The DA40 Limited on FF is a joy

Paul the Sunman · 05-07-2017, 02:14 AM - **8 Likes**

Whenever I mount the DA 40 Limited on my K1, I half-expect to be disappointed. After all, this is not a FF lens, it shouldn't really work. And I have seen some less-than-perfect corners on occasion. However, far more often I am just blown away by the results. It's a beautiful lens on APS-C, but somehow the 40mm focal length just works better for me on FF.

I was out shooting the laneways and arcades of Melbourne on a grey rainy afternoon yesterday, using just the DA40, DA70 (another allegedly crop lens), and the DFA 15-30, all on the K1. These lenses turned out to be perfect for the low light and confined places. I thought I'd share a few uncropped DA40 images to show how well the lens performs, and ask others to post images taken with the same combination.

Take home message: Don't be afraid to throw the DA40 on a K1!

1/80, f/4.5, iso 2500

1/80, f/8, iso 3200

1/80, f/4.5, iso 2500

surfar · 05-07-2017, 02:20 AM

Originally posted by Paul the Sunman

I was out shooting the laneways and arcades of Melbourne on a grey rainy afternoon yesterday

Bleak City, someones gota live there, 1-1 in A league right now! xtra time.

**BigMackCam** · 05-07-2017, 02:25 AM

Originally posted by Paul the Sunman

Take home message: Don't be afraid to throw the DA40 on a K1!

Those look great, Paul. I'm quite surprised by how decent the borders are

**Bruce Clark** · 05-07-2017, 02:40 AM - **1 Like**

Nice work in the lanes. I don't get down there much since I stopped work in the city.

I have always liked the 40mm Limited. Now all I have to do do is find a K-1 to throw on mine.

Transit · 05-07-2017, 02:48 AM

K-1 arrived yesterday, thanks for the reminder about the DA40 !

officiousbystander · 05-07-2017, 03:14 AM

Originally posted by surfar

Bleak City, someones gota live there, 1-1 in A league right now! xtra time.

Sydney wins the penalty shoot out!
We try to visit Melbourne every year for an AFL game at the MCG.
Sydney stupidly built out most of its laneways. It's the little laneway bars, cafes and restaurants that make the Melbourne CBD far superior to Sydney's.
Lovely photos BTW.

pathdoc · 05-07-2017, 03:17 AM

For me the DA70 passed the full frame no-black-circle test but failed the dark-corners-on-blank-wall test miserably. It might do for occasions where the background hides the vignetting or where the vignetting highlights the central portraiture subject. I haven't thrown the DA40 on yet, possibly because I have its M-series predecessor which I know is full-frame - I should give it (the DA) a go.

After all, there's a reason the SMC-M 40/2.8 was designed for the ME...

surfar · 05-07-2017, 03:23 AM

Originally posted by officiousbystander

Sydney wins the penalty shoot out!

Not as good as going down and beating them in 2010 when Muscnt missed his penalty....how sweet that was!

An armwrestle of a game but PREMIERS and CHAMPIONS will do me...they can have their laneways...we will just have the 2 most important trophys in OZ

Paul the Sunman · 05-07-2017, 03:58 AM - **4 Likes**

Originally posted by pathdoc

For me the DA70 passed the full frame no-black-circle test but failed the dark-corners-on-blank-wall test miserably.

Really!? I find the DA70 pretty good on the K1. Perhaps I don't shoot enough blank walls.

photoptimist · 05-07-2017, 05:06 AM - **2 Likes**

Sometimes problems with a DA lens (and even some FF film-era lenses) only show up with SR enabled, when using the composition adjust feature, or astrotracer. The image circle of the lens might be just at the edge of being FF but if SR has pushed the sensor over (up to ±1.5 mm in four directions), a corner or two will end up being a freak-show of distortion, chromatic aberration, or vignetting.

The minimum image circle with film or non-SR FF is about 43 mm but with SR, composition adjust, and astrotracer, it's about 47 mm.

Paul the Sunman · 05-07-2017, 05:32 AM

Originally posted by photoptimist

Sometimes problems with a DA lens (and even some FF film-era lenses) only show up with SR enabled, when using the composition adjust feature, or astrotracer. The image circle of the lens might be just at the edge of being FF but if SR has pushed the sensor over (up to ±1.5 mm in four directions), a corner or two will end up being a freak-show of distortion, chromatic aberration, or vignetting.

Interesting suggestion. That hadn't occurred to me. All of my images above were taken with SR on, but I think I was pretty steady in each case so maybe SR didn't move the sensor much. As I said earlier, I do have a few DA40 images with pretty muddy corners; maybe there I was less steady. I'll look out for that in future.

