Is there a high quality compact prime around 17-18mm for K1?

peterh337 · 10-29-2017, 01:43 PM

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OK; reading the reviews it is clear the Milvus is way better than the Distagon, and neither of them distorts.

However this comparison

You Tube

shows the Milvus to be way overpriced for the performance compared to some others. I wondered if the Pentax 15-30 outperforms it too but no, it has much more distortion (2x more) and similarly with chromatic abberation.

Last edited by peterh337; 10-29-2017 at 02:30 PM.

**pres589** · 10-29-2017, 02:34 PM - **2 Likes**

Distagon is more normhead, Milvus is more kenspo. Need I say more?

angerdan · 10-29-2017, 02:48 PM

Distortion is just 1.8% for the Distagon T* 18mm/21mm.
Zeiss Distagon T* 18mm f/3.5 ZF (FX) - Review / Test Report - Analysis
Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZF (FX) - Review / Test Report - Analysis

FA 20mm has 2,5%.
Pentax SMC-FA 20mm f/2.8 - Review / Test Report - Analysis

Nicolas06 · 10-29-2017, 05:19 PM

My bet would be an FA20 f/2., the voightlander or an FA18-35 f/4-5.6

peterh337 · 10-30-2017, 05:44 AM

I don't know what "normhead" or "kenspo" are but I got the 18mm Milvus (a beautifully made lens; compact and relatively light) and will send it to
Sales – David Llado site
for the Pentax modification.

I also looked at the Pentax 15-30 and that is a MASSIVE HUGE lens. Sure some people need it but for me it is ridiculous to walk around with something that size and weight.

**pres589** · 10-30-2017, 06:21 AM - **1 Like**

The joke that I made up (because I'm so hilarious) is that for a lens to be a "normhead lens" it needs to be smaller, lighter, wasn't designed to be a perfectly corrected optic, and needs to have a bit of character. Older is just fine here. The FA-J 18-35 is a normhead lens. A "kenspo lens" is large, heavy, needs to be very well corrected, and be really "modern". The D-FA* 70-200 is a kenspo lens.

normhead seems completely fine with this whole thing. I don't know what kenspo thinks. It's all based on statements they've made about the lenses they like or think need to be in the k-mount ecosystem. Neither of them are wrong.

peterh337 · 10-30-2017, 11:22 AM

Googling on "Kenspo" suggests it is a character on pentaxforums and also here
Kenneth Sporsheim (kenspo) Photos / 500px

**clackers** · 10-30-2017, 05:50 PM

Originally posted by peterh337

Googling on "Kenspo" suggests it is a character on pentaxforums and also here
Kenneth Sporsheim (kenspo) Photos / 500px

So is Norm Head, Peter.

They are your fellow forum members.

peterh337 · 11-14-2017, 01:20 AM

I posted some pics from the converted 18mm Milvus here
Using a Manual Focus Lens on the K-1 - Page 3 - PentaxForums.com

peterh337 · 11-14-2017, 05:03 AM

The conversion done by David Llado is excellent.

I am setting the ISO and then using the green K1 button to set the shutter speed.

The only thing I found is that the focus confirmation (the beep) basically does not work if the lens is stopped down; the depth of field is so great that the camera cannot focus because it is almost in focus all the time. That is pretty obvious! So one has to open it to max (f2.8), focus, and then set the desired aperture.

Tetedepioche · 11-15-2017, 12:41 AM

Resume :
A 17-18mm prime with AF under 500g : doesn't exist

- at 20mm like said earlier : the FA 20mm f/2.8
- MF pretty rare the Ricoh XR Rikenon 18mm f/2.8, the tokina and tamron 17mm are seconds choices.

pinholecam · 11-15-2017, 02:14 AM

20mm - M20/4 is as small as it gets

There is the Laowa 12/2.8 which is smaller than the Irix and Samyang 15/14mm lenses.
Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D – LAOWA Camera Lenses

peterh337 · 11-15-2017, 04:25 AM

The problem with the Pentax FA20 is that it is almost impossible to find in a workable condition.

I suspect most of them are really old (20-30 years?) and since most photographers dropped out of film some 10 years ago, these lenses have probably sat around for 10 years in cupboards etc, with mould growing on them.

When they come up on Ebay, they go for €300 or so for a mouldy one (which AFAIK cannot be fixed, at any price) and one recently sold for €800 or so. That is just a silly price unless you really want a small lightweight lens, but the K1 body is very heavy anyway so the benefit is IMHO wasted.

