[DeadJohn]

...As this lens would be my choice to shoot against sun and for night time cityscapes ... This makes me wonder if found use for 24mm on FF? On the other hand, while on the APS-C, from time to time I have found 28mm too narrow and would like to have a wider lens, but is 24mm wide enough? ... I have seriously considered both DA 15 and 21, but not willing to spend on them, as they are not FF lenses. Otherwise very tempting choices with small size, flare resistance and night shooting capabilities. ...[heavily snipped for brevity]

There are many varieties of cityscapes. For shooting within a city with large buildings, I find ultra wide angle essential because a crowded city often doesn't allow zooming back with my feet. Since you already have 28mm covered, I suggest you go with 20mm or wider.

I think the DA 15 remains an option with the K-1. In APS-C crop mode you still get 16 megapixels at an equivalent 21mm. Square crop gives 24mp. You'll get amazing flare resistance, starbursts, and a compact ultrawide lens.

I wish Pentax sold a compact 20mm f4 prime to go with the K-1. They unfortunately do not. The 15-30 is a good lens but it's too large and heavy for some situations.

[lukulele]

Just a plug for the F24-50 which a great multi purpose lens. Excellent build and works well with crop and FF. Paid $150 for it this summer and absolutely love it.

[Ascencio]

Get the 21mm and sell it if you get a k-1. Hopefully by then Pentax will have more new primes. I had both the 24mm and the 21mm. The 24 was ok on my k-3 but not on my k-1. 21 is better on crop. I made the same mistake buying lenses for the camera I would get in the future. Get the best lenses for what you have now. Buy a used 21 and you will get 90 percent of it when you sell it

[pschlute]

Yes, my plan is to go FF. Most likely to K1 when people start to dump their cameras to get it's successor.

Have you experience also with M20? Is FA* worth the difference in price?

I won't be dumping the K1 for a long time. Successor or not.

Yes I own the M20 f4 also. I have not used it on the K1 so cannot give you a direct comparison. It worked lovely on my old K10, but of course had a narrower field of view. They are very different lenses. The M is very small and is manual everything. The FA* 24mm is larger more like a modern prime, has a dedicated hood and is autofocus and auto-exposure capable. I would say it is worth the difference in price, but of course they are not the same focal length, which may be a deciding factor for you.

[Stavri]

i remember liking the IQ of the F 17-28 on APSC,( fish eye on the wide end, normalizing towards 24-28mm) i sold it before getting the chance to use it on the K1. i saw one sell for $200 some weeks back on eBay.

[mikesbike]

We do need a good, fast FF 24mm with a good build quality and WR. It would still provide wide angle on APS-C as well- very useful. Most brands out there don't do very well in the corners, so I've had the otherwise pretty good Sigma 24mm f/1.8 (which reads out as f/1.7) for many years, having bought it for use with 35mm film. It has served my particular needs well, but that Samyang test looks impressive- better than any I have seen. If Samyang can do it, and at a decent price, why cannot Pentax do it in an updated body design?

[Stavri]

a 24mm FF high quality prime is long due, I'd also settle for a 20mm prime. For uwa the Irix firefly 15mm would be the best lens for the price out at the moments as long as one can get a good copy

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Last edited by Stavri; 11-20-2017 at 01:50 PM.

[zjacreman]

The FA 20-35 F4 AL is another reasonable choice in this area. Highly regarded. I recently bought one and my first tests show very nice IQ on the K-1. It has 8 blades, convenient size. Cost is in the same ballpark as the FA 20 with a lot of extra flexibility.

[Ron Boggs]

James is selling an FA 20-35 in the marketplace. I love this lens and have owned 2 of them...both great copies. Had the FA 20 simultaneously and preferred the images from the 20-35 for sharpness and color rendition. Have owned one FA* 24 and had a bad copy that just didn't provide the sharpness I needed...Buy the FA 20-35 and enjoy!

[lytrytyr]

Back to topic. Test results suggest that it's not worth the money. Is there anything better out there?

Yes, the ZK 25/2.8, at least for landscapes.

For the closer range, the A and K 24/2.8 do a good job.

[surfar]

A Sigma Superwide 24mm F2.8 does a reasonable job too.And as mentioned the F24-50 is fine on the K-1.

Just yesterday i saw a FA*24 for sale,read the reviews and thought NO,i'll wait for the 20-24 thats coming as it will be much better.

[RobA_Oz]

The FA*24 is not a lens for those who prize sharpness above all else. What it does offer is colour and contrast, and of course AF. I have one and I like what it offers, but I doubt I'd have paid the equivalent of €550 for one. Still, if that's the market environment and you want that FL and AF, there's not much choice. A D-FA 24-70 is going to cost you a damned sight more, and it weighs a lot more – I have an FA*28-70 and it doesn't often go in my travel kit for that reason.

[UncleVanya]

We do need a good, fast FF 24mm with a good build quality and WR. It would still provide wide angle on APS-C as well- very useful. Most brands out there don't do very well in the corners, so I've had the otherwise pretty good Sigma 24mm f/1.8 (which reads out as f/1.7) for many years, having bought it for use with 35mm film. It has served my particular needs well, but that Samyang test looks impressive- better than any I have seen. If Samyang can do it, and at a decent price, why cannot Pentax do it in an updated body design?

Sidebar: As I understand it, "A" style lenses do not communicate focal length and aperture etc. The lens contacts are passive and read as a code of grounded and non-grounded and because of this there are only so many combinations and there are limited f/stops that can be communicated. The system which lacks the precision to distinguish between f/1.8 and f/1.7 so the lens manufacturers opt to code as if f/1.7. More modern lenses like F, FA, DA, etc provide communication which somehow the camera is able to use to know to register f/1.8 (maybe an override command may be simply a bios lookup against known f/1.8 lens codes). I just know that any "KA" series type mount will never show f/1.8 on a modern DSLR since it can't know that this lens isn't f/1.7 - but rest assured if they claim f/1.8 vs. f/1.7 it is more likely f/1.8 or slower than it is f/1.7.

[pasorro]

another vote for sigma super wide 24 2.8 AF. When I got mine I sold my FA*24. If you can find it go for it.
FAJ 18-35 has some excellent copies and some bad copies. A 18 mm FF for 100 dollars is a bargain if you find one of the excellent copies.

[iheiramo]

One's again thank you all for the comments. I have spent again today several hours reading about different lenses and looking thru shots taken with them. FA20-35 is interesting zoom option and it has good test results, but I think that I probably stick with prime lenses. I tested different focal lengths with my 18-135 today and it just felt wrong at the moment. Also I'm not sure how I feel about AF. A manual lens might be better for me right now. Still very confused about everything. This would be so much easier, if people had a simple consensus like they have about FA31ltd

I have one and I like what it offers, but I doubt I'd have paid the equivalent of €550 for one.

I think this is my problem. I like the results I see from that lens, but local price seem too high. Maybe it will drop, if I wait long enough or I manage to find cheaper one somewhere else. Or some other choice come's available at a tempting prize. Maybe it's wisest to do nothing until I know what to do.