[kjphilippona]

I will be making my last trip to the Grand Canyon this summer and want to make sure i have the best hardware to capture it in all her glory. I have three zoom's DA*16-50, DA18-55 and DA18-135, they take very good picture attached to my K-50 but i love the sharpness and color's of pictures taken with my two limited prime lenses. I have the DA40 and DA70 limited. I was thinking about getting either the DA15 or DA21 limited to finish out my set. Any advice would be appreciated

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Last edited by kjphilippona; 04-11-2015 at 09:09 AM.

[GaryH]

The 15 would round out a nice set of DA limiteds but if you get to do any street or city architectural photography the 21 would get more use.

[savoche]

Could I have only one of them I'd take the 15. It's less versatile than the 21, but it's also more special. And for Grand Canyon I would definitely have a 15 in my bag.

I would think your 16-50 should do a splendid job in the Canyon, though.

[kjphilippona]

Could I have only one of them I'd take the 15. It's less versatile than the 21, but it's also more special. And for Grand Canyon I would definitely have a 15 in my bag.

I would think your 16-50 should do a splendid job in the Canyon, though.

I was thing along those same lines but have taken a few shots with my 16-50 at 16mm and did not like the excessive bending on the edges and liked the colors better when i used my prime limited's.

[zzeitg]

15 mm SMC version...

[Paul the Sunman]

DA 15. You cover 21 pretty well with your zooms.

[asahi67]

I bought the 15 first followed by the 21 and 31 at the same time. I love the all but in rank of use: 1-31, 2-15 3-21

[hcc]

There is a big difference between 15 mm and 21 mm focal length (FL). Very big difference IMHO.

Personally I would recommend the DA15mm because it expands your FL range. (Your smallest FL being 16mm currently.)

I have the DA15mm and I found it ideal for landscapes and city shooting. I use it often in cities (Paris, Hangzhou, Oaxacca, Brisbane) for architectural shooting (buildings, churches, monuments). More many of us of us think that the DA15mm Ltd is a really special lens: "DA15mm Ltd controls my mind":
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/86234-15mm-limited-controls-my-mind-club.html

This however should not be read as a negative comment on the DA21mm Ltd. The DA Ltd series is a great series and all its lenses are definitely worthwhile. My comment is related to the FL.

Hope that my 5 cents will assist.

[kjphilippona]

Thanks for all the help

[rrstuff]

I would take a long lens for grand canyon. It is very vast and if you take shots with wide angle, there will be no detail. Unless you go down the foreground is relatively uninteresting (i.e. it's empty space), while background has a lot of cool details.

For example, this was at 55mm:



I still found use for wide angle, but only during hiking. Overall, the 55-300 and 90mm lenses got the most use.

[kjphilippona]

I would take a long lens for grand canyon. It is very vast and if you take shots with wide angle, there will be no detail. Unless you go down the foreground is relatively uninteresting (i.e. it's empty space), while background has a lot of cool details.

For example, this was at 55mm:



I still found use for wide angle, but only during hiking. Overall, the 55-300 and 90mm lenses got the most use.

Well then i have that covered, i have the DA55-300 and Tamron 90

[rrstuff]

Well then i have that covered, i have the DA55-300 and Tamron 90

That's exactly what I took.

[mythguy9]

16-50 should already do a good job when stopped down and low ISO. When wide open it sometimes gives disappointing results at 16 mm. Maybe you should invest in a good tripod instead, if you don't already have one.

[LeRolls]

I own both and prefer the 15. Gotta love those starbursts.

[Madaboutpix]

The smc DA15 is my (ultra-)wideangle workhorse and definitely both a capable performer and a fun lens. Yet it gives you a mere one millimetre further into ultra-wideangle territory. Agree with rrstuff that a telephoto option, such as the wonderfully portable DA55-300, will probably help you a great deal with those gorgeous distant rock formations. Stopped down a little, your DA*16-50 should be a great landscape lens, however, and if the marked barrel distortion at the short end bothers you, it can be easily dealt with, either in-camera or in post. (It is true, the DA15 shows much less of it.)

At any rate, can't shake the feeling that you're already pretty well covered, and that being there at the right time and in the right light, with a solid tripod, will have a much bigger impact on your results than carrying that one extra lens.