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04-18-2018, 09:23 AM   #1
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Seeking wide, fast lense with nice bokeh. K-70.

New forum member,

Seeking advice on one new lense for portrait as well as broad landscape shots. Ideally something with the field of view of my iPhone 7, but with a nice bokeh for close up portraits, and fast as possible for low light. Would be my new walk-around lense. Shooting on K-70 with the Pentax FA 31mm f/1.8 Limited at the moment. A remarkable lense indeed but want something wider, (ideally). Would like to stick with Pentax glass but open to third party. Have a reasonable budget ($900-ish).

Big thank you to all in advance!

04-18-2018, 10:33 AM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by Engineworks Quote
New forum member,

Seeking advice on one new lense for portrait as well as broad landscape shots. Ideally something with the field of view of my iPhone 7, but with a nice bokeh for close up portraits, and fast as possible for low light. Would be my new walk-around lense. Shooting on K-70 with the Pentax FA 31mm f/1.8 Limited at the moment. A remarkable lense indeed but want something wider, (ideally). Would like to stick with Pentax glass but open to third party. Have a reasonable budget ($900-ish).

Big thank you to all in advance!
31mm is very close to your phone's equivalent focal length, Enginewoks (28mm).

You might want to consider the big Sigma 24mm f1.8, it's great in all those areas you mention, including almost being a macro lens.

The Samyang 24mm f1.4 is similar but manual focus.

04-18-2018, 10:38 AM - 1 Like   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by Engineworks Quote
portrait as well as broad landscape shots
That might be a little contradictory. Depending on what focal length you feel comfortable with. On the crop-sensor K-70 the designed portrait lens would be the DA*55 f/1.4. Or the DA 70mm Limited.

For landscape? I shoot lots of landscape with the DA*60-250. So you might want to define your focal length a little more. My default lens on crop-sensor is the DA 16-85 but the DA*16-50 f/2.8 is faster. For really wide sunset / sunrise nothing is better than the DA 15mm Limited.
QuoteOriginally posted by Engineworks Quote
field of view of my iPhone 7
You might want to define what that is in degrees. I'm not sure the field of view of a phone has much relationship to camera lenses unless you can enumerate it to something that can be cross-checked.

---------- Post added 04-18-18 at 10:40 AM ----------

Thanks Clackers! @28mm maybe the DFA 24-70 f/2.8 would cover both needs?
04-18-2018, 10:54 AM   #4
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I like the bokeh from my Kiron 28mm f2.0. This is a manual-focus lens. My Sigma 28mm EX isn't bad although maybe a bit hard edged. I need to play with that lens more. Autofocusing but I have had issues with my copy not focusing accurately.

Pentax FA 28 and 35 both seem to have nice bokeh. I've not used them myself so grain of salt with that. Both seem like nice lenses although I don't really love 35mm primes on my crop camera.

The Sigma 30mm f1.4's seem to have nice bokeh and are obviously fast although I don't think they are really considered "sharp". There's a lot of "My Sigma 30 doesn't autofocus right" stories out there which kind of scared me away from ever buying one.

04-18-2018, 10:56 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by clackers Quote
31mm is very close to your phone's equivalent focal length, Enginewoks (28mm).
QuoteOriginally posted by jatrax Quote
Thanks Clackers! @28mm maybe the DFA 24-70 f/2.8 would cover both needs?
I'm pretty sure that most phone cameras have a field of view nearly equivalent to 28mm on 36x24, not on APS-C. To get the same view on the OP's K-70, you'd need something closer to 20mm.
That said, I still don't have any K-mount recommendations better than the 24mm lenses Clackers mentioned (despite the tighter field of view), simply because fast lenses wider than that are hard to come by.
04-18-2018, 11:01 AM   #6
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Wider than the 31, the HD DA 21 mm might suit, or the DA20-40, which is 2.8 at 20 mm.
04-18-2018, 11:07 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Kevin B123 Quote
Wider than the 31, the HD DA 21 mm might suit, or the DA20-40, which is 2.8 at 20 mm.
don't forget the SMC Pentax-DA 21mm F3.2 Limited

