[UncleVanya]

I've had the 15mm on for days at a time when travelling. It's great for architecture or getting monuments and family in the frame at the same time. It's also good for street scenes where the subject matter is the street itself rather than individuals. You can get more interesting compositions than you might otherwise get with a narrower view. However as robthebloke predicts you're eventually going to end up with both. The either/or proposition is self delusion.

Where was the shot with the stairs taken - it looks familiar.

[mikeSF]

I prefer the DA 15. It is a lot easier to crop a 15mm photo to 21mm than to do the reverse. The lens cap thing isn't an issue. I always put away the originals anyway, so I don't lose them and buy plastic squeeze caps.

As others say, it is about what works best for you. I shoot a lot of landscape and am stopped down when I do it. I also was looking for something wider than my 16-50 and more flare resistant, as I am pretty satisfied with the 16-50 in that range.

DA 15 shot.

gorgeous shot, Rondec!

[Madaboutpix]

The screw-on lens cap of the DA15 is an abomination. It sort of goes with the type of shooting with this lens - set it up on a tripod, unscrew the lens cap, dither about ...

One of my most-loved lenses, one I definitely wouldn't want to go without, and one that actually gives me a lot of keepers. Order a 49mm snap-on cap with it, and the minor annoyance of the style-defeats-practicality srew-in cap is done with. When I travel or do photojournalism-like stuff, the DA15 will be either on the camera or in my bag. But then I've always liked the FOV those old 24mm lenses produced shooting on film: wide enough for close quarters or tight spaces, already entering ultra-wideangle territory, yet not as difficult to compose with as even wider lenses. Basically, I can get real close to some action, or can accentuate an intriguing foreground, without incurring all too obtrusive (projective) distortions. Once you stop it down a little, and use it for more than shooting studio test scenes or brick walls, the odds are you'll find it delivers what a super-compact ultra-wideangle lens can be expected to do. Barrel distortion is corrected somewhat better than on the DA21, and what remains of it is straightforward barrel, rather than the difficult-to-correct mustachio type (which you tend to get with wideangle zooms). The DA15 is not a fast but a fairly fast-focusing lens, and I've shot it with worthwhile results both from the tripod and in more photojournalistic situations. So, to me at least, it's positively not just a "dither[-]about" lens.

Not that I wouldn't love to have a DA21 in my kit too, for anything that doesn't require ultra-wideangle FOV. I'm glad to have both of these options in the Pentax line-up.

[johnyates]

I'd like to shoot more landscapes and architecture

I have owned both the DA21 and DA15. Sold them and got a DA 12-24 which I think is better suited for both landscape and architecture. The DA15 is not very good for corner to corner sharpness.

[kh1234567890]

Barrel distortion is corrected somewhat better than on the DA21, and what remains of it is straightforward barrel, rather than the difficult-to-correct mustachio type (which you tend to get with wideangle zooms).

I've never noticed any with my copy of the DA21.

[northcoastgreg]

m now looking for a wider lens again and the DA 15 Limited seems like the right choice but from what I'm reading and seeing here the DA 21 Limited also seems like a good choice.

I already own a DA 15 but I don't own the DA 21. However, between these two, the DA 21 seems to me the more useful of the two. I try to use my DA 15 as much as I can, because it's my best lens under 100mm, but because of it's wide FOV, it can really be a challenge. While I don't have the DA 21, I do have the old M 20 f4. I can shoot all day with the M 20 f4, without ever taking it off. I can't say the same of the DA 15.

I've been very impressed with some of the images I've seen taken with the new HD DA 21, so much so, that I'm seriously considering getting one to replace my old M 20 f4. I see the DA limiteds as being primarily color and contrast lenses, and the HD coatings seem to have helped the DA 21 improve in that regard.

[Madaboutpix]

I've never noticed any with my copy of the DA21.

My statement about the level of distortion correction was based on test results I recalled from photozone.de (~1.5% with the DA15 vs. ~2% in the DA21). But I agree that the shot with your copy is remarkably and pleasingly free of any noticeable barrel distortion. The proof of the pudding, I guess ...

