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06-12-2017, 05:47 AM   #1
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DA 35 2.4 vs M 35 2.8

I just recently purchased an M 35mm 2.8 in near mint condition and though i love it from f4 and up, it's a little soft at f 2.8.
I was thinking of getting a DA 35mm 2.4 for around 90 US. Is that lens sharper at 2.4 than the M 35 at 2.8?

The answer is of course to just get it and see, but I have my eye on both a 40mm XS and a 28mm prime and I don't want to waste money on another 35 if the IQ isn't really significantly better. The M also has a nice dampened focus ring and an aperture ring for hyperfocal or zone focusing that the DA does not have.

So I guess the question is this: Based on IQ alone (I'm comfortable manually focusing and I have a split screen installed on my dslr), is there a significant difference between IQ in the M35 2.8 and the DA35 2.4? I assume some of you own a copy of both lenses and I would like comparisons from both.

Thanks everyone.


Last edited by CLG; 06-14-2017 at 04:06 PM.
06-12-2017, 06:01 AM - 1 Like   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by CLG Quote
I was thinking of getting a DA 35mm 2.4 for around 90 US. Is that lens sharper at 2.4 than the M 35 at 2.8?
I don't have the M 35mm, but my DA 35mm is pretty sharp wide open. It is useable, it is good. And it becomes even sharper at f4.
QuoteOriginally posted by CLG Quote
The answer is of course to just get it and see, but I have my eye on both a 40mm XS and a 28mm prime and I don't want to waste money on another 35 if the IQ isn't really significantly better. The M also has a nice dampened focus ring and an aperture ring for hyperfocal or zone focusing that the DA does not have.
Yes, the DA 35mm's main downside is that it has no distance scales and the focusing ring is not much better than the kit lens'. No WR, no QS. But hey, you have to pay for those features. DA 40mm limited has some of them, but costs more. DA 40mm XS doesn't, and its more affordable.

Anyway, I would recommend you get 28mm or 40mm first; unless you really need to use the 35mm wide open a LOT. 40mm XS is interesting, has different bokeh and rendering. 28mm is a good FoV on APSC.
I still use the DA 35mm more than 40mm XS and M 28mm that I have. But, I almost always use it f7.1-f9, because I want that wide DoF

Here is a shot I took with DA 35mm wide open with the old K-r (12MP, has AA filter; so the new generation of cameras is even sharper):
https://500px.com/photo/175837907
(though, I do some PP on my photos)
More photos here; you can probably search for wide open aperture ones: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/196639-da35-f2-4-plastic-...c-club-65.html
06-12-2017, 06:29 AM - 1 Like   #3
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There is no softness wide open with the DA 35. It is already very sharp and it improves a bit when you stop down. It is a lens for AF so don't expect any manual focus smoothness in operating it. It's a plastic fantastic.
06-12-2017, 06:51 AM - 1 Like   #4
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The DA35 f/2.4 is one of my favourite K-mount lenses... possibly my all-time-favourite AF lens, especially considering the price-performance ratio.

It's very good in the centre and good-to-very-good in the borders wide open at f/2.4 (I frequently shoot it wide open with no qualms whatsoever). Peak performance across the frame is at f/4, though it remains excellent all the way down to the diffraction limit.

06-12-2017, 07:38 AM - 1 Like   #5
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Mine is VERY sharp at f2.8. I keep thinking about getting a 2nd one to have on my K10D that I keep at work and in my work car... The one I have stays in our bag that is used on family outings and by my wife.
06-12-2017, 05:02 PM - 1 Like   #6
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The DA35mm has a hybrid aspherical element ... the M 35 (that I'm sure is a very nice lens) doesn't.

For extra money, the FA35 is like the DA35 but the aspherical element is actually full glass.
06-12-2017, 08:02 PM - 1 Like   #7
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The M35/2.8 is soft wide-open. The DA35/2.4 is a better lens in many regards. However, it depends on what look you're going for. The M35/2.8 is capable of some surrealistic, even psychedelic out-of-focus areas. Some folks call it "busy" or "distracting". I call it a feature.

06-13-2017, 04:37 AM   #8
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Thanks and Clarifications

Thank you all for your replies. I read each one and appreciate the contributions.

The consensus seems to be that the DA 35 is in fact sharp from wide open. What I had hoped for was a COMPARISON from owners who had both the M 35 2.8 and DA 35 2.4. I'm sorry. I guess I was not being very clear. I apologize.

When I said that the M 35 2.8 was a little soft, I was comparing it to lenses like my FA 50mm 1.7 and M 50mm 1.7. The M 35 IS quite sharp, just not AS SHARP as the FA 50 s is wide open. The reason I ask this is because having read that the DA 35 2.4 is basically a stopped down FA 35 f2 in a plastic body, I hoped it would be THAT lens that is very, very sharp from wide open AND faster than 2.8.

Now in writing this I realize that sharpness isn't everything. As some of you have helpfully pointed out, bokeh and rendering are different and preferences in these areas are subjective. And I UNDERSTAND that sample selection may cause the variation between samples to be greater than the ones between different lens designs. So maybe this IS a dumb question. Maybe all I want is a reason to justify buying the DA 35 2.4 SMH .
However, I would like to hear from owners of both like ChristianRock below.

QuoteOriginally posted by ChristianRock Quote
Mine is VERY sharp at f2.8. I keep thinking about getting a 2nd one to have on my K10D that I keep at work and in my work car... The one I have stays in our bag that is used on family outings and by my wife.
ChristianRock, thanks for the reply. Looking at your equipment list I see you have both lenses. Do you think both are comparable wide open? Can you elaborate on the differences if that's not too much to ask? Maybe you're the one who can finally put me out of my misery.