The other extreme is the current Pentax 15-30 zoom which is great for using the camera in a Taekwondo-style self defence

I was watching Ebay for the FA20 for ages and in the end got fed up with it. And in any case one is assuming the seller is honest and understands what mould looks like.

The Zeiss is very expensive but the size and weight are good for the K1 body.

angerdan · 11-15-2017, 09:56 AM

Originally posted by peterh337

The problem with the Pentax FA20 is that it is almost impossible to find in a workable condition.
I suspect most of them are really old (20-30 years?) and since most photographers dropped out of film some 10 years ago, these lenses have probably sat around for 10 years in cupboards etc, with mould growing on them.
When they come up on Ebay, they go for €300 or so for a mouldy one (which AFAIK cannot be fixed, at any price) and one recently sold for €800 or so.
I was watching Ebay for the FA20 for ages and in the end got fed up with it. And in any case one is assuming the seller is honest and understands what mould looks like.

The FA 20mm 2.8 was in production from 1995 to 2004. So they can be 13 to 22 years old. First Pentax DSLR camera has been available at 3/4Q 2003, so digital users could buy the FA 20 new.
By the way, i'd get mine in very good condition for only $445 (at this time 350€) in early september 2017 from an US seller on eBay.
So it's just about waiting for one or two months for a good copy. Thats much less than waiting 11-18 years for a new car in former East Germany

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trabant

**Miguel** · 11-27-2017, 01:14 PM

I own the FA 20mm and also did a Leitax conversion on an 18mm Distagon in Nikon mount. Unfortunately, the FA 20mm got permanently damaged after an accident. The size was perfect, the performance was good enough, but I would have liked more contrast and crispness on the K-1. The loss of this lens lead me to a long search for alternatives, thus the 18mm Zeiss.

In the Canon and Nikon worlds the Zeiss 18mm f3.5 doesn't have a stellar reputation, but on the K-1 I'm very pleased. The microcontrast and rendering is artful and the K-1 magic is effective. I use the lens in aperture-priority mode, there is a bit of purple fringing but noticeably less than my ZK Zeiss 35mm f2. The size and weight of the 18mm is not burdensome. Any minor distortion is easily corrected with Lightroom's fixes.

M

11-15-2017, 09:56 AM	#104
angerdan Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,639	Originally posted by peterh337 The problem with the Pentax FA20 is that it is almost impossible to find in a workable condition. I suspect most of them are really old (20-30 years?) and since most photographers dropped out of film some 10 years ago, these lenses have probably sat around for 10 years in cupboards etc, with mould growing on them. When they come up on Ebay, they go for €300 or so for a mouldy one (which AFAIK cannot be fixed, at any price) and one recently sold for €800 or so. I was watching Ebay for the FA20 for ages and in the end got fed up with it. And in any case one is assuming the seller is honest and understands what mould looks like. The FA 20mm 2.8 was in production from 1995 to 2004. So they can be 13 to 22 years old. First Pentax DSLR camera has been available at 3/4Q 2003, so digital users could buy the FA 20 new. By the way, i'd get mine in very good condition for only $445 (at this time 350€) in early september 2017 from an US seller on eBay. So it's just about waiting for one or two months for a good copy. Thats much less than waiting 11-18 years for a new car in former East Germany https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trabant Last edited by angerdan; 11-15-2017 at 10:03 AM.

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10-29-2017, 02:34 PM - 2 Likes	#92
pres589 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wichita, KS Photos: Albums Posts: 4,529	Distagon is more normhead, Milvus is more kenspo. Need I say more?

10-29-2017, 02:48 PM	#93
angerdan Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,639	Distortion is just 1.8% for the Distagon T* 18mm/21mm. Zeiss Distagon T* 18mm f/3.5 ZF (FX) - Review / Test Report - Analysis Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZF (FX) - Review / Test Report - Analysis FA 20mm has 2,5%. Pentax SMC-FA 20mm f/2.8 - Review / Test Report - Analysis

10-29-2017, 05:19 PM	#94
Nicolas06 Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 4,854	My bet would be an FA20 f/2., the voightlander or an FA18-35 f/4-5.6

10-30-2017, 05:44 AM	#95
peterh337 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: London Posts: 573 Original Poster	I don't know what "normhead" or "kenspo" are but I got the 18mm Milvus (a beautifully made lens; compact and relatively light) and will send it to Sales – David Llado site for the Pentax modification. I also looked at the Pentax 15-30 and that is a MASSIVE HUGE lens. Sure some people need it but for me it is ridiculous to walk around with something that size and weight.