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Last edited by Madaboutpix; 11-21-2014 at 12:45 PM. Reason: accidental double quote

[kh1234567890]

The proof of the pudding, I guess ...

Indeed. That shot was corrected in SilkyPix Pro which uses the Pentax distortion correction data embedded in the RAW EXIF. You'd probably get the same using the in-camera correction or the Adobe PS profile. Even without correction the distortion is not as bad as those measurements would suggest.

[peterjcb]

I've had the 15 for a while now and I love it. I used it on a weekend trip last April and didn't take it off my K-5 in spite of taking two other lenses with me
....that being said, I just ordered the HD version of the 21...
you are going to want both...

[officiousbystander]

Where was the shot with the stairs taken - it looks familiar.

It's the view from the top of the new engineering building at the University of Technology Sydney. The university has just spent a billion dollars on a building program with a conscious focus on the architecture. I can walk out of my office and have a range of inspiring building subjects to choose from, including a Gehry. It's another reason for me to love my 15mm.

[mikeSF]

Indeed. That shot was corrected in SilkyPix Pro which uses the Pentax distortion correction data embedded in the RAW EXIF. You'd probably get the same using the in-camera correction or the Adobe PS profile. Even without correction the distortion is not as bad as those measurements would suggest.

good point. the widespread implementation of custom lens profiles makes distortion correction almost a non-issue anymore. I typically will not use my 21 for panos because the distortion bends the edges a bit making it trickier to stitch, but it isn't such a big deal anymore.

[BlakeShellman]

Seeing as how popular this thread is is there a chance I could win one of the lenses I desire? That way I would only need to spend my own money on the other. Or do I need a lot more posts to come close?

Actually I rarely win anything so I should probably splurge right?

[LensBeginner]

Seeing as how popular this thread is is there a chance I could win one of the lenses I desire? That way I would only need to spend my own money on the other. Or do I need a lot more posts to come close?

Actually I rarely win anything so I should probably splurge right?

I'm afraid you'd have to post a little more than that..
Here are the standings for today and each past day of November, plus total giveaway tickets at the bottom of the page:
November Giveaway Tracker - PentaxForums.com

I'm trying hard hoping to win the 15mm myself...
I wouldn't have much use for the 77LTD, but the 15mm...

[mtngal]

I'm following this thead with great interest - I'm interested in the same 2 lenses and can't decide which to buy first, or if I really should buy the 21 at all. The reason I want either/or/both is that weight and size is a huge issue to me right now - I don't want to put anything larger or heavier than the FA31 on the camera. And after seeing the new silver lens I bought on my camera, I want to buy more of them! Silly reason, I know.

I was surprised recently at just how much wider 24mm is than 31 - I have both the FA31 and the SMC 24mm f2.8 (earlier than the M series). While it might seem silly to buy the 21 when I have the old 24, using it recently convinced me that I would use the 21 a lot, I liked the viewpoint and it would be lighter (and silver instead of black). On the other hand, I've been thinking the 15 would make more sense for me since I do already own the 24 and it really isn't all that heavy, but then I hear about how it's difficult to adjust to, I think I wouldn't use it much. It's not like I don't have anything wider than the 31 - I have both the 12-24 and the 16-50 (and the 10-17 for that matter), but both are big, heavy lenses and I am not physically able to use them right now, and the 10-17 is a fisheye, with it's disadvantages.

Is the 15 more of a specialty type lens? I get that impression when I read threads about it. Or is it just adjusting to something really wide angle, a different thought process than using a telephoto?

Any advice on this matter will be greatly appreciated. I assume I will eventually end up with both lenses, but I can't afford to get both right now.

[robthebloke]

I've had the 15 for a while now and I love it. I used it on a weekend trip last April and didn't take it off my K-5 in spite of taking two other lenses with me
....that being said, I just ordered the HD version of the 21...
you are going to want both...

Ah cool, you went for it in the end. Would love to know what you think of it when it arrives!