[David&karen]

Here is a review of the 20-40 Limited I ran into: https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2427404,00...kc82O8LGuYoWzQ

David

[Billy Joe]

That review really makes me want to try the sigma 1.8 zoom in the K-mount. f1.8 and 200 dollars cheaper. But a monster in size compared to the Pentax.

Don't really need the WR... so although the Pentax Ltd zoom looks amazing. Not sure I would use it that much as it is obviously an outdoor lens, and since it is not my fave outdoor focal length... Not quite wide enough and not quite long enough.

But for some of you amazing street shooters it could be just the ticket.

[Pioneer]

Well...they certainly seem more impressed with the new Sigma. I certainly hope this isn't the start of a trend. It would be a real shame for another potentially great Pentax product to get thrown to the wolves because it isn't the cheapest...the fastest...the widest or whatever. Of course, that has never happened before...has it?

[Billy Joe]

Well...they certainly seem more impressed with the new Sigma. I certainly hope this isn't the start of a trend. It would be a real shame for another potentially great Pentax product to get thrown to the wolves because it isn't the cheapest...the fastest...the widest or whatever. Of course, that has never happened before...has it?

Oh my goodness we just posted at the same time and that is exactly what I said... haha

[Pioneer]

Yeah. Sometimes great minds think alike.

I find that that the Pentax Limited Series has always been about small size, great build quality and great IQ. But, in this particular preview that does not seem to hold much importance. Of course I guess it is probably too much to expect a computer magazine to worry too much about the philosophy behind a certain lens design.

[calsan]

Depends what you're after.
I find the performance against the light and colour and contrast from the limiteds are very important. When shooting buildings, there's often not much you can do about where the sun is except wait - the limiteds mean you don't have to.

[timo]

That review really makes me want to try the sigma 1.8 zoom in the K-mount. f1.8 and 200 dollars cheaper. But a monster in size compared to the Pentax.

And that, surely, is the whole point. One look at the photo of the Sigma and you can see why you wouldn't want to lug that around all day.

[Driline]

Thanks for finding this review. It will be very interesting to see what the pentax forum reviewers think of between these 2 lenses.

[DogLover]

The Sigma is just too big to be of any interest to me. I'm willing to lug around a big lens for some reach, but not in this range, which is more street-shooting territory. Pointing that Sigma at someone on the street is not usually going to get a good reaction. Not to mention that the jury's still out on the intangibles of the 20-40, i.e. bokeh and rendering. I wouldn't expect the folks at PC Mag to pay much attention to those things. Even if I decide that I don't like the Pentax enough to buy it, I still wouldn't get the Sigma.

[THoog]

Having grown up on M-series and A-series primes and 28-70 shorty zooms, huge modern lenses just don't appeal to me, no matter what the numbers are.

What I want to see is what the DA 20-40 can do in the hands of someone who has really learned it and knows how to invoke the Pixie dust (if any). By the standards of most of these reviews, the DA 15 would be described as "Kinda wide, but slow. Plus, it's metal and fairly small."

[EarlVonTapia]

Nice review.

I am in the camp of wanting to have small, light lenses as opposed to big, honking lenses.

It's not 100% verified, but in the article it states that the f ranges are as follows:

f2.8: 20mm - 29mm
f3.5: 30mm-39mm
f4: 40mm

And if that is indeed the case, then FANTASTIC.

[mtux]

I can't even think of mounting an over 800 gram lens on my camera and use it for more than 15 minutes )

[northcoastgreg]

It's not 100% verified, but in the article it states that the f ranges are as follows: f2.8: 20mm - 29mm f3.5: 30mm-39mm f4: 40mm And if that is indeed the case, then FANTASTIC.

That's almost certainly misleading. The DA 20-40 will not be f2.8 at 29mm, or f3.5 at 39mm. With a variable aperture lens, there will be a gradual narrowing of the aperture throughout the zoom. It won't simply jump from f2.8 to f3.5. The camera may say it's f2.8 (rather than, say f3.1). But that's just an approximation.

Of course I guess it is probably too much to expect a computer magazine to worry too much about the philosophy behind a certain lens design.

I suspect we'll be seeing a lot of reviews of the DA 20-40 like this pcmag one. Review mags and internet sites tend to be dominated by gearhead types who evaluations lean strongly toward numerical specs and price. On those grounds, this lens is not going to make a lot of sense. If this lens is like previous limiteds, it will be designed primarily with aesthetic goals in mind; it will be a lens made for photographers, not review sites.

[snake]

Well...they certainly seem more impressed with the new Sigma. I certainly hope this isn't the start of a trend. It would be a real shame for another potentially great Pentax product to get thrown to the wolves because it isn't the cheapest...the fastest...the widest or whatever. Of course, that has never happened before...has it?

It's all about performance and the best product will win, regardless of how it's branded. If it doesn't, then Pentax has to adapt. Simple.

[monochrome]

If this lens is like previous limiteds, it will be designed primarily with aesthetic goals in mind; it will be a lens made for photographers, not review sites.

I am reminded of a brief note I read some years back that the first Hoya exec assigned to run Pentax (the nephew of the Chairman? - same guy who admired mountian climbers so picked K7 for an "outdoor" camera) insisted Pentax design a lens to win test site challenges, IOW design for DXOMark. Supposedly Pentax refused and that ended Hoya's interest.

What a novel concept - make a lens for photographers, not for reviewers.