Pentax-DA 21mm F3.2 Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

if you look at the HD Pentax-DA 21mm F3.2 AL Limited

HD Pentax-DA 21mm F3.2 Limited Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

both very good lenses

I have the SMC Pentax-DA 21mm F3.2 Limited

04-18-2018, 11:08 AM   #8
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If not having automatic focus is okay, I think the Samyang 24mm f1.4 would be a better all-around lens vs. the old Sigma 24mm EX for pretty much every aspect you can think of, save for not offering auto-focus.
04-18-2018, 11:21 AM - 2 Likes   #9
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The iPhone 6s has the same sensor size as the standard iPhone 7 (not the two lens plus version) and that lens is just over 29.7mm so let's call it 30mm on a Full Frame 35mm camera. The crop factor of the K-70 is roughly 1.53x so 1.53x = 30; x = 19.6mm equivalent, which is around 20mm in round numbers.

The only Pentax prime available NEW at this focal length is the DA 21 Limited (@f/3.2 wide open). In this article HD vs. SMC Pentax Limited Primes Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews you can find this page: HD vs. SMC Pentax Limited Primes Review - Bokeh | PentaxForums.com Reviews showing the bokeh of the SMC and HD versions of this lens. You can also look in sample galleries.

The other option of the HD DA 20-40 Limited is a good one. This very limited range zoom is a treat to own and shoot with. It is slightly faster and wider at 20mm (f/2.8 @ 20mm vs. 3.2 @ 21mm) but I have not seen detailed shots comparing the two for bokeh.

Faster options exist from other manufacturers as you may have noted earlier in the thread. These tend to be narrower in their field of view (24mm lens on the K-70 will be equivalent to about a 36-37mm on 35mm film giving a narrower view than the native lens on the iPhone. However these can be found with f stops up to f/1.4 which offers a shallower depth of field and more low light options and hopefully more pleasing bokeh but you'd have to review images to be sure.

Wider options exist in legacy manual focus and zoom lenses - but bokeh on wide angle lenses is typically not the most sought after feature. Most wide angle lenses are less optimal used this way due to the perceived depth of field in most shots.

For portraits longer focal lengths are "typically" preferred but no one will stop you using a wider perspective if you maintain a enough distance and don't try to get tight framing - or if you don't mind the extended nose and distorted features that a tightly framed headshot will give with that wide of a lens. On my K-3 I have used even the 15mm for a "portrait" of sorts and I have used 400mm as well. The most appropriate lens will depend on your framing and your desired working distance from the subject and the look you want to get. Conventionally on APSC that would be anything in the 50-135mm range which mimics the full frame 70-200 field of view that pros use a lot for portrait work. Many people are reluctant to the use the longer end and would suggest 50-85mm as the most comfortable prime lens range. (I'm not one of them, I'll try to use any length if I can get away with it! LOL)

Last edited by UncleVanya; 04-18-2018 at 11:35 AM.
04-18-2018, 11:30 AM   #10
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Samyang 24mm f/1.4 (if you don't insist on AF).
04-18-2018, 11:44 AM - 1 Like   #11
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Sigma 24-70 2.8 EX DG?
Two lens pair; DA 15 and DA 50 1.8?
04-18-2018, 03:34 PM   #12
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If APS-C were my primary format, I’d probably want the 20-40 limited zoom. It’s a nice range and apparently well regarded.

I might also go for the 21mm if I really wanted a prime.

-Eric
04-18-2018, 04:10 PM   #13
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Another vote for DA21. It is my favorit travel and walk around lens.
HD (red ring) for nicer bokeh.
SMC (green ring) for better starburst effect.

from what I read, iPhone 7's lens provides a fixed focal length of around 28mm in 35mm terms.
DA21 on 1.5 crop will be around 31mm. it should be close enough to iPhone 7's camera

Last edited by pakinjapan; 04-18-2018 at 04:51 PM.
04-18-2018, 04:33 PM - 3 Likes   #14
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On crop, I'd agree that the DA21 is what you want. Although not super fast, it is very usable wide open. It's super compact, and out of focus rendering when focused close for for environmental portraits is quite pleasing.

04-18-2018, 05:42 PM   #15
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you can find more photos taken with the DA 21mm limited and other limited lens in this thread if interested:

The DA Limited Club - PentaxForums.com
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