really depends on what you want in the way of Field of View and Perspective out of a lens. 15mm is pretty wide on APS-C. If you have the 18-55 then go back and pick your favorite photos and look at what the lens was set at 18mm, 31mm, etc. If most that you like are at or near 18mm then the 15 Limited is going to suit you better than the 31mm. I did that back when I was going from zooms to primes and it helped a lot.

**TER-OR** · 02-13-2013, 07:35 AM

Originally posted by pentaxnood

Well actually I bought a few months ago following what you said, it was great for value but definitely not the best. So I am now knowledgeable about Pentax lenses, I was wondering maybe an old lens is much better than new lenses.

I'm interested in your experience, which lens are you talking about? If it's something I reccomended, I definitely want to know your experience and how it compares with mine.

I don't necessarily think the old lenses are better per se, but i think you can get some very good quality glass if you don't need the fully automatic luxuries. In some cases the optics are definitely better compared with what's available now - but you'll have to sort through a lot of advice. I do know I've got some very good images from an old M50mm f/2 kit lens, I think it all depends on the copy you have and how you use it.

pentaxnood · 02-13-2013, 07:45 AM

Originally posted by TER-OR

I'm interested in your experience, which lens are you talking about? If it's something I reccomended, I definitely want to know your experience and how it compares with mine.

SMC-A 35-70mm F4. It has a 8.8 rating on sharpness but I must say its overrated. Its cheap but Canon 18-55 3.5-5.6 is same price and much sharper I can say. I have 1 year of experience, so I guess you are more experienced.

Originally posted by TER-OR

In some cases the optics are definitely better compared with what's available now - but you'll have to sort through a lot of advice. I do know I've got some very good images from an old M50mm f/2 kit lens,

Yeah that is exactly what I was wondering: good optics. I can give up on automatic luxuries, or even on fastness of lens provided that the lens takes good daylight photos with good color, contrast and maybe sharpness. Any suggestions for that prime/zoom? Any range is fine.

02-13-2013, 06:28 AM	#1
pentaxnood Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 47	Prime Wide Lens Suggestion Please (Sharpness, Color, Contrast) under 800$ I need a prime wide lens suggestion (10-35mm). -under 800$ - color, contrast, sharpness - no fisheye - any brand is OK - old/new does not matter. I live in Japan, so there are wide selection of lenses available. If there is a good old lens with manual focus, that is OK too. I looked at FA 77mm pictures, and I liked it very much, so similar to it but wider preferably. I need it for landscape photography

02-13-2013, 07:45 AM	#15
pentaxnood Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 47 Original Poster	Originally posted by TER-OR I'm interested in your experience, which lens are you talking about? If it's something I reccomended, I definitely want to know your experience and how it compares with mine. SMC-A 35-70mm F4. It has a 8.8 rating on sharpness but I must say its overrated. Its cheap but Canon 18-55 3.5-5.6 is same price and much sharper I can say. I have 1 year of experience, so I guess you are more experienced. Originally posted by TER-OR In some cases the optics are definitely better compared with what's available now - but you'll have to sort through a lot of advice. I do know I've got some very good images from an old M50mm f/2 kit lens, Yeah that is exactly what I was wondering: good optics. I can give up on automatic luxuries, or even on fastness of lens provided that the lens takes good daylight photos with good color, contrast and maybe sharpness. Any suggestions for that prime/zoom? Any range is fine. Last edited by pentaxnood; 02-13-2013 at 07:53 AM.

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02-13-2013, 06:35 AM - 1 Like	#2
NitroDC Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 342	Pentax DA 15mm f/4 Limited.

02-13-2013, 06:38 AM - 1 Like	#3
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	The biggest hit here for Landscape Photography has been the DA15 LImited lens. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/lens-clubs/86234-15mm-limited-controls-my-mind-club.html

02-13-2013, 06:40 AM	#4
yusuf Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Palo Alto, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,497	Originally posted by Docrwm The biggest hit here for Landscape Photography has been the DA15 LImited lens. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/lens-clubs/86234-15mm-limited-controls-my-mind-club.html Agree, DA15 seems to have a great fan club, though I haven't used it myself

02-13-2013, 06:55 AM - 1 Like	#5
TER-OR Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dundee, IL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,699	You're going to get some distortion at the very wide end. 28-35mm range that's not overpowering. There are some good threads about this already and the DA15mm seems to be well-regarded as a landscape lens. I recently bought Sigma's 28mm f1.8 macro and I'm very happy with it. I wanted it for close work, but it seems like a nice sharp lens al-around. For manual lenses or FA series lenses you have a lot of choices, figure out what ranges you're interested in and look in the database. I think there are some nice A-series wide lenses out there.