**Pentax Syntax** · 05-07-2017, 07:02 AM

Nice photos! I use both the DA 40 and 70 on the K-1. They work fine if you keep the compositions with things away from the edges. The darker corners are easily fixed in PP. JPEG lens corrections in camera don't work in FF so WYSIWYG. Not a bad solution overall. Plus you can switch to crop mode and get optimal image quality, 1.5 crop factor, and in camera lens correction at 15 MP! You get 40, 60, 70, and 105 mm equivalent focal lengths with two tiny primes.

**robgski** · 05-07-2017, 07:12 AM

Originally posted by Paul the Sunman

Perhaps I don't shoot enough blank walls.

I guess we need a new "Theme" thread.

**BigMackCam** · 05-07-2017, 07:22 AM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by Paul the Sunman

Perhaps I don't shoot enough blank walls.

Some of my favourite (admittedly, older) lenses vignette considerably and/or have less-than-stellar border and corner performance

I think we've become rather spoiled by glass that is bright and sharp edge-to-edge. For some subjects, that sort of performance can be helpful, but for a huge amount of photography it just isn't a concern - and can even lead to a rather sterile look, IMHO.

Marktax · 05-07-2017, 08:07 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Pentax Syntax

Nice photos! I use both the DA 40 and 70 on the K-1. They work fine if you keep the compositions with things away from the edges. The darker corners are easily fixed in PP. JPEG lens corrections in camera don't work in FF so WYSIWYG. Not a bad solution overall. Plus you can switch to crop mode and get optimal image quality, 1.5 crop factor, and in camera lens correction at 15 MP! You get 40, 60, 70, and 105 mm equivalent focal lengths with two tiny primes.

Does switching to crop actually change IQ? Is it not the same as cropping in pp? I don't have a K-1 yet so I do not know.

As for the DA40, I bought that at first release when I was shooting with an MZ-S. I carefully compared the DA against the original SMC-M pancake using slide film, and the DA gave the exact same coverage as the SMC-M. I still have those slides and see no vignetting in the corners.

05-07-2017, 02:14 AM - 8 Likes	#1
Paul the Sunman Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,843	The DA40 Limited on FF is a joy Whenever I mount the DA 40 Limited on my K1, I half-expect to be disappointed. After all, this is not a FF lens, it shouldn't really work. And I have seen some less-than-perfect corners on occasion. However, far more often I am just blown away by the results. It's a beautiful lens on APS-C, but somehow the 40mm focal length just works better for me on FF. I was out shooting the laneways and arcades of Melbourne on a grey rainy afternoon yesterday, using just the DA40, DA70 (another allegedly crop lens), and the DFA 15-30, all on the K1. These lenses turned out to be perfect for the low light and confined places. I thought I'd share a few uncropped DA40 images to show how well the lens performs, and ask others to post images taken with the same combination. Take home message: Don't be afraid to throw the DA40 on a K1! 1/80, f/4.5, iso 2500 1/80, f/8, iso 3200 1/80, f/4.5, iso 2500

05-07-2017, 02:20 AM	#2
surfar Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: mid nth coast,nsw Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,139	Originally posted by Paul the Sunman I was out shooting the laneways and arcades of Melbourne on a grey rainy afternoon yesterday Bleak City, someones gota live there, 1-1 in A league right now! xtra time. Last edited by surfar; 05-07-2017 at 02:31 AM.

05-07-2017, 03:58 AM - 4 Likes	#9
Paul the Sunman Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,843 Original Poster	Originally posted by pathdoc For me the DA70 passed the full frame no-black-circle test but failed the dark-corners-on-blank-wall test miserably. Really!? I find the DA70 pretty good on the K1. Perhaps I don't shoot enough blank walls. Last edited by Paul the Sunman; 05-07-2017 at 04:13 AM.

05-07-2017, 07:02 AM	#12
Pentax Syntax Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Maryland Posts: 595	Nice photos! I use both the DA 40 and 70 on the K-1. They work fine if you keep the compositions with things away from the edges. The darker corners are easily fixed in PP. JPEG lens corrections in camera don't work in FF so WYSIWYG. Not a bad solution overall. Plus you can switch to crop mode and get optimal image quality, 1.5 crop factor, and in camera lens correction at 15 MP! You get 40, 60, 70, and 105 mm equivalent focal lengths with two tiny primes. Last edited by Pentax Syntax; 05-07-2017 at 07:13 AM.

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05-07-2017, 02:25 AM	#3
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,669	Originally posted by Paul the Sunman Take home message: Don't be afraid to throw the DA40 on a K1! Those look great, Paul. I'm quite surprised by how decent the borders are

05-07-2017, 02:40 AM - 1 Like	#4
Bruce Clark Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Ocean Grove, Victoria Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,458	Nice work in the lanes. I don't get down there much since I stopped work in the city. I have always liked the 40mm Limited. Now all I have to do do is find a K-1 to throw on mine.

