[Anthony Roberts]

Hello all,

So, I'm looking for a fun lens to mount on my K-S2, something that I can walk around and snap away with without worrying about zooming or focusing or about the lens getting dinged or dented.

I assumed that the DA 50 was the go-to choice but I tested two in two different stores yesterday and was not impressed. At F1.8 things were very soft with green halos around white-on-black details (I was taking photos of the other lenses in the shops) and things didn't get sharp until F2.8.

I tested the DA 35 and, while it wasn't tack-sharp at F2.4, it was as good as the DA 50 at F2.8 (in my opinion) and the field of view was more to my liking. I did also test the DA 35 Macro Limited and was blown away by the quality... Such a nice lens and a bit of a work of art.

This brings me to my problem. Most of the lenses that I'm looking at are affordable, but prices are a little different in Japan and a little extra money seems to go a long way. I don't want to get the DA 35 and regret not spending a few more yen to get something much better.

The lenses I'm looking at and their prices are shown below:

DA 50 F1.8: 12,450 yen
DA 35 F2.4: 14:810 yen
DA 40 F2.8 XS: 21,960 yen
DA 40 F2.8 Limited: 25,010 yen
DA 35 F2.8 Macro Limited: 33,600 yen

So, the ideal choice for me would be the DA 35 Limited, but it's on the edge of what I'm willing to spend, if not a little over, and I might not throw it around as much as I would the DA 35...

Sorry if this is a lot to unpack, but I'm just looking for a little poke in the right direction.

Thank you in advance.

[robgski]

DA 40 XS, there is an entrie thread devoted to this lens, so check it out. In my experience, I can leave this lens on my K-5 for weeks at a time and use it in almost any situation, other than telephoto obviously. It is so compact that my DSLR is as easy to carry and use, as though it was only a point and shoot. This means that always having my K-5 with me for any occasion is so easy. I am away from home for 6 months, and travelling light,the only lenses I have with me are the DA 40 XS and the 18-135 mm , and I only brought the latter for the days I really need the WR or a zoom

[aslyfox]

have you looked at the reviews of the lenses you are interested in under " lenses "

Pentax DA Prime Lenses - Reviews and Specifications - SLR and Interchangeable Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

and have you looked at the various threads with examples of photos taken with the lenses you are interested in

prime, prime, everywhere a prime... - Page 186 - PentaxForums.com

DA35 f2.4 - the Plastic Fantastic club - Page 67 - PentaxForums.com

Theory on DA 35mm ltd 'greatest lens ever' (?) tag - Page 37 - PentaxForums.com

DA 40 XS the "Flat Wonder Club" - Page 9 - PentaxForums.com

Fantastic Fifty! The DA 50mm F/1.8 - Page 16 - PentaxForums.com

The DA Limited Club - Page 328 - PentaxForums.com

there may be more

_____________________________

I have the smallest guy, the DA 40mm F2.8 XS and the niftiest of the 50s: DA 50mm F1.8 and I like them both but YMMV

[Anthony Roberts]

have you looked at the reviews of the lenses you are interested in under " lenses "

Yes, I have.

robgski: Thank you for the DA 40 XS suggestion but I've always been a bit wary of that lens. It's impressively compact but it doesn't seem all that sharp until F5.6 and the form factor is... not to my taste.

All of the shenanigans that seem to be involved with fitting new caps and filters to the XS also turn me off the lens somewhat.

[BigMackCam]

I assumed that the DA 50 was the go-to choice but I tested two in two different stores yesterday and was not impressed. At F1.8 things were very soft with green halos around white-on-black details (I was taking photos of the other lenses in the shops) and things didn't get sharp until F2.8.

Hi Anthony, and welcome to the forums

What's particularly important with relatively fast lenses like the DA50 f/1.8 is that auto-focus must be absolutely accurate to get sharp results at wider apertures. Manufacturing tolerances are such that phase detect auto-focus (as opposed to contrast detect AF in Live View) is often slightly inaccurate when an individual lens unit is paired with an individual camera body. This typically results in the softness and halos you describe. To get precise AF accuracy, it's necessary to carry out "AF fine adjustment" for that lens and body combination.

