[Conqueror]

I was sincere. I appreciated the input from someone with the lens. I have the DA 15 and use it differently than many who are saying what they value about their DA 14 so I don't think I missed the boat. I just was interested since the topic came up.

Yes I also have DA 15... the pentax lenses have better build quality than Samyang IMO... not saying samyang is not worth a look... what I mean is things like handling, focus etc.

The DA 14 might be an interesting option for night and astro

Then of course there's the pentax colours etc.

[Na Horuk]

the pentax lenses have better build quality than Samyang IMO

I have the Samyang and some Pentax lenses, and I would agree. And Pentax does have some strengths, like the lens coatings, full automation with AF, generally good construction (with few exceptions, which can happen to any brand), in-camera lens corrections if you shoot jpeg, lens profiles if you shoot raw, and Pentax lenses generally also have good colours and contrasts.
I think this thread did pretty well in showing the.. slightly odd status of the DA 14mm. While not bad, it never achieved a cult status like the funky DA 15mm did. On the one had, some people love it, and on the other, some people decided to go with an alternative.
Hope you make/made the choice that's right for you

The DA 14 might be an interesting option for night and astro

One interesting thing here.. such UWA lenses have different amounts of corrections and distortions. So some lens designs might be more suitable for certain tasks than others. The Samyang has quite a bit distortion, so its not great for architectural shots, but its corrections make it quite suitable for astro. Dunno about the DA 14mm's pros and cons, though.

[Scootatheschool1990]

I loved the lends while I had it. I took the thing everywhere with me. A 10-20 has more usefulness to me now that I do interior photography.

[Cambo]

Like all of Mr. Hirasawa's finest works, a magical optic, but misunderstood by many. Ever seen the massive, unwieldy, incredibly-front-heavy tripod-destabilizing Nikon 14, with the softball-sized optic on the front that you can't put any filters on? Mr. Hirokawa reversed that optically; you see a golfball-sized concave optic inside, yielding a flat front for convenience, and it is balanced and magnitudes lighter than the Nikon. It is BRILLIANT. My favourite lens, and optimized to take advantage of 'the near-far dichotomy'.

But a lot of people 'don't get it'. I do. Just like my FA* 85.

Cheers,
Cameron

[ChatMechant]

Like all of Mr. Hirasawa's finest works, a magical optic, but misunderstood by many. Ever seen the massive, unwieldy, incredibly-front-heavy tripod-destabilizing Nikon 14, with the softball-sized optic on the front that you can't put any filters on? Mr. Hirokawa reversed that optically; you see a golfball-sized concave optic inside, yielding a flat front for convenience, and it is balanced and magnitudes lighter than the Nikon. It is BRILLIANT. My favourite lens, and optimized to take advantage of 'the near-far dichotomy'.

But a lot of people 'don't get it'. I do. Just like my FA* 85.

Cheers,
Cameron

A-men!

[Conqueror]

Like all of Mr. Hirasawa's finest works, a magical optic, but misunderstood by many. Ever seen the massive, unwieldy, incredibly-front-heavy tripod-destabilizing Nikon 14, with the softball-sized optic on the front that you can't put any filters on? Mr. Hirokawa reversed that optically; you see a golfball-sized concave optic inside, yielding a flat front for convenience, and it is balanced and magnitudes lighter than the Nikon. It is BRILLIANT. My favourite lens, and optimized to take advantage of 'the near-far dichotomy'.

But a lot of people 'don't get it'. I do. Just like my FA* 85.

Cheers,
Cameron

yes this seems to be an overlooked lens.. nice pic

[bassek]

Like all of Mr. Hirasawa's finest works, a magical optic, but misunderstood by many. Ever seen the massive, unwieldy, incredibly-front-heavy tripod-destabilizing Nikon 14, with the softball-sized optic on the front that you can't put any filters on? Mr. Hirokawa reversed that optically; you see a golfball-sized concave optic inside, yielding a flat front for convenience, and it is balanced and magnitudes lighter than the Nikon. It is BRILLIANT. My favourite lens, and optimized to take advantage of 'the near-far dichotomy'.

But a lot of people 'don't get it'. I do. Just like my FA* 85.

Cheers,
Cameron

Thank you for your description of the DA14. The magic of your language maches the lens...

And the pic shows the true meaning of this lens.

Seb

[CharLac]

Playing around with my 14mm today. Gloomy day but gave me something to do while waiting for my son's exam to end. I do like this lens a lot.