02-13-2013, 06:59 AM	#6
percy Senior Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Herefordshire, UK Posts: 197	I'm going to agree with what seems to be the majority here so far, and vote for the DA15 Limited.

02-13-2013, 07:04 AM - 1 Like	#7
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,310	Originally posted by pentaxnood I need a prime wide lens suggestion (10-35mm I need it for landscape photography I've used DA 15 Ltd, Zeiss ZK 25/2.8, Pentax K24/2.8, and have been happy with all three. For landscape, some users like the stitching option.

02-13-2013, 07:09 AM	#8
pentaxnood Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 47 Original Poster	thanks all, da 15mm looks great but I am wondering, maybe I should increase my budget. How about 31mm vs DA 15mm ? Macro and value is not important. lytrytyr, I looked but could not find gallery for zeiss? any links?

02-13-2013, 07:11 AM	#9
pentaxnood Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 47 Original Poster	Originally posted by TER-OR For manual lenses or FA series lenses you have a lot of choices, figure out what ranges you're interested in and look in the database. I think there are some nice A-series wide lenses out there. Well actually I bought a few months ago following what you said, it was great for value but definitely not the best. So I am now knowledgeable about Pentax lenses, I was wondering maybe an old lens is much better than new lenses.

02-13-2013, 07:14 AM - 1 Like	#10
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,310	Originally posted by pentaxnood lytrytyr, I looked but could not find gallery for zeiss? any links? Currently, the only example I've posted is this one, although it's not a landscape, just a sample to show how field curvature can work in your favor: ZK2528cu - lytrytyr's Album: Zeiss ZK - PentaxForums.com There might be samples on the Zeiss site, since they invited users to post there.

02-13-2013, 07:18 AM	#11
demp10 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Atlanta Photos: Albums Posts: 602	If you don't mind manual focus (and at the wide end it shouldn't be an issue), then you should also consider the Samyang 14mm F2.8 and its various branded versions (Bower, Rokinon, Vivitar, etc.). It is cheaper, faster and sharper. Depending on your final goal, stitching may be a viable alternative especially if you plan to print big. For that, you can use anything from normal to short tele and get excellent results.

02-13-2013, 07:21 AM	#12
L33tGreg Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Charleston, SC Photos: Gallery Posts: 369	Originally posted by pentaxnood thanks all, da 15mm looks great but I am wondering, maybe I should increase my budget. How about 31mm vs DA 15mm ? Macro and value is not important. lytrytyr, I looked but could not find gallery for zeiss? any links? They are completely different lenses. Both are sharp, the 31 is sharper. The 31 is obviously faster, much larger and almost twice the cost. It's also more than twice as long. On APS-C, the 31 is not wide, it's close to normal (most consider 28mm normal on APS-C). If you want a wide prime, DA15 or DA21 are good choices. The FOV difference between the 15 and 21 is enormous. I love the photos I take with my 15, but I use the 21 more because the 15 is often too wide.

02-13-2013, 07:29 AM	#13
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	Glad the thread was of help. It all really depends on what you want in the way of Field of View and Perspective out of a lens. 15mm is pretty wide on APS-C. If you have the 18-55 then go back and pick your favorite photos and look at what the lens was set at 18mm, 31mm, etc. If most that you like are at or near 18mm then the 15 Limited is going to suit you better than the 31mm. I did that back when I was going from zooms to primes and it helped a lot.

02-13-2013, 07:35 AM	#14
TER-OR Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dundee, IL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,699	Originally posted by pentaxnood Well actually I bought a few months ago following what you said, it was great for value but definitely not the best. So I am now knowledgeable about Pentax lenses, I was wondering maybe an old lens is much better than new lenses. I'm interested in your experience, which lens are you talking about? If it's something I reccomended, I definitely want to know your experience and how it compares with mine. I don't necessarily think the old lenses are better per se, but i think you can get some very good quality glass if you don't need the fully automatic luxuries. In some cases the optics are definitely better compared with what's available now - but you'll have to sort through a lot of advice. I do know I've got some very good images from an old M50mm f/2 kit lens, I think it all depends on the copy you have and how you use it.