10-30-2017, 06:21 AM - 1 Like	#96
pres589 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wichita, KS Photos: Albums Posts: 4,529	The joke that I made up (because I'm so hilarious) is that for a lens to be a "normhead lens" it needs to be smaller, lighter, wasn't designed to be a perfectly corrected optic, and needs to have a bit of character. Older is just fine here. The FA-J 18-35 is a normhead lens. A "kenspo lens" is large, heavy, needs to be very well corrected, and be really "modern". The D-FA* 70-200 is a kenspo lens. normhead seems completely fine with this whole thing. I don't know what kenspo thinks. It's all based on statements they've made about the lenses they like or think need to be in the k-mount ecosystem. Neither of them are wrong.

10-30-2017, 11:22 AM	#97
peterh337 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: London Posts: 573 Original Poster	Googling on "Kenspo" suggests it is a character on pentaxforums and also here Kenneth Sporsheim (kenspo) Photos / 500px

10-30-2017, 05:50 PM	#98
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by peterh337 Googling on "Kenspo" suggests it is a character on pentaxforums and also here Kenneth Sporsheim (kenspo) Photos / 500px So is Norm Head, Peter. They are your fellow forum members.

11-14-2017, 01:20 AM	#99
peterh337 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: London Posts: 573 Original Poster	I posted some pics from the converted 18mm Milvus here Using a Manual Focus Lens on the K-1 - Page 3 - PentaxForums.com

11-14-2017, 05:03 AM	#100
peterh337 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: London Posts: 573 Original Poster	The conversion done by David Llado is excellent. I am setting the ISO and then using the green K1 button to set the shutter speed. The only thing I found is that the focus confirmation (the beep) basically does not work if the lens is stopped down; the depth of field is so great that the camera cannot focus because it is almost in focus all the time. That is pretty obvious! So one has to open it to max (f2.8), focus, and then set the desired aperture.

11-15-2017, 12:41 AM	#101
Tetedepioche New Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Posts: 7	Resume : A 17-18mm prime with AF under 500g : doesn't exist - at 20mm like said earlier : the FA 20mm f/2.8 - MF pretty rare the Ricoh XR Rikenon 18mm f/2.8, the tokina and tamron 17mm are seconds choices.

11-15-2017, 02:14 AM	#102
pinholecam Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: North Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,706	20mm - M20/4 is as small as it gets There is the Laowa 12/2.8 which is smaller than the Irix and Samyang 15/14mm lenses. Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D – LAOWA Camera Lenses

11-15-2017, 04:25 AM	#103
peterh337 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: London Posts: 573 Original Poster	The problem with the Pentax FA20 is that it is almost impossible to find in a workable condition. I suspect most of them are really old (20-30 years?) and since most photographers dropped out of film some 10 years ago, these lenses have probably sat around for 10 years in cupboards etc, with mould growing on them. When they come up on Ebay, they go for €300 or so for a mouldy one (which AFAIK cannot be fixed, at any price) and one recently sold for €800 or so. That is just a silly price unless you really want a small lightweight lens, but the K1 body is very heavy anyway so the benefit is IMHO wasted. The other extreme is the current Pentax 15-30 zoom which is great for using the camera in a Taekwondo-style self defence I was watching Ebay for the FA20 for ages and in the end got fed up with it. And in any case one is assuming the seller is honest and understands what mould looks like. The Zeiss is very expensive but the size and weight are good for the K1 body.

11-27-2017, 01:14 PM	#105
Miguel Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Near Seattle Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,743	I own the FA 20mm and also did a Leitax conversion on an 18mm Distagon in Nikon mount. Unfortunately, the FA 20mm got permanently damaged after an accident. The size was perfect, the performance was good enough, but I would have liked more contrast and crispness on the K-1. The loss of this lens lead me to a long search for alternatives, thus the 18mm Zeiss. In the Canon and Nikon worlds the Zeiss 18mm f3.5 doesn't have a stellar reputation, but on the K-1 I'm very pleased. The microcontrast and rendering is artful and the K-1 magic is effective. I use the lens in aperture-priority mode, there is a bit of purple fringing but noticeably less than my ZK Zeiss 35mm f2. The size and weight of the 18mm is not burdensome. Any minor distortion is easily corrected with Lightroom's fixes. M