05-07-2017, 02:48 AM	#5
Transit Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Whanganui NZ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,624	K-1 arrived yesterday, thanks for the reminder about the DA40 !

05-07-2017, 03:14 AM	#6
officiousbystander Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Sydney Photos: Gallery Posts: 912	Originally posted by surfar Bleak City, someones gota live there, 1-1 in A league right now! xtra time. Sydney wins the penalty shoot out! We try to visit Melbourne every year for an AFL game at the MCG. Sydney stupidly built out most of its laneways. It's the little laneway bars, cafes and restaurants that make the Melbourne CBD far superior to Sydney's. Lovely photos BTW.

05-07-2017, 03:17 AM	#7
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	For me the DA70 passed the full frame no-black-circle test but failed the dark-corners-on-blank-wall test miserably. It might do for occasions where the background hides the vignetting or where the vignetting highlights the central portraiture subject. I haven't thrown the DA40 on yet, possibly because I have its M-series predecessor which I know is full-frame - I should give it (the DA) a go. After all, there's a reason the SMC-M 40/2.8 was designed for the ME...

05-07-2017, 03:23 AM	#8
surfar Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: mid nth coast,nsw Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,139	Originally posted by officiousbystander Sydney wins the penalty shoot out! Not as good as going down and beating them in 2010 when Muscnt missed his penalty....how sweet that was! An armwrestle of a game but PREMIERS and CHAMPIONS will do me...they can have their laneways...we will just have the 2 most important trophys in OZ

05-07-2017, 05:06 AM - 2 Likes	#10
photoptimist Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2016 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,122	Sometimes problems with a DA lens (and even some FF film-era lenses) only show up with SR enabled, when using the composition adjust feature, or astrotracer. The image circle of the lens might be just at the edge of being FF but if SR has pushed the sensor over (up to ±1.5 mm in four directions), a corner or two will end up being a freak-show of distortion, chromatic aberration, or vignetting. The minimum image circle with film or non-SR FF is about 43 mm but with SR, composition adjust, and astrotracer, it's about 47 mm.

05-07-2017, 05:32 AM	#11
Paul the Sunman Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,843 Original Poster	Originally posted by photoptimist Sometimes problems with a DA lens (and even some FF film-era lenses) only show up with SR enabled, when using the composition adjust feature, or astrotracer. The image circle of the lens might be just at the edge of being FF but if SR has pushed the sensor over (up to ±1.5 mm in four directions), a corner or two will end up being a freak-show of distortion, chromatic aberration, or vignetting. Interesting suggestion. That hadn't occurred to me. All of my images above were taken with SR on, but I think I was pretty steady in each case so maybe SR didn't move the sensor much. As I said earlier, I do have a few DA40 images with pretty muddy corners; maybe there I was less steady. I'll look out for that in future.

05-07-2017, 07:12 AM	#13
robgski Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Shenandoah Valley, Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,796	Originally posted by Paul the Sunman Perhaps I don't shoot enough blank walls. I guess we need a new "Theme" thread.

05-07-2017, 07:22 AM - 2 Likes	#14
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,669	Originally posted by Paul the Sunman Perhaps I don't shoot enough blank walls. Some of my favourite (admittedly, older) lenses vignette considerably and/or have less-than-stellar border and corner performance I think we've become rather spoiled by glass that is bright and sharp edge-to-edge. For some subjects, that sort of performance can be helpful, but for a huge amount of photography it just isn't a concern - and can even lead to a rather sterile look, IMHO.

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05-07-2017, 08:07 AM - 1 Like	#15
Marktax Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Washington DC Photos: Albums Posts: 610	Originally posted by Pentax Syntax Nice photos! I use both the DA 40 and 70 on the K-1. They work fine if you keep the compositions with things away from the edges. The darker corners are easily fixed in PP. JPEG lens corrections in camera don't work in FF so WYSIWYG. Not a bad solution overall. Plus you can switch to crop mode and get optimal image quality, 1.5 crop factor, and in camera lens correction at 15 MP! You get 40, 60, 70, and 105 mm equivalent focal lengths with two tiny primes. Does switching to crop actually change IQ? Is it not the same as cropping in pp? I don't have a K-1 yet so I do not know. As for the DA40, I bought that at first release when I was shooting with an MZ-S. I carefully compared the DA against the original SMC-M pancake using slide film, and the DA gave the exact same coverage as the SMC-M. I still have those slides and see no vignetting in the corners.