---------- Post added 06-13-17 at 04:41 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Na Horuk Quote

Here is a shot I took with DA 35mm wide open with the old K-r (12MP, has AA filter; so the new generation of cameras is even sharper):
Hut under Alps by Stolpulus II - Photo 175837907 / 500px
(though, I do some PP on my photos)
More photos here; you can probably search for wide open aperture ones: DA35 f2.4 - the Plastic Fantastic club - Page 65 - PentaxForums.com
That shot with the Alps is beautiful! Thanks for sharing it.
06-13-2017, 06:58 AM - 1 Like   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by CLG Quote
That shot with the Alps is beautiful! Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks! I accidentally shot it at f2.4, I usually take those photos at f8. But it was still sharp enough, despite the shallower DoF.
Yes, rendering is important. Lots of people have multiple 35mm lenses. I have Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm and DA 35mm f2.4. My Flektogon is not nearly as sharp wide open. Hope you get the answers you wanted; though the DA 35mm f2.4 is so affordable, its almost a crime not to get at least a used copy If you want extreme sharpness at 35mm, you can try Sigma 35mm Art or the HD DA 35mm f2.8 macro (macro has a brutally sharp rendering, with flat field of focus, high optical corrections, and its still much more compact than the Sigma or Samyang beasts). And the DA Pentax lenses give you full automation; auto aperture, auto focus, lens profiles in PP.. those factors can he important, sometimes. I'm sticking to the DA 35mm as my only AF 35mm lens, as it suits my needs very well.

Last edited by Na Horuk; 06-13-2017 at 04:17 PM.
06-13-2017, 07:04 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Na Horuk Quote
the HD DA 35mm f2.8 macro (macro has a brutally sharp rendering, with flat field of focus, high optical corrections, and its still much more compact than the Sigma or Samyang beasts). And the DA Pentax lenses give you full automation; auto aperture, auto focus, lens profiles in PP.. those factors can he important, sometimes. I'm sticking to the DA 35mm as my only AF 35mm lens, as it suits my needs very well.
The DA35 2.8 Limited is a superb lens, for sure - though personally I prefer the 2.4's out-of-focus rendering, at least for middle-distance background areas. Both can be a little busy, but the cheaper lens has the edge in that respect...
06-13-2017, 08:12 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by CLG Quote
ChristianRock, thanks for the reply. Looking at your equipment list I see you have both lenses. Do you think both are comparable wide open? Can you elaborate on the differences if that's not too much to ask? Maybe you're the one who can finally put me out of my misery.
It's not too much to ask, CLG, and I would gladly elaborate on the differences if I had both lenses, but I don't... I think you confused my M 28 3.5 with the M 35 2.8

What I can tell you is that having both the M 50 1.7 (have had two copies with identical performance) and the F 50 1.7, is that the DA 35 2.4 is better wide open and at every F-stop than any of them. Of course these 50s open up to f/1.7 and they are comparable at f2.8 but the DA still comes out slightly ahead at every aperture. The only lenses I have that are comparable in sharpness are the Sigma Art 30mm f/1.4 and the Rikenon P 50mm f/1.4. My SMC-M 28mm f/3.5 is close to them, not far behind.

Regarding bokeh, I would say the DA 35mm f/2.4 performs similarly to the 50mm f/1.7 models - very good bokeh but not as good as the 50mm 1.4 lenses or my Sigma Art. But I don't think it is distracting or detrimental to the image in any way. Just good bokeh if you watch your background (but that goes with any lens...)

I haven't posted my best shots with it on flickr because I use it a lot for family pictures and I don't put those up online. I'll leave you with two wide open shots (f/2.4) of the "Plastic Fantastic" on the 20MP sensor of the K-S1, both hand held. The ISO is a bit high on both (800 and 2000) but you can tell the lens is sharp



06-13-2017, 04:10 PM - 1 Like   #12
CLG
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QuoteOriginally posted by Na Horuk Quote
though the DA 35mm f2.4 is so affordable, its almost a crime not to get at least a used copy
Huh! I hate criminals! I guess I have my answer. Damn LBA.

---------- Post added 06-13-17 at 04:19 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by ChristianRock Quote
It's not too much to ask, CLG, and I would gladly elaborate on the differences if I had both lenses, but I don't... I think you confused my M 28 3.5 with the M 35 2.8

The only lenses I have that are comparable in sharpness are the Sigma Art 30mm f/1.4 and the Rikenon P 50mm f/1.4. My SMC-M 28mm f/3.5 is close to them, not far behind.


I'll leave you with two wide open shots (f/2.4) of the "Plastic Fantastic" on the 20MP sensor of the K-S1, both hand held.
Oh! You're right. My eyes (and emotions) played a trick on me right there. It doesn't help that equipment is listed as a series of numbers and letters separated by spaces. Too bad.

Well that settles it! I'm looking for a used copy. Another 35mm is not going to hurt.
06-13-2017, 04:22 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by CLG Quote
Oh! You're right. My eyes (and emotions) played a trick on me right there. It doesn't help that equipment is listed as a series of numbers and letters separated by spaces. Too bad.
I'm at the limit of characters allowed in my signature, otherwise I'd separate the lenses a little bit more...

QuoteQuote:
Well that settles it! I'm looking for a used copy. Another 35mm is not going to hurt.
I don't think you'll regret it!
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