Hey people,
I own the HD 18 50, and wanted to replace it with a lens, that can give me nicer pictures (OOF, micro contrast, color rendering, etc.). From what it looked like, the 20-40 limited seemed perfect, the size is nice, I like the handling. I tried both out, and to be honest.....My 18 50 is almost as good in every IQ aspect, smaller, lighter, and I am one of the people who is happy with the retraction button.
Therefore, I hope to find answers to the following questions here:
1. Can anyone see from the attached pictures, if it is my copy of the 20-40 limited, that has some issues, or is it really that "meh"?
2. Alternatives: I own the 15 and the 70 limited, and the 20-40 was supposed to be my everyday lens. At the moment (unless someone sees what I could do to massively improve it myself), it goes right back to the seller, as my 18-50 is just a little behind on micro contrast and a little bit bokeh, but only by a percent (price difference: €85, and €540!!!). Can anyone advise me another lens, that I have not thought of yet? Basically, WR, aperture good enough to isolate normally, but most important, size NOT more than the 20-40. I really love to keep all my everyday equipment in my small side pocket, that is a reason I picked Pentax, among others.
3. Is there maybe something I should look out for in photographic technique, using the 20-40? These are of course not the only pictures, some are of course better, but none can justify this price difference. As an example, my 70mm limited is just beautiful at all times, even though the aperture is not the best for great object isolation.
Thanks in advance for all your input, I really hope there are some ideas out there, as the 20-40 is still a good lens, but.....my copy cannot justify a price increase of nearly 7 times!