I have the DA50 f/1.8 and DA35 f/2.4. Both are sharp wide open when properly adjusted to the camera, though - as with virtually all lenses - they are sharpest when stopped down a little.

I'm particularly fond of the DA35 f/2.4 as a walk-around lens, since the field of view on an APS-C sensor camera is close to that of a 50mm "normal" lens on a 35mm film camera. The DA50 f/1.8 is excellent too, but the field of view is more suited to portraiture on APS-C...

[Anthony Roberts]

What's particularly important with relatively fast lenses like the DA50 f/1.8 is that auto-focus must be absolutely accurate to get sharp results at wider apertures. Manufacturing tolerances are such that phase detect auto-focus (as opposed to contrast detect AF in Live View) is often slightly inaccurate when an individual lens unit is paired with an individual camera body. This typically results in the softness and halos you describe. To get precise AF accuracy, it's necessary to carry out "AF fine adjustment" for that lens and body combination.

I recently ordered some lens calibration tools (if you can call cardboard-box-type-things tools...) and have read up on front and back focusing and lens adjustment in preparation for my first prime lens purchase, but the DA 50s I was using just didn't seem to want to be sharp either in front of or behind the focusing point.

It must be said that these were demo lenses in major electronics stores in a busy area of Tokyo (Yodobashi Camera West and Bic Camera West in Shinjuku) and had probably had a hard life, but I was shooting in live view mode because,well, who knows how many people have put their eyes on those cups?

I'm particularly fond of the DA35 f/2.4 as a walk-around lens, since the field of view on an APS-C sensor camera is close to that of a 50mm "normal" lens on a 35mm film camera.

I am leaning in the direction of the DA 35... But that DA 35 Macro Limited is only a hair over twice the price and looks like more than twice the lens.

[BigMackCam]

I recently ordered some lens calibration tools (if you can call cardboard-box-type-things tools...) and have read up on front and back focusing and lens adjustment in preparation for my first prime lens purchase, but the DA 50s I was using just didn't seem to want to be sharp either in front of or behind the focusing point.

Good move on the lens calibration tool. That, and a tripod, are pretty much all you need

Note that all lenses are going to perform better stopped down a little (apologies if you already knew that ). However, here's a quick test shot taken with the DA50 f/1.8, wide open. First, the whole photo fitted to frame, and second, reproduced at 100% (i.e. pixel-peeping):

You can see that there is a little "halo" fringing around the white lettering as you look gradually away from the dead centre of the frame, but right at the centre, it's pretty sharp. This is a good performance for any semi-fast fifty wide open, and broadly what you should expect. Naturally, things get much better as you stop down... The DA50 f/1.8 actually peaks in sharpness at f/5.6 for both the centre and borders of the frame.

I am leaning in the direction of the DA 35... But that DA 35 Macro Limited is only a hair over twice the price and looks like more than twice the lens.

I have both. They're different lenses with different strengths and weaknesses. I prefer the out-of-focus rendering transition - especially at close distances - with the plastic D35 f/2.4. Plus, it peaks in sharpness at f/4 across the frame, whereas the DA35 Macro is best between f/5.6 and f/8. That said, there's no doubt that the DA35 Macro is a lovely lens and beautifully built. You might worry about getting it dinged and dented... but when all's said and done, a lens is to use. If it picks up a few battle scars, that's nothing to worry about

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Last edited by BigMackCam; 02-03-2018 at 05:58 AM.

[Anthony Roberts]

That said, there's no doubt that the DA35 Macro is a lovely lens and beautifully built. You might worry about getting it dinged and dented... but when all's said and done, a lens is to use. If it picks up a few battle scars, that's nothing to worry about

I respectfully disagree. Lenses are to be coddled and regularly petted, the DA 35 Macro lens hood's fuzzy interior being particularly suitable for light nuzzling.

On a related note, I think I'll pick up the plastic DA 35 tomorrow. Thanks for the advice.

[Madaboutpix]

If you're "just looking for a little fun" (your thread title), and a bit weary to spend serious money on just one lens, it may be worthwhile reminding yourself that, based on those yen prices, you could easily get both the DA50 and the DA35, along with third-party rubber hoods, for the price of the DA35 Macro Limited.

By all accounts, good copies of both plastics are capable of producing tack-sharp, contrasty images, particularly when stopped down a little. Unlike some hypercorrected lenses, they weren't designed for measurebating wide-open super resolution, but to deliver sharpness and contrast in a balanced affordable package with other desirable rendering characteristics.

Not even the DA35 Macro Limited, which I own as the smc version, delivers mind-blowing sharpness wide-open at F2.8. It's decent enough in the centre at that aperture, but similar to what Mike found with his, it seems to be between F4 and F8 where my copy really shines. Really love the way that lens renders, the bonus macro, and the wonderful build quality, but purely based on image quality, I wouldn't hesitate to use the plastic DA35, which might even have an ever so slight corner-sharpness advantage over the Macro Limited.

My DA50 never ceases to amaze me with its performance between F2.8 (or, if I'm super-picky, F3.5) and F11. F1.8 is not all that great, but you can get away with it, when the subject is in the image centre. Absolutely no regrets about getting that lens, likely one of my most-bang-for-the-money lens purchases ever.

[macman24054]

I am with BigMackCam in the auto focus fine tune being very important. I have the 35 2.4 and the 50 1.8 and they are sharp even wide open. I find the 35 2.4 to be one of the sharpest lens I have. In fact, I would go so far as to say that only my DA* 16-50 and 50-135 lenses are the only ones I have that are more sharp. Let us know what you choose and post some photos.

[UncleVanya]

I was going to suggest you try the FA 35.

[CarlG]

Looking for a bit of fun? Go with the 10-17mm. The lenses you are looking at are somewhere between sharp and not sharp enough. No fun in that.

[BigMackCam]

Looking for a bit of fun? Go with the 10-17mm. The lenses you are looking at are somewhere between sharp and not sharp enough. No fun in that.

I don't doubt that the DA10-17mm fisheye is a fun and creative tool, though I don't understand your highlighted comment above

Here are the Photozone's MTF graphs for the DA35 f/2.4 (mounted on the K-5) and DA50 f/1.8 (on the K-5II). I mostly agree with these based on the performance of my own copies, with the only exception being that I perceive border performance of the DA35 f/2.4 to be better than the graph shows. But I have no reason to disbelieve the measurements...

[mikesbike]

For a walk-around versatile "fun" lens with high quality rendering, and high build quality, it is hard to beat the DA 21mm Limited. That is unless you are seeking a normal to short tele field of view. For me, I consider the FOV as a first consideration. Images from the DA 21mm are in general very fine. The build quality is excellent. Its FOV is similar to the FA 31mm Limited on a FF body.

[Subjektiv]

For a walk-around versatile "fun" lens with high quality rendering, and high build quality, it is hard to beat the DA 21mm Limited. That is unless you are seeking a normal to short tele field of view. For me, I consider the FOV as a first consideration. Images from the DA 21mm are in general very fine. The build quality is excellent. Its FOV is similar to the FA 31mm Limited on a FF body.

+1 on the 21, for "something that I can walk around and snap away with without worrying about zooming or focusing or about the lens getting dinged or dented."

The 21 ltd has more DOF, so is less sensitive to perfect focus. I have this and the 40 ltd for my k-s2 and have a hard time deciding which one I prefer (I usually bring both ).

The 40 ltd has a quite special hood and a fiddly screw cap but the hood is so protective you can usually leave it without the cap. It should be faster to focus than the 35 macro (since that's a macro) and is